“What would you say to critics who say that AMMA can’t compete with the UMA?” The perky blonde reporter asked.
“I’d say watch me. Watch me bring the purity of the sport back to the world. UMA became all about money real fast. The fighters who were in the public eye got all the best fights whether they were the best or not. That’s not happening here. We base our fights off skill not celebrity status.” He grinned. “That in and of itself ought to make people want to watch us more.”
“Word has it that a few fighters have left the gym because of the UMA ban. Are you worried more will leave?”
“No, and I understand their reasons. I can’t expect them to walk into the fire with me. I have every confidence that this new endeavor will ultimately be wildly successful, but I can’t expect everyone to pin their livelihoods on me. I’ve got my ace in the hole though, and I’m sure we’ll be just fine.” He had a sneaky smile on his face and I wondered what he was up to. “In fact let me go grab him so I can announce this to everyone all at the same time.
“I’ll get him,” I offered and headed for the door only to smack into a very sweaty, hard chest. I nearly slipped off of him but his hands came down on my hips steadying me as I breathed his manly musky scent in.
“You gotta let me go, gorgeous.”
“Hmm?” I hummed before realizing my hands were on his pecs. “Shit, what were you doing just standing behind me like that? And why didn’t you move before I ran into you?” He looked at me sheepishly.
“Um, I didn’t realize you were turning around until you bumped me. I wasn’t paying attention.” I have no idea why I asked my next question.
“What were you paying attention to?”
“Your ass.” He grinned. I rolled my eyes.
“You’re a pig. You’re needed for the interview,” I said pointing behind me. I could feel everyone’s eyes on the scene, watching with interest and I blushed bright red.
“You’re cute when you’re all indignant.” He trailed a finger down my reddened cheek.
“Kyle, come here. I have news,” Darren said sternly. Kyle smirked before walking over to his coach.
“What’s up coach?”
“I was just telling them about AMMAs first scheduled fight.” He grinned. “Three months from today our very own Kyle Walker will be fighting Kaden from Rock Hard gym in Rockmound, Tennessee.”
“Yes. That’s great news. I gotta go train, Coach, three months will come super quickly.” Kyle bounced on the balls of his feet.
“Wait, Rockmound, Tennessee is that….” The reporter trailed off.
“Yes ma’am, Mad Max Malone is this kid’s trainer.” He grinned. “I set it all up this morning.”
“You’re not worried that people will be more interested in the trainers then the actual fight itself?” she asked.
“No, ma’am,” Kyle chimed in. “We’ll give them a fight like they’ve never seen before.”
I always knew he was arrogant but the way he said that as truth and not as some macho cocky comment, he really was out to give them an amazing fight.
“How can you suggest that an unknown fighter can come to the national stage and give us an unbelievable fight?” the reporter asked snarkily.
“You heard who his trainer is.” Kyle shrugged. “I fought the guy. He’s a beast and he’ll know if the kid is good enough to fight me.”
“Max will only send his best fighters to the big show.” Darren grinned. “It’s gonna be great.”
I watched the two men warily. They were making some big promises. I just hoped they could deliver.
KYLE
After the interview, Darren took the reporter on a tour of the gym while I went back to the cage to practice with Pete. I was sure they wanted pictures of me fighting in the cage. That was why Delia had asked me to come down here. “I see the other night at the club didn’t help curb your thoughts.” Pete laughed.
“Speaking of the other night, when I came back from the bathroom you were gone.” I cocked a brow at him.
“After I got one off with my fingers, the other chick sucked them clean. I nearly came in my pants, dude. I couldn’t get out of their fast enough.” That was an image I wouldn’t get out of my head for a long time.
“Dude, that was an overshare of epic proportions.” I shook my head in disgust. I knew most guys fantasized about getting with two women, but for me it just seemed like too much work to try to please two women at once. “C’mon, let’s give them a show.”
“Don’t worry I won’t make you look too bad before your fight,” Pete trash-talked me.
“You couldn’t make me look bad if you tried, little guy.” Pete hated when I called him that. I had about fifty pounds of muscle and about three inches on his six-foot frame. He was in the middle-weight class and had been middle-weight champ before the ban. He gave up his title on principle and I was glad to call him a friend.
We sparred for a good fifteen minutes with light kicks and jabs here and there until Darren called time. “Thank you so much, I think we got what we needed.” The reporter shook hands with Darren. She looked me up and down with hungry eyes as she made her way to the cage. “It was nice to meet you, Kyle. Give me a call sometime.” She winked slipping me a card when she clasped my hand. I shook my head at her retreating back but made sure to wait until she left the building to throw the card in the trash. I’d heard about all the men she’d slept with and wanted no part of that. I shuddered as I tossed it in the waste basket.
“Don’t like gorgeous blonds?” A syrupy-sweet voice asked from behind me.
“Oh, I like gorgeous blondes just not plastic ones who mow through champions like the White House gardeners.” Delia laughed.
“She does have man-eater written all over her doesn’t she?” She looked thoughtful.
“I’d do her.” Pete laughed from behind me.
“You’d do anything with a pulse.” I groaned.
“That’s true.” He shrugged unconcerned that he’d just admitted to being a giant man-whore. Delia looked amused by the entire encounter but didn’t comment.
“So,” I turned to look at Delia, “how about we all have drinks tonight and watch the broadcast?”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Darren said walking up behind her. “We should all go down to that sports bar on Twelfth. They have ESPN on every TV.”
“You’re coming, right, Delia?” I asked with cocky grin. She rolled her eyes before nodding. “Good, because this is a culmination of your hard work and genius.” Her cheeks heated as she blushed. Making her blush was one of my new favorite hobbies.
***
I pulled up in an Uber outside the sports bar on Twelfth at a little before seven. I knew I was running late but I would make it in before the show started, which was good enough for me.
As I was walking in, I noticed Delia rushing in from the parking lot looking frazzled. I stopped, waiting for her to catch up in her too-high heels. “You shouldn’t be running like that you’re gonna….” I trailed off as her heel caught in a crack in the cement and she started to fall. Two long strides and I was there catching her before she hit the ground. As I pulled her into my chest reflexively, my dick definitely took notice of her curvy body pressed up against me. She was breathing heavily probably still freaked out about her near face-plant in the parking lot. “I gotcha. You’re okay.” I rubbed my hands up and down her back in a soothing gesture her body shuddered in my arms. It only caused me to pull her closer.
“Yes,” she said her voice muffled into my chest. I chuckled as she attempted to untangle herself from me. I wasn’t ready to let her go yet. Holding her tighter, I inhaled the fruity scent of her hair. “Kyle we’re gonna miss the interview.”
“I don’t give a damn about the interview,” I whispered close to her ear.
“Kyle, stop. We can’t do this,” she said breathily. Her tone belied her words.
“We’re not doin’ anything. I saved yo
u from breaking that beautiful face of yours, that’s all.” I finally took a step back but my hands remained on her hips. She looked down on them pointedly, so I begrudgingly removed them.
“Ready to go inside?” She smiled nervously.
“After you, gorgeous.” I knew I was laying it on thick, but something in my head fogged over when she was this close to me. I watched her ass the whole way until she came to an abrupt stop inside the bar, and I nearly ran into her from behind. “Delia? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I can’t do this. I have to go.” She turned white as a sheet as she tried to move past me. Grabbing her around the waist, I looked into her fear-filled eyes.
“You have to stay. You’ll miss the interview,” I said slowly. “What has you so freaked out?”
“Delia? I thought that was you?” I knew that voice. I bristled. Looking into Delia’s resigned eyes as she turned to face the newcomer, I wondered what had happened between them. “How have you been?”
“Like you care.” She glared at him. He looked a bit taken aback by her angry response. My arm was still around her waist and Brandon looked at it pointedly. “What do you want, Brandon?”
“Just thought I’d come by and see how an old friend was doing. My bad I’ll leave you to it.” He walked away shaking his head.
She was shaking so I tried to diffuse the situation. “I think we need a drink.”
“That’s the best idea I’ve heard all night.” Walking over to the bar we placed our orders and I handed the bartender my card.
“Keep it open?” The bartender nodded. Delia looked like she wanted to argue but I cut her off. “What happened between you two?”
“We dated for awhile and when he was finished with me he left me with heartache and a demon spawn.” The look on my face must have been one of confusion. She giggled. “He gave me Missy, my cat for my birthday. It’s pure evil. Doesn’t like anyone. Not even me. Maybe especially not me.”
“If you clearly don’t like each other, why did you keep it?” I asked not understanding.
“I thought maybe she would grow on me.” She shrugged helplessly. “There’s so many animals in shelters, and as mean as she is, I thought they would put her down. I didn’t want that on my conscience.”
Something about her response didn’t sit well with me but I didn’t comment. “I think I would like to meet this devil cat.” I grinned not letting on that I was great with animals. She looked horrified by the idea.
“I’m not so sure that’s a great idea,” she countered.
“I’m telling you it will be fine,” I said as we moved between the crowds trying to get to the back where Darren and Pete were waiting in a booth by one of the TVs. It was less crowded back there, so we’d be able to hear the interview better. “Have they shown the interview yet?”
“No, but they’re talking about the unfair ban so the interview should be coming up soon.” Darren’s eyes never left the screen as he answered my question. Pete made a show of scooting over so Delia could sit down in the circular booth. I punched him in the arm and sat down next to him, putting Delia on the end next to me. That guy was a horndog and I didn’t want him putting his hands on her. Pete smirked giving me a knowing look, but Delia rolled her eyes at my possessiveness. She didn’t know Pete like I did. He couldn’t be trusted sitting next to a beautiful woman.
“Shh, shhh,” Darren shushed us needlessly since none of us were talking. “It’s starting.”
We listened as the reporter asked Darren about the ban. “Why was your gym banned from competing in the UMA?”
“I played a roll in the Bryant Malone fight. I didn’t believe that they should discriminate against Bryant for his sexual orientation. Max wanted to fight the best, so I helped make that happen.”
“There’s been a lot of talk about the whole thing over the last year and a half, and a lot of people are curious as to why Bryant didn’t sue for discrimination. What are your thoughts on that?” the reporter asked.
“It’s not my place to say and I don’t know for sure you’ll have to ask him that, but my best guess is that he’s a prideful man. He believed to some degree that keeping that secret from his opponents and fans was wrong, so he took his punishment accordingly.”
“What does the ban on Sin City Gym mean for your fighters and their futures?”
“It’s gonna be a tough road, but we have a circuit in place where we can continue to compete at the national level. AMMA is going to be about the purity in the MMA world. The best fighters will get the opportunity to fight no matter their public persona, or their personal lives. It’s going to revolutionize the sport and bring it back to its roots at the same time.”
I grinned as I listened to Darren talk about the new circuit and what it would do. He was so passionate about it, I found myself excited. I looked over at Delia, who was smiling with satisfaction. Grabbing her hand under the table, I squeezed it. “This is all because of you,” I whispered. Her cheeks instantly turned pink at the compliment. Pulling her hand from my grasp, she turned her attention back to the TV, completely ignoring me. It irritated me but I got her point. We were in a very public place and her ex was just a few tables over. I excused myself heading to the bathroom needing some space and some clarity.
I hadn’t expected the ambush I received from a certain quarterback posturing in the bathroom. “What’s with you and Dee?”
“Dee?” I asked in confusion. The Delia I knew seemed too proper to let anyone call her that.
“You know, Delia? What’s the deal?”
“Why do you even care?” I growled. He put his hands up in surrender.
“I just came to warn you, bro. Dee loves dating athletes. She can get super clingy. That’s why I broke it off. She thought it was more than it was. It almost ruined my career.”
“You’re a fucking liar. If anything, I’m betting it was her career that was almost ruined. You’re a fucking superstar. The team would never trade you, but one bad word from you could destroy everything she worked so hard for in an industry full of men. I find it kind of odd,” I laughed bitterly. “You say she loves athletes, yet I have been pursuing her for days and she’s sticking to her guns. I bet I have you to thank for that, am I right?” I got right up in his face. He was only about an inch shorter than me, and he looked a bit scared. I didn’t blame him for that. He was a pampered pro quarterback, and I was trained MMA fighter with the best record in the world at the moment. He knew it. I could see the uncertainty in his eyes as we stared each other down.
“Whatever, this shits not worth it. She was a lousy lay anyway.” I didn’t even think before I had my forearm thrust against his throat and his back against the dingy bathroom wall.
“You wanna start a war? We can start a war. Don’t you ever look at her, talk to her, or even think about her again or I will fucking ruin you.”
I hadn’t even heard the bathroom door open or Pete’s footsteps as he came in behind me. “What the fuck is going on?”
“Help me. He’s unhinged,” the pussy coughed out.
“Nah, I don’t buy that for a second. My boy is the most controlled person I know. What the fuck did you do?” Pete growled but pulled me off the fucker anyway.
“We have an understanding?” I glared at him. He was hunched over in an attempt to catch his breath. He nodded coughing and holding his throat.
“What the fuck, man? You know who the fuck that is?”
“Yeah, that pussy is Delia’s ex and he knows the score.” I stomped out of the bathroom door nearly plowing into the woman herself. “How much did you hear?”
She looked a mix between shell-shocked and near puking. “Talk to me, beautiful.”
“What did you just do?” She looked horrified.
“He followed me into the bathroom talking shit. I put him in his place.” I shrugged.
“You can’t do this, Kyle. You think being in a battle with Vegas’ star pro quarterback is a good idea?” sh
e shrieked.
“Hey, that’s not gonna happen. Look, we had a talk and came to an understanding.” Just then the asshole came out looking pissed, but the second he saw us standing there he averted his eyes and moved quickly in the other direction. “See? He won’t bother you again.” I grinned.
“He may not bother me, but have you seen what a keyboard warrior he is?” She eyed me with a nervousness I hadn’t expected.
“I don’t really do social media.” I shrugged—the whole idea of posting about every moment of my life didn’t appeal to me. I had Twitter and that stuff but it was only out of necessity. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket like it was about to explode and I cocked a brow at Delia. I looked over at where the dipshit was sitting tapping on his phone. He must have felt my eyes on him because he looked up at me with an evil grin.
“I can’t say I didn’t warn you. He’s gonna start a Twitter war with you. He’s notorious for it. That’s how he got the team to trade one of the best receivers I’ve ever seen.”
“So what? I don’t even care about his petty bullshit.” I pulled my phone from my pocket looking at all the notifications. I have no idea why I opened the long-neglected app to see what’d been said.
@BSullivan7: @TheKyleWalker thinks he scares me? Think again, brah.
There were over a hundred replies already. “He’s trying to start a public battle with me?” I almost laughed. It was completely ridiculous and just like a weeny quarterback, he couldn’t hang in the ring. Before I knew what was happening my fingers flew across the keyboard on my phone.
@TheKyleWalker: @BSullivan7 y u being a weeny. Say it 2 my face. U can’t hang, brah.
“What are you doing?” Delia’s eyes grew wide. “You can’t start a Twitter war with Brandon Sullivan.”
“I just did.” I grinned. “Don’t worry, beautiful, I have a plan.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing.” I caught sight of Sullivan staring at us and pulled Delia in my arms. My mouth crashed down on hers in a desperate kiss. Holy shit. It was the best kiss of my life. It had me pressing closer to her. My hands came down on her hips pulling her impossibly closer. I ground my growing erection against her belly as her hands reached up and threaded through my hair. A throat cleared behind her forcing me to break the kiss. Pete looked at me uncomfortably before nodding behind me to a very pissed-off Darren. Delia’s eyes widened while pink slowly tinted her cheeks. Looking around the room, I noticed that all eyes were on us. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”
Exposed Page 5
