Slamming Demon (Pounding Hearts 2)

I had to grow up pretty damn fast, I had a lot of money from different insurance policies. I had a lot of stuff to get through though and I forced myself to go through college and get my degree in history. Didn’t do too much for me though. I have been fighting pretty steadily since then.

I earned my nickname though Chase calling me the Demon. I fight like one in the ring. It’s said I don’t stop until either I am thoroughly unable to fight anymore or my opponent is knocked the fuck out.

“So we going to go to the fights in a couple of weeks?”

Neither of us are on the card, but we try to always go to lend our support to the guys from the gym.

“Yeah, I’m down for that.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Mandy

Five years in Hollywood, a total bust. But one month back home in Trenton and I land my big break.

My agent, James, was so desperate to still make a buck off of me that he sent out my headshots to all the local agencies. I didn’t really think anything would come of it, but surprisingly the professional MMA league expressed an interest in me. I know Brett has gone professional with the league, and just the thought of running into him again makes me break out in a nervous sweat. But the salary they’re offering me to be a ring girl, a girl who just walks around in a bikini with a card held up for the audience, is straight up ridiculous. The money is too good to pass up. It’s way more than I’ll ever be able to earn as a Thursday’s waitress.

I took the audition and nailed it. My first gig is next week, and I’m so excited I call Grace on my drive home to share my good fortune.

“Well?” Grace asks as soon as she picks up. “Did you get it?”

“Yes!” I squeal, and I hear not only her but Hope as well squealing on the other end.

“Yay! You so deserve it, honey.” Grace tells me, and I know she truly means it. Besides my parents, she’s my biggest fan.

I sigh, feeling some of the weight of the world dropping away. It’s just such a relief to finally get a break. “You girls want to celebrate with me? I’m thinking ice cream sundaes.”

“Ice cream!” Hope squeals in the background and I can’t help but chuckle.

“I’ll swing by and pick you up.”

Twenty minutes later and I’ve got Grace and Hope with me. We’re squeezed into a booth in Moo’s Creamery, digging into hot fudge sundaes. I laugh at Hope as she shovels a giant spoonful of ice cream with sprinkles into her mouth and gets some whipped cream stuck on the tip of her little button nose.

“Hope,” Grace sighs and rolls her eyes at me before swiping the cream off with her thumb and licking it clean. “Slow down or you’ll upset your tummy.”

“Yes, mommy,” Hope says sweetly but her next bite is just as big.

I swear Hope is a miniature version of Grace. She has her mother’s same beautiful long blonde hair and glowing brown eyes. And I know from experience she can be just as mischievous. Sometimes I blink and it’s like seeing Grace sitting across from me in preschool all those years ago. It can be quite the mind trip.

“So what exactly are your duties as a ring girl? I want all the dirty details,” Grace smirks as she dips her spoon into her own sundae. “So I can live vicariously through you.”

I shift my eyes towards Hope and know I’ll hav

e to be careful with what I say and how I say it. “My job is pretty much to look well, pretty,” I smirk back at Grace. “Once a month is the actual ring girl thing, where I walk between the bouts with a card. But all the other stuff is modeling for their promotional things or being there for weigh-ins. It’s not acting… it’s actually more of what my mother wanted to do.”

“Oh my god, she’s going to be so jealous,” Grace laughs. “Heck, I’m jealous. But not of that bikini you have to wear. You can’t hide anything in it.”

“No, you can’t,” I laugh. “And I have to wear that thing in front of an entire arena. Not to mention it will be broadcast on television…”

“Yeah, but you totally look hot in it,” Grace winks at me and I roll my eyes right back at her.

“Whatever,” I say and bite my tongue to keep from tacking on a “bitch” after it. It’s been a struggle over the past four years, but we’ve managed to cut that word from our vocabulary– at least around the munchkin.

“I’m going to have to watch what I eat, so no more sundaes for me, and I’ll have to put in some extra hours at the gym to stay fit.”

“Oh, poor you,” Grace mocks me, and we both end up laughing.

Wiping tears from the corners of my eyes, I take a small bite of my sundae.