He nodded to the security guard, who wrapped his arms around Fenton's chest from behind and tried to haul him out of the restaurant. Fenton broke free of the larger man's hold in one move and spun to face him. I heard a sharp gasp before Fenton threw the first punch, and then realized it was me that had made the sound.
The fight slammed into a nearby table and the restaurant erupted as people fled their expensive dinners. The security guard was almost twice Fenton's size, the shape and bulk of a retired football player. He lunged at Fenton, who spun aside and chopped him on the back of the neck. The guard stumbled. Despite his obvious intoxication, Fenton was in control of the fight, until the guard turned around a brandished a Taser.
He aimed at Fenton, and I jumped forward to stop him. Jackson wrapped an arm around my waist to lift me back. I thrashed against him, trying to kick the weapon out of the guard's hand. A camera flash dazed us all and afterward, Fenton stepped back and raised his hands. He turned and walked out of the restaurant unharmed.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kya
I curled up in the corner of the white sofa and tried to ignore the red wine stains on the rug. Luckily, there was no sign of Dana Maria or any of her friends besides the smears of body glitter and red spills they had left behind. The plate of French fries I ordered from room service sat untouched in front of me. I was frozen in horror, my eyes locked to the screen of my laptop.
The photograph had gone viral within seconds of Fenton leaving the restaurant. The snapshot showed the angry security guard aiming the Taser at Fenton, Fenton facing him with fists raised, Jackson trying to pull me out of danger, and me kicking my black heels at the security guard. The savage look on my face held me captivated.
"In a strange turn of the tables, admirer Kya Allen tries to defend the top ranked MMA fighter Fenton Morris from a threatened security guard while nice-guy Jackson McRay tries to save her from getting tasered, too."
The story was all over social media. Speculation was rampant about my relationship to Fenton as well as his reason for crashing my date with Jackson. It was a drama-filled love triangle we had served up to the paparazzi on a silver platter. Everyone pointed out the picture said it all – Fenton's blue eyes on me instead of the imminent threat of the Taser and me fighting off the most eligible bachelor gentleman to come to the rescue of the infamous womanizer.
I shifted my study of the photograph to Fenton and could not ignore the flutter of excitement in my stomach. He had come to the restaurant specifically to disrupt my date with Jackson. A man did not do something like that if he did not care about the woman. Cell phone footage was staring to roll out of Fenton telling me "You certainly don't want to be with him."
I had not denied it, but then again I had not been given much of a chance to speak. And, I hadn’t figured out what Fenton meant about his sister's friends.
I sprang off the couch and went to open my own bottle of red wine. Luckily, the dancers hadn’t raided the wine refrigerator and I did not care what vintage I was drinking. Had Fenton just done it for the publicity?
An official statement had been issued by the MMA putting Fenton on probation. There was no way he pulled the stunt at the restaurant to further his career.
I glanced at the door to Fenton's room before I returned to the sofa. He had beaten me back to the suite and was passed out cold when I arrived. Somehow, I was sure he already knew about the probation. For all his wild acting, Fenton was a professional. That is why he raised his hands and left the restaurant before things went any farther.
My phone rang and I picked it up. "Go ahead and give me the lecture, boss. I deserve it. Our clients get the headlines, not us."
"Lecture you? Honey baby, if I was there I would kiss you!" James crowed. "The publicity is through the roof! The vitamin people are so impressed with the stir you've created that they've sweetened the deal."
"Are you serious? I thought the whole thing was shot and you're telling me it’s better than ever?" I asked.
"Shh, pretend like you meant all of this to happen. Pretend you did it all on purpose. I've been telling everyone you are my protégé and that I taught you everything you know. Don't make me look bad now, baby," James said.
"Because only you would start a fight in a restaurant and almost get your star athlete tasered in order to boost his publicity and get more money for the endorsement deal," I said.
"Exactly. Keep up the good work, gorgeous!"
My boss hung up the phone and I closed my eyes. None of this was actually happening. I prayed I would wake up with a bad hangover only to find it was my first night in Vegas. Then, Fenton would be next to me and we would have a chance to start over.
The knock at the door made me jump a foot into the air. I smoothed down the black dress I still wore and steeled myself to greet the stripper, Dana Maria, and her friends. Instead, my jaw hit the floor when Jackson slipped into the suite and grabbed my hand.
"I had to come by and see how you are," he said. He kissed the back of my hand and then handed me a box of chocolate-covered strawberries. He then produced a bottle of champagne and two flutes from his pockets. "I hear they go well with champagne and I know you like that, so here I am. I figured dinner got screwed up, so why not skip to dessert?"
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. How could I explain to him that Fenton was asleep in the next room? I had to tell him and try to make him believe it was strictly work before Fenton appeared and things got even stranger than earlier.
&n
bsp; Jackson pressed a finger to my lips. "You don't have to say anything. I know you were pursuing Fenton for work. None of what happened tonight was your fault. You had no idea the guy would get crazy possessive of you and stalk you around Las Vegas."
He pulled me over to the couch and unwrapped the champagne bottle. The pop of the cork made me wince and when I opened one eye, I immediately looked at Fenton's door. "Jackson, there is something I have to tell you," I said.
"I'm telling you, Kya, there is no need to apologize. All I ask is that you taste one of these strawberries and have a sip of champagne. I hear it is the perfect combination," he said.
He lifted a strawberry to my mouth and I was forced to take a bite. Then, he handed me a champagne flute. I tried not to gulp it down and let the sweet oblivion help me escape my awkward reality.
"Delicious right?"