I swallowed the chuckle in my throat. I did not want to give away Kev's game. Then, I heard Kya's voice. She was talking about Jackson McRay.
"…this professional golf
er, Jackson McRay. He's everything I'm supposed to want – good family, well-educated, cultured, practical, and always thinking about long-term goals."
"Doesn't hurt that he's handsome and rich," Sandi said. "I saw his tabloid cover. Hard not for him to catch any woman's eye."
"That's exactly it," Kya said. "Jackson McRay is a catch. He's the man I'm supposed to choose."
"I don't need my phone," I told Kev.
He immediately left the suite door and followed me to the elevator. "She said 'supposed to,' and we both know people only occasionally do what they are 'supposed to.'"
"Except Kya Allen," I said. "She lives for 'supposed to.'"
Kev shook his head and followed me into the elevator. "You broke her out of that. We should have listened more."
I chucked him on the shoulder. "You just wanted to hear Sandi talk."
"Yeah, I've got it bad and it never felt so good," Kev said. He rubbed his shoulder and smiled.
The doors opened on the lobby and the group of guys standing there punched each other in excitement. "You're that fighter, you're Morris. Man, you are a bad ass. We're trying to do Vegas your way!"
"My way?"
"Strippers, fights, man, you just do what you want. You're my hero," another man said. "We started a bar fight last night in your honor."
"Don't be stupid," I said. "What's the word? Naive. It’s all an act. Whatever crap you did last night is on you."
"Whoa, what?" the first man asked. "You're saying it’s all an act? I thought the MMA was different from wrestling."
"Same dumb fans," I said.
Kev shoved me through the group and across the lobby. "Have you lost your mind?"
"I didn't say anything crazy. I told them the truth," I said.
"Alienating your fan base the night before the title fight is no way to do business," Kev said.
"Neither is lying about who I am and making people believe I am somebody totally different," I said.
"Last time I checked, you had a short temper, loved to fight, and had an insatiable appetite for tequila and women. Oh, what a terrible double life you have been forced to live!" Kev said.
"So that's all I'm supposed to be?"
Kev wrapped an arm around my neck. "Now, I'm not saying that. I get that you want to be your best self. Hell, I'm trying to do the same thing. But I'm not going to be my best self if I throw away my entire network. People know me one way and it’s going to take time for them to realize I'm more."
"Sandi's doing that to you? Making you want to be your best self?" I asked.
"Yes. And admit it or not, Kya is doing that for you. So what if she thinks she's supposed to choose the Polo shirt wearing golfer. All you have to do is make sure it’s you she wants. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the whole opposites attract has been working for you two so far, so why destroy your image now?" Kev asked.
"What's so important about my image?" I asked. "It’s your job to manage that. I'm not playing it up for the cameras anymore. My job is the fight and that's the one thing I'm going to do."
"Fine, fine. If you want to take a backseat to handling your publicity, then you should have invited Sienna to the party tonight. You could have been on autopilot the entire time and she would have hyped you to the cameras all night."
"Yeah, but that's not real," I said. "I thought the new you would be into a marketing campaign of authenticity."
"The new me, yes. But I'm stuck as the old me until the title fight because it’s the old me that has promoted the hell out of the old you. See what I'm saying?" Kev asked.