I stood up to a multitude of boos, but there were some loyal followers that gave me my just desserts. It felt good to make this man knuckle under. He was one of those muscle-bound freaks, but he could’ve been more of a challenge had he taken classes in hand to hand combat. Once he learned that, he would be a better fit to go toe to toe with me again.

I stepped out of the cage without a hair out of place. There were no marks on my body except for the bruises that would show up later on my forearms. They were going to be painful and it wasn’t like I was a stranger to having injuries.

Rick was amassing his fortune one fight at a time. He was collecting his bounty and counting the $100 bills without the concern of somebody mugging him. It was an unwritten rule and one the fighters and spectators followed without hesitation. Nobody was to touch him or they would be banned for life from fighting or watching their favorite pastime. His security consisted of a couple of disgraced fighters. They didn’t have any place to go and he scooped them up when they didn’t have anything left.

He motioned for me to follow him into the back room. There was no doubt the black leather couch was used for extracurricular activities. I didn’t even want to begin to imagine what a black light would reveal.

“Payton, you always go above and beyond the call of duty. Tonight was no different. We made out like bandits. I’ve always been a man of my word. Here is your take and you have been missed greatly around here. I was beginning to think you weren’t going to have to slum it anymore. I should have known better. You have this need to get violent. You made it look so easy, but you know what they say about it only taking one.” He handed me $20,000 in cold hard cash. Unfortunately, I was going to have to spend 99% of that getting a particular loan shark off my back.

“The one thing nobody can take from me is my will to fight. I may not like this little enterprise of yours, but it does help me in ways you can never imagine. I would thank you, but it’s not like you haven’t profited yourself.” I was about to leave with him counting his ill-gotten gains all over again, but he stopped me by putting his hand on my shoulder.

He was sleazy, but he had good bone structure and the kind of reputation for being a beast in the sack. I was tempted to mix business with pleasure, but it was a slippery slope.

I looked at the way that he was touching me; giving him a cold hard stare of disapproval which made him take his hand back like somebody had burned his fingertips.

“I’m sorry, I forgot about your rule of no touching. I wish one day you would allow me to show you what you have been missing.” He fondled himself, showing the real estate slinking down the left side of his leg. It was appalling, but also a very telling sign of his virility. Those that had spent the night took the walk of shame with a smile on their face. He was different from other guys. His advances were not strictly given to the female persuasion. He was an equal opportunity kind of lover.

“One of these days, I might just take you up on your offer and we’ll see who can go the distance.” I held his stare and he was fanning himself with the money made on the backs of others.

“I have a bonus for you in the amount of $5000. There’s a man who wants to meet you. He has given me the incentive to make it happen.” If I had gotten 5000, then I could only imagine what his take from that was. He always did have greedy pockets and took every opportunity to supplement his income.

“I’m not opposed to talking to anyone, but it has to be on my terms. Give him this number and I’ll make arrangements to see him in a public place. I have to say, you surprised me by how much money you gave me tonight. I’m going to let it slide

this one time, but let’s not forget who’s the moneymaker. It’s not 10% and we both know it. We will return to the standing arrangement of 20% next week.” He was always trying to undercut me, but it was a game to see if I was a woman enough to catch him.

“I was only screwing with you.” He handed me the rest of the cash he owed and tonight I was going to live high on the hog eating lobster and spending my time in the presidential suite of a high-end hotel. I would be able to stay there for at least a week. I should have invested wisely in an apartment, but I was never one to put down roots. This city was the bane of my existence growing up, but I’d always found myself thinking of it as home.

“You’ve always been a bit sleazy, but I do find myself curious about the rumors.” He didn’t even hesitate, unzipping his fly and pulling out something that would give size queens a run for their money. “My god; is there no end to your shame. I didn’t ask to see it. If I wanted to, I could easily seduce you out of your pants.” He was smiling the entire time with that one gold tooth shining in the light. His hand was wrapped around his manhood. I could only describe it as a growing snake in the grass.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with showing it off. I figure, if you like it then I won’t have to work hard to get you into bed.” I didn’t know what there wasn’t to like, but I had no idea how to wrap my lips around his appendage. It would’ve been interesting to try. I would gladly show some real enthusiasm.

“I do admire a guy that puts it out there for everybody to see.” He wasn’t even hard and it was still growing. There was nothing more revolting to women than a guy with a big ego. It was where we differed. I liked to think of those guys as being my perfect man. They never ceased to amaze me with their blatant disregard for good taste.

“All you need to do is say so and it can be yours for one night only. We can have a lot of fun if only you can get out of your head long enough to enjoy yourself. I don’t have any problem putting you at the top of the list. Your constant denial is really getting on my last nerve. You’re the only one who was never given in willingly. I’m not the kind of guy to force anything on anyone. This is only a brief peak and if you want to see anything more, then you know where I am. I’ve never had any problem with finding female companionship, but you are my white whale.” He put it back in and I had to stifle a sigh of regret for not seeing it in all its glory.

“I don’t know where that thing has been and I do hope the term no love without the glove comes to mind. You do drive a hard bargain, Rick, but I think tonight is not your lucky night. It’s only a matter of time. It’s possible your patience will be rewarded 10 times over. I don’t mean to brag, but I’m very good at draining a guy of his bodily fluids. I am very thorough and those that have been fortunate to be with me understand rising from the ashes takes on a whole new meaning.” I let him ponder those comments and left there pretty damn sure that I wasn’t going to get the phone call. I was about to find out how wrong I was.

Chapter three

The silk sheets conformed to my body, as I wrapped myself in the cocoon of luxury. I had collapsed coming home after a rigorous exercise in the cage. Taking the big man down took more out of me than I was willing to concede to. He might have been clumsy, but I had to take my time which had lapsed into a 2-hour escapade. I gave them their money’s worth and then some.

I got out of bed to see there was a message on the phone. It seemed unusual and it wasn’t like anybody knew I was staying here. I found myself curious enough to pick up the receiver and dial in for the message.

“I’m sorry to bother you like this and I’m sure that you feel this is an invasion of your privacy, but this is of the utmost importance. Rick gave me your number. I found it was out of order. I had one of my men tailing you, but I think you know that. I’m going to be downstairs at the bar at precisely 11 am. I have a proposition which I’m sure you’ll find interesting enough to hear me out. My name is Knight Williams. You don’t need my permission to do your due diligence on me. I hope you will consider meeting me face to face. I don’t do business any other way.” The line went dead and he had me at a loss for words. I had no idea what kind of business he would have with me.

I went into my daily regiment of pushups and pull-ups on the door frame. I was putting my body to the test. I found my limit and went right past it. The pain in my side diminished. Most would have stopped precisely at that point. I gave myself license to reach deep to find the necessary strength.

I had every reason to believe that somebody was out to get me. I never could walk into a room without looking at all the exits. I was always going to have to have the upper hand. My strategy to get out was right there in reach.

I was naked, building up a good sweat and watching the results ripple with every muscle on my body. I was not content unless I was keeping my figure. I wanted to make myself the fierce warrior I believed myself to be. I loved the pain and I fed on it like my own personal drug.

I called down for room service, ordering freshly squeezed orange juice, a two egg white omelet and a steak with all the fixings. I pretty much had 10 minutes before the telltale knock on my door would announce my breakfast.

I finished my workout, jumped into the shower and let the hot water soothe away the pain of those bruises on my forearms. They were an ugly black and blue color.

I didn’t have much to my name, but last night, I had stopped to do some window shopping with my windfall. I paid back the loan shark, only to learn that I had bypassed the time limit which meant I still owed another $20,000. It was a never ending cycle and the only way to break it was to make sure not to be late with a payment.

I stuck my head underneath the hot water and immediately flashed back to a time in Afghanistan during a storm. We couldn’t see a damn thing in front of us and I had elected myself to give these kids something to fight for. I found myself outnumbered, but I waged my own personal war until I came out soaking in their blood.

Tags: Mia Ford Romance
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