The Boy Next Door (62 page)

When he stood up, I saw how tight his pants were across his private area. A cup…it had to be. That could not all be him.

I was biting my bottom lip. He walked by me and put his hand in my hair. He pulled it back and made me look at him. “You’re just like any other woman. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to experience what they have.”

I gasped as he let go and kept my face turned away. He was a pretty package, but underneath that there was something ugly seeping through to the other side. “I would suggest that you come back to my hotel room and we can seal this deal with more than just a kiss. However, since you want to put yourself in my hands for training, then sex is off the table. Just until after the training and then you can have your way with me.”

I wanted to slap the taste out of his mouth and wipe that smug look off his face. Maybe I’d get my chance in the ring, and maybe he’d be the one to teach me how.

Still, I could barely take my eyes off of his posterior as he took that walk up to the counter to pay for our meal. I tried to get up, but my legs felt like jelly. I had to stay there and drink that wine and try to compose myself. The deal was struck. Now I had to live up to it.

I was soon able to leave here underneath my own power. No man had ever gotten to me like that. More often than not, I was the one that was calling the shots. He had this forceful demeanor, something that I was not used to and that I hadn’t even know that I craved it.

It was not the way that I wanted this meeting to end, but I could honestly say that it went better than expected. He had already agreed that he would train me and would invest, and had even agreed to our wager to take less profit if I could make it into my first MMA fight.

My phone buzzed with an e-mail message as I left the restaurant. It was from the promotors of our upcoming pay-per-views. According to the text message, they were quite taken by my proposal. They were on their way here to take a meeting with me in two days. They dictated their terms and everything seemed to be a reasonable, including the thirty per cent take at the door. It was a small price to pay to get this place on the map.

Chapter three

“I can’t believe that you not only convinced them to come here for a meeting, but you got Brandon standing over there acting like the big shot. The guys are going crazy seeing him and they all want to see you get into the ring and show your stuff.”

Owen was still my biggest supporter. I didn’t know what kind of stuff I had but we would soon see. Brandon Summer had just finished telling me that it wasn’t about technique. He wanted to see spirit and fire in my belly, even in defeat. One thing that he didn’t know was that I wasn’t used to failing. Failure was not an option.

“You really don’t know that much about him, Owen. He’s a bit arrogant and thinks that he’s God’s gift to the MMA and to women alike. I’ve never seen anybody act so pigheaded and sexist in my life. I’m starting to regret going into business with him.” He had just signed on the dotted line and had actually brought a lawyer to go over the fine print.

“That’s not how they paint him in the media,” Owen argued. “He’s very generous with his time and he’s making a run for a certain wrestler’s record when it comes to the Make-A-Wish foundation. He has no problem taking photos with his fans. Sure there are rumors that he can be a bit of a womanizer, but that comes with the territory of fame and fortune.”

Owen really couldn’t hold a candle to any one of these guys in here. He was slight of stature and had no interest in bulking his frame. He was comfortable in his own skin and being professional in the IT department had made him a growing concern in many companies that were seeking out his expertise.

“That doesn’t matter,” I told him. “The only thing that does matter is that having him on board will give this place the notoriety that I want for it. The fight promoters coming to meet me in a couple of days will find out about this latest turn of events and then they’ll be clamoring to televise from here.”

It was time to get this party started. I was nervous and shaking like a leaf, but I was also anxious and ready to learn from someone that knew exactly what he was doing. I kept telling myself that as I geared up to head to the ring.

I could see the smirks on the guys’ faces as they crowded around the octagon. That was my first new renovation. It cost a pretty penny to have it installed, but it was going to pay off in big dividends. I had on a black pair of sweat pants with a string tie and a black sports bra with the NIKE logo. I was kind of hoping that down the road they would become one of the sponsors for this place.

“I’m afraid that I have to cut this short fellas. It appears that my pupil is ready to get started.” Owen crowed and postured and slapped his hands together. “Do stick around and see me make her cry like a little girl.”

Each word that came out of his mouth only made me reach down deep and grab onto something that I didn’t even know I had. There was a fire in me that would not be extinguished. By anyone.

We stepped into the octagon. Brandon was wearing blue trunks with his name stenciled across them. He had tape across his knuckles. He got into a stance and I mimicked him to the letter, watching and learning, as he moved around the ring with grace and style. The first strike hit the side of my head and staggered me up against the chain link fence. He followed it up with a straight kick to my stomach that literally lifted me off my feet and onto my hands and knees.

“Sky, this is not a sport for crybabies. Get up and stop moaning and do something about it.”

I gritted my teeth and attacked him. My upper body slammed into his lower half, but then I felt two hands coming back down on my back. I felt the impact, but I would not let go and then I turned slightly and caught him off guard with a move that I had watched on the internet last night. It took him off his feet and made him land heavily on his side.

I rolled over and moved back to a standing position. He was holding his side and now pointing at me like I was a student inside the principal’s office after being called there for bad behavior. “Okay. That was pretty good. I guess an old dog can learn new tricks. That’s the only one you get, though.”

Honestly, I didn’t care. I’d seen the look of surprise in his eyes. That was the reward I’d been seeking.

As we squared off again, I made sure to keep my body turned to the side, so that he didn’t have very much to strike at. I may not have been in the ring before, but I had trained my mind by watching video after video of the best fighters. I was most impressed with the Iceman, not to mention Rhonda and a few other ones including Brock Lesnar. He had taken his talents in the wrestling ring to the MMA world and shocked most people by how easily he had adapted.

Brandon wasn’t wrong. That one takedown was the one and only time that I got him on his back the entire day. With each move that he showed me, I became more competent, but I still had a lot to learn. I actually found having his hands wrapped around me to be exciting. My adrenaline was rushing through my veins and the feel of his fingers touching my naked skin, my hands, my more private parts through my clothes…it was causing all sorts of endorphins to come into play.

He had struck me a few times and I knew from the way that my eye was aching that I was going to have a shiner. My ribs were hurting, but I still remained on my feet and any time that I got knocked down, I got right back up. I think that he was slightly impressed and I knew that the boys were all watching and waiting for me to give in. I didn’t, and I earned their respect for it. All in all, it was a nice step in the right direction. I could honestly say that I probably wouldn’t be here without Brandon.

“I don’t normally see raw talent like yours, Sky. I thought that you were all bravado, but apparently you have a fighting spirit. It’s a good thing, because you’re going to need it. This was just the first day and you’re already in for a world of hurt. Get some ice on those bruises and be ready to go again tomorrow at the same time. I was going to invite you to have drinks with me, but I think that you need your rest.”

I wasn’t sure if he was being condescending, but it did make me want to see if I could drink him under the table. My father owned a bar and I had learned from an early age that I could hold my liquor better than most girls. So…

“Not so fast, Mister Summer. If you think for a moment I’m going to crawl into a hole and lick my wounds, then you have another thing coming. Let’s just see who can outdo who. I think that you’ll be surprised by the results.”

I’d thrown the gauntlet. Now he picked it up. “Fine. What’s your poison? Whatever it is, we’ll both drink shot after shot, until one of us isn’t standing anymore.”

After separate showers, I got dressed, wincing at the black eye. I grabbed my knee-length leather coat from the hanger by the door and put it on. He held the door for me, and I wondered at that.

Then I pointed to a pub across the way that was well known to me. If he saw that I was expected and people knew me, maybe he would get the idea that he had bitten off more than he could chew.

“By all means, lead the way.” He was wearing this very expensive leather jacket that probably cost more than a month’s rent at my current apartment. There was no denying that it looked good on him, but I wasn’t going to get caught in the trap of seduction.

But that fire from before was still burning deep within me and it was going to need some kind of release.

Chapter four

Amazingly, Brandon was able to hold his liquor a lot better than most guys that had stepped up to take on my drinking challenge. I heard my name shouted by several of the local patrons as soon as I came in. It spurred me on in my determination to drink Brandon under the table.

“You’re not only sexy, but you have a ballsy attitude that is very attractive.” Brandon took a barstool next to me. “Most girls that I’m with are always these dainty little flowers that would break if I put any pressure on them. You’re different, Sky. There’s something uniquely intoxicating about you.”

He casually put his hand on my arm and it sent these waves of delicious pleasure through me. Despite my earlier conviction to not get involved with him I found I wanted more of that. We’d already had six rounds each, and I knew that it was the liquor talking, but I couldn’t have cared less. I may have been under the influence but I knew exactly what I was doing.

“You better be ready to use that hand,” I told him, “if you expect to get that close to me.”

The apartment that I rented was upstairs. They had allowed me to stay there, rent controlled, and I couldn’t ask for anything better. I noticed that Brandon had undone the first couple of buttons on his shirt, most likely due to the light sheen of perspiration.

He smiled at me. “Before I lose my nerve, I would like to see you naked. I don’t normally mix business with pleasure, but for you I will make an exception, Sky. You have the kind of body that I can wrap around my waist and ride like a well-oiled machine. Now that’s something I’m looking forward to. It doesn’t look like either one of us are going to win this little drinking competition. How about we call it a draw and see if we can stand long enough to walk up to your apartment.”

This sounded like a pretty good idea to me and I found myself waving to the bartender, who nonchalantly waved back to me, motioning that my money was no good here.

I stumbled and staggered, bouncing against a couple of tables, knowing that he was behind me by the creaking of the floorboards and the feel of this hot breath on the back of my neck. “I hope that you can keep up with me, little boy. I can tell you that you may be the master in the ring, but I can hold my own in the bedroom. If you’re not ready for me then I’ll understand if you need to chicken out.”

He had his hands on my hips, as we pulled our way up the stairs, until I finally slipped my key into the lock. It took a moment to turn it, but then we fell into the opening with him behind me and the feel of his swelled groin pushing up against my backside.

“You’re a woman after my own heart,” he said with a drunken slur and the smell of liquor on his lips. “You’re not some broken doll or little stick of a woman that will break under a man of my considerable talents. I thought for sure that you would crawl away after the first day. Proved me wrong, didn’t you? What’re you gonna prove to me now?”

He had his hands on my ass, squeezing those tight globes and then reaching around to undo the button and pull down the zipper at the same time. Once he had that accomplished, he snuck his hands into my panties and began to move his finger up and down my wet slit to stimulate things even further.

I didn’t want him to have all the fun, so I turned abruptly in his arms, pushed him back against the door, and slithered down onto my knees to see what I was working with. I easily undid his zipper, unsnapped his pants and then pulled them down along with his underwear to his knees. They fell to his ankles. His cock came out so fierce and strong right in front of my face and I grabbed it and squeezed it and made him know it was mine from that moment on.

I looked at it from all angles, and then by squeezing at the base and up to the top that I could bring about a dollop of his cream.

I licked it off the top and I felt him shudder underneath my warm tongue. “Oh damn, Sky. That is…that’s so good. You’re not like any other woman. I think that’s the reason why I find you so interesting to be around. I can’t get away with anything… Oh yeah… I think that I finally met my match. Uh…uh…”