Consumed: A MMA Sports Romance (72 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Kya

Maxwell
Lewis was hard. He answered every move Fenton made with a lightning fast
combination. The two fighters hardly broke apart. Instead, they locked together
time and again. I watched through my splayed fingers.

The giant screen in the
booking lounge was overwhelming. It made every heavy hit reverberate off the
walls. All around me, people drank and cheered, chatted and laughed. I could
hardly breathe. Fenton was fighting at the top of his game, but Maxwell Lewis
was an even match.

I was torn between
wanting to run to the arena and see everything, every kick and spin and chop,
and wanting to retreat upstairs to the suite and bury my head under a pillow.
It was impossible not to worry about Fenton, no matter how invincible he looked
in the ring.

At
least this time he's wearing gloves and there's a ref
,
I thought. No more bare-knuckle boxing.

I watched the odds rise
and fall depending on the moves the fighters made. Fenton was the top choice,
but Maxwell Lewis was looking good. Watching the statistics flash next to the
live fight was almost too much. I turned to run down to the arena.

"And he's down!
Fenton Morris has done it. Total knock out!" the announcer roared.

My knees went weak, and I
found a seat just as everyone else leapt to their feet. The celebrations and
lamentations quickly spread out of the booking lounge and into the casino and
bars. Soon, there were only few stranglers left to watch the post-fight action
in the ring.

Fenton's left eye was
swelling and his lip was cut, but he wore a huge smile on his face. I leaned
back in my seat and tried to catch my breath. He had won. A huge weight was off
my chest. I hoped now that we could move past all the mistakes I had made and
start over. He was on his way to the title fight and whether or not we worked
together, I wanted to be with him.

My breath caught in my
chest again. I wanted to be with him? The man that made passionate love to me
twice and then invited a stripper up to the suite? Was I completely insane?

There had to be more to
the story. There had to be some way we could clear the air. Still, I did not
breathe as the ringside reporter shoved a microphone in Fenton's face.

"Some people are
saying you've redeemed yourself after the disastrous fight with Mario Peretti.
What do you have to say to that?" she asked.

"I have to thank my
team, the people that make sure I am fighting at my best," Fenton said.
Kev and Aldous joined him. Kev held the black cat I had given Fenton over his
head like a trophy. Fenton laughed. "They are the ones that help me make
my own luck."

I was right about the
black cat tattoo, so maybe I was right about Fenton Morris himself. There was a
good guy underneath his act. Maybe there was a simple explanation to what
happened between us. I left the booking lounge and headed upstairs. The least I
could do now was plan a celebration for him.

A quick conversation with
the casino concierge and a DJ and caterer arrived at the suite within minutes.
Hotel staff helped me rearrange the furniture, create space for the party, and
hang a congratulations banner across the wide picture windows. When everything
was set, I stood under the banner and waited.

It was impossible not to
admire the view and feel my heart soaring. There was something about Las Vegas.
I loved the glitz of the Strip and the nearby starkness of the desert. I loved
the chilly wind of the evenings and the hot beating sun during the day. And, I
loved that underneath the facade were real people. I wanted to be one of them.
I wanted to be part of this fabulous town.

"Great minds think
alike, Ms. Allen," Kev called from the doorway. He marched in leading a
long string of party guests. "Crack open the champagne and let’s get this
thing started."

"Oh, thank
God," I said. "I just realized Fenton might have decided to go out on
the town."

"The man likes to
party in private, especially to celebrate a win," Kev said.

"You mean he might
actually be himself tonight?" I asked.

Fenton's manager laughed.
"Oh, so you like the real Fenton? I figured. I never would have guessed it
at first, but you two seem to be a good match when you're not busy messing it
all up."

I accepted the glass of
champagne. "Well, maybe tonight can be all about celebrating and nothing
about work."

"Damn fine
idea," Kev said. He popped another bottle of champagne as more people
crowded into the suite and started to party.

"Who are all these
people?" I asked.

"Gym staff,
restaurant servers, valets, cab drivers," Kev said. He shrugged his
shoulders.

For all his big talk and
disgusting jokes, Kev was a good man. Everyone that helped him or supported
Fenton in even the smallest way had been invited to celebrate.

"You're a class act,
Kev Casey," I said.

"You flirting with
me?" he slipped an arm around my waist.

I laughed and shoved his
arm away. "Sorry, I've got some networking to do."

"Oh, so you're
thinking about settling here in Vegas? I meant to talk to you about that.
Opportunities abound. I bet your agency would love a foothold here," Kev
said.

I blinked and could not
hide the huge smile that spread over my face. "My boss would love
that."

"Yeah, I got the
feeling you weren't rushing back to Chicago. Sometimes a place just grabs you,
like it’s got its own gravity and you realize you've just been floating along
until you find it," Kev said.

At that moment, Fenton
appeared in the doorway. There was the pull that Kev was talking about. Fenton
Morris pulled me in to his orbit. I was about to give in and go to him when a
tall blonde and blinding camera crew appeared behind him.

All hope of Fenton being
himself vanished as he grabbed the reality show star and sauntered into his
party. With the cameras rolling, Fenton was in full-on party mode. Tequila
appeared in front of him and he tipped it back, taking a lime wedge out of
Sienna's mouth. The crowd cheered as Sienna's entourage poured into the suite.

Kev gave me an apologetic
look, and then swooped in to wrap his arms around two of Sienna's skinny,
sequined friends.

"Let's get some
music going!" Fenton yelled.

The DJ started and the
living room became a dance floor. Fenton pulled the reality star into the
center and ground himself against her. She shrieked and danced, writhing
against him while the cameras ate up every bit of it.

"Not really your
scene?" Aldous asked. He appeared behind me with a small plate of snacks,
but no alcohol.

"Is it really
his?" I asked.

Fenton's coach chuckled.
"He plays it up good for the cameras. Saves money on a publicist, I
guess."

So
this is all business to Fenton
, I told myself. It was
only fair. I had let my dotted line get in the way, and now he was letting his
one-man brand keep me away. I straightened my shoulders and finished the glass
of champagne Kev had poured me. Then, I dove into the dancing crowd. It was
hard not to smile as everyone was having such a good time. I finally gave into
the music and found that dancing was a much easier way of getting through the
crowd.

In fact, I was having so
much fun dancing that I was surprised when Fenton slipped his hands around my
waist and turned me to face him. Sienna refused to relinquish her hold and
gyrated against his back, but Fenton's blue eyes were on me.

"I just wanted to
say congratulations," I said over the music.

"Where's your
date?" he asked. "The golfer?"

"Jackson? He's not
my date. I'm not interested in him. I told you, I was just pursuing him for the
vitamin supplement people. That way I don't have to bother you anymore," I
said.

"You don't bother
me," he said. He shrugged off Sienna and moved closer to me.

His whole body changed,
became less rigid. I watched as the act slipped away and it was just Fenton
that stood before me. He took my hand and pulled me off the dance floor. My
heart pounded harder than the music as he handed me a glass of champagne. People
patted him on the back and congratulated him. He smiled and nodded, but focused
on me.

"Is your eye
bothering you?" I asked. I wanted to reach up and soothe the swollen area,
but stopped myself.

He shook his head. He
took another swig of tequila and watched the surging party.

"It was an amazing
fight," I said. "I watched from the casino. It was terrifying to see
you on the big screen."

His lips quirked up in a
smile, but he said nothing.

"We need to talk,
don't we?" I asked. "Can we talk?"

"I wanted to thank
you for the black cat," Fenton said. "My mother had a black cat that
she loved. It was the whole reason I don't believe in luck. You make your own
luck, right?"

"You're
welcome," I said. "I don't think tonight had anything to do with
luck. You might not show it, but you work hard."

"Maybe it’s time I
start working smarter, too," he said. "I talked to Kev and Aldous and
they deserve a raise. I'm willing to sign your deal. Tell your clients they've
got my endorsement. Build in a percentage for my manager and coach and send
over the new contract. I'm ready to sign."

"That's great, it's
a great deal. You won't regret it," I said. "But that wasn't really
what I wanted to talk about."

"Let's just get the
business out of the way," Fenton said. He pushed away from me and was
swallowed back up by the happy crowd.

I stumbled back against
the wall and leaned there. All he was interested in was the business deal. It
hurt. Now, I knew how it felt and now I knew why I had kept it between us this
whole time. Everyone I cared about disappeared. The only constant was my work.
A steady paycheck took care of me and new clients filled my days. That was all
I had needed. Until I met Fenton Morris.

I watched him rejoin the
leggy blonde. Together, they flirted for the cameras and danced late into the
night. Finally, the camera crew put down their equipment and joined the party.
The dancing got wild, then sloppy, then slow. People broke off from the crowd
in pairs and small groups. The party broke up somewhere close to dawn.

The wild hope that Fenton
would be different when everyone left died when Sienna stayed behind. I thought
maybe once everyone was gone that Fenton would change back into the man I had
seen glimpses of before. I hoped I would be the one to see him drop his act and
be himself. Instead, he was wrapped up tight with Sienna on the white sofa and
I felt sick from drinking too much champagne.

I tipped the catering
staff as they started to clean up and then slipped out onto the balcony. If I
kept my eyes on the horizon, I could see the desert and forget about all the
fool's gold and glitter. I leaned against the railing and was glad for the cool
breeze. I had nothing to complain about. Fenton would sign the deal, I would
get my bonus, and with it, I would be able to convince my boss to let me set up
my office in Las Vegas.

I tried to concentrate on
work and not the crumbling feeling in my heart.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Fenton

I
tried not to look at Kya anymore, but I could feel the look in her eyes. I had
had that look before. She still smiled, she still danced, but her eyes were far
away. She was on the other side of the wall I put up. Now, there was nothing
but business between us.

The party kept going and
I kept up with it. Sienna did not notice that I switched out lots of the
tequila shots for water. She was too busy with her cameras and they were too
busy with her. The reality show was exhausting and her plastered on smiles were
wearing me down. I was glad when the party finally started to break up.

My swollen eye did bother
me. Kya had been the only one to ask about it. My shoulders were stiff, my arms
sore, the effort of the fight was finally weighing down on me. The crowd inside
the suite thinned out and once the music stopped, I switched back to real
Tequila. There was no wall of people hiding Kya from my sight. It was time to
get drunk.

I did not know why I had
to keep her at a distance. Winning the fight, signing the endorsement,
admitting that she could be an integral part of my life – it was all too much.
I needed to take a step back, but now it felt like a step off a jagged cliff.

"You did good,
kid," Aldous said. He held up his phone. "My wife wants to say
hello."

"Hello, Tia. Yes,
thank you. Yeah, you're right it is about time for me to move my stuff out of
your basement. Yes, I'll tell him. Okay, goodnight," I said.

Aldous laughed. "She
figures now that you're up the next rung you can afford to get your own place.
Gotta say I wouldn't mind it being somewhere around here. Tia either. She
wouldn't mind kissing those cold winters goodbye."

"You like it here,
too?" I asked.

"Aha! See, I told
you he was thinking about making Vegas his base," Kev said. He swayed
against Aldous and threw an arm around his neck. "I love this town. I knew
you'd love this town. Let's do it, let's move here."

"Whoa, slow down,
Kev. How much have you had to drink?" I asked.

"Enough to tell you
that this is the best idea Team Fenton has ever had," he replied. "I
mean, come on, most of your fights are out here or in Southern California. We
could drive there like in a convertible across the desert."

"You've been
watching too many movies," Aldous said.

"Who has time for
movies? I've been getting this guy gigs, then getting to the gigs, then making
sure he doesn't misbehave enough to get dropped from the gig. I'm
exhausted," Kev said.

"What makes you
think living out here would make it any different?" I asked.

Kev eyed a few of the
beautiful women on their way out of the party. "I could relax by the pool
here in between. You know, take in the sights."

I took another shot of
Tequila and let the warmth wash over me. "Alright, say I was interested.
You really think we could make a go of it out here?"

Aldous smiled. "Here
is better than anywhere. Tia's sick of you living in our basement. I'm sick of
being on the road. Kev's right, most of the fights are around here. Weekends
with the family would be really nice."

"Yes! Yes! This is
what I was telling Kya," Kev said.

I stopped cold then
slammed another shot. "You talked to Kya about moving to Las Vegas?"

"Yeah, she was
thinking about it on her own. No more lonely little house in Chicago," Kev
explained. "She wants to set up shop here."

"What are you three talking
about so cute over here?" Sienna asked. She was still on, even though she
waved to her exhausted camera crew as they left.

"We're talking about
living in Vegas," Kev said. He sidled closer to Sienna and gave her a
sloppy smile. "What do you think about that?"

"Yuck, it's good for
a weekend, good for some fun shots for the show, but I'm not sticking
around," she said.

"Well, good luck
with that," Kev told her. He rolled his eyes at me and followed another
trio of pretty ladies out to the elevator.

"Good night,"
Aldous said. "We'll talk shop in the morning, not too early."

I stood in the door and
expected Sienna to leave, too. Instead, she smiled and laid a very long kiss on
my cheek. Then, she sashayed over the white sofa and curled up close to the fireplace.
She crooked a finger, indicating I was supposed to come and sit with her. For a
minute, I hesitated. Kya was tipping the careering staff and directing some of
the party clean up. She refused to look at me, so I went to sit with Sienna.

"I had a good time
tonight," Sienna said. She ran a hand up and down my sore bicep.
"You'd make a good regular on the show. I think fans will like you as much
as I do."

"And, if they
didn't?" I asked.

She pouted her pink lips.
"My fans like what I like, otherwise what is the point in starring in your
own reality show?"

"I have no
idea," I said. My eyes wandered to Kya. For one split second, her green
eyes flashed across mine. Then, she turned and disappeared through a side door.

I wanted to follow her. I
burned to know if she was sneaking off to see that horrible golfer. I could
round out the night by punching him clean in the face.

"Fenton? Did you
hear me?" Sienna asked.

"No, sorry,
what?"

"I was saying we
should head into the master bedroom," she stood up and shimmied in front
of me before sticking her hands out. Even though there were only a handful of
catering staff left, she still checked to make sure someone was watching her.

I looked away. Kya had
slipped out to the balcony, and I could just barely make out her outline in the
dim morning light. Sienna pulled my face back to her and leaned down for a
long, lip-glossed kiss. She tasted of strawberry, the fake flavor that in no
way reminded me of the actual fruit. I could not do it.

"I'm tired. Too many
rounds with Maxwell Lewis. I'll walk you to the door," I said.

Sienna stood up and
pouted. She planted her hands on her hips and posed. "You can't be
serious."

"I fought tonight,
remember? I'm sore and I'm tired." I heaved myself off the white sofa and
walked her to the door.

"I sent the cameras
away and everything because I wanted some private time with you."

"Thanks for thinking
of me," I told her. "Goodnight."

Sienna's face had the red
tinge of a coming tantrum. I felt bad for the caterers waiting for the elevator.
They shuffled off towards the service elevator and I locked the door behind
them.

When I turned around, all
I could see was Kya. Pale streaks of orange broke over the horizon and her
silhouette was clear, standing alone to face the sunrise.

"Hell of a party,
huh?" I asked.

Kya jolted against the
balcony railing, surprised that I had joined her outside. She swiped at her
cheeks and turned away from me.

"Are you
crying?" I asked. "Are you okay?"

"Don't be stupid. I
don't have anything to cry about. I came out here to celebrate. Business
success and all that," she said.

I could not keep my hands
from wrapping around her shoulders. She pulled against the railing, stiff from
my touch, but I did not let go. I turned her slowly and pulled her against my
chest. Kya fought me, but then gave in for one sweet moment. The sky brightened
and she nestled her head under my chin.

"It's too early in
the morning for business," I said.

"Then, I should
go," Kya said. She pulled away and headed for the door.

"Is that all you can
do? Run for the door? Because that's exactly what you did the other
morning," I snapped.

Kya whirled to face me,
her eyes flashing emerald in the early morning light. "Excuse me? Of
course, I left. What did you expect me to do?"

"Me?" I asked.
"I guess I was fooled by your reputation. I thought you'd have the decency
to stick around. I didn't know you were one of those love 'em and leave 'em
girls."

"Of course, you
would confuse that with a woman that has some dignity," Kya said.

"Dignity? Is that
what you call skipping down to the pool to flirt with your next potential
client?" I asked. My hands throbbed as my fingers curled into fists. I
should have iced them hours ago, but I welcomed the pain. It only made me
angrier at Kya. "Excuse me, if I thought you moved on a little too
fast."

“You think I'm the one
that moved on fast? You're the one that invited a stripper to the suite. Let me
see if I have the timeline right– we had sex in front of the fire, we ate
omelets, you invited the stripper to come join you, we had sex again, and then
you fucked a stripper in the room next to mine!"

I burst out laughing.
Kya's faced bloomed with an angry blush and she whirled towards the door again.
I lunged towards it and land the flat of my hand hard against. Kya tried, but
she could not pry the door open with me leaning on it. I laughed even harder
when my phone started ringing.

"What is wrong with
you?" Kya asked. "Is that her? By all means, answer it. I'll get out
of your way."

I pushed against the
door, giving Kya no choice, but to retreat to the opposite end of the balcony.
There was no other door.

"Hello, Sis? Yeah,
thanks. Yeah, I'm in a good mood, but you'll never guess. You were right. About
Kya. Yeah, that's exactly what she thought." I said. I held out the phone.
"Dana Maria wants to talk to you."

"What?" Kya
asked. She gave the railing a wild look. "Why would I want to talk to
her?"

"Because she's my
sister. My sister came over that morning and you met her at the door," I
said. My phone beeped and I looked at the screen and laughed. "Here, she's
sent a pic of her holding out her driver's license."

Kya crept towards me and
glanced at the phone. "And, her middle finger," she said.

"That's my
sister!" I tried to stop laughing, but it erupted out of me again as I
hung up on Dana Maria.

"It's not
funny," Kya said. She crossed her arms tight over her chest. "I
thought, I mean, you know what I thought."

"Well, now that you
know, what are you thinking?"

Kya covered her face with
her hands. "I'm thinking that I screwed everything up by going out with
Jackson. It really was just to sign him. I mean, he wanted a real date and I
was mad but, well, you were there. Nothing happened."

"Yeah," I said.
"I was there. And, I forgot to tell you thanks for not letting me get
Tasered." I pulled her hands from her face and wrapped her arms around my
waist. "Business or not, you're there when I need you."

"And, how about
now?" Kya asked.

I tipped her sweet lips
to mine. "I need you now more than ever."