Priest (A Standalone Bad Boy Romance Love Story) (63 page)

“What’s that?” I asked.

“I can eat vegan there without any fear of
being judged.”

He laughed as I said, “After tasting it
tonight, I will never judge again.”

Dinner was delicious and our conversation
was so comfortable and easy. There was nothing forced or anxiety provoking
about it at all. I wondered what was wrong with me. Why did I seem to seek out
the guys like Paul…and the other Justin…the guys who had problems, the ones who
needed “fixing?” I have no idea, but what I do know is that as gorgeous as this
guy is and athletic and obviously smart and funny…I don’t feel attracted to him
in the same sense as I do Paul. Not even on the same plane. There is definitely
something not right in my head.

We went to the concert after dinner and
Need to Breathe was amazing just as I knew they would be. The seats were great
and Justin bought us matching t-shirts when he went out to use the bathroom. It
was an awesome night…the best one I’d had in a while. Yet when we got back to
my apartment and Justin walked me to the door. I knew that I couldn’t kiss him.
It wouldn’t be fair to him because all I could still think about after all of
that was Paul. When he leaned in to kiss me, I turned my head and he caught me
on the cheek.

I could see the hurt in his eyes, but
proving what a great guy he is all he said was, “Thank you for going tonight,
Jessie. I had a really good time.”

“Thank you. So did I.”

“I’ll see you at the gym,” he said with a
smile. His eyes still looked sad. I felt terrible as I watched him walk back to
the car. When I turned and opened the front door, I nearly knocked my nosy
mother over.

“What are you doing?”

“Why didn’t you let him kiss you?”

“Mother! That is really not your business.
Were you standing here looking out the window this whole time?”

“Yes.” She didn’t even sound a little bit
ashamed of herself. “Why didn’t you kiss him? He’s so handsome. Was he a creep
tonight, or what?”

“No, Mom. He was a perfect gentleman. I
had a really nice time. Why I didn’t kiss him is really not your business. You
don’t know how I’m feeling….”

“I’d have brought him back inside and…”

“Stop! Just stop there, Mom, okay? I know
what you would do. I’m going to bed, goodnight.”

She was shaking her head at me, likely
wondering what the hell was wrong with the daughter she had raised. She seems
to forget…or not even see how different we are sometimes.

CHAPTER
THREE

I was at work the next day, going about my
business working with a client that Sam had referred to me. This one was a
woman so at least I didn’t have to worry she was going to hit on my like Mark
or ask me out like Justin. Not that going out with Justin had been bad; it was
just the opposite as a matter of fact. It had been so nice that I was still
thinking about it and hoping I got a chance to see him to thank him again and
apologize for blowing him off at the front door. The more I thought about that,
the worse I felt about it.

My client, Tanya and I were working on her
upper body. She’s a tennis player and in really good shape, but she wanted to
work on getting more strength in her arms. I left her on the bicep/triceps
machine and went in the back to get some free-weights. Greg was on the mats
with a guy I’d never seen before. He was built like a fighter and had a lot of
tats. Of course I was instantly reminded of Paul and the day he and I worked on
his ground game. I was mad at him that day, but that hadn’t made being that
close to him any less of an erotic experience. I’m sure Greg wasn’t feeling the
same thing…at least for his wife’s sake, I hoped not. I laughed out loud at the
thought and Greg looked up at me and raised an eyebrow.

“Are we doing it wrong?” he said with an
amused expression.

“Oh no. I’m sorry. I was thinking about
something else completely. Please! I would never dare correct the way you did
anything…”

He laughed, “Calm down, Jessie. I was
joking. Devon this is Jessie. She is one of my most dedicated employees. She’s
here when I arrive and back before I get here in the morning. Sometimes I think
she might be living here.”

“The Madison Gym ghost,” Devon said. He
smiled and stood up. Swiping his palm against the white shorts that stood out
against his mocha skin he held his hand out towards me. “I’m pleased to meet
you, Jessie.”

I shook his hand and said, “Devon Rafter?”

“That’s me,” he said. His vanity shone
through for a second as he grinned and said, “I guess my reputation precedes
me.”

“Um…yeah. I’ve heard about how good you
are. You guys are working on the ground game, huh?”

“Yeah. I’m a boxer at heart, but even the
greatest need to switch it up every so often, you know? I have a really
important fight coming up on Friday to defend my title.”

“Friday? Who are you fighting?”

“Paul Delport. You know him?” I was hoping
the look on my face didn’t tell it all. What the hell? Maybe Devon just didn’t
know Paul had taken off.

“Have you talked to Paul lately?” she
asked.

“No, but my manager talked to his
yesterday, why?” I didn’t answer right away so Greg said, “Jessie was probably
just wondering because it’s been about a week since any of us have heard from
him. He was coming in everyday…maybe he found a new place to work-out.”

I hoped that my face didn’t give away how
I was feeling. He was going to be in town in two days for the fight I was
helping him train for and he hadn’t even bothered calling me? What the fuck?
“Well it was nice meeting you Devon. I have a client waiting out front.”

“Nice meeting you too,” he said. “I hope
to see you at the fight on Friday. I can use friendly faces in my corner.”

I smiled and hoped that it reached my eyes
as I turned to go back out front. Was Paul just using his sister as an excuse
to not see me anymore? Could he really be that big of a coward? I wanted to
doubt it. I know he was worried about Marie and Victor. I know that….

“I’m sorry Tanya, here we go,” I told my
client when I got back. I tried to tuck my thoughts about Paul away while we
worked, but they kept sneaking back in. Before I knew it I was worried about
his strategy. He’d been practicing his ground game because Devon was known for
his boxing skills. What if he was going about it all wrong? Devon’s moves…what
I saw of them with Greg, were good. He planned on going in there and taking
Paul out in the one way Paul had expected to do to him. Even if I could get
ahold of him, it was too late now. Shit. It was his own damned fault anyways for
not calling me.

When Tanya and I finished and she had gone
in back for a quick shower I went up to talk to Victoria. “Hey Vic, have you
seen Paul Delport this week at all?”

She shook her head and was typing
something into the computer at the same time. When she looked up she said, “He
hasn’t even paid his dues yet this month. That’s not like him. I haven’t seen
him in over a week.”

“Okay. I was just curious. Devon Rafter is
in the back. He said the fight is still on Friday night.”

“Yeah, about that. Sam got tickets for us
all again if you want to go.” Did I want to go? I really wasn’t sure. I was
saved from having to answer at that moment because Justin walked in the door.

“I’ll talk to you about it later, Vic. Hi
Justin.”

“Hey Jessie. What’s up?”

I walked with him a ways from the desk
before I said, “I wanted to tell you again how much fun I had last night. I
also wanted to apologize…See, I kind of started seeing this guy but then he
left town and I’m just not sure where we’re at. I didn’t want to start
something with you until I knew…it just didn’t seem fair…”

He smiled. Putting his hand on my arm he
said, “Don’t worry about it Jessie, it’s really okay. I had a great time and
I’d like to do it again sometime if you would too. If not, I’ll live.”

Geez! Perfect stinking man. I’m
ridiculous. “Thank you. Who are you working out with today?”

“I was going to go it alone…but if you
have time?”

“Of course I do.”

******

I managed to suck up my anxiety for the
next two days and not let it get the better of me. I had decided to go to the
fight. I don’t think there was ever any real question as to whether I would or
not. I rode with Sam and Debbie and Debbie chattered most of the way there so
at least I didn’t really have to make conversation. Everyone was curious about
where Paul had been and why he hadn’t been coming around the gym. There were
all kinds of interesting theories, but I didn’t weigh in on any of them. I was
curious myself what he had been doing since obviously he was moving forward
with this part of his life at least.

Once again, Sam had gotten us great seats.
The cage was right in front of us and I debated whether having such a good view
was a good thing or a bad thing. I glanced around as the other seats filled up
as well. There was electricity in the air that was almost palpable. The crowd
was fired up and ready for this fight to start. They were loud and while we
waited I heard at least three separate opinions about the fight. The consensus
seemed to be that Paul was going to get his ass kicked. I wasn’t sure if I was
still mad at him or not, but I was sure that I hoped they were wrong.

When the announcer stepped into the middle
of the octagon with the referee and announced Paul’s name, I held my breath. I
watched as he not so much as walked as he did strut down the center aisle. He
looked completely focused and the upheld palms and fists went completely
ignored as he brushed past them. He stepped inside the cage and suddenly
appearing to realize there was a crowd watching him he did a three-sixty and
lifted a gloved hand up in greeting.

Next, it was Devon’s turn. He came out
looking like Sylvester Stallone in Rocky. He was almost dancing and throwing
out punches. He shorts were white again and his dark olive skin was so shiny
under the harsh lights that it looked like someone had poured oil over it. He
bounced into the cage with a grin and unlike Paul, played to his fans. He
jogged around the octagon blowing kisses and waving as the announcer read off
his stats. It was an impressive list.

The announcer finally got out of the way
and the two fighters were called out to the middle. The ref did his thing and
the men hit their gloves together and went right into it. They began to rotate
around each other, each one no doubt strategizing in his head. Paul threw the
first punch, a jab from his right side, aimed directly at the side of Devon’s
head. Devon proved he had lightning reflexes. As one hand came up to block
Paul’s punch the other shot around and landed on the side of Paul’s face. I
winced as his head swung around at an awkward angle. He staggered back, but was
quick to right himself back up on his feet. He moved around a bit, looking like
he was still trying to regain his footing and surprised Devon with a roundhouse
kick that landed on the other man’s left flank. Devon stumbled, but only
slightly…otherwise he looked unfazed.

 
That was when I think Paul decided to take a
big chance. He took a step forward. The step alone had power in it and Devon
wasn’t expecting it. Paul grabbed his arms and to keep from going down, Devon
threw his forehead forward, slamming it into Paul’s. Paul didn’t seem to loosen
his grip at all as they danced around together in a circle. Devon had a hold of
Paul’s arms now and they were each trying to get the upper hand. The crowd was
screaming, some for Paul and some for Devon. I saw Paul’s foot move out to the
side and he did a quick sweep, knocking Devon off his feet. They went down
together hitting the mat with a thud. They were both scampering, trying to get
up on their knees. Paul was on his first and as soon as he was, he threw an
elbow that Devon rolled out from underneath. As Paul’s elbow slammed into the
mat Devon, on his knees now, jumped onto his chest. Paul didn’t stop moving and
I saw his knee come up and connect with Devon’s ribs. The other fighter rolled
off and tried to scramble back to his feet, but before he could, Paul was on
his back. The bell rang then and both men went back to their sides of the
octagon. Paul had definitely won that round.

The ego part of me wondered if he knew I
was here. The stubborn part of me wanted to say that it didn’t matter. He
didn’t call and tell me he was going to be here, so why should I care? I did
care though and I wondered what that said about me. When they went back out for
the second round the look on Paul’s face was nothing less than pure
determination. He came out fighting, looking like he planned on winning this in
as few rounds as humanly possible. Devon looked determined as well, but he
didn’t seem to have the same fire in his eyes as Paul did. They exchanged a few
punches and kicks before once again; Paul managed to sweep Devon off his feet.
This time as they fell, Paul grabbed him from behind so that they would go down
with Paul on his back. He had his left arm around Devon’s neck as they hit the
mat with his elbow just above his trachea.

Paul reached out with the hand around
Devon’s neck and grabbed hold of his own right arm. Squeezing the bicep he
forced his hand down so that it was behind Devon’s head and brought his elbows
together. It was a picture perfect example of a rear naked choke hold. I was
proud of him.

The only problem I could see was that Paul
was struggling to get his legs in place. He was trying to get his shims under
Devon’s knees so that he could use them as hooks to control his legs but Devon
wasn’t going to easily give up the only part of his body he was still
controlling. He used the power in his legs and hips to lift them almost
completely off the ground. It was risky because as they slammed down into the
mat, Paul’s arms could have as easily tightened across his trachea as they
could have slipped off. It took Devon three tries and it looked like it may be
the last one he had in him as he slammed down hard and Paul’s hand slipped just
enough to give him the wiggle room to slip free. He was still gasping for air,
but that at least gave Paul a chance to get back on his feet. As soon as Devon
was on his, he showed the crowd how he’d gotten his stellar reputation. He
unleashed a series of punches and jabs and kicks on Paul that nearly took him
back down to the mat before the buzzer finally sounded. That round went to
Devon. Paul looked exhausted, but thankfully so did his opponent.

The third round began almost identically
to the last. They circled around each other, throwing punches and jabs and I
could see Paul glancing down at Devon’s feet every few seconds, plotting out
when to take him down. He was moving slower this round; the fatigue was
apparent in his face as the sweat rolled off of it and splashed to the floor.
He finally got ahold of Devon and tried sweeping him off his feet again. Devon
twisted loose and stepped back too quickly for Paul to catch him. When that
happened I realized suddenly that Paul’s pretty blue eyes were no longer in the
cage…they were focused on me. As much as I wanted him to notice me…I wanted
even more for him to refocus on the fight. Devon noticed his momentary lapse of
focus. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough.

Devon wrapped his arms around Paul’s chest
and took him down to the mat, hard. He had his knees on either side and was
just about to come down with a hammer when Paul twisted his body enough to
catch hold of Devon’s arm. Devon was still on top of him, but Paul hadn’t let
go of his arm and the more he tried to move, the tighter of an arm lock Paul
ended up having on him. Before long, Paul was in the dominant position and
Devon’s arm was twisted back at an unnatural angle. It looked like it was about
to snap off in Paul’s hand. The crowd was ridiculously loud now and Devon had
to be thanking God that the ref was paying attention because he certainly
couldn’t have heard the tap. The poor guy looked like he was in agony, like it
took every ounce of energy left in him as he lifted his free hand up off the
mat just enough to drop it back down twice. He tapped out, he was done. Paul
let go of him and stood up. Devon’s trainer was tending to him now and the
referee was holding Paul’s arm in the air as they announced him as the winner.

Paul’s last name echoed through the
building both from the microphone and the chanting of the excited crowd. His
manager opened the cage door and as Paul stepped out with a huge smile pasted
across his face, he was rushed by hordes of people taking pictures and
thrusting paper, notebooks and even body parts at him to sign. He looked a
little dazed and I wasn’t sure if it was from the fight or all the lights going
off in his face. He tried to stop and sign a few autographs but his manager
took hold of his arm and propelled him forward. I watched as they stopped at
the back where a podium was set up and the manager told the reporters that had
gathered there he would be available for a “few” questions. The reporters were
all yelling at him at once and the manager pointed at them one at a time and
they asked their questions. They were all along the same lines…How does it
feel? Where do you go from here? Paul answered them all, still with the huge
smile on his face.

“Mr. Delport, you’ve been named by several
people as the biggest threat to MMA champion Trent Jones, what do you think
about that?”

“I think I hope he’s been eating his
Wheaties because I’m coming…”

The next few questions were about Trent
Jones and Paul answered them all with confidence. I could tell when he’d had
enough though. He looked at his manager and the man said, “I’m sorry ladies and
gentlemen but that’s all for now.” His manager stepped back towards the locker
rooms but instead of following him, Paul stepped down towards the reporters and
began moving forward through the crowd. He looked like he was coming towards me
but I didn’t want to get too excited until suddenly I was in his arms and his
mouth was covering mine. I parted my lips and let his tongue seek mine out and
we kissed like no one was watching. When he finally pulled back and we were
both struggling for breath we realized we were being jostled by the crowd.

“Maybe we should move some place a little
less crowded.” I smiled and nodded and he took my hand, leading me with him to
the back.

CHAPTER
FOUR

Once we were in the back in a little room
near the lockers, Paul kissed me again. This time when we came up for air he
said, “I missed you.” Those simple three words…and the kiss melted the ice that
had begun to gather around my heart.

“I missed you too!” We kissed again and he
said, “I’m going to hit the shower really quickly. Will you go celebrate with
me then?”

“Yeah, I’d love to.”

I went back out front and visited with my
friends who had gathered outside talking. Debbie and Victoria were both giving
me the “look.” It was the one that said as soon as we had a chance, they wanted
to know what was going on with me and Paul. I felt like I couldn’t stop
smiling. Either the electricity in the air had affected me as well, or it was
just having Paul back. When he came out front he was dressed in a white t-shirt
and jeans and he looked good enough to eat. He draped his arm across my
shoulders as he said hello to everyone.

“Great job, man. Where the hell have you
been though? We almost put out a missing person’s on you?” Greg was only half
kidding. They had all been really worried.

“Thanks. I had some family stuff to tend
to. It was last minute.”

“Glad to have you back,” Sam said. “That
was…I’m speechless.”

Paul thanked him and then Greg said,
“We’re headed to the Sport’s bar, are you two game?”

Paul looked at me and the look that passed
between us said it all. He turned back to Greg and said, “Thanks man, but
Jessie and I have some celebrating of our own to do.”

We got stopped at least six more times on
our way to the parking lot and his truck by people who wanted autographs. When
we were finally inside and alone he reached over and pulled me into him and
kissed me again. “I missed you,” he said again.

“Why didn’t you call me?” I had to ask.

“I was getting Marie and Victor settled.
I’m sorry. It’s just been a hell of a week. I almost skipped the fight but I
refuse to let fear of that muscle headed ex-boyfriend of my sister’s ruin
anything else in my life. This is my dream and I’m going after it.”

“I’m glad. Does Mitch know you’re back?”

“Yeah. I had some big guys that I know
playing bouncers tonight…watching for him. I just talked to one of them; they
had to throw him out early in the fight.”

“Oh wow. I didn’t even see him.”