Playing the Game Page 2

  He must have caught me staring at him, because a slow smile spread across his face. I looked away, trying to focus back on the fighters in the ring, but I had to see if he was still smiling at me. I fought to keep myself from looking back at him, but when I finally glanced back in his direction, he wasn’t there. I looked around the gym, trying to catch a glimpse of him, but he was gone.

  "This is the last round, sweetheart," Mack grunted. "Guess you don’t get the job."

  My heart sank and I felt my face go pale at the thought of coming so close but leaving not only without a job, but losing that job because I got distracted by some hot guy. I had to focus. The only thing that mattered to me was Mack’s fighter in the ring.

  I looked over at the ring clock as it ticked down. I was running out of time. Mack’s face was covered in disappointment as he watched his fighter throw another powerless punch. There was only one thing I could do, and it was something I never thought I’d ever do. I stepped closer to the ring, knowing it was my only chance.

  "From your chest, dammit!" I yelled at Ryan. "Not your arm, feel the power come from your chest and core!"

  The fighters danced on their toes, waiting for the next punch to be thrown. The seconds were ticking down. I knew they were both tired and letting the clock run out. It was just sparring and none of it mattered to anyone, but it mattered to me. I had to get this job.

  I slammed my hand on the ring floor just as Mack did earlier. I didn’t care what anyone else thought of me at that moment, I only wanted the job. It wasn’t like me to yell. No one who knew me would ever think I’d be yelling at anyone, let alone a fighter in a ring. But that’s how much I wanted this job.

  "Throw the right!" I yelled. "From your chest. Not your fucking arm!"

  On cue, the fighter threw a right cross and it connected with his sparring partner’s chin. The other fighter tripped backwards as I clenched my fists in front of me, but he didn’t go down. Frustrated, I yelled again as my fist hit the ring floor.

  "Left hook! Throw a fucking left hook!" I yelled.

  I couldn’t believe the language coming out of my mouth in front of all these people, but at that moment I didn’t care. As the left connected near the ear of the other fighter, I held my breath. The fighter’s feet crossed and he fell to the canvas. A wrinkled hand clasped my shoulder as Mack stood beside me.

  "You did good, kid," he said. "You’ve got the job. When can you start?"

  "Tomorrow," I said with a huge grin.

  "Perfect. Take some time now to look around and get to know the place and talk to some of the fighters. Help yourself to some water in the lounge. Just watch out for the owner, he has a reputation for liking the ladies. He’s around here somewhere, and you’ll have no problem picking him out. It’s easy enough to spot a suit in this place."

  * * *

  I spent the better part of the hour looking around the gym and its facilities. The place was huge and consisted of multiple gyms to keep the trainers separated from each other. From talking to the fighters and the other trainers, I learned that this was the main gym but that there were other smaller gyms. Not every trainer was lucky enough to train their fighters here.

  I soaked in as much as I could, but the real reason I stayed for so long was that I was looking for the fighter from earlier. I didn’t know what I would do once I found him, but I wanted to see him again.

  Turning the corner, I entered a long hallway. Some of the doors were closed and had name placards on them. I recognized some of the trainers’ names, including Mack’s. At the end of the hall was a carpeted lounge with several café-style tables and chairs. A long couch ran along the wall. In the corner was a refrigerator and pantry shelves. Towards the back of the room was an open door that led to the showers.

  I opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water as I looked at the time. I still had fifteen minutes until Becca came to pick me up. As I brought the water bottle to my lips, I heard a shower turn on. I couldn’t help but wonder if that was where my mystery fighter had disappeared to.

  Sitting on the long couch, my mind kept returning to my mystery fighter. What if he was in the shower? Would it hurt to take a peek?

  It wasn’t like me to entertain those kinds of thoughts, but all the sweat and testosterone in the air must have affected my brain. I tapped my foot on the floor as I took another sip of the cold water. I was at the point where I was trying to convince myself I didn’t need to check the showers. I kept trying to talk myself out of sneaking in there, but my mind was already made up.

  As I slipped through the doorway, my shoes made a soft click on the tile floor. I didn’t want him to hear me so I walked slower, careful to not make any sound other than my heart pounding in my chest.

  I followed the sound of the shower past the lockers. Each time I got near a corner, I peeked around it to make sure no one was there. Finally reaching the showers, I squinted, trying to see through the steam.

  "Hmm, a dirty mouth and a dirty mind. Seems like you’re my kind of girl."

  Hearing a deep voice come from behind me, I held my breath, hoping to magically disappear into the steam. I didn’t have to turn around to see who it was. I knew that instead of my finding my mystery fighter, he found me.

  "I must have gotten lost," I said, thinking fast as I turned around.

  He stood close enough to me that I could smell the mint shampoo from his wet, combed back hair. Knotted around his waist was a white towel. Beads of water rested on his sculpted torso and when he grinned at me, my eyes followed them down as they met his towel.

  I forced myself to smile and look calm, but I knew I had guilt written all over my face. My mystery man grinned at me like a cat that ate a mouse. His dark blue eyes twinkled as if he was in on a joke I didn’t know about. As my cheeks began to burn from embarrassment, he let out a laugh.

  "I’ll have to remember that line next time I’m sneaking around a women’s locker room," he said.

  He walked towards the lockers along the furthest wall and my stomach knotted. If Mack found out I was sneaking around the men’s showers, I could lose the job I fought so hard to get.

  "Wait," I said as I followed him. "Please don’t tell Mack you found me in here."

  He turned slightly, giving me a side look, and I noticed a smirk play around his lips.

  "He gave you the job?" he asked as he turned around to face me.

  "Yes, and I can’t lose it. You have no idea how hard--"

  He put his hand up to stop me, then stroked his chin as he eyed me up and down.

  "Your secret’s safe with me," he said.

  He stepped closer to me, his eyes locked on mine. I couldn’t look away. I didn’t want to look away except to look at his lips coming closer to mine. It wasn’t like me to let a man get so close to me that quickly, but there was something about him I couldn’t say no to.

  His long fingers traced my cheek down to my jawbone, then gently slid to my chin. I held my breath, feeling electricity from his touch that I had never felt with anyone before. He pulled my chin up as he lowered his head and his lips crushed mine.

  My legs felt weak as his hand slipped into my hair. I wanted more of him. Opening my mouth, his tongue slipped inside and met mine. Gaining my confidence, I moved my hands over his wet chest, feeling the strength of his body.

  The squeak of a door echoed against the tile and I pulled away, afraid of getting caught. With his hand still in my hair, he pulled me back to him and kissed me quickly one more time. He looked into my eyes again and just as I was getting lost in the deep ocean blue of his eyes, he grabbed my hand and led me to another door. He opened it and I stepped out.

  "Get out of here before I can’t stop myself," he said. "Mack will know nothing about this."

  "Thank you..." I said, my voice trailing off as I realized we barely spoke. "I don’t even know your name."

  "It’s Gabriel. Gabriel Kohl. And you?"

  "Cassie Monroe."

  "I’ll see you again soon
."

  His lips pressed against mine again before he pulled himself away and disappeared back into the locker room. I leaned against the wall as I thought about Gabriel’s lips and how demanding they felt. Just thinking about his kiss was enough to make my head spin.

  Taking a deep breath, I continued down the hall to a door that brought me back into the gym. Mack was sitting with his fighters on one of the floor mats. He looked up at the clock, clapped his hands, and the fighters got up and headed towards the showers.

  He walked over to me with his hands deep in the pockets of his cardigan. His brow wrinkled as he approached.

  "You feeling alright?" he asked. "You look a little flushed."

  My hands flew up to my cheeks as I guiltily looked away. "I’m fine," I said. "Probably just all the heat in here."

  "You get used to it. In no time you’ll find this place chilly like I do."

  I laughed, thinking that would never happen. I was always warm. I joked to my friends that it was my extra padding that kept me warm since it insulated me.

  "Becca should be here any second now," I said.

  "You a friend from school or from the restaurant?" he said.

  "No, I answered her ad for a roommate," I said. "I just moved out here."

  He nodded, and I could tell he didn’t want to know anything too personal.

  "Thanks again for the job. I promise you won’t regret hiring me."

  "I know I won’t," he said. "I can tell you’re a hard worker and you’ve got gumption, kid. Those things will take you far. Just watch out for the suit. Between you and me, I’ve seen plenty of girls get messed up because of that man. They think he’s in love with ’em, but trust me, I know people and that man is in deep with someone else."

  "No problem, I’ll stay away from the suit," I said, shrugging. "What about any of the fighters?" I asked, thinking about Gabriel.

  "Have at it with anyone you want, just none of my fighters of course. You’ll be working with them so it wouldn’t be right. You wouldn’t want any of them anyway. Women weaken the knees, so I have a strict no-sex policy when they’re training."

  I looked at him to see if he was joking, but by his stern look, I knew he wasn’t. It didn’t matter. If Gabriel was one of his fighters, he would have been there for Mack’s talk.

  Mack walked me towards the door as a black limo pulled up to the curb. A red pickup truck pulled up behind the limo and Becca waved from inside.

  "Did you meet the suit?" Mack asked as he nodded towards the limo.

  Gabriel stepped out of the gym from a side door. He was in khakis and a blue polo shirt that matched his eyes. Gabriel raised his hand as he nodded towards Mack and then winked at me. A man beside the limo opened the back door and Gabriel slid inside.

  What? Why is he taking a limo? I knew some fighters earned a lot from fights, but to get picked up by a limo seemed strange.

  "A limo?" I said to Mack as it pulled away.

  "Bah, you know those suits."

  "Suit?"

  "Yeah, suit, you know, corporate guy. That was Gabriel Kohl. He owns this gym, the whole organization actually. Kind of young for a suit, don’t you think? He can’t be more than thirty and created all of this out of nothing,” he said as Becca honked her horn. "Don’t keep my niece waiting. Trust me, you’ll never hear the end of it. I’ll see you in the morning."

  He smiled as he waved to Becca and patted me on the back, gently pushing me towards her. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Mack said and as I opened my mouth to point out that Gabriel wasn’t in a suit, Becca honked her horn again.

  I sighed as I climbed into her truck. It was just my luck that the best kiss of my life belonged to someone I couldn’t be with. I thought about the things Gabriel said, but Mack’s words rang through my head. He has a reputation for liking the ladies. That man is in deep with someone else.

  Not that any of that mattered. There was no way a man with his wealth and looks would want anything to do with a nobody like me. He was probably bored before when he kissed me. And as much as I wanted to daydream about it, there was no way I was going to be the girl who dated her boss.

  Chapter Two

  Gabriel

  Earlier That Day

  Sitting in my office, I was going over contracts for the next big event when there was a knock on my door. Glancing at the open doorway, I saw one of my main trainers, Mack Draven, waiting.

  "Come in," I said, not looking up from my laptop.

  Mack entered the office with his usual grumble. He dropped into one of the chairs facing my desk and I ignored him for a moment while I finished reading.

  My office was small by most standards, with a simple desk and a couple of chairs for visitors, but I didn’t need anything lavish. I kept my office in my organization’s main training gym so I always knew what was going on with my fighters and their trainers. They were my bread and butter, so I split my time between the gym and corporate.

  That gym was the life force of my business. My biggest fighters trained there and if anything went wrong, I needed to know immediately. My competition thought my time was better served elsewhere, but that was why the MMAC was successful and they weren’t.

  "Sorry to interrupt you, but I got a physical therapist coming in today for an interview," he said.

  I slowly turned to face Mack, surprised by his announcement. "It’s about time," I said.

  "I know you’ve suggested it for a while. And I know the other trainers have done good having someone help with their fighters’ injuries, but you know I like to work alone."

  "What prompted this?" I asked.

  He grumbled as his face twisted into a grimace. "My niece. She asked me to meet this girl. It’s some friend of hers."

  "Girl?" I asked, surprised a woman would be interested in working in what was thought to be the bloodiest sport today. "She could be an asset to your team."

  Mack grunted as he slumped back in his chair. Mack had worked for me from the beginning. He was one of my best trainers, and one of the most stubborn, too.

  "What is it about women?" he grumbled as he shook his head. "Becca’s my niece, but I jump every time she needs something."

  "That’s because you’re a good man, Mack. I know you have a soft spot in there."

  "Bah, soft spot! Now I have this girl coming in," he said, sighing. "You’re not going to force me to hire her, are you?"

  "No, but give her a chance. I’ve seen some of your new fighters, and they’re sloppy. They’ll get injured easily and you don’t want them out for too long. Give it some thought."

  "Yeah, yeah, whatever," Mack grumbled as he got up to leave my office.

  "What time is she coming in?"

  Mack narrowed his eyes at me. "I mean no disrespect, but stay away from her. The last thing I need if I hire her is you screwing around with her head."

  "You don’t know what you’re talking about, Mack," I said as I glared back at him. "I’m only asking because a stranger is coming into my training facility."

  "Oh, sorry," he said, looking down. "2 o’clock."

  I turned away from him as he shuffled into the hall. This had nothing to do with a woman coming to the gym. I personally liked to know whenever there were guests. I had been in this business long enough to know I could only trust a small handful of people.

  * * *

  It was 2 o’clock, not just the end of my workout, but time for Mack’s interview to come in. After a few minutes of hitting the speed bag, I had my personal trainer cut the wraps from my hands and I walked over to the ring where Mack was watching his new fighter.

  She caught my attention right away. It wasn’t just having a woman in the gym, I was drawn to her. With her shoulder-length dark wavy hair, the way her shirt hugged her breasts, and her round ass, she was just my type. And after my vigorous workout strained and hardened my muscles, I couldn’t help but wonder what her soft body would feel like pressed against me.

  But there was something else about her. An innocen
ce in her wide eyes that I rarely saw anymore. When she caught me looking at her, I couldn’t help but smile, but when she shyly turned away, I knew I had to have her.

  I caught Mack’s stern expression as he met my gaze. I knew what he was thinking and he was right. There had been one too many ring girls in my past who had left this training facility in tears when they realized I wasn’t as serious about them as they thought. They thought they could change me. They believed it when I said they were special. As a man, I had needs. I’d say anything to get what I wanted.

  But something in me said this woman had a lot more to offer. She wasn’t someone to just have fun with. While people like Mack thought I was heartless, I didn’t like breaking anyone’s heart. I was going to wait and introduce myself to her, but instead I turned and walked away. I had no right thinking about a woman. I had too many commitments and responsibilities to add anything serious to my plate.

  As I turned towards the locker room, her voice echoed through the gym. It didn’t sound like anything I expected to come out of such a sweet-looking face. I turned back to watch what was going on and saw her fist come down hard on the ring floor.

  "Left hook! Throw a fucking left hook!" she yelled.

  I laughed and forced myself to walk away. She was going to be harder to forget than I thought. And knowing Mack, she just cursed her way into a job.

  As my personal trainer opened the door to the locker room, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Who was this curvy woman with the mouth of a sailor? All I knew was if I was left alone with her, I wouldn’t be able to control myself. I had to make her mine.

  Chapter Three

  Cassie

  I spent my first week at work avoiding Gabriel. Every time I saw him, I went in the other direction. I just couldn’t face him, not after that kiss. Not when just the memory of it made my legs go weak. It made me feel ridiculous.