Hooked (TKO #2) Page 6

  “Oh, God, right there babe. That’s fucking perfect.”

  Hearing those words causes her to suck harder. I’m trying to hang on, but this feels too fucking amazing. Her mouth is bringing me closer and closer to the release I need. My balls tighten. I groan loudly as I come inside her mouth. She drinks up every drop until there’s nothing left. She rises and gives me a devilish grin.

  “You liked that?” she asks.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever come so fast before in my life. I’m not through with you yet, baby.”

  I push her up against the boxes that are behind her. I use one hand to steady her back as the other slowly travels up her thigh. She’s not wearing any panties. I find her clit and begin to gently massage it. She moans, tossing her head back. I get down on my knees and look up her skirt. Oh god, she waxes. I lick my lips as I replace my thumb with my tongue.

  “Oh my God,” she whimpers. To tease her more, I flick her clit harder with my tongue before sucking. I thrust two fingers inside her while continuing to tease her clit. It doesn’t take long before her body begins convulsing. I move my mouth to taste her sweet juices.

  “I have a condom if you’re game, babe,” I suggest. “I don’t want to wear you out, but shit, you are fucking perfect tonight.”

  When she nods, I reach for my wallet. I grab the condom and rip the package with my teeth. She’s gazing at me with hooded eyes as I slide it on my rigid, hard cock.

  Without warning, I slide into her swiftly. She yells out as I fill her pussy. “You like that? You like feeling all of this inside you?”

  “Yes,” she moans. “Harder, please.”

  I begin to thrust relentlessly into her. With each thrust, she screams out in ecstasy. The loud noises of the bar mask her cries. She clenches my back, her nails clawing at me. I close my eyes as she moans. An image comes to mind, but I shove Hilary away as I come.

  I slowly pull out of her and extend my hand to help her stand. Her legs are shaky as she adjusts her skirt. I carefully remove the condom and toss it into a trashcan filled with broken down boxes.

  “That was amazing,” I tell her as I pull my pants back on and unlock the door.

  “It was. I didn’t catch your name.”

  “You didn’t ask.”

  “Fair,” she says as we return to the noise of the bar. “Well, what is it?”

  “Lance.”

  “I’m Briley.”

  “Well, thanks for making my night, Briley.”

  “You’re welcome, Lance. I’m going to go to the restroom. I’ll be right back, okay?”

  “Okay,” I tell her. Little does she know, I won’t be here when she gets out. The closet sex was amazing, but that’s all it needs to be. I don’t want to get to know her. I don’t want to do anything else with her because she’s not Hilary. Briley was an escape for me tonight. A damn good escape, but not what I’m looking for.

  I watch as she goes into the bathroom. When the door shuts, I make my way out the entrance of the bar. The night air hits me in the face and shame washes over me. I should have never let Briley suck me off, and I should have never put my mouth or my dick inside her. I did it, though, and it’s another notch on my past. I really just want to go home.

  I shouldn’t have come out at all.

  ***

  I wake the next morning feeling even more like shit for my actions. I need a hot shower to wash Briley off of me. I step into the shower and let the hot water wash over me. Once I’m sure that I’m clean, I step out and toss on the clothes I would typically wear to the gym. I flop on my bed and reach for my phone. I didn’t look at it once I got home. I tap the screen to find a slew of missed calls from Garrett and Raegan as well as several more text messages from Hilary. I don’t open a single message. I’m too hurt and pissed from last night to even think about reading those.

  There’s a light knock on my door, which throws me off because my dad never knocks. “Come in.”

  The door slowly opens and Raegan appears. “Hey, stranger. We tried calling you all night.”

  “I saw. They sent you to check on me or something?”

  “No,” she says, sitting on my bed. “I came on my own. I wanted to check on you. I’m sorry about Howard suspending you. Travis is an asshole.”

  “Didn’t you hear? I quit. I don’t need that gym.”

  “You’re such a liar, Lance.”

  “I am a liar, Raegan, but what does it fucking matter? I can’t fight as long as Travis is around because he’ll always be there to push my buttons and I can’t control my anger around him. He treats Hilary like shit. He treats her like a convenience but she keeps going back to him.”

  “Oh, shit, Lance. I didn’t know that. Do you think she’s okay?”

  “I don’t know. I mean, why would you put up with someone like that? She found messages in his phone from other women. I protected her from shit like this in high school, but she’s still getting sucked into it. I don’t get it.”

  “Some women want to get away but don’t know how to. Maybe he makes her feel safe.”

  I glare at her. “Maybe he’s just a pain in my ass, Raegan. Whatever, I’m done with it all. She tried texting me last night a few times.”

  “What did she say?”

  I shrug my shoulders. “I didn’t read any of them. I went to Joe’s for a little last night and left my phone here. This morning I saw all the missed calls from you and Garrett, and then all of her messages.”

  She reaches for my phone.

  “Damn, five messages. Let’s see. First message says…please talk to me, Lance. Second message says, you were right about him. Third message…”

  I wait for her to finish, but she’s just staring at the phone.

  “What is it, Raegan? What’s it say?”

  She swallows and takes a deep breath before reading. “This isn’t Hilary. This is Travis. It says, if I ever see your name on her phone again, you will be a dead man. Stay away from her. She is mine. She belongs to me, and she knows it. I will make you wish you were never born if you even say her name out loud.”

  “He took her fucking phone? He’s a fucking whack job, Raegan.”

  “There’re two more messages. Want me to open them?”

  I nod my head in silence, giving her the okay.

  “Fourth message says, Lance, please ignore his message. I didn’t know he had my phone. I’ll hide it better next time.”

  I can’t believe I’m hearing this. And I can’t believe she has to hide her phone.

  “Fifth and last message says, I can’t believe I screwed this up and went back to him, but I can’t leave. I’m so sorry.”

  “What does she mean, she can’t leave? Not long ago, she told me she left him and wanted me. That was before I fucked it up. So, how come she can’t leave now?”

  “I have no clue. I’m taking her number, by the way. I’m going to talk to her, and don’t you dare stop me. Maybe he has some sort of hold on her. She needs help.”

  “Take her number, I don’t care,” I mumble, hanging my head.

  She scrunches her nose up in distaste. “Now that I know you are alive and well, I have to get to a doctor’s appointment. Well, first I have to pick up Garrett from Lou’s. You need to go talk to Howard. He’ll understand.”

  “You sound just like my dad.”

  “And we’re both right. We’ll check in on you later, and you better answer the phone.”

  I wave my hand at her as she stands and walks out the door. I grab my phone and stare at the same messages she just read to me. The one Travis typed keeps playing over and over again in my head as I read it. She belongs to me, and she knows it.

  She did tell me he was possessive and scary. He is certainly showing it now. I wonder why he wants to possess her if he is screwing other women.

  Feeling brave, I type a message to her.

  Hilary, you can tell that sorry asshole that his message doesn’t scare me. I hope you know you can leave at any time you want and he can’t stop y
ou. I know I fucked things up but if you’d accept my apology, I swear I will make it right.

  Minutes pass before my phone vibrates, indicating a response.

  I do accept your apology, Lance, and I wish like hell I’d have accepted it that night.

  I ask her what she means, and then I wait. There is no response. She never replies, and it’s leaving me wondering what the hell is really going on. My heart races. What kind of hold does he have on her?

  I text Raegan, letting her know what Hilary said, and she replies instantly, telling me she’s going to get to the bottom of this. I wonder how the hell she will do that. Hilary has only met her a handful of times, and if she won’t tell me what’s going on, I don’t know what makes Raegan think she will open up to her. Hilary and I at least have a past dealing with this kind of stuff, but I guess that doesn’t matter anymore.

  I spend the rest of the day gorging on junk food, and waiting on any response from either Hilary or Raegan, but nothing ever comes. As the sun begins to set outside my bedroom window, I realize that both my dad and Raegan are right. I missed the hell out of going to the gym today, and my life feels empty without it. I can’t sit around every day like a worthless bum. It’s not me. Maybe not tomorrow, but one day soon, I’ll suck up my pride and go talk to Howard.

  Chapter 9

  The next few days go by in a blur. I haven’t moved from my room except to eat, run, and visit with my dad. I told him about my plans to go talk to Howard soon. I know I’m being a stubborn ass about it, but that’s just me. Maybe I want him to believe I really quit, that I’m never coming back. If he really knows me, though, then he knows it’s not true. Everyone knows it isn’t true.

  Out of pure torture, I kept the messages from Hilary, and every damn night, I found myself staring at them over and over again looking for some sort of hidden encryption. I’ve found nothing. It’s pretty plain and simple. She’s sorry and she’s really chosen him and I’m a total, complete fuck up. I’m back to fucking random women in the bar, and I don’t want to be that guy anymore. I wanted to be the guy for her, but she doesn’t want me.

  I stare at a picture of my mom and try to imagine what she would tell me to do in this crazy situation. Would she tell me to just give up on her and move on with my life? Or would she tell me to suck it up and fight for what I want? I’m positive she would tell me to fight for her. Fighting is what I do, in the ring and outside of the ring. Fighting is also what got me into this mess.

  “Mom, I really don’t know what to do.” I sit on my bed, fixated on the photograph. “I’ve never felt so drawn to a woman. I’m not sure what it is about her, but she makes me want to change everything. I would change anything for her, but she won’t give me the chance. I just want to show her I can be a gentleman, like the guy I was to her back in high school. You raised me right, Mom. I know I haven’t always been the best guy in the world when it comes to women, but I want to be better.”

  I stare back at the picture with tears forming in my eyes. It’s just a picture, and she can’t answer me. God, I’d give anything to be able to hear her voice again. I bring the picture to my lips and softly kiss her angelic face. “I love you, Momma.”

  I tuck the picture gently into my wallet and set it on my nightstand. Lying back on my bed, I stare at the ceiling fan as it whirls around. The whirling of the fan reminds me of my life. One huge swirling vortex of chaos. Chaos is taking over and ruining everything for me, so I’m putting my foot down. It’s time to overcome the chaos and turn things around. First thing in the morning, I’m setting things straight. I’ll go to Lou’s to talk to Howard. Then, I don’t give a flying fuck what Travis says, I’m talking to Hilary.

  ***

  For the first time in a while, I wake up feeling refreshed. In the back of my mind, I’m know this is going to be a good day. Dad is already gone when I make my way to the kitchen, but he left enough coffee for me. I grab one of my mom’s favorite coffee cups. The paint is chipped on the side, and there’s a crack at the top, but it’s still the perfect cup. I fill it to the brim with the dark liquid and then add a little creamer to turn it the perfect shade of light brown. I sit at the kitchen table like Mom and Dad used to do, but today it’s only me. All my plans for the day play through my mind. Howard is going to see that I’m ready to get back to work, and with any luck Hilary will see just how genuine I can be. I want it to go right. It has to. If it doesn’t, it just may break me more inside.

  I finish my cup, and decide to get out of the house. I’ll never know what will happen until I drag my ass out of here. Nothing can kill my mood today. Optimism is running through my veins. I’m making today my bitch.

  I change my clothes and grab my keys. Walking out the door, Mother Nature decides to piss on my parade. The skies are a gloomy shade of gray and a rumble in the distance signifies a coming storm. I should have checked the weather. Sighing, I walk to my truck and begin my drive to Lou’s. I knew I missed the place, but I never realized just how much I did until I pulled into my parking spot. Garrett’s truck is on one side of me, and Howard’s vehicle on the other.

  I open my door and the gravel crunches beneath my shoes. Another rumble of thunder fills the dark sky followed by a few sprinkles of rain. Time to get inside. I reach out for the doorknob and hold onto it for a split second. It’s now or never. This is the first step in getting my life back in order. This is my world.

  I walk into Lou’s, and it feels as if I’ve been gone for an eternity. Garrett’s face breaks out into a grin when he sees me. A few newer members are lifting weights in the corner. They don’t fight, but they like the privacy they get by training here. I make my way to Howard’s office.

  He’s sitting at his desk holding his phone up to his face. His tongue is hanging out, and he’s in full concentration mode.

  “Are you still trying to beat that videogame?” I ask him as I sit in the chair in front of the desk.

  He looks up, setting his phone on the desk. “It’s a bitch. This game is rigged like a motherfucker.”

  “I could have told you that.”

  “So, what brings you in here today, Lance?” he asks me, like he has no clue why I’m here.

  “This place is my life, Howard. I want it back.”

  “I thought you quit. To be honest, I didn’t think that word was even in your vocabulary.”

  “I didn’t think it was, either. I overreacted that night. Travis pushed my buttons and I should have stepped away. He knew what he was doing, and I just couldn’t be the bigger man and step away. Not when he was saying the shit he was. I’m sorry.”

  Howard studies my face intently. His eyes narrow and he’s beginning to scare the shit out of me. “I know. Garrett told me everything the next day. I was going to come to you and talk but you said you quit so I was going to honor your decision. By the way, I talked to Mike, the owner of the gym Travis trains at, and he has decided to suspend Travis for his next few matches.”

  On the outside, my face is hard as a rock. I reveal no emotion. On the inside, I’m as giddy as a fucking school girl.

  “I know you suspended me, but I’ve had time to think over the last few days. If you’ll let me, I would like to come back, Howard. This is my family. This is my home.”

  “I can’t lie. It hasn’t been the same without you here, Lance. Welcome home.”

  He stands, pushing his chair back. It screeches as it slides across the floor. I stand to meet him, and the burly man pulls me in for a hug. “I knew your stubborn ass would be back. Matter of fact, Garrett owes me fifty bucks.”

  “You assholes were betting on me?” I ask, laughing.

  “Hell yeah. I knew you’d be back within a few days. He figured you would take a few weeks. I win.”

  I roll my eyes and look toward the mats. I’m itching to be back out there and now I have my chance. Phase one is complete.

  Garrett’s smile turns to a grimace when he sees Howard standing against the doorframe, holding his hand out. “Why couldn’t you
wait?” he asks.

  “Cough it up, Garrett, I win.” Howard laughs, stepping back into his office.

  “Yeah, yeah, okay.”

  I’ve missed this place way too much. Garrett raises his eyebrow like he’s expecting me to just start telling him all my problems, but he pretty much knows it all. I mean, he was outside when the shit with Travis went down.

  “Has, uh…has Raegan talked to…” I stop myself before I can continue. I’m not sure how to phrase the question.

  “Has she talked to who, that girl?” he asks me with a puzzled expression.

  “Um, yeah, her. Sorry, I don’t know why I asked you that.”

  “Don’t sweat it, dude. I think she has been, though.”

  My gut twists as I wonder what Raegan and Hilary have been talking about. It must not be anything too important if Raegan hasn’t told me anything yet. I just want to know what is really going on and if Hilary is okay. She may not give a shit about me, but for some strange reason I care more about her than I should.

  “Oh, okay,” I mumble.

  “What’s going on, Lance?” Garrett asks me with a raised eyebrow.

  Howard interrupts and tells us to get busy. In the back of my mind, there are so many things I want to start telling my best friend but I’m not sure how stupid I would sound once those things started coming out. I’d sound like a pussy for sure. Lance Borel is a pussy whipped man, and he’s not even dating the girl. What a damn joke.

  My hands slide into my gloves and the perfect fit reminds me of everything I love about sparring and being on the mat. Garrett raises his eyebrow and I smirk. Time to get back to work.

  Thirty minutes later, sweat is pouring from my body and I’m smirking at Garrett as he pulls himself off the mat. He gave me a good run for my money considering I’ve not been here in a while. Fighting is in my blood, though, so it’s as if I haven’t missed a single day.