Sugar Pop (The Riot Crew #2)

14. Ari

Chapter 14

Ari

N o matter how many times I ran over the numbers or how many contractors I called, the same stupid truth mocked me.

We needed Troy’s money.

After everyone left, I went back to the office and read through so many documents and articles that my eyes could no longer focus. Thousands of formulas were running through my head, and it felt like I was back in calculus class, slamming my head against the desk because the answer didn’t make sense.

Or maybe I simply didn’t want to see the truth. Even as it blinked back at me like a strobe light on the dance floor of Heathens Hollow’s sex club.

Good news, we’d be there soon enough. Hopefully, enjoying our spoils.

Bad news? Because we were chained to Troy Godwin like fucking dogs at the park.

I’d known that going in. It was why I’d accepted Troy’s contract without consulting the guys. But after our fight, I was desperate to find another way. Maybe Bones was right. Maybe we should tell Troy to fuck off if I had another way to get enough money. But I didn’t, and Smiley’s didn’t. Even if we all took pay cuts—and me without one at all—without the 100K sitting on my desk, Smiley’s was the fucking Titanic. Just replace the iceberg with a tree, and I was next in line to be the main character sinking with the ship.

At least there was enough to pay the contractors for rush jobs. Which was probably why Troy had given us such a big chunk of cash. The bosses were more than willing to negotiate when I added a hefty tip to get this shit fixed before the end of the month. Two months was barely enough time to get everything squared away, especially for a fight of this caliber. But we didn’t have a choice. Smiley’s needed to be in top-notch shape so I could kick Misty Perk’s ass and close that big fucking mouth of hers.

Because she was already talking shit, and it hadn’t even been a day.

She must have gotten the news from Troy, because an hour ago, my phone pinged with a message. Well, less of a message and more of a taunt. I rolled my eyes twice by the time I finished reading. That was probably an Olympic record ’cause the text was three sentences long.

Can’t wait to meet you in the ring and put your pretty ass in the ground. I’ll make you wish you never accepted the arrangement. See ya soon.

I stared at it for a minute before I shot back my answer.

Aww, you think I’m pretty? 3 I’ll make sure to look my best when you’re kissing my pretty ass.

She didn’t answer, probably too busy shrieking like a banshee as she ordered Jace to train harder. At least the visual of Misty-dusa made me laugh for the first time all day.

Smiley’s was so lonely without my boys in it. Everything felt so… dark and quiet. I missed the atmosphere we’d had not even two weeks ago. Us on top of the world. Nothing holding us back. Now it felt like we were standing on different continents and sailing in opposite directions.

How could I convince them I was doing the right thing? Lotto was right. No matter the outcome of Heathens Hollow, we stood to make an insane amount of money. But clearly this wasn’t about the money. This was about Frankie, Bones, and Lotto trying to protect me.

If only they’d let me protect them, too.

A knock on the office door nearly made me jump out of my seat. I’d been so wrapped up in the papers littering my desk I hadn’t heard the front door. Not that the front door had much going for it, now that Frankie had broken it.

“Come in,” I called.

Bones peeked his head into the room before he shuffled in, hands deep in a pair of basketball shorts. I had no idea why seeing him surprised me so much. I’d expected it to be Lotto, come to tell me that Bones and Frankie hated my guts. Frankie just needed time, but three declined calls and two ignored texts didn’t bode well.

I didn’t know what to say to start the conversation. Bones still looked as on edge as when he’d left earlier that afternoon, with a rigidness to his toned body and a frown on his angular face. I rose from my chair and crossed my arms over my chest.

“If you’ve come to fight?—”

“Not fight,” he said. “Just talk.”

My lips slid into a smile. Clearly, Lotto had put him up to this. At least that meant Lotto and Bones had worked it out. I hoped so, anyway. I didn’t want to have to navigate another fucked-up relationship. Two was enough.

“Can I sit?”

“Yeah, sure.” I gestured to the chair in front of my desk, and Bones practically flopped into it. His frown relaxed slightly, but his body didn’t.

“You changed.”

I blinked down at my attire. My dress was draped over the back of my chair. I now wore a tank top and yoga capris. I always kept a spare change of clothes in the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet—just in case.

“Easier to get fucked by the contractors,” I joked. At the word ‘fucked,’ Bones sat up a little straighter. I raised an eyebrow. “Did you really come here to talk about my wardrobe?”

“You gonna wear something like that in the ring?”

I swallowed. He studied me and my reaction with hard eyes. Was he giving me permission? Asking my plans? I wasn’t sure, so I needed to tread carefully.

“I’m pretty sure Troy would encourage a little less clothing.” I snorted and snapped the strap of my bra and tank top. “And this bra is a little too flimsy for a cage match.” Bones didn’t answer me. He didn’t even respond to my jokes. I drew a deep breath. “Why do you ask, Bones? Did you talk to Teo?”

“And Lotto.” The mention of Lotto’s name made Bones exhale heavily. “Well, I wouldn’t call what he did ‘talking’.”

My pussy throbbed at the admission. I didn’t have to imagine the way Lotto convinced Bones to come see me. The evidence was all over his upper body.

“Then what would you call it?” I teased and leaned against the side of my messy desk.

“Pissing me off.”

“Seems like there’s a lot of that going around.”

Bones’ lips shifted as if he was chewing on his words before he exhaled. He messed up the back of his hair as he said, “Look, I’m not good at talking out shit like this. But there’s plenty of reasons we don’t want you in the ring.”

“What are yours?” I challenged. When Bones’ eyes snapped to me, I crossed my arms over my chest. “I don’t want to hear ‘we’ right now, Bones. It’s only me and you in here right now. Tell me why you don’t want me in the ring.” My lips slid into a grin. “And I’ll tell you why you’re wrong.”

At least I finally got the first smile from him since earlier in the day.

He shook his head and threw an arm over the back of the chair. “That cockiness will get you far.”

“I learned from a few of the underground’s best.”

“It’ll also be your downfall.” Bones rubbed his temple. “The cage isn’t like your dad’s strait-laced boxing matches, Ari. The only rule is no weapons, and even that doesn’t stop people from slipping some brass knuckles or rings beneath their hand wraps.”

“I’ve seen enough matches to know?—”

“But you haven’t. You’ve seen me and Frankie and River. People who can hang and walk out no problem. You haven’t seen Micky or Fonz or Poppa. And you won’t. ’Cause one of them broke his jaw so many times, he’s gotta drink cheeseburger smoothies for the rest of his life. The other has permanent brain damage, and the last one’s dead.”

I shivered. Bones looked so… haunted. I hadn’t been raised in the scene like he was. I’d only really watched Frankie’s matches then called it a day. I couldn’t imagine what Bones had gone through on his way to the top, the bottom, then back up again. He’d probably lost much more than his reputation over the years.

“And you’re afraid that will happen to me?”

“I’m afraid you’ll become Troy’s newest meal ticket.”

A long exhalation left me. He wasn’t wrong to have that worry. I had the same one. No matter who won, Troy probably wouldn’t let his new favorite fighter go that easily.

“If we get enough money to tell him to fuck off, it could work.”

“Or we’ll be saying hello to Nero.”

A heavy silence weighed down on us. Everyone knew Nero hadn’t cut and run. Troy made sure he wouldn’t bother Bones again, and the cops’ pockets got a little fatter to look the other way.

It could happen to any of us. Someone just needed to hate us enough and make Troy enough money to earn a favor.

Someone like Misty and Jace Perk.

“Then I just have to win.” I held up a finger when Bones tried to interrupt. “Sure, I’m not as well trained as you guys. I know that. But I’m not some amateur. I have training. I’ve kicked a few asses. And with you and Frankie training me over the next few months, I know I can do this.” I sighed and played with the end of my ponytail. “You keep saying you’re worried about me, but I’m worried about you, too. You’re running yourself ragged just to keep the lights on for us, Bones. I don’t want you drinking cheeseburger smoothies for the rest of your life.”

“It does sound like shit.” Bones grimaced. “What’s life without a few burritos and beers?”

“We can buy a whole Mexican restaurant if we win at Heathens Hollow.”

“Name it after my dad and mom.” Bones went quiet, staring at a spot on the wall before he scrubbed at his face with his hand. “Lotto told me Dad would support you on this. I didn’t want to believe it at first, but… I think he’s right.”

“Bones.” I sighed.

I remembered the conversation I had with Cisco Vega before he left for Mexico City like it happened just yesterday. He’d left both Bones and Lotto in my care, and I would do everything in my power not to break that promise. I slid off the desk and slipped over to Bones’ chair and straddled his lap. He set his hands on my hips and pulled me flush against his hard body.

“I won’t let you guys down,” I murmured and raked my fingers through his hair. Bones’ eyes darkened when I pressed my chest against his. “I need your support, Bones. I can’t do this without you in my corner.”

“You make it really hard to say no.” His hands on my hips tightened, shooting delicious pain down my spine. “I’m outnumbered, anyway. Teo thinks it’ll be hot to see you fight.”

“Will it?” I grinned and ground down on his cock. His low grunt made me shiver. “What do you think, Bones? Will it be hot to see us beat the shit out of each other?”

“The only thing getting beat up tonight is that pussy of yours,” he growled and jerked me down.

His kiss was biting, and he wasted no time dominating my mouth. His tongue was everywhere, and so were his hands. Bones squeezed every part of me he could touch, from my sides to my ass to my thighs. He spread them so I could feel his hard cock when he forced me down. I pulled back to breathe, but Bones barely gave me a second. He wrapped his hand around my ponytail and pushed me down to his mouth so he could show me who owned me tonight.

Once he was done making a mess of my mouth, he moved onto my throat and chest. He marked me like Lotto had marked him, and he didn’t stop until every inch of my skin belonged to him. Pain radiated from the bites, but it felt so fucking good. My pussy throbbed with every swipe of his tongue and bite of his teeth.

Bones was panting when he pulled away, his eyes glazed over like a man possessed.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “What did Lotto do to you?” My question was breathless. “And how many thank you texts should I send?”

Bones’ eyes flashed with hot desire. “The same amount of times I’m about to make you come.”

The promise made me shiver. Bones practically ripped off my shirt and bra, threw them over his shoulder, and made the same mess of my nipples as he did my chest. He sucked and bit and licked until I was whimpering his name. I arched into him, my core throbbing with how rough he was being. But I refused to back down. I knew part of it was whatever Lotto had done to him earlier. The other part? He was seeing how I could handle a little roughness.

This wasn’t a fight where I was going to back down.

Bones reached around and stuffed his hand down the back of my yoga pants. He squeezed my ass a few times before cupping my pussy. I moaned and arched my hips back to give him more room. He forced two fingers into me and started a rough pace, thrusting as best he could with my pants in the way. I rocked against him and huffed against the top of his sweaty hair.

I moaned his name when his wet fingers found my clit. He rubbed rough circles, his breath hot and wet against my collarbones. The quick pace made me dizzy, and I rocked my hips against his callused fingertips. It wasn’t long before I was shaking and yelling his name, my orgasm ripping through me.

I didn’t have any time to recover. Bones pulled me back down into a messy kiss, forceful hands pushing down my pants. I stepped down enough to kick my bottoms off the rest of the way then climbed back on top of him. I barely had time to grab his shoulders when he pulled me down, his hard cock thrusting fully into me in one pussy-stretching motion.

The burn and the stretch felt so fucking good. I swore my mind went blank. When he thrust up into me again, I screamed. It wasn’t like I could run from the pleasure even if I wanted to. Bones dug into my hips hard enough to bruise, keeping me down low as he fucked me. His pace was brutal and deep. I clung to his shoulders and dug my nails into his skin until he bled. Our lips met again, more breath and tongue than anything, and I tasted iron when he tugged my bottom lip between his teeth.

“Grab onto me, beautiful,” he demanded gruffly.

I looped my arms around his shoulders just in time, and he picked me up like I was nothing, keeping me fully sheathed on his cock. We stumbled a few steps until my back hit the wall painfully. Bones swallowed my gasp with another bruising kiss as he fucked me into the wall. I wrapped my legs around his waist and ground my hips to meet his rough thrusts. It felt like he was trying to rip me in half—and I loved every second of it.

Bones pounded into me and didn’t give me any room to breathe. The ache in my body was almost too much to handle. Each snap of his hips had me yelling his name. His angry grunts and curses become new marks on my skin. When he angled my hips forward, I saw stars. Pleasure rippled up my spine every time he hit that spot. Just a few more thrusts, and I came with a loud cry of his name. I was still lost in the haze of pleasure when Bones gasped my name and spilled into me.

He slumped against me, keeping me pressed against the wall as he fought to catch his breath. When he shifted, I gasped. Even with his release, he was still rock hard inside of me. He began rocking his hips again, slow and shallow. He lifted his head to look at me, his eyes burning with unfiltered passion.

“I want every single part of you to take me.”

Another challenge. This one made me shudder with want. I hadn’t even finished nodding when Bones picked me up, basically dropping me to the hardwood floor. I was flipped onto my hands and knees, my head pushed down into the ground. Hasty fingers dipped into my still pulsing pussy; I moaned as Bones worked my sensitive core. Then he ripped his wet fingers from me and circled them around my asshole before pushing inside. With two of his fingers, he split me open, scissoring and stretching until I was begging for him to fuck me.

With a grunt, Bones shoved his hard cock into my ass. The stretch was as dizzying as his quick pace. I could barely catch my breath as he bent me in half and showed me who I belonged to. I thrust my hips back to meet his brutal pace, pushing him deep enough to drive me crazy. His balls slapped against my ass with each slam of his hips. Bones reached around to find my clit and his fingers moved in sync with his thrusts.

My entire body sang for him. I reached back and dug my nails into his thighs, piercing his skin and making my own special mark. My entire mind was clouded with everything Bones. His name was a mantra from my lips. The only thing I could do was cling to him as he broke me and claimed me.

My third orgasm slammed into me so hard I couldn’t even make a sound. My entire mind went white as heat overtook my senses. I dug so hard into the floor that the wood had marks from my nails, even deeper than the ones in Bones’ skin. Bones thrust into me a few more times before filling my ass, my name mixed with a growl as he came. He stayed inside me until he went soft then pulled out, juices leaking from both of my holes and down my swollen pussy and thighs.

Despite the beating he had just given my body, Bones ran a gentle hand over my ass as he fought to catch his breath. “You okay?”

“We’ll have to get new flooring,” I joked as I carefully turned onto my butt. My entire body ached, but I hadn’t felt this good in a while. I eyed a spot near the wall where our juices coated the hardwood. “Think we can claim that on our insurance payout?”

“We won’t need the insurance payout when you win at Heathens Hollow.”

I sucked in a breath. “You’re letting me fight?”

“I’m not letting you do shit.” Bones chuckled and shifted closer. “This is your decision. I’ll just support you every step of the way.”

“Bones… thank you.” My heart swelled, and I leaned forward to press my lips to his in a soft kiss that shared our love. Having him in my corner meant everything to me and gave me the confidence I needed to talk to Frankie again.

Hopefully, that fight ended the same way this one did: pounding my body and not my heart.