Chapter 9
Mila
“What did I tell you?” Lainey asks with a smile and a shoulder shimmy as soon as the security guard lets us pass. Now that I know the layout of the place, we use a side door, go down a hall, and straight into the ring room. I wasn’t even aware it was there before, but am glad I know about it now.
“He didn’t even bat an eye,” I say, slightly surprised.
“That’s because we’re hot,” she smiles, and she’s not wrong.
Lainey is wearing a red cocktail dress that fits like a glove around her thin frame.
She could be a supermodel if she wanted to.
She’s five-nine and has legs for days. The only thing I have for days is boobs and butt.
I’m lucky my stomach is more or less toned, thanks only to the new Pilates routine I’ve been doing.
I went with an emerald green dress and a pair of sparkly black heels.
It’s supposed to be girl’s night in, and as tired as I am, Lainey was still able to convince me to get all dressed up.
I’m still worried about Dominic recognizing me, so I went all out with my outfit, hair, and makeup.
I still find it a little offensive just how invisible I am at his house.
But I don’t want him connecting the dots and realizing that his maid, the girl he fucked in his car the other night, and tonight, the all-dressed up club girl are all the same person. Me.
“Are you good?” she asks. We head down the hall and are let into the ring room. It’s like a tidal wave of déjà vu; everything from the sound to the smell to the lights, and I find my breath catching in my throat as I try to smile.
“Yeah,” I tell her. “I’m good.”
Lainey heads straight for the bar in the back. Meanwhile, I am scanning the room for anyone we might know. Or, more accurately, anyone who might know us.
“Why do you look so nervous?” she asks.
“Brynn and Rachel are down there,” I point out, whipping around so my back is to the ring.
“So? We’re allowed to be here.”
“What if we see Niko?” I ask.
“Niko can kiss my ass,” she says, winking at the bartender as he hands her a Cosmo. “I am off the clock.”
The bartender nods up at me with a smirk, and I have to admit, he’s pretty cute. Young, though, which means he’s probably immature. “What’ll it be, gorgeous?” he asks.
“I’ll take a Diet Coke,” I answer.
“Diet Coke and…?” he asks, holding up a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of rum.
“Just the soda,” I answer with a smile. Lainey isn’t smiling.
“Are you for real? You need a drink. You’re clearly wound up right now.”
I shrug. “I’m fine. I’m good with plain soda.”
When they both see that I’m not going to budge, he pours my drink and Lainey shakes her head. Honestly, the very idea of running into Dominic again has my stomach in knots. Adding alcohol to that doesn’t seem like the best idea.
After we both have our drinks, we thread our way through the crowd in search of seats. Lainey points at two open chairs halfway down the floor.
“That’s way too close,” I say.
“It’s above the well-to-dos, but close enough that I can see the sweat on their brows. It’s perfect,” she insists over the roar of the crowd. Before I can protest, she’s leading me in that direction.
We sit down, and I focus on the ring for the first time. I immediately recognize one of the men.
“That’s him,” I lean in to tell Lainey. “That’s the guy who harassed me.”
“Well, he’s pretty damn good-looking,” she smiles. “Even if he is a bully.”
She’s not wrong, but he also gives me some seriously bad vibes and the creeps.
A second later he plows into the other guy in the ring, taking him clean to the floor, and everyone in the room roars with cheers before coming to their feet.
Instinctively, we jump up. A bell rings, and a smaller man walks up to Rafe, grabs his arm, and holds it up in the air.
With a bloody mouth and hard eyes, Rafe nods and beats his chest with his other fist, egging on the already eruptive crowd.
Lainey is laughing and clapping, and I start smiling too. It fades as soon as I see Dominic standing at the bottom of the ring. He’s in his black shorts and shoes, and his hands are wrapped in black tape. He is talking to a guy I recognize as his friend from the other day.
“Oh, my god is that him?” Lainey asks, her eyes no doubt following mine.
“Yeah,” I say.
“Damn, girl.”
And damn, girl is right. Watching him from here is different than it was before.
For one, I’m not holding a tray of drinks trying to focus on who is who while avoiding catcalls.
And also, I’m not standing right in front of him, so I don’t have to avoid staring.
We are far enough away that I can allow my eyes to trail from the top of his tousled hair down his furrowed brow, over his sharp jawline, past his hard pecs, through the ravines of his perfectly sculpted abs, and down the V that leads to the elastic of his shorts.
“Fuck,” I let out before realizing that I am saying it out loud. Lainey just laughs.
“You fucked that…” she says, leaning in, and I feel the heat rise to my cheeks.
Yeah I did. Every bit of it.
The round starts, Dominic fighting against some young blonde kid.
I mean, he’s probably older than me, but he’s younger than Dom.
Come to think of it, every guy I’ve seen in and out of the ring is younger than Dom by at least a decade.
That doesn’t seem to stop him from taking the lead in every match.
A smile tugs across my lips.
After the round, which Dom wins with ease, there’s a break and people move around the room a bit, grabbing more drinks and mingling. Lainey looks over at me with a contented smile.
“Aren’t you glad you came?” she asks.
“It is fun,” I have to admit.
“Your man is pretty great up there,” she smirks.
“He’s not my man,” I say quickly, grabbing my soda and taking a sip as if it will help.
“Whatever you say,” she laughs.
Just then, a man steps up next to our table. But not just any man. Rafe.
“Hello ladies. Your glasses are looking a little dry. Aren’t any of these half-wit waitresses paying attention to you?”
I have to suppress the urge to roll my eyes. But Lainey seems to love the attention from the cocky, half-naked man.
“They haven’t even passed by our table yet,” she says with a pout.
Oh god.
“It’s because you’re prettier than they are,” he says with a wink, and her pout turns into a smile.
“What are you drinking, ladies?” he asks.
I can feel his eyes on me. He doesn’t seem to recognize me, at least not that I can tell, but I can tell he wants me to look up at him.
Despite his banter with Lainey, I’ve felt his gaze raking over my body since he walked up.
“A Cosmo for me and–”
“Let me guess,” he says, nodding down at me. “A rum and coke for your shy friend?”
“Just coke,” I say, looking up just enough to catch his slimy grin.
“No booze?” he asks.
“Nope,”
He studies me for a moment before waving down one of the waitresses, a girl we luckily don’t know. “A girl with her head on her shoulders. I like that,” he says.
I bet you do.
“I’m Rafe, by the way,” he says, holding out a hand.
“Lainey,” she purrs, taking his hand. He holds it for a moment. “Gosh, your hands are so beat up. Don’t they hurt?”
“Better my hands looking rough than my face,” he says with a wink, and she giggles. I swallow a lump of bile that’s found its way to the back of my throat.
“Excuse me,” I say, stepping off the stool. “I need to use the restroom.”
“Don’t be too long,” he calls out. “I’m up next.”
“Can’t wait,” I say with a forced smile as I bee-line it to the bathroom.
The room is suddenly feeling hot. Too hot.
Too hot, too crowded, and too small. Something about him makes my skin crawl.
Something about all of this is suddenly overwhelming.
I jet towards the back of the room, taking the corner hard when I slam into someone, nearly knocking me on my ass.
A strong hand connected to a hard arm reaches out and grabs me, steadying me before I fall to the floor. I gasp and press my hands to the man’s chest, which is bare. Then my eyes trail up to meet his.
Dominic.