CHAPTER 20
Jackie moved the food around her plate again. Antonio had counted at least seven rotations of her fork around the perimeter of the earthenware. Granted, the lima bean salad wasn’t remotely appetizing, but this was clearly a stalling tactic on her part.
Oh, she’s still pissed. Antonio studied Jackie. Okay, maybe she wasn’t pissed anymore, just disappointed in him. That felt a hell of a lot worse.
“Not a fan of lima beans, huh?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood.
Jackie said nothing. She simply pushed her plate away.
“Yeah,” Antonio said as he picked up a forkful of beet salad. “This ain’t got nothing on that buffet in Vegas. For the life of me, I can’t remember the name.”
That was a lie. He remembered the name. There wasn’t much about that weekend he didn’t remember. He just wanted to test the waters to see if Jackie did.
Jackie stopped moving her fork and looked up. She picked up her phone and typed. “The Wynn.”
Antonio snapped his fingers. “That’s right. The Wynn. I swear, I thought I was going to have to wheelbarrow your little self out of there. You ate your weight in lobster.”
Jackie frowned as she typed a response on her app. “I know what you’re trying to do, and it won’t work, Antonio. I need a minute to process. Let me eat whatever this is in peace.”
Antonio raised his hands. “My bad. Maybe I shouldn’t talk about butter-dipped, juicy, succulent lobster. And ice-cold, dirty martinis and—”
A lima bean went flying at Antonio’s head, and he ducked just in time. He knew he deserved it. “Girl, I’m tired of you throwing beans at me. Is that a fetish or something?”
Jackie tucked her lips in, trying her best not to laugh, but it was useless.
Without a voice, her laugh was breathy and came out ragged, like a strangled cough.
It reminded Antonio of that old cartoon character, Muttley.
Still, she managed to laugh and wheeze so loud, the people around them stared. She covered her mouth, embarrassed.
Antonio leaned over, gently prying her hand from her face. “If I can’t hear your voice, I’ll settle for the next best thing, Lucky. I’ve missed making you laugh.”
Jackie’s laughter died out as her eyes met his. He was still holding her hand, his fingers gently grazing her knuckles. She didn’t seem to object to his touch. And he wanted to keep touching her for as long as possible.
The moment was short-lived. Jackie snatched her hand away to type furiously. “You cannot charm your way back into my good graces.”
“Listen, I’ll do whatever I have to, Jackie. Can we just start over?”
Jackie looked shocked. Had he said something that terrible? She tapped his hand and lifted her chin up and slightly to the left, signaling for him to turn around. When he did, he saw Mo Williams sitting at a nearby table. He was alone, sipping tea.
Jackie wrote something on a napkin and slid it toward Antonio. Where the heck had she gotten a pen from?
Now is our chance.
Antonio looked at the note, then back at Jackie. “Now? If he’s enjoying a moment of serenity, I’d hate to interrupt him. If you think you throwing beans is something, Mo is liable to throw the whole table.”
Jackie rolled her eyes and stood up. Before he knew it, she was making a beeline to Mo’s table. Antonio followed this tiny terror of a woman, silently praying that Mo wouldn’t set it off.
Jackie stood quietly next to the table. Mo continued to sip his tea and didn’t look up before speaking. “Hey, no autographs right now, aight?”
Jackie cleared her throat loudly, forcing Mo to look up.
He raised a brow and leaned back. “Well, well, if it isn’t Jackie Miles.
You mighty tiny without the stilettos.” He clocked Antonio standing near her.
“And you brought some muscle this time. Steele, what you doing with this one? Them small-ass shorts are a choice.”
Antonio glanced down at his shorts and laughed. “What’s up, Mo? Actually, Jackie and I work together now.”
Mo sucked his teeth as he moved a toothpick around between them. “I heard—AMW and Elite joining forces to be vultures. I take it you ain’t here to find your nirvana.”
Jackie typed on her phone. The app blared, volume all the way up. “I came here to sign you, Mo. You need me.”
Mo chuckled. “What’s this? You talking through a robot now, Miss Mile-a-Minute? Is this a joke?” He looked around the restaurant. “Who put you up to this?”
Jackie pointed to her throat, frustrated. Antonio stepped up next to her. “Jackie’s voice is out of commission right now, so she’s improvising. But she’s right, Mo. You do need her.”
Mo folded his arms over his broad chest. “So, you all came here to find me? Interrupting my peace and shit to talk money? Who even told you I was here?”
“It doesn’t matter, man.” While Jackie let the app speak for her, she held fierce eye contact with Mo. “We heard about Clyde’s grimy self. That was foul.”
At the mention of Clyde, Mo tensed up. He threw his napkin down and gripped the edge of the table. Antonio was sure Mo could break that table in half with his bare hands, if he wanted to.
“Mo, brother, I respect your peace, but we wouldn’t have taken a chance in coming here if we didn’t believe we could do what Clyde didn’t. Get you bigger purses than you ever had. AMW-Elite isn’t anything like Clyde Donovan. Jackie damn sure isn’t like Clyde. No one would work harder for you.”
Jackie gave Antonio a slight smile. God, he hoped she knew he meant what he said. No one worked harder than Jacqueline Miles.
Jackie took a seat in front of Mo, who averted his eyes. She typed thoughtfully. “We’d never cheat you. I’d never cheat you. I treat my clients like family, Mo.”
“Shit, that’s what they all say! Clyde said that same shit, and I’m millions broker than I was before I met the guy!” Mo paused, taking a deep breath. “See, you getting me outta my enlightened state. Y’all gotta bounce. Real talk!”
“Mo.” Antonio rubbed a hand down his face.
“C’mon. Hear Jackie out. You’re on this comeback run.
You’re gonna need representation. After all the stuff you’ve been through, someone is going to have to have your back.
The Vegas gaming commission is still on the fence about reinstating your license to fight, right? ”
Mo cracked his knuckles, reminding Antonio who he was dealing with. “I ain’t getting another agent. I don’t trust you all with your slick talk and promises. I can handle my shit myself. I don’t need y’all.”
Jackie huffed. If there was one thing Jackie hated, Antonio realized, it was stubbornness. Because she was so damn stubborn herself.
Mo pointed at her. “This one thinks she’s slick.
Coming here was probably your idea, wasn’t it?
Like I told you before, the world of boxing ain’t for you.
Little lady, you can’t handle me. So, go on with your tennis and basketball players and shit.
Good thing you lost your voice. I don’t wanna hear shit else you got to say. Let me get back to my Zen and shit.”
Jackie was obviously seething as she typed a response, jaw clenched, brow furrowed. Antonio guessed all the stuff they’d learned in the breathwork class just went out the window.
Jackie leaned closer to Mo, getting directly in his face.
Taken aback, Mo flinched a little, then ran his tongue across the bottom of his platinum grill.
Jackie held up her phone so that it was inches away from him when the app began to speak.
“I’m nobody’s little lady. I’m a killer, so you don’t want to push me.
Maybe if you hired me back then, instead of thinking I was weak because I was a woman, you wouldn’t be in this predicament.
A broken, washed-up boxer, hiding out in an overpriced, fake hippy retreat with musty instructors and no real meat, all because you’re too much of a punk to face reality.
You got got, Mo. Get over it. When you’re ready to man up and deal with that, then call me. I may answer.”
Before Mo could respond, Jackie stood up and stormed out of the restaurant. Shit. This could have been their one chance to get Mo on their side, and Jackie’s temper may have blown it. But she had every right to snap on Mo for his blatant sexism.
Antonio turned his attention back to Mo, who looked dumbfounded. “So, it’s like that Mo? Seriously, you won’t even give her a shot?”
“Yeah, bruh, it’s like that.”
Sensing Mo needed to cool down, Antonio turned to follow Jackie. Mo called out after him.
“Why you two down here together? I know you, Steele. You coulda tried to sweet-talk me all by your lonesome. You just as ruthless at Jackie when it comes to getting clients.”
“Honestly?” Antonio shrugged. “I wouldn’t take you on as a client. Jackie’s a better match for you.”
Mo scoffed. “Why? You been an athlete. You know the game. That girl don’t know a damn thing about boxing.”
Antonio thought about Jackie, how she devoted herself to her clients.
How she devoted herself to his son. How she knew the world of sports management, inside and out.
“That’s what Clyde wanted you to believe.
Actually, Jackie knows more about boxing than I ever did.
Plus, my roster is full of egos bigger than yours. I don’t need another one.”
Mo looked at Antonio as if he’d said his left hook was weak, but Antonio pressed on.
“Jackie, on the other hand, sees the potential in you. Because she’s been where you are.
People take one look at her and think she’s not a threat.
And guess what? Because they underestimate her, she can fly under the radar, going extra hard for her clients and delivering results nobody expected.
She’ll get you stuff you couldn’t even imagine.
What do they call that in boxing? A giant slayer, right?
And she’s willing to risk her reputation for you.
I’ve never seen her do that before. That’s saying a hell of a lot. ”
“A giant slayer, huh? You done pleading your case?”
“Yeah, I’m done.”
“Good. Next time you think about interrupting my alone time, don’t.” Mo delivered the warning with an icy glare before returning to his tea.
Antonio nodded and backed away. He had to find Jackie and make sure she was alright.