I tip my head back. “It would depend on what it was, I guess. But for the most part, I don't see why not. What's up?”
He winds the string around his finger and it's funny because that's exactly how I'm feeling at the moment. Like I'm about to be wrapped right around his finger.
“I don't want you to—” He rubs his face. “Look, I really need you to promise me you won't ever show up at the fight club or the gym...ever. It's not safe for you at either of those places. Even if you go with Tyrone. There's no guarantee that something won't happen and he could prevent it.”
I don't know how to feel about his request. On one hand, I'm flattered that he's looking out for my safety. On the other, something is a little off. “I guess I can get behind not going to the fight club....but why not the gym? What's so dangerous there?”
His eyes dart to the floor and he shuffles his feet again. “I don't need the distraction when I'm training,” he says gruffly.
I don't know whether to be insulted or flattered again.
He lifts his hood. “I can't keep my eyes off of you when you're in the room. I'm liable to get knocked out or something.”
“So I'll go to a different room.”
He grabs my jacket and tugs me to him. “I'll still feel your presence. I feel you everywhere, Alyssa.”
Butterflies attack poor Momma's breakfast with a vengeance when he utters those words.
I stare at him wide-eyed as he skims the left side of my cheek with his finger. “Promise me, please. It's a hard limit for me. I can't have you at either of those places.”
“Okay, fine. But you should know that I'm holding this as leverage. Just in case, I want to drag you to a chick flick or something in the future.”
He pulls me even closer to him. “I'll do anything you want. Anything. As long as you promise me this.”
He's being so serious, it's almost scary. “I promise.”
The next words out of his mouth, confuse me. “If you could do anything for your birthday, besides go to my fight, what would it be?”
I have to think about this for a moment because, in all honesty, I have no idea. Between witnessing my father dying and spending the entire weekend in the interrogation room. The night Ford and I had when I was 17. Heck, even the night of the sex tape fell on my birthday.
My birthday has always been bad. I'm convinced it's officially jinxed.
I close my eyes and feel the crisp, cool October air around me.
And for a second, I pretend that I'm someone else. Someone different. Someone, “Normal,” I whisper. “I want to be normal and do something a normal 24-year-old would do for her birthday.”
“Like what? Go out to a club or something?”
I open my eyes. “Yes! That's exactly what I want. I've never been out to a club because I was 21 when the sex tape happened and feared being recognized.” My face falls. “I still fear being recognized. I can't go to a club, Jackson.”
He tilts my chin up. “I think you're forgetting something, Damsel.”
Normally I hate when he calls me that, but he says it so softly and sweetly, I fight back a shiver. “What's that?”
The corners of his mouth tilt up. “Your birthday falls on Halloween. You can be anyone you want to be.” He brushes my lower lip with his thumb. “We can be anyone we want to be.”
I hug him. I hug him so tight because he's right. And I haven't seen the upside to my birthday in such a long, long time. This is a gift in and of itself.
“But what about your fight tomorrow?” I ask, disappointment floating in the air.
He thinks about this for a moment before saying, “Fuck, I'm the last one on because I'm the main event. I won't be done until a little after 10.”
For some reason, I refuse to let this get in our way. “Most clubs don't really pick up until after that.”
“True. I'll take a quick shower and meet you at the apartment after...if that's okay? I would pick you up but that would cut more time out.”
“Don't be silly. It would make sense for me to meet you at your place. In fact, there's a really good club not too far away from here that has some kind of masquerade theme that night. I saw the fliers for it in your apartment complex.”
He smiles and pulls me even closer, crushing me to him. “It's a date,” he whispers.
Then he touches my ass.
For a moment I'm convinced this whole thing is a dream...but no, he's really sliding his hand into the back pocket of my jeans.
Then he pulls out my phone. “What are you doing?”
“Rectifying a situation,” he responds with a wink, before handing it back to me.
I want to tell him to put it back the exact way he got it, but his voice stops me. “I just texted myself from your phone so I have your number. I'll see you tomorrow, but I want you to text me when you make it home safe. And if you need anything between then and tomorrow night, you can always call me.”
“I need a back rub and a pedicure. How are you with those?”
He laughs and releases me. “Trust me I'd have no problem giving you a good rub down, but you definitely wouldn't want me polishing your little toes.”
“How do you know I have little toes? I could have full on Flintstone feet for all you know.”
He wiggles his eyebrows. “I have my ways.”
“I'll see you tomorrow night, Jackson.”
“See you tomorrow night, Alyssa.”
I turn around and face my car. “By the way,” he whispers in my ear before he backs away. “I really like the fact that you're still wearing my t-shirt. Looks good on you.”
I blush the whole ride home.
Chapter Fifteen
Jackson
I jog up the stairs to my apartment, happier than I've been in awhile.
She agreed.
She agreed to stay away from the club and she didn't question me about it.
I still have a shot at not royally fucking this up.
I open the door and head for the living room where everyone else is still congregating.
I jerk back when I hear what sounds like Alyssa's voice coming through the surround sound speakers.
My smile plummets when I walk in the room and realize that Alyssa's sex tape is being broadcast on the big screen television while Lou-Lou's standing there with a smirk on her face, holding the remote control.
“Jackson, so glad you came back. We were just getting to the good part.”
I fucking lunge at her.
Tyrone and Ricardo try pulling me back, but I'm out for her blood. I have to dig deep and talk myself down from the ledge so I don't actually attack her.
“I swear, man, we had no idea she was gonna play that shit. We didn't see much. I didn't even realize what the hell it was at first,” Tyrone yells, holding me back.
“Yeah. What the fuck is your deal, Lou-Lou?” Ricardo barks.
Alyssa's voice zaps me. “What do you want?”
Then I hear a guy's voice. “Strip for me. Show me those nice titties of yours.”
Tyrone and Ricardo lose their grip on me and I lunge forward and get in her face. “Shut it the fuck off now, or so help me God. I will tear your head right off your skank infested body,” I shout so loud the windows shake.