Her personality is an added bonus, a delightful fucking bonus that I truly adore. And as time goes by, I know without a doubt that she is a woman that I could see myself falling in love with and building a life beside.
“There’s someone, Ford.”
“Think I’ve fucked every woman in town that wasn’t my cousin, Louis. Unless someone new moves to town, I’m out of goddamn luck.”
I almost ask him about Sterling LaRue, but decide against it. I’ve seen the shadowed look that crosses his face every time she’s mentioned. If he wanted to get in touch with her, he knows that either me or Beaumont could make that happen.
He’s never asked.
I know that there’s something unfinished when it comes to them. It makes me fucking sad for him, because other than being single, he’s got a great fucking life and I know that he wants more.
“It’ll happen, brother,” I murmur.
He grunts then curses. “Fuck, I just watched my horse fucking sprint off. Must be a storm comin’ that I didn’t catch on my radar. Gotta fuckin’ go.” He ends the call and I toss my phone on the seat next to me as I continue driving toward home.
I can’t stop thinking about Tulip and Joey. About the way she looked as she stared at the empty spot where her couch used to sit. How she told me that he’d never claimed her as his woman. I want to give her the whole fucking world on a silver platter, if she’ll let me, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
Once I get home, I go to my gym and start to work out. It dawns on me that last night I slept next to Tulip and not once did I even think about Antoni or what happened to him. It also hits me that I actually fucking slept. I haven’t done that in months.
I push my body, though I don’t know why, I’m not sure that I want to fight again any time soon—maybe never.
The television is on in the background and something causes me to pause. It’s a picture of Antoni on the screen. Reaching for the remote, I turn up the volume to hear what the newscaster is barking about.
“Louis Kingston has been cleared of all wrongdoings for the death of boxer Antoni Byers. It is said that it was purely a stroke of bad luck. Also, Kingston’s publicist has issued a statement saying that he will get back in the ring to defend his title shortly. Now, that will be a fight that nobody will want to miss.”
Reaching for my phone, I immediately find my publicist’s name.
“Kingston, I was just about to—”
“What the fuck were you thinking? I’m not mentally ready for the ring again, Gary, not even fucking close,” I snap, interrupting him.
“Well—” He begins, but I don’t let him finish, again.
“No, fucking no goddamn way, man. I killed someone. I fucking killed him. I can’t do it again.”
There’s a moment of pause, then Gary clears his throat. “I didn’t want to go down this road, Louis, but you’re not giving me a choice.”
“What?” I bark.
“You have a contract to uphold. You have to do these fights coming up. You have to defend your title. What happened to Antoni, that’s part of the job. It’s why you boys get paid millions.”
Pinching my eyes closed, I take a deep breath, trying not to scream at the top of my lungs, throw my phone, or break everything in this room. I keep my anger controlled, but just barely.
“You’re asking too much of me,” I grind out.
Gary clucks his tongue. “Phone conference with your agent and coordinator to schedule these fights. It’s non-negotiable, Louis.”
“Fuck you,” I seethe.
“You may think that I’m being an asshole, but you’re going to thank me, Kingston. If you don’t get back to work now, you never will.”
The line goes dead and I grip my phone in my palm so tightly that I hear it creak in my grasp. Releasing it, I let it fall to the floor as I close my eyes and attempt to calm my ass down.
I don’t want to fight. I don’t want to go back in that ring. Call me a pussy, call me a fucking coward, I don’t give a fuck. If that will keep me out, then that works just fine for me.
TULIP
I try to focus on work, but I fail. I end up messing up change and bagging the wrong items together. Basically, the entire first part of my day, I’m a complete mess. I sigh in relief when it’s time for my break.
Rushing off into the breakroom, I let out a groan when I’m finally alone to breathe, to think. Though, I don’t know why I need to think any more than I already have been. I can’t get Louis out of my head. The way he makes me feel inside and out. He owns me—completely and totally.
“It was a great show last night, Tulip,” Mark announces as he walks into the room.
My entire body freezes. Lifting my eyes, I meet his gaze. He licks his lips as his eyes travel down to my chest then back up to my face.
“Please don’t,” I whisper.
“What? Don’t get shy on me now, Tulip. I saw everything last night and as always, gorgeous. You’ll be there tonight too, right?”
The way he is watching me, leaning forward and staring in anticipation, it makes me feel uneasy, really, really uneasy. His eyes widen as he waits for my answer. I feel stuck, rooted to my spot with nowhere to go and this man is my boss, on top of all of that.
Forcing a smile, I inhale and exhale quickly. “I’m not sure if I’ll be there tonight,” I say.
The odd thing is that I don’t remember ever seeing Mark at Headlights. Not that I really pay attention to the faces in the crowd, but I feel like I would notice him, my boss. His would be a face that actually stuck out to me, especially when I’m forced to walk around and work the room.
Standing, I wipe my hands on the thighs of my jeans and give him a small wave before I hurry out of the room. Looking back over my shoulder, I’m glad when he doesn’t follow me. Reaching for my phone, I debate on calling Louis, but decide against it. He’s busy and I’m probably just overreacting.
So, instead, I go back to work and hope that Mark leaves me alone for the rest of the day. Thankfully, the afternoon is much busier than the morning and we’re both too busy for him to leer at me anymore.
“Umm, Tulip?” my current customer whisper-shouts. Glancing up from scanning her items, I smile as I tilt my head to the side. “There’s a very tall, muscular, black man staring at you.”
She looks a little worried, maybe even a little horrified, and I have to remind myself that not everyone has the same kind, loving, accepting heart.
Smiling, my eyes flick over to where I see Louis standing near the carts. His eyes are definitely focused on me and I watch as he winks before tugging on a buggy handle and pulling it away from the others.
“Him?” I ask her.
“Yes,” she hisses.
Smiling, I bite my bottom lip. “He’s my boyfriend,” I announce. I don’t really know what we are, but I say it so that this lady will shut the fuck up about it.
She blinks, her eyes widening and then she surprises me. I watch as she reaches forward, her hand wrapping around my own and she squeezes. “Well, he is handsome as can be. Good for you, Tulip, girl. You know years ago, I never thought that this world would change and here we are.”