Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64366 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64366 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
“Mr. Atwood, are we interrupting an important call?” Dr. Washburn smiled as he pulled his class materials out of his briefcase. “Do you need to reassemble your phone and step out into the hall to talk? We could put the class on hold for you.”
Once I’d gotten my breathing under control, I laughed and relaxed back into my desk. “It’s okay, Doc. No problem. The guy I was talking to… I’ll be spending the weekend with him in Vegas. Again.”
“Ahhh… Vegas.” Dr. Washburn raised his eyebrows, clearly realizing for the first time that my former boss and I were an item.
In fact, I’d basically just announced to the whole class that I was dating a guy, on purpose and for no other reason than because it felt good, and because I was proud. I wished I could announce exactly who my boyfriend was— pass around a picture of that fine motherfucker and let everyone in class eat their hearts out. How amazing would it feel to have him walk into class right now and lay one on me right in front of everyone?
Something significant had happened since Kage had shown up and spent time with me around my family and friends. There had been a major shift inside me. It hadn’t been a smooth shift, but once it happened, everything just clicked into place. I wasn’t afraid to let the people in my life know about us anymore. The career thing was still a very real concern, but Kage would have to be the one to make the decisions about that. I wasn’t his publicist anymore; I was his boyfriend. I would stand by whatever decision he made, and I wouldn’t try to pressure him in either direction.
But now that I was open to other people knowing I was sleeping with a guy, I’d started to feel really guilty about the way I’d treated Kage. With my own fears tainting my perception, I hadn’t been able to imagine what freedom would feel like to him. Specifically, the freedom to show off the person he cared about most. He’d told me he was proud of me, but in my limited view, I’d thought he meant he was hot for me. That he had a mad crush on me like I did on him. Now I realized it was more than that.
I couldn’t imagine him feeling as proud of me as I was of him, because in my eyes he was the catch, and I was the lucky one. But if he felt even a fraction of the pride I felt, he would want everyone to know about it. Maybe it was shallow, but I sort of felt like he was my trophy boyfriend, and being with him made me a stud. The fact that I was so head over heels in love with the guy made it just that much sweeter.
Sure, I’d felt pride with my girlfriends before. Getting hot girls had never been a problem for me, and making other guys jealous fed my ego like crazy. But this thing with Kage? This was a whole ’nother level. I was playing in the big leagues now, and I was pretty sure I deserved Rookie of the Year.
Chapter 7
(JAMIE)
WHEN I got off the plane, Kage was waiting for me in the limo. He had bought new suits for both of us, so by the time we arrived at the hotel where the press conference was to take place, we were a slick looking duo— the fighter and his assistant. At least those were the official parts we were playing. I almost brought my camera to help make me look more believable in my role of not-boyfriend, but in the end I decided it would be a hassle to keep up with a prop. I left it in my luggage, which was delivered to the Alcazar.
The press conference was everything Kage had promised it would be. A multi-tiered platform held three rows of tables, and fighters were seated strategically, several to a table and with plenty of room between them. It hadn’t occurred to me before, but a room full of fighters was probably a volatile thing. Emotions were running high, adrenaline was pumping, and there were rivalries to consider— some old, some new. I’d heard it was tough planning a seating chart for a wedding dinner, but I was betting this was even more challenging.
For instance, Cristiano Diaz and Kage were both in attendance. But since Kage had just whipped his ass in front of the whole world, Diaz had a chip on his shoulder. It was clear from the moment his eyes landed on Kage there was going to be trouble. The guy couldn’t stop glaring at him. Meanwhile, Kage had no interest in looking at Diaz. I figured it was because he’d beaten him already, so there was no need to worry about him anymore. I did notice Kage watching some of the other fighters, though. The ones who held his attention were the higher ranking Welterweights he would possibly have to defeat to move forward in the fight for the title. Kage wanted that belt. He didn’t talk about it much, but he didn’t have to. The man was driven to be the best at every single thing he attempted, so there was no way he wasn’t salivating over that belt.