First and Only Page 6

  “You be safe out there,” I say, waving.

  He flashes me one more swoon-worthy smile and walks out of the café. In this moment, all I can think about is whether I’m going to see him again.

  ***

  My front door opens, bringing me back to the real world. I hate when that happens. I tend to get lost in my words, where nothing else matters.

  “Adam!” I yell. It has to be him. No one else would welcome themselves into my apartment like him. It’s not like a robber would come in here looking for expensive jewelry or money. Hell, if that was around, I would be looking for it with him.

  “There you are. I was wondering where you went.” Adam places a soft kiss on my cheek, embracing me with a hug.

  “I had a meeting with my publishing company.”

  “Everything good? Did she like your new masterpiece?”

  “She loved it. A lot.” I stare at the dimples on his face. He’s so adorable.

  “Because you’re amazing.” He hands me a fresh cup of coffee, and I see by the bag that he made his way to the local bakery down the street. Sweet Molly’s is this amazing little neighborhood spot, and my sweet tooth loves everything they make.

  Adam fidgets with his hands, not saying a word. Is something wrong? I don’t dare to ask him, and I don’t know why.

  For ten minutes, we sit quietly, neither one of us saying a word. Karen comes out of the bathroom and sits in the chair next to the couch. “Hey, Adam, how long are you in town for?”

  I sip the coffee, realizing that I have to enjoy this moment while I can. He’s going to have to go home soon, and I’ll be left back in my same, single routine again.

  “A couple more days.”

  “That’s it?” Karen blurts out.

  Adam looks at the floor. “Unfortunately, yes.”

  Suddenly, a wave of sadness crashes over me. What are Adam and I doing? I think. He doesn’t live in Chicago. He still lives back in South Carolina. Is this just a fling? Is it something more? Maybe it’s something I should figure out before I get too involved with him. But I can’t lose him again. At least I don’t want to.

  The silence begins again. I lock eyes with Karen, and she raises her eyebrows. “Well, I have to meet my cousin for a day filled with shopping.” She jumps up and puts her shoes on. I know she can feel the awkwardness in the room.

  “Lunch later?” I ask.

  “You know it.” She winks, slamming the door shut behind her.

  “What are we doing, Adam?” I blurt out. Did I really just say that?

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you have to go back home, and I’m still going to be here in Chicago.”

  “Well, we haven’t really talked about that, Mandi. Life back home is really complicated for me right now.”

  That’s it? That’s all I get from him? He should explain himself, not say it’s just complicated at home. “We can’t just pretend you aren’t going back home.” I follow him into the bedroom and find him sitting on the edge of the bed, his face toward the floor.

  “Let’s not worry about that right now. I just want to be happy with you.”

  I ignore his request for the time being. “When do you plan on leaving?”

  “Three days. I have a big fight back home.” He runs his hands through his hair, his eyes never leaving the floor. “My manager set me up with a boxing match here in Chicago tomorrow. That’s the only reason he’s not chewing my head off to go back and train.”

  He’s right. I can’t think of the future right now. I don’t want to. What I do want is to be happy with Adam now. “I get to see you fight? I haven’t seen you box ever!” A lot has happened to him in ten long years.

  “You used to be my biggest supporter.”

  I was always in the bleachers cheering him on. “I never missed any of your wrestling matches.” I sit down next to him. His arm tugs me close to him. “Boxing is so different, though. I don’t know anything about it, but I’d be thrilled to go with you.”

  “You were my good luck charm back then.”

  “I was?” I wrap my arms around his waist. He’s so warm and cozy.

  “I remember there was this one match, the guy had me pinned to the ground in a choke hold. I was so close to tapping out, until I saw your face. You ran into the gymnasium at just that moment.”

  “Oh yeah—I was running late that day. Clarissa dragged me shopping or something,” I recall.

  “I was so close to losing until you walked into the room. I don’t know what happened. Something came over me, and I flipped the guy over my head. I jumped on his back and put him into a cross-face cradle pin.”

  “The crowd went crazy.” I remember that day like it was yesterday. Clarissa never showed up to root for her guy, but it’s all I wanted to do.

  He eliminates the distance between us, locking his lips to mine. I never want to leave this moment.

  CHAPTER 7

  WE PULL UP TO UIC PAVILLION. There’s a line of people stretching down the street, waiting to get inside. I wasn’t expecting this many people—there has to be a few thousand already. I have to remember, he’s in the WBA, World Boxing Association, now. This isn’t a high school wrestling match where only family and friends showed up to cheer on their favorite man.

  Adam’s a big hit here. Fans are holding up signs that say, Adam the Great. I’m impressed with him.

  “I didn’t know you were this famous.” I smile at him and wink.

  “I told you, I’m undefeated. You didn’t believe me? I’m in the big leagues now, Mandi.”

  We pull out back of the arena, and he parks his car then gathers his stuff together and pulls out a gym bag from the backseat. I’m about to open my door when he beats me to it.

  Hand in hand, we walk into the back doors of Ora Arena. My stomach is jittery. I’m overly excited to see him fight tonight. It’s been years since I saw him win his last match.

  “Who are you fighting against tonight?” I ask as we walk down a bunch of hallways.

  “Vinny Pazelli. He’s currently undefeated, too.”

  “Not for long.” My comment sends a roar of laughter from Adam’s mouth. I love that sight. His dimples put a grin on my face.

  “I’m 9-0 with six knockouts.”

  “And what’s his stat?”

  “7-0 with three knockouts.” Adam doesn’t look worried. He’s always been confident about himself and calm under pressure. I have faith in him, even though I haven’t seen his new set of professional skills.

  Three men pop from the corner, scaring me. They all jump with enthusiasm, patting Adam on the back.

  “KO is in the building,” one short man says. He tilts his hat backwards.

  “The Great is unstoppable,” a taller man says through a neverending smile.

  Adam punches them playfully in the gut. “This is Mandi. Mandi, this is Jimmy. He’s my cutman.” He points to the short one.

  “Cutman?” I ask, confused.

  “He’s responsible for treating my injuries and preventing more.”

  Jimmy comes up to me and grabs my hand, kissing it. “Nice to meet you, Mandi.”

  “This is Ken, but everyone calls him Prince. He’s my assistant trainer.” He points to the taller man.

  Prince waves and smiles. “How’d you two meet?” His accent is recognizable. He’s definitely from Boston.

  “We went to high school together. We used to be best friends.”

  The third man is older. He’s not as hyper as the other two. His phone is attached to his ear, and he’s pointing at the wall. Someone must be in trouble.

  Adam sees me staring at the older man. “That’s my trainer, Eddie Floyd. He’s one of the best trainers in the world.”

  Eddie ends his conversation and makes his way over to us. “Sorry about that. Adam, who’s the lovely lady?”

  “Mandi. We used to go to high school together.”

  Eddie puts out his hand to shake mine. “Nice to meet you, darling.”

 
; I shake his hand. “Nice to meet you, too.”

  We start walking down the hallway. Eddie is right in Adam’s face, giving him all the details on Vinny Pazelli. “Pazelli has a crazy left jab, right hook, left uppercut combination. You gotta watch out for that. He only swings his left jab once he’s ready to make that combo. You see that and then you know what’s coming. Pull the slip, and then from there it’s cake. You got it, Adam?”

  “Left, right, left. Got it, Eddie. You told me during training already.”

  Adam never lets go of my hand. He makes me feel special, wanted. I never want to leave his side. It’s beautiful to see him in his element. This is his career. This is his life, and he’s letting me see it all firsthand.

  Prince pushes the door open to the locker room. On the door is Adam’s full name. I smile. I can’t believe I’m here right now. Am I dreaming?

  ***

  Adam has his headphones in, the music blaring. It’s his routine before every match, he told me. He blocks out the people and the world around him. It’s only him. His head is down, bobbing to the sound of the music. With closed eyes, he rolls his neck around. I lick my lips as I examine his body. No shirt on. Only his boxing boots and shorts with the name “The Great” on it. His chest and stomach are clear of hair. I want to run my hand up and down his abs.

  Four men in suits walk in. Eddie and the rest of the team greet them with a handshake. Adam doesn’t move. He stays in his element.

  “Is Adam Wilson ready to fight?” a suited man asks.

  “Yes he is.” Eddie ushers them toward where Prince is setting up everything to put on Adam’s wraps and gloves.

  They all huddle around Adam. Their laughing and joy fades, replaced with nervousness. Time for the work to begin.

  Prince reaches for the hand wraps, securing the loop side onto Adam’s thumb, on the back of his hand. As he pulls the wrap away from the thumb, Adam makes a fist and then releases. Prince wraps it around his wrist three times, and then three times around the hand. Then, back of the thumb, he goes through each of Adam’s fingers, making an X on the back of his hand, starting between the pinky and the ring finger first. Once around the thumb, Adam flips his hand over, and then he goes once around the thumb again—locking everything in place. Ending it, Prince goes three times around the knuckles.

  After the gloves are on securely, the tall man takes a permanent marker and draws a bunch of random doodles on the tape that’s holding his gloves tightly in place. “All good.”

  Once they walk out the door, I look over at Prince. “What was that all about?”

  “They have to make sure we aren’t pulling any fishy business underneath the gloves. It’s all safety protocol bullshit.”

  Eddies indicates for Prince and Jimmy to follow him out of the room, as though they’re trying to give Adam and me some privacy before his big match.

  The door slams behind them. It’s quiet, too quiet.

  I walk slowly to Adam, stand in front of him, and place both of his gloves on my ass. That gets his attention. He stares up into my eyes, looking completely in his element.

  I gently pull down his headphones. His smile brightens. “I think we have time for a quickie,” he says.

  I laugh. That’s what he would be thinking before a big match. “Let’s make a deal.”

  He raises one eyebrow, his full attention on me. “I’m listening.”

  “If you win, I’ll let you have your way with me.”

  Shock, happiness, pleasure all plaster on his face. His tongue grazes his bottom lip, pulling it in to greet his teeth. “And if I don’t?”

  I look away, trying to figure out an answer to that. I didn’t think that far ahead. “You’ll still get lucky.”

  “I’m a lucky guy.” He winks at me.

  I stare into his dim hazel eyes. I place my hands on each side of his face. Our lips lock, sending butterflies swarming through my stomach. How can one man make me feel this way? I’ll never understand.

  “Good luck, baby.”

  “You’re my good luck charm.”

  Our noses stick together, our eyes in clear view of the other’s.

  As I pull away, I head to my front-row seat for the Wilson versus Pazelli fight.

  ***

  “Kings Never Die” by Eminem and Gwen Stefani blare from the speakers. The crowd goes wild. The lights dim. A spotlight is shining on Adam “The Great” Wilson entering from the tunnel. His hood is over his face. He looks calm and ready for this fight. Fans are screaming “The Great is here!” Some are booing, but most of them are going crazy for Adam. I didn’t realize he was this big of a deal.

  Adam walks by me, his eyes catching mine. There’s something different in his eyes. He’s in his zone; I can see it all over his face. The boxing ring is his stage, and he’s ready to put on a show.

  Gracefully, Adam enters the ring. He bounces around, shadow boxing. The crowd is going wild. Women look like they want to throw themselves at him. He’s a big hit.

  The lights dim again. A rap song I’ve never heard before blares through the stadium. It’s Pazelli.

  There’s a lot of booing. Some are screaming, “The Hitman.”

  Once Pazelli is in the ring, he and Adam stand nose to nose, both of their gazes filled with rage and want. The referee moves in between them. The crowd is going crazy, but I can’t understand what is being said.

  The bell rings and the cheering stops. I’ve only watched boxing on TV at Mickey’s Bar, never seen it up close and personal like this. Mickey taught me a lot about boxing, and I’m so glad he did. At least I can watch and know what’s going on.

  Adam hangs back, waiting for Pazelli to throw the first punch.

  Take your time, Adam, I think. Tire him out.

  Pazelli finally comes after Adam with full force. He ducks and gives him a jab in the abdomen. Ouch! That must’ve hurt.

  There’s a lot of jabbing and right hooks being thrown. Before I know it, the first round is over.

  I look at Adam. I know that look on his face. He’s going for it.

  The bell dings and both fighters are toe to toe as they throw punches. Pazelli is getting Adam good. It makes my whole body cringe.

  Pazelli throws a left jab. Adam ducks, knowing exactly what’s coming next.

  “The Hitman” then throws a right hook followed by a left uppercut. Both miss.

  Adam throws his whole body into his right hook, sending Pazelli down for the count.

  “1, 2, 3, 4, 5,” the referee counts. Stay down! Pazelli is out cold. “6, 7, 8, 9, 10.” The bell dings, sending a roar of cheers through the stadium.

  He did it. I knew he could do it.

  The referee raises Adam’s left hand in the air. He looks directly at me, winking.

  He won!

  CHAPTER 8

  I OPEN THE DOOR to my apartment. Adam slams it behind him and pulls me in close. “I told you that you’re my good-luck charm.”

  I smile, kissing him softly on his lips. “You looked so sexy out there.”

  “Oh, really?”

  He looks at me, licking his lips gracefully, then picks me up over his shoulder and carries me into the bedroom.

  Softly, he lays me down onto the bed. I watch as he takes his shirt and jeans off.

  He's the definition of sex. That word was created for him. His posture, the way he carries himself, everything he does and even the way he moves—it all screams sex.

  He slides my pants and panties off, throwing them carelessly onto the floor. His hair is a tousled mess, making sensations bud there.

  Plump lips smash into mine. I moan, sending it echoing into his mouth.

  I glide my fingers up and down his back—scratching, teasing, and moving wildly over his muscles.

  Feelings build—ones I've never imagined possible. How can one man make me feel all these different sensations just by his touch, just by gliding his fingertips against my skin?

  Our clothes are scattered around my bedroom. It's scorching hot in here
as our naked bodies collide.

  He goes down on me for a solid twenty minutes, making me shake uncontrollably. I enjoy the thrill of the moment. I’ve never had a man between my legs for this long before. It’s like he never wants to stop pleasuring me. Sucking, slurping—every noise he makes turns me on more.

  Adam rips open a condom, sliding it quickly and securely around his shaft. He eases into me while filling my neck with kisses. As he pumps into me, we move in unison, wanting nothing more than to pleasure each other.

  He flips me over so I’m now on top of him. The sight I have of him turns me on even more. His head is back, teeth gripping onto his bottom lip. He’s as hard as a rock.

  I rock back and forth, riding him long and fast.

  He’s moaning.

  I’m moaning.

  Pleasure shoots through my body. My orgasm hits me like a ton of bricks. My whole body tenses up, squeezing around him. Shockwaves race through every inch on my body—from my head to my toes.

  I collapse on top of him. He switches positions to be the one on top and in control. I’m filled with want and overcome with need.

  He pumps into me hard and rapidly, moaning with ecstasy until he reaches his climax.

  I’ve never been pleasured like this before. No other man has made my body break out into shockwaves of contractions. I can get used to this.

  ***

  I wake up to Adam snoring. I’m spooning him, my arm draped across his stomach. I silently get out of bed and make coffee. I need to get some writing done today. I’m on a strict deadline, and so far, my novel has been coming together perfectly.

  I have great plans for Lauren and Mark. I hear their voices striking up conversations in my head. Their story needs to get out of me and onto paper before I explode.

  I sit down at my laptop and begin to graze my fingers across the keyboard.

  ***

  Flea markets are not for me. I repeat: flea markets are not for this lady. They start too early. As it is, you have to get up at the crack of dawn to get there to set up in a tiny building that will soon be jam-packed with tons of people. Carrie drags me to these things every week, though. She sells her famous blueberry, strawberry, and banana cream pies here—promoting her café in the process.