C1 Chapter 01

Gina

I glanced at my watch for the fourth time this evening and wondered if my brother Josh was planning to show up tonight. He had asked me to meet him outside the club at nine o’clock. It was already ten, and it looked like I’d been stood up. I’d tried calling him a few times, but his phone went straight to voicemail. Josh knew I’d be mad at him. This was my only evening off and I hated wasting time.

Josh was twenty-one and he worked at the local garage as a mechanic. We both liked boxing and agreed to come here tonight, hoping that maybe Adler McDougall would be here, too. The man was a very rich sports investor who could help me expand my pole dancing business. I worked a boring day job in marketing with a horrible boss, and my dream was to turn my pole dancing classes and competitions into my main career.

There was someone important in the ring tonight, a popular fighter called, Mr. H. The fight had already started and there were still people outside trying to get tickets. I glanced back and forth, considering going in alone. After all, I had already paid full price for the tickets, and they weren’t cheap. I would deal with Josh later at home.

I unzipped my leather jacket, revealing a bit of cleavage, and walked up to the entrance. A large bouncer stood by the door checking ID’s. It was Benny. I recognised him from one of my pole dancing events. Benny used to cover those kinds of events quite a lot, probably because he could always earn extra cash in only a few hours. Years ago, when my parents were still alive, I took part in many of them throughout the year. It was a good place to network with other dancers and sponsors.

“Hey, Benny, how are you doing? Do you think you could slip me in without queuing?” I asked, aware that a bunch of men were shooting me annoyed glares. Benny glanced at me and deep hazel eyes flickered at the corners.

“Gina Martinez, what a treat. I had no idea you were into boxing,” he said, smiling widely. “By all means, you can go in, but you missed part of the fight already. Apparently, Mr. H is wiping the ring with Connor Fox. It’s pretty brutal.”

“My brother stood me up. I might as well see the ending,” I said, still pissed that Josh hadn’t shown. Benny winked at me and lifted the rope, so I could get inside.

It was one of the private sports clubs with a large boxing ring situated in the centre. Humid air, sweat, and thriving excitement greeted me. The place was packed. People were cheering for the boxers in the ring as I started pushing myself toward the front, hoping to at least see the end of the fight.

Josh had begged me to get the tickets. He was a huge fan of Mr. H, and I needed some time out this evening. My job had been stressful lately and I didn’t want to stay at home. Nina, my younger sister, was sleeping over at her girlfriend’s. Patrick had his basketball training, so he was going to be home late, too. I wasn’t worried about Josh. He most likely picked up some girl and forgot about our little arrangement.

The lights were bright, and the crowd was loud. Some women were screaming, standing up in the front row, and dancing with their naked boobs hanging out.

I finally managed to see two boxers bouncing around the ring. They were both muscular, but I could see that the taller guy must have been the one with the advantage. Josh had bragged about Mr. H for weeks, but this was the first time I was actually seeing him in action. His tangled white-blond hair was plastered to his skull, and his chest had a slight sheen of sweat, displaying perfectly ripped abs.

He flexed his strong body forward and then he threw an unexpected punch at his opponent. The other guy stumbled on his feet. I stopped, admiring the way Mr. H moved. Such power and grace. This was probably stupid, but I thought he was very good looking, waiving his gloves around, challenging the crowd to cheer his name louder. The other boxer looked exhausted. He swung his right arm, trying to throw a fast punch, but missed a few times. Mr. H threw a couple of quick jabs all at once. Benny was right. I had missed a hell of a lot, but the ending was always more exciting.

Moments later, the shorter boxer went down on the mat, and the crowd went wild, shouting loudly.

“Mr. H… Mr. H!”

I was just crossing over toward the other side of the ring, when the referee announced Mr. H as the winner. A jolt of electricity ran through me as I looked at him, standing there all overjoyed and proud. He grinned and shouted something to the topless girls up front, and they started shaking their boobs, screaming. The noise was almost unbearable. Meanwhile, my body was betraying me. I was getting aroused just staring at some sweaty boxer. Hell, I really needed to get laid soon. It’d been too long. Shaking my head, I started to make my way to the benches. I was hoping that Josh might show up eventually.

Some obese guy walked into me and I lost my balance. Somehow, I didn’t manage to fall on my arse and embarrass myself further, holding on to a stranger in a suit.

“Umm, sorry,” I mumbled.

“Don’t worry, love,” the stranger answered and carried on walking toward the exit.

There was another match scheduled, but I had gotten an email earlier on, saying that there was some glitch in the schedule, and the order of the matches had been switched. Apparently, the other boxer had some trouble getting to the arena, so the undercard match would be second. I was glad that, overall, my trip wasn’t a complete waste of time.

A split-second later, I glanced back at the ring and saw Mr. H staring directly at me. He stood by the edge of the ring and his eyes locked with mine. Then he winked at me.

Heat pooled inside my stomach, and I looked away, thinking that he was probably staring at some hottie standing directly behind me. It took me a few seconds to realise there wasn’t anyone else there, just a group of men who were heading toward the exit—no other women.

By the time I looked back at him, Mr. H had disappeared. My heart began pounding away when I thought about his muscular body covered with sweat. I liked what I saw.

Ten minutes later I was sitting down, fanning myself with the programme that someone had left on the chair. My skin felt like it was on fire. Luckily the ring was empty, but my mind locked that intimate stare deep inside my memory. Heat skittered over the nape of my neck.

I needed to pull myself together quickly and forget about Mr. H. I reminded myself of the main reason I was here tonight—I needed to speak to Adler McDougall about my ideas.

The man invested his fortune in many sports ventures around Scotland. It was a hell of a gamble, but I wanted him to take a look at my business plan.

Apart from the money issue, I could barely find time to run my classes. Andrew Davies was an arsehole, and unfortunately, he was also my boss.

I had been working at Digital Box for over six years; it was a digital marketing company. Davies had taken over the management two years ago. Ariela Stavros was the original owner. She had been a great boss and friend. She took me on when I had no experience in marketing and while I was still studying. She gave me a chance and, a year later, I was climbing the ladder.

The bills wouldn’t pay themselves, and my business wasn’t going to take off straight away. This kind of venture took time. Apart from Josh, I had two younger siblings in school to take care of.

Soon the second fight began, but I wasn’t quite focused. I kept glancing around, hoping to spot Adler. People were cheering, but it was obvious that this match wasn’t as exciting as the previous one. I watched the boxers bounce around the ring. Neither men were anywhere as good looking as Mr. H. I scrolled through my phone for a minute and then looked up, seeing someone wearing a white suit walking toward the exit.

Adler always wore a white suit. I’d read in one of the papers that this was his signature outfit. I had no idea if the man was really Adler or not, but I was already moving through the crowd, hoping to catch him before he vanished. The lights were bright, and people were queuing for hot dogs and drinks, blocking my way so I couldn’t see Adler anymore.

I had two choices and not a lot of time. Instead of heading to the exit, I turned in the opposite direction, thinking that maybe Adler went to catch Mr. H somewhere in the changing rooms. I snuck through a white door that led to the “staff only” entrance and glanced around. I could still hear the noise from the ring, but the whole corridor was deserted. I passed a few lockers on the way, reminding myself to stay away from the men’s shower rooms. I imagined this place during the day when it would be filled with half-naked men after a training session in the ring. There was something really wrong with me. My overactive libido was becoming a bit of a problem these days.

I stopped abruptly, convinced that I heard something in one of the rooms on my right. Adler was probably inside talking to yet another sports celebrity. I didn’t want to come across as a nuisance, but at the same time, I knew this kind of opportunity wouldn’t present itself to me again. I needed to be bold.

I pressed the door handle and went in, but the space was empty. I exhaled sharply and then circled around, trying to think. Eventually, I sat down on the floor behind a wide square trunk. I didn’t want anyone who came in to see me, but I had a clear view of the entrance from that angle. For some reason, I didn’t want to go back to my seat at the ring. I took out my phone and scrolled for Josh’s number. The boxing match was still going, but I wasn’t in the mood to see it now.

I really needed to pull myself together. Adler was a busy man. I had been trying to get an appointment with him for months now, but every time I called, his secretary kept fobbing me off, saying he was too busy to talk to me. A second later, someone else barged into the room.

“Is this what you had in mind when you asked me to take you somewhere more private?” a deep husky voice asked.

I lifted my head, noticing two people embraced, standing only a couple meters away from me. I was just about to get up, when the man slammed the woman against the locker and started motor-boating her boobs.

Yes, he actually did that, and I had a top-notch view from this angle, sitting right across from them. If I moved or made a sound, they could spot me straight away, but right then, they were too busy with each other to pay any attention to their surroundings.

“Whatever, just fuck me, Harry. You looked so damn good in the ring,” the woman responded, tangling her well-manicured fingers in his hair. I’d found myself in a hell of a predicament, because I knew I had to get out of here, and at the same time, I had to let them know that they weren’t actually alone.

I arched my head back a little further and saw that the guy had slipped his hand under the woman’s skirt. He had his back to me, but I instantly recognised him. It was Mr. H himself. The jolt of electricity that moved down my spine was the same as what I felt when he winked at me earlier on. I couldn’t have imagined it.

“Fuck, baby, you’re soaking wet. How hard do you want me to fuck you this time around?” he asked, and I shivered hearing myself answering.

Hard and fast, baby. That’s how I like it.

What? Shut up, Gina. He doesn’t even know you’re here.

“As hard as you can,” she hissed and then continued to moan in that annoying high-pitched voice. I wondered why no one was barging in here. They were being very loud.

My throat went a little dry when the boxer dropped his pants. With a sharp intake of breath, I stared at his naked arse. I had the perfect view, and oh, wow. His bum was firm, and bloody sexy as hell. I couldn’t stop looking at it; the way he was moving up and down, thrusting his cock inside that woman. For a moment, I imagined being this woman, having him all to myself. Those large hands and smooth fingers injecting me with life, and smouldering heat rushed down between my legs.

I quickly shook my head and swallowed hard, aware that I wasn’t even supposed to be here. God, this was embarrassing. I was getting turned on just by staring.

The woman was screaming, moaning loudly as he kept going.

The truth was, that I hadn’t been laid in a really long time. Now I was sitting here thinking about this guy who most likely screwed women left, right, and centre.

“Crystal, is that hard enough for you?” he asked, and then several moments later, Crystal came, and if I had to bet, she had a really awesome orgasm. My sex was pulsating with steady beats when Crystal collapsed in Harry’s arms, and for a while, they were both breathing heavily.

There was no way I could reveal myself right now. I would look like some sort of stalker. Instead, I lowered my head and moved back to the centre of the lockers. I would have died knowing someone had watched me having the best sex of my life.

The best? I asked myself.

Yeah, look at him. Even Dominic wouldn’t have made you come like that.

All right, it was official—I had gone crazy. I was having a full-on conversation with myself.

“Wow, Harry bee, that was hot. Make sure you ride me like that next weekend,” Crystal said, putting her clothes on and vanishing out the door a moment later. I saw her face briefly and shock held me immobile for a few moments. I knew her—her full name was Crystal Davies.

How did I know it?

Well, because she was my boss’s wife.

I couldn’t bloody believe it.

Crystal had been married to that arsehole Andrew for years. According to Brittany, my admin assistant, Crystal had never been faithful to her husband. My boss’s personal life never really interested me, but Brittany had sworn to me that she saw Mrs. Davies in a club, kissing some guy, then leaving with another one.

“Wishful thinking, darling,” the boxer muttered to himself. What did that mean? He pulled his pants back on, then stretched his fabulous arms, and my heartbeat skyrocketed once again. This was getting ridiculous. I only saw him briefly when our eyes met just after the match, so why the hell was I suddenly so attracted to him?

He was a stranger, a good-looking bloke, but there was an instant connection between us. It wasn’t just lust. This felt like something deeper and much more complex. Like he touched some hidden part of me.

I wished he’d turn around so I could see his face. Unfortunately, he quickly left the changing room. After a few minutes, I lifted myself off the floor and left the room, too. As I was walking back to my car, I couldn’t stop thinking about Mr. H’s perfect arse.

I liked him, I liked him a lot, but now I also knew his little secret. He was sleeping with my boss’s wife and that wasn’t something I could just erase from my memory.