EMILEE
STANDING IN FRONT of thousands of people, I’m in a black sleeveless shirt that’s cropped, ending right below my boobs, and has an extremely low V cut in the front with a pair of black spandex booty shorts with a thick black belt that has a golden K on the front. I’ve worn bathing suits that cover more. My top keeps riding up and so does the fabric on my ass. Jasmine even sprayed hair spray on it and said it would help. Whatever the fuck that meant. Just made my skin sticky and itch.
She signed us up to be ring girls. Tonight, Kingdom is hosting a fight, and we’ve been walking around for the past two hours half-dressed and holding up cards to announce each round. Kingdom’s event center is over a hundred thousand square feet and holds around seventeen thousand guests. And the event has it at full capacity.
“How did you get this job again?” I ask her, sitting down next to her ringside. Some people would kill for these seats because we are so close, we can see the blood fly and smell the sweat.
“I know a guy who helps the Kings with the promotional side of things.”
“Know a guy? Or seeing a guy?”
She shrugs. “It’s nothing serious.” She dodges the question.
TV crews are all over the place, which she didn’t mention beforehand. It’s hot, and my tits and forehead are covered in sweat. The lights that shine down on the ring are unbearable. I should have worn less makeup because I can literally feel it melting off my face. And my clothes are sticking to my body. I’m praying my ass doesn’t have a wet spot.
The lights shut off, and the crowd screams so loud I cover my ears to try to block it out, but it does no good. When they come back on, they’re flashing, making it hard to see anything. Music begins to pound through the speakers.
“There he is,” Jasmine yells, nodding her head to the aisle while yanking on my arm to pull me to my feet.
A man bounces from foot to foot as he makes his way down the aisle to the center of the arena. Women reach for him. Men slap him on the shoulders. He wears a black silk robe tied loosely around his waist.
He walks up the stairs, then bends down to crawl into the ring between the ropes. He comes to a stop in the center and drops the robe. It’s Grave. I’m not surprised the guy fights.
He came by his name honestly. The guy always had a death wish. When he was fifteen, he ended up totaling Bones’s car while drag racing it. He was high and drunk, and Bones was so pissed. I will never forget the way he fucked me. Ruthlessly. I had bruises for days. And even after he was done with me, he was still raging. He wanted to beat the fuck out of his brother, but he didn’t touch him. I still don’t know what stopped him.
They call his opponent out from the other end of the event center, and the crowd boos him. Grave’s obviously a legend here at Kingdom. I have a feeling he’d have that kind of welcoming crowd even if he didn’t own a part of the casino.
“Does he fight often?” I ask her to wonder how he got around that legal battle. It has to be illegal for an owner to participate in such activities.
She nods, her starry eyes on Grave as he smiles at his opponent. “Every weekend.”
“I saw him last night.”
“What?” That gets her attention, and her green eyes slam to mine. “When? Where?”
“At Brentley’s. He was there with Titan.”
Her eyes widen. “Whoa.” She places her hands up. “You’re just now telling me this, why?”
I shrug. “Didn’t find it important.”
She places her hands on my shoulders and shakes me. “But—”
“He didn’t recognize me,” I interrupt her.
“Titan?”
“Oh, he recognized me.” I give a rough laugh. “The fucker took my phone.”
“What the fuck, Em?” she snaps and places her hands on her hips. “Why haven’t you told me all this?”
I look down at the white Nikes she made me wear, unable to meet her eyes. “I’ve been gone a long time. And I know you and him—”
“There’s nothing going on there,” she interrupts me. And then sighs. “I wish you would have told me. After this is over, we’re getting your phone back.”
The fight lasted two point five seconds. The guy swung at Grave and missed. Then Grave hit him—once—and he dropped to the ground like a dead body.
We pose for photos for the media crew members running around and with the men who had VIP tickets. They even asked us to sign shirts they purchased. One guy asked to take a selfie with me, said his business partner would hate himself for not coming to the fights. Whatever.
People start to exit the event center.
“Let’s go.” Jasmine grabs my arm and drags me up an aisle, pushing people out of our way.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“To get your shit back,” she growls.
I dig my heels into the floor. “Oh, no … it’s fine. I can get it later. Or buy another one …” Yeah, with what money, Emilee?
She walks into a tunnel and takes a right. People crowd around with their phones out still taking pictures. A few guys are dressed in three-piece suits and others casual in jeans and T-shirts. They all wear lanyards around their necks, giving them access back here.
One guy spots us and smiles. “Hey, ladies. What are you doing later?”
“Not you,” Jasmine replies with her nose up in the air.
Another guy steps in front of us, forcing us to a stop. “Hey, we’re headed to a party. The penthouse here at Kingdom. You two wanna join us?”
“No thanks,” I answer.
Jasmine snorts. “If we want to fuck you, we’d approach you. Move over, dipshit.” She shoves him out of the way and begins to drag me along again.
We pass door after door. A few men who wear security badges look at us oddly. I don’t think we’re supposed to be back here, but since they can tell we’re dressed as ring girls, they let us go.
We come to a door that has Grave written on the outside in white letters. I would say it’s because he fights so often, not because he owns the casino. But either one could be why he has a designated room, and the other fighter doesn’t.
“Jasmine, I don’t think …”
She shoves the door open and pulls me into it. Grave sits on a black table with his legs dangling over the side. He’s still dressed in his black shorts, his sponsor’s name down the side. Titan stands to his left with his back toward us. Cross leans up against the far wall with his eyes down on his phone in his hands, and Bones stands to the right.
All look up at us as I hear the door shut. And my stomach drops when my eyes land on a set of blue ones staring at me. One of our many hookups come to mind.
I lie on my stomach on my bed. My math book open, and I’m writing in my notebook, solving the problems when I hear my window open.
Looking over, I see Bones climbing in. He’s got a black and white baseball shirt on, a black hat backward, and faded jeans. We’re in college, and he still sneaks through my bedroom window. It’s kinda become tradition. My parents would flip if they knew I was sleeping with a man that I’m not in a relationship with. They’ve always been strict. I’m pretty sure they think I’m still a virgin.
“Hey?” I ask, sitting up. “I didn’t know you were coming over tonight?” He told me earlier that he had practice.
He walks over to my bedroom door and locks it. My body instantly heats. He removes his hat, tossing it to my floor. His dark hair falls to his eyes, and he shoves it back, making it stand straight up. Then he reaches up and pulls his shirt up and over his head, revealing a hard chest and a six-pack. He and the Kings work out regularly. They have to stay fit for the baseball team. My eyes scan over his skull tattoo on his smooth chest. It has a crown tilted on the corner, and crossbones underneath it. All the Kings have them. As if it’s some kind of branding. “Bones … my parents are home …”
“So?” he asks, already kicking off his tennis shoes. Then his hands go to work on his jeans.
“So?” My eyes widen. “They’ll hear us.” I look over at the window. My parents think I’m the good girl. I’m not, but that doesn’t mean I want them to find out. “Let’s go to your car …”
He grabs my upper arm and tosses me onto the bed. “Bones—”
He cuts me off, placing his hand over my mouth. I look up at him straddling me, breathing heavily through my nose. His blue eyes bore down on mine. He’s angry. About what, I don’t know. We don’t share our feelings or personal information. We are as detached as two people who are just fucking can be.
His free hand goes between my legs, and he’s shoving the thin layer of my underwear to the side. I’m always wet for him. “Then I better gag you,” he says, running a finger over my pussy.
I arch my back, taking in a breath through my nose. His fingers dig into my cheeks as he presses his hand over my mouth. I scream out into his hand when he enters me in one hard push. Bones likes to make it hurt. He took my virginity. It hurt. I cried. Then he made it feel better.
A knock comes on my door, and my eyes widen. He stops moving, but his eyes stay on mine.
“Emilee, you okay?” my mother asks.
He removes his hand from my mouth, and I suck in a long breath. “Yes,” I say and flinch at how high my voice is. “Just stubbed my toe,” I add.
“Okay. Dinner is in an hour.”
“Okay …”
He slaps his hand back over my mouth and leans down, placing his lips by my ear. His body weight is pinning me down, making it hard to breathe, and his cock is still inside me, but he hasn’t started moving yet. “I’m gonna fuck this tight cunt of yours, and then I’m gonna eat my cum out of you. You’re gonna be my dinner, Em.”
I blink, pulling myself out of that memory.
Grave smiles at me. “Hey, it’s the deaf girl.”
Titan widens his stance and crosses his arms over his chest as he glares down at me. Cross’s eyes go big the moment he recognizes me.
Bones looks me up and down slowly before he turns to fully face us. “What are you doing here?” he asks with a tilt of his head. He doesn’t look surprised or mad. Just indifferent. Like I never meant a thing to him. And thankfully, Jasmine speaks before I can process that.
“She came to get her phone,” she snaps. “Titan?”
A slow smile spreads across his face. “Ready to get on your knees, Em?”
“Keep it,” I growl and spin around to leave, but Jasmine grabs my arm, stopping me. Why I would expect more out of him is beyond me. I thought just once, I’d get a fucking pass from this shitty string of bad luck I have. I thought that maybe putting him on the spot would work in my favor. That’s what I get for thinking anything regarding the Kings.
“Hey?” Grave scratches the back of his head, jumping down off the table. “You’re not deaf?”
Bones takes a step toward me. “What are you doing here, Emilee?” His voice more of a growl this time.
“Emilee …” Grave’s voice trails off, and his eyes widen. Then he whispers, “Shit.”
Shit is right!
I place my hands on my hips, well aware I’m barely dressed, sweating like a whore in church, and wearing more makeup than a drag queen. This man isn’t above me. I sure as hell am not gonna let him think that. “I was working.”
He looks me up and down one last time, and then his cold eyes meet mine. I forgot how beautiful they are. “Well, you’re fired, so pack your shit and get the fuck out.” Then he turns his back on me.
I should be surprised, but I’m not. He never was nice unless his dick was hard. What Bones and I had was never complicated. I knew where we stood. I’ve never been that girl who made up shit in her head or thought a man should love me just because I gave him my body. He made it very clear when he declared he wanted me.
I’m putting my books away at my locker when I feel someone come up beside me. I shut the door and look up into a set of blue eyes that I know well. Dillan Reed AKA Bones. “May I help you?” I ask, looking around the silent hallway. It’s just us. Everyone has left for the day. Maybe he wants me to do his homework. But I don’t think that’s it. He doesn’t need anyone to do his work for him. The Kings get good grades because of who they are. Their fathers are the Three Wisemen.
“I hope so.”
Three words. That was all it took for me to give him my virginity five days later. He wanted my body. And I offered it up to him like a sacrifice. As if lying down for a king would guarantee me salvation. But standing before them now makes me realize I never needed to be saved.
“I’m not leaving until I get my phone.” First George and now him? I refuse to let them treat me this way.
Bones pauses and turns back to look at me. Then at Titan. “You have her phone?”
He nods.
Bones looks at my bare legs, exposed stomach, and then my eyes. “Well, you heard him. You want it, you get on your knees.”
“You guys are fucking pricks,” Jasmine growls.
I snort, shaking my head. “I see nothing has changed. You know what …?” I look at Titan, pulling my lip back to show him how disgusted I am. “Keep it.” Then I turn around and storm out.
TITAN
We all stand in the room, watching the door slam shut as Jasmine chases Emilee out. Bones looks at me, and I arch a brow, silently daring him to ask me what the fuck that was about and why his old fuck was here tonight working. And why her phone is in my pocket.
He says nothing. Instead, he looks at his brother. “Get ready. We have business to take care of.” Then he exits as well.
Cross looks at me. “What the hell was that about, man?”
“Long story,” I answer.
Grave runs a hand through his sweaty hair. “I really thought she was deaf.” He frowns, clearly disappointed that she wasn’t. “And I can’t believe I didn’t recognize her.” Maybe if he’d lay off the drugs, he’d have a clearer head.
“It took me a second to figure out who she was.” Cross nods to himself. “It’s been a long time.”
“Let’s go,” I say, clapping my hands. “You heard Bones. We got work to do.”
I don’t have time for Emilee York to consume my thoughts tonight. Even if I wanted to rip off what little clothes she wore and throw her on this table. The Kings be damned. I’m not shy. If they want to watch, I’d let them.
