Page 32 of The Billionaire Babe

“What’s it about this girl that has you so flustered?” Brady quizzes, looking at me like he is trying to figure me out.

“She doesn’t have me flustered. She is a fucking rich princess who lives off her father’s money and lives a life many people can only dream about.” That I can’t stop thinking about. Who I imagine underneath me, naked, moaning my name.

“No doubt she is rich, but she and her friends seem nice. Down-to-earth. Friendly. Sure, it is obvious they have a fuckton of money, but they don’t act like spoiled brats,” Cody offers with a shrug.

“So what if she is a lawyer? Law is hard, and those fuckers have to study for years, work their way up the ladder. She may have a bit of help, considering who she is, but she can’t just parade around as a lawyer and not know the law. She worked for it,” Brady says, giving me a pointed look.

“She can’t change where she came from any more than you can,” Cody finishes, and I look at them both as my anger simmers down. He is right. I can’t help my history, and neither can she. I rub my eyes with my gloves, thinking about how good it was to just talk with her last night. She is funny, teases me, and the conversation flowed. Then the kiss. Having her in my arms, the feeling of her body melting into mine. I have never felt like this about someone before, and I have no idea how to navigate any of it.

“There’s something else about her. There is something you're not telling us,” Brady says, always the fucking observant one.

“Can we not fucking talk about it? Let’s talk about the fight. I have less than a week, and I need to fucking win this one. The winnings coupled with the tip we got will put Fortress in a really good position for the next quarter. With our regular Club Vine gig and maybe a few others, we should be able to move away from the shopping centers,” I say to them, needing to get my head in the game.

“Okay. Let’s talk strategy,” Brady starts. “Cody and I will walk down to the ring with you.”

“We will bring some boys with us. It is always good to have more guys than not enough in case shit happens,” Cody says, and I nod. We have had a few fights that I won that went pear-shaped afterward. Men who bet a lot of money and lose, many who are so desperate they jump in the ring or attempt to take their frustrations out on me or those closest to me by following me to my training room or jumping on me as I leave the ring.

“We just need to be mindful of Marcus. No doubt he will be strutting around the place, being his usual asshole self. But don’t look at him or acknowledge him; otherwise, you will lose focus. Keep your eyes on the ring and your opponent, that is it,” Cody continues.

“I need to really focus on this one. I can’t have distractions,” I tell them. I can’t lose. We need this money. But my mind is a battlefield. I have so much pent-up energy rattling around in my body. I am quick to anger, quick to judge, and I feel like such a loose cannon that I will probably forget to go the entire three rounds with the guy like Marcus requested.

“Three rounds. We will remind you at the top of each round,” Brady says, like he can read my mind.

“You will need to let him get a few punches in. We don’t want to look like we are deliberately stringing him along. Even though we all know you could knock him out in the first few minutes,” Cody says. He is great for my ego.

“Then afterward, we can go out, find some women, and celebrate,” Brady says with a smile. My nostrils flare, and just like that, my mind is back on Valerie, her long hair, pretty smile, perfect tits, and smart mouth. And those fucking long legs that I want wrapped around my face.

“I’m taking five,” I say to them as I throw off my gloves and grab my drink. They get back to their own workout, and I walk to my bag and dig out my cell. I look at it, rolling it in my hand before I pull up her contact and type in a text.

AJ: Thanks for your help with Levi last night.

I hit send, then cringe to myself. Taking a sip of my drink, I watch the screen, waiting. My heart thumps in my chest, never having been this involved with a woman before. I hold my breath as I see the dots dancing as she types a reply before they stop, and no text comes through. But then her name flashes on my screen, and I hit answer immediately.

“Is this your way of saying sorry for being an ass?” Val says before I even have a chance to say hello. I laugh, because she calls me out on my behavior, and I like it.

“You are the one with the good ass, sweetheart… but, yeah, thanks. I appreciate you stepping in and helping,” I tell her as I take in a breath.

“You’re welcome. I truly didn’t mean to step on your toes, AJ. I just wanted to help.” I can hear her walking as she talks.

“I know. Are you busy?” I ask, thinking she must be at the office.

“Just pulling together my paperwork for world domination. You?” she asks, making me laugh again.

“Training,” I tell her.

“Ohh, yes, the fight is this week, isn’t it? Saturday night, right?”

“Yeah. Not that you need to know anything about that.”

“Hmmm. So, I owe you a burger?” I swallow as I feel the heavy weight I was carrying earlier leave my shoulders. The fact that I was a bit of an asshole to her last night and she is still wanting to meet up with me again makes me happy. I look over to the boys where they train. We are days away from the fight, so I don’t go out, but we have a tradition the night before. Nothing late and no drinking for me, but it is a tradition.

“The boys and I go to shoot pool the night before my fights. We will be at Jordie’s on the west side at seven on Friday night if you want to come.” I am sure playing pool with the boys in a rough bar is not her idea of a good time, but I wait with bated breath just the same.

“Sounds fun. I’ll see you there.” My eyebrows shoot to my hairline.

“Text me when you are close, and I will meet you at the front. Some of the patrons are a little unsavory,” I tell her, and she laughs.

“Okay, big guy, I will text you. I’ll bring the girls too.”

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