Page 19 of Unlucky You

The only focus I needed was my son.

“Pretty much, but then again, I can’t say for certain because I shut her down. Told her you didn’t do friends and to stay away before she got herself into trouble asking questions.”

“And she agreed.”

“Yeah, handed me her card and left.”

“Card?” I frowned, feeling annoyed that she wanted Tali to have access to her. He dug into the pocket of his hoodie and handed over a business card. I scowled at it and he grinned.

“Take it?”

“For what?”

“Because you want to. You know exactly who I’m talking about. I could tell from the way you growled the minute I mentioned her asking questions.”

He was right but that didn’t change anything. Women were a luxury I wasn’t allowing myself. Well… at least beyond needing to fuck, which I would get to at some point. But that didn’t stop me from taking the card. I crushed it in my palm and shoved my hand back in the pocket of my hoodie.

I leaned back, slouching deeper into the seat. The throb in my muscles settled into a painful state of healing. It would take a couple days to recover enough to fight again so I was grateful that they only held matches once a month. When we reached my building, Tali pulled up to the front and parked.

“You might want to see a doctor tomorrow. Make sure nothing’s broken. You took a pretty good…”

“I’m fine.” I groaned and tugged at the handle to get out. It took a little more effort than I liked but once I was on my feet, I reached inside and grabbed my duffle. “I’ll hit you up in a few days.”

“No, you won’t. You just make sure you get your ass out of bed.”

I grunted and slammed the door before heading into my building. Once inside my place, I stripped out of my clothes down to my briefs, heading to the bathroom to start the shower. I went back in my room, removing the envelope of cash from my bag and dropping it into the bottom drawer of my dresser.

I left my bedroom and peeled off my briefs in the bathroom, working the curtain back. I stepped inside and lowered my head, allowing the warm spray to pelt against my skin. It felt good but not good enough to soothe the aching of my body. The hits I endured would have a lasting effect. One I would have to suffer through for the next couple days before it was tolerable.

The more my body relaxed, the more my mind drifted. Visions of honey-brown eyes, jet black hair, and pouty lips began to take over. My dick thickened and I couldn’t help the urge to want to satisfy the ache.

I wrapped my fingers around my dick, gripping the base before I ran my hand across it with hard, fast strokes. This wasn’t anything new. I jerked off to relieve the urge to want to lay with a woman. But no matter how many times I tried to ignore the reason I was pleasuring myself, her face appeared behind my lids. I hung my head and placed one hand on the tiled wall, fearful that I wouldn’t be able to keep my balance. My fist pumped over my dick faster, jerking harder with each pass. She was there in my head—those eyes, those lips, and that pretty ass smile…

My skin blazed, which didn’t have a damn thing to do with the intense hot water from the shower beating down on my neck and back. The muscles in my arm tensed, followed by my stomach and abs. The tip of my dick became sensitive as I groaned, allowing myself to cum with thoughts of her pulling it out of me.

The orgasm jolted through me, doing little to satiate the need she caused but it would have to do. This would have to be enough because it was all I would ever have. A feeling inside of me spoke to the heady dangerousness, realizing she could bring me to a place I refused to allow myself to go again.

Once I washed my body, not caring about the ache I felt from the rough movements, I got out and slipped on a clean pair of briefs before downing four ibuprofen which would hopefully help me sleep. I climbed into bed, settling beneath the cool bedding, staring blankly into the darkness that hovered around me until I felt my body begin to fade. The last thoughts I had were of the sight of my Aleah’s smile.

I miss you, beautiful. I’ll never forget. I’ll never fucking forget.

SIX

Saniya.

“You never disappoint. You sure you don’t want to accept my offer?”

To work full-time for someone other than myself, not a chance in hell.

“I enjoy my freedom, Joe.”

I leaned back in my chair, swiping through the edited photos I’d sent Joe the night after the fight. That was three days ago and he was just getting back to me. The payment had already hit my account, so Joe’s opinions of the shots I sent over didn’t matter but I was still curious about what he thought. Hearing the excitement in his voice solidified what I already knew. I was a fucking beast with my camera.

“What makes you think you can’t be on staff here and still have freedom? It’s not like I plan on sticking you in an office somewhere. Kinda defeats the purpose of what you do.”

I smirked, landing on one shot that captured a shadowy figure looming in the background. I didn’t mind sending that one to Joe because it barely exposed the man whose anonymity I was protecting.

Something I still didn’t understand. But as I studied the shot that captured him lounging, watching the second match, foot against the concrete wall, hands shoved into the pockets of his sweats, I smiled. He intrigued me. There was a story there. One I was eager to know but would never allow myself to dig into. But that didn’t stop me from enjoying the reminders of why I was so intrigued.

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