Page 56 of Back in Black

Brett pulled on mirrored sunglasses and kept going.

Drew halted. He’d be damned before he’d chase after a new fighter. Putting his hands on his hips, he shouted to Brett’s back, “For God’s sake, man. Everyone has a bad relative or two.”

Brett froze with his back to him; his shoulders went rigid.

At least he had his attention, Drew thought. “People will relate to what you went through. The drunken father, the mother in prison—”

Brett jerked around. In a deadly low tone, he said, “Shut up, Drew.”

Uh, yeah. Drew took Brett’s measure and knew he was truly enraged. Maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned his parents’ situation . . .

“I mean it, Drew.” Brett inhaled, seeking control. “My past and everyone in it is off-limits.”

“It’s the perfect angle.”

“Find another fucking angle.”

Drew took a turn reaching for control. “This is the one we can capitalize on. So make up your mind: do you want to be part of the SBC or not?”

Shoving the sunglasses to the top of his head, Brett came closer. He was definitely angry, but mostly astounded. “You’re telling me that if I don’t do this, you won’t give me a contract?”

Not really, but if that’d work . . .

Drew sized him up. In one hand, Brett held his gym bag. His other hand was fisted at his side. But he knew fighters well enough to gauge things. Brett Bullman wasn’t the type to start brawling in the street. A major factor in any fighter’s success was great control. Brett had it in spades.

He might walk away, but he’d worked too damn hard for this to ruin it by pulverizing Drew.

Confident of his position, bearing his own annoyance, Drew put his hands on his hips. “How bad do you want this, Brett?” His expression didn’t change. “I can make you a fucking star. I can get you sponsors out the ass. I can make your name synonymous with the sport so that—”

“Not happening.” Shaking his head, Brett leaned in to say, “No one dictates my personal life to me, Drew. Not you, not anyone.” He settled back again. “If it requires you digging around in my past for me to get signed on, then I guess I don’t want the SBC all that much after all.”

And to Drew’s astonishment, Brett turned and walked away.

He barely noticed the little blonde trotting after him. Feeling like an ass, Drew was about to go after Brett, too, when from behind him, Gillian said, “Gee, Drew, that went well.”

CHAPTER 9

DREW swung around to see Gillian standing right behind him.

Surprise faded under appreciation.

Wow.

Wearing slim-fitting dark blue designer jeans, lethal high-heel strappy sandals, and a body-hugging sweater with little white pearl buttons up the front, she looked like a fashion statement. She’d opened enough of those pearl buttons to show off some tantalizing cleavage.

“Gillian.” Drew couldn’t keep his gaze from going all over her. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Offering sarcasm, of course.” She started tsking at him. “Drew Black, whatever has gotten into you? You werethreateningBrett.”

Running a hand over his head, then rubbing the back of his neck, Drew said, “More like coercing, but yeah, it didn’t work.” Again he looked at those jeans, how they showed off her voluptuous hourglass figure. She personified sexy. Could a woman be more enticing?

Smiling over his attention, Gillian put one hand on a hip and struck a pose for him.

With business at hand, Drew tried to hide the instantaneous combustion of heat inside him. He glanced back at Brett. “Now I’m going to have to go after him, and I hate when that shit happens.”

Gillian’s smile did wonders for his bad mood. “You dug that hole yourself, and you know it.” She tipped her head to study him. “But before you remedy things, I want to talk to you, and I do not want you to overreact.”

Oh, hell. Anticipating a situation that might put him over the edge, Drew stepped closer and whispered, “Are you commando today?” He remembered her promise about skipping her underwear, and today, with those sexy jeans clinging to her ass, would have been the perfect timing. “If so, I make no promises about not overreacting.”

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