Page 41 of Lucky Star

Chapter Fifteen

Cameron

Once the meeting wrapped up, I bolted out of my chair and rushed to the door with Julie at my side. I didn’t stop to wish Sarah congratulations, nor tell her that I was proud of her.

I was, of course; that promotion was a huge deal. But I couldn’t remember a time I’d been that angry, and a lot of that was directed at her for the role she’d played in setting up this stupid fucking “fauxmance” with Jillian.

The logical part of my brain told me Sarah had just been looking out for my career, but the illogical part felt betrayed. With my gut twisted in rage, I’d left Grimalkin’s offices and driven straight to the gym, knowing Mike would spar with me. I needed to punch something—bad.

“Whoa!” he laughed, dodging my incoming fist. “This is the fastest you’ve moved in weeks.”

I was furious with Broderick, the PR team, and Sarah, but the forty minutes I’d spent lifting weights, jumping rope, and pounding the punching bag had lessened some of the tension eating away at me. Being able to hit something felt good in a perverse sort of way.Getting hit back might not have felt quite as good, but somehow it felt right. Because I wasn’t innocent either in this whole mess. If I were being honest with myself, I knew I deserved to take a beating for the way I’d treated the woman I loved.

I also knew I had some explaining to do.

Leaving Sarah in the hallway an hour before the meeting, I’d called Julie, demanding she tell me everything she knew about the publicity team’s plans. I’d been pissed that she’d agreed without running anything past me first, but somehow, by the end of our conversation, I’d committed to going along with an even worse idea. Even as I said I’d do it, I known I was making a terrible mistake. But I’d felt betrayed, and a small part of me had wanted Sarah to understand what it felt like to have the person you hung all your hopes for the future on back you into an impossible corner.

Julie had promised Broderick would bring Sarah up to speed before the meeting, but one look at her face, and I’d known he hadn’t. She’d gone white as a sheet, and I’d felt the ground falling out from beneath me. Again. And for a second there, I’d honestly thought she might faint.

Angry as I’d been, I couldn’t escape the knowledge that I’d done that to her, and I didn’t know if I could ever forgive myself. Which was another reason why I’d bolted from the room.

Now, I wanted nothing more than to punch her fucking boss in the nuts for turning my life upside down like this. Landing a jab to Mike’s obliques wasn’t quite the same thing, but it went a long way toward reducing some of my pent-up aggression.

“Would you quit weaving? How else am I supposed to beat you?” I shot back, an unwanted smile tugging at my lips.

“You’re doing just fine,” he said, dancing around the mat on the balls of his feet.

He jabbed, and I ducked to the side, narrowly avoiding being clocked in the face. The evasion left me with a perfect opening to land another punch to his ribs. Unfortunately, I didn’t move fast enough when he punched back, and I felt a solid one, two right hook, left jab combination pound my flesh. I winced and danced out of arm’s reach.

“What’s got you aching for a fight?” he asked, not even remotely winded while I was breathing like a I’d just run a marathon. “Things not go well with the meeting?”

I pulled a few gulps of air into my burning lungs. “It was a fucking nightmare. They want me and Jillian to pretend to be in love,” I said, landing a right hook to Mike’s jaw.

He took the blow like a pro and retaliated with his own quick jab to my side. “How would that even work? You’re engaged.”

I grunted when the punch landed. “I have to hide my relationship with Sarah.”

His feet quit moving, and he stopped hopping around the mat. His arms dropped to his side. “You’re shitting me.”

I dropped my stance and, avoiding his disbelieving gaze, began unwinding the tape from my wrists.

“Seriously man, what the fuck?” Mike put his gloved hand on my shoulder. “How’d Sarah take the news?”

I had three brothers, but I loved Mike like family. No matter what came my way, he would always have my back. His first question being about Sarah didn’t surprise me. He knew how much I loved her, and that aside from my family, she was the most important person in my life. That his first instinct was to look out for her should have made me glad, but it was a struggle to get there.

“She’s the one who told me about their plan,” I explained, tossing my gloves to the mat.

“No.” He winced and shook his head.

“Yes.”

As we gathered our things, leaving the ring to the next sparrers, I filled him in on her panicked phone call and how I’d rushed across town before the meeting.

“I dunno, man,” he said, scratching his head as we walked to the showers. “Sarah’s not the type of woman who would do something she doesn’t want to unless there’s a damn good reason for it.”

I grunted in response. Generally speaking, that was true. But she’d folded without so much as a fight.

“I have to give the prick props for his cunning,” I said. “If Broderick had blindsided me during the meeting, I would probably have stormed out. And having Julie already in on it? It’s all a bit too Machiavellian for me. I’m kind of afraid of the dude,” I said as I lathered up my arms and chest with the expensive body wash he stocked at the gym. The space might have been no-frills, but he wasn’t cheap when it came to personal grooming.

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