Page 7 of Fool Me Once

He raised his brows.

“When you’re a lot older,and you cannot get it to work, and for whatever reason you’re not allowed totake that valuable medication. What then, when sex becomes no more? If all youwere good for was hot sex, then there is nothing. You’re with someone you can’tstand unless they’re naked. I guess, for me, I’d like to find someone who ismore than an attraction. Someone I happen to like being around, who likes beingaround me. Is that too hard to understand?” she asked. “And yeah, it probablymakes me an idealist, but at least I have something I know I want.” Sheshrugged.

Cain looked at her, andthe truth was, he couldn’t laugh. There was no reason to mock her. She madevalid points. More valid than he could begin to argue. He didn’t think of afuture that far ahead, when his dick might not work.

The strangest thing of allwas, the only woman he’d been able to stand for a long period of time stood infront of him right now with her arms folded.

“So. all you’ve done ishelp validate my argument,” he said, and then held out his hands. “I’m notgoing to have sex with any random woman who knows the score. I can’t stand themfor long periods of time, so that means you must learn how to dance.”

“You’re a pain in theass.” She took a step toward him. “Fine, show me.”

Leah was a fast learner.The truth was, he didn’t know the first thing about how to dance, but he had nochoice but to attend this dinner. He already accepted the invite weeks ago. Itwas for a charity dinner to help foster kids. Fucking foster kids, of allpeople, and Leah had come from the system.

He had a feeling shewouldn’t be so impressed about a bunch of rich people donating money to help needykids. From what he could tell, none of the homes she’d been to had ever gottenadditional funds.

Also, he knew some of themen who ran the charity were fucking crooks. He liked to make an appearance tokeep them on their toes. Some people believed they could get away with stuff,but his presence was a reminder that he was always watching.

Leah tensed up whenever hetouched her. She didn’t recoil from his touch, but he’d come to realize shewasn’t used to finding comfort from other people. He was going to change all ofthat.

She listened to hisinstructions, moved to where he needed her, then back again. There was such anintense frown on her face.

“You know this is stupid,”she said.

He chuckled. “I have cometo see that anything a little too hard for you is stupid.”

“Not on purpose, but thisis very stupid.”

Again, he offered her asmile, and they took a break at lunch. One of his staff came down to his gym tolet him know that food was waiting.

With a hand at her back,he walked with her up toward the dining room. They passed a few of his staff,and he noticed how Leah greeted them. Everyone smiled at Leah.

He was surprised his staffhad become so open to her. Usually, they were very reserved, certainly if hebrought a guest home. He rarely did, but they never smiled or offered awelcome.

“The staff like you,” hesaid, taking a seat at the head of the table.

“Not at first,” Leah said.

“They didn’t?”

“No, at first they thoughtI was one of your many dates, only here for a good time. When I told them youhad hired me because I beat the crap out of your son, it had been aconversation starter.”

“Ah, going back to puttingDanny in his place. I’ve been meaning to ask you … where did you learn to fightlike that?” he asked.

He had a rough idea. Therewas a document in her file that stated she’d been there when a young man haddied in a drive-by shooting that had turned into a hit-and-run. There were nogreat details. Just a statement taken from a fifteen-year-old girl. He had noidea who the man was to her, but the man—Ben he believed the name was—had alsobeen in his early twenties.

Leah sat down, and he sawhow tense she got, and at first she didn’t say a word. Just stared at the emptyplate in front of her.

She nibbled her lip. “Iknew someone. A fighter.”

“A fighter?” he asked.

She looked up and he sawher press her lips together and then shrug. “Ugh, this is … I ran away. Itended to do that from time to time, it was just easier than putting up withall the crap. Anyway, I met a guy. He was a fighter. I don’t think it was legalbut he had a name and was building a name for himself—Savage. It was what hewas called, and he’d been undefeated. He saw me on the streets and a pimp wastrying to bully me. Ben, or Savage, came to my rescue. He was a real good guy.Rare. He took me back to his place and said I could stay there as long as Ineeded, as long as I didn’t do drugs or bring any bad shit to the place.”

There was a smile andCain, for the first time in his life, felt jealousy. He wasn’t used to thisfeeling.

“He didn’t ask me foranything, but he told me I reminded him of his sister. He lost her when she wasyoung in the system. She had it bad and … killed herself. He couldn’t help her.He knew how bad it was, and one day he said it was time for me to learn to beable to take care of myself. The world was full of bad men and women, and Ineeded to be able to handle whatever life threw at me. He taught me to fightdirty. Sometimes, that was all that was going to keep me alive. So I learned,and one day we were out, and that was when it happened. I don’t know if it wasone of his enemies, which seems insane because everyone liked him. He was fair.He was honest. Apart from in the ring, when he was a savage.”

“You miss him?” he asked.

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