Page 11 of Dirty Little Sins

To me.

I wasn't going to settle for anything less.

Fuck.

We weren't there anymore, but we would be if it killed me to get it done.

I gulped down another swallow of whiskey and placed the empty glass on the bar.

"Another, sir?" The bartender asked.

"No thanks." My mind had moved on to Zia's other attributes, in particular her dirty mind and I didn't need to add any fuel to that already slow burning fire inside my belly.

A good heart and a dirty mind were a potent combination for a man like me and she had no idea the affect she had on me.

I definitely wasn't done with Zia. Not for the evening or the foreseeable future. Just because she'd ignored my invitation as expected, didn't mean she'd be able to get away later. I'd made sure of that.

"There you are."

I ground my back teeth at the sound of Brian's voice. My manager had been so far up my ass lately I was ready to throttle him. It was time to make some managerial changes. I didn't want a manager any longer. The business was changing and an organizational restructure was called for.

"If you say so," I responded, rethinking my decision not to have another drink. But I had a fight coming up and I was in training mode. I couldn't afford anymore indulgences that could compromise everything I'd worked so hard for.

Except her.

"I've been texting you all day. Why haven't you responded?"

I slowly turned to face Brian even though he was the last person I wanted to talk to right now. Anyone with half a brain should know that if your text messages are being ignored there's a god damned reason and you should back the fuck off.

"Been a little busy. Got a fight to train for, remember?" Not that I felt the need to explain anything to him anymore. Something between us had changed since we'd been in Italy and I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Well, other than the niggling at the back of my mind that Brian might have helped someone set Zia up. Something I had no proof of and seemed like a stretch. Still, I would be on guard until I figured out the mystery of my manager.

"That wouldn't be the case if you'd taken my advice. I mean that is what you pay me for. This fight was then, and is still, a bad idea. The timing is not good for a pissing match over a woman. Not with Hollywood sniffing around. Did you look at the script I sent you? We need to respond soon. Get the deal locked down before anyone changes their mind."

I stared at Brian and his clear blue eyes that looked all earnest and shit. If he was up to something he shouldn't be, then it should be him in Hollywood. Because he had some serious acting skills.

It was the one of the reasons I'd held back from just confronting him. I didn't want to fuck up years of a solid working relationship without some proof. I still believed in the benefit of the doubt, even if that belief was hanging on by a thread.

The other being my unwillingness to expose Zia any further. The less people who knew about the pictures, the better. If word ever got out about those pictures she would be devastated. Although I did think she'd overreacted.

We were two consenting adults indulging in a little consensual fun on vacation. A few erotic pictures weren't that big of a deal. Celebrities got caught up in sex scandals all the time. With a little creative PR spin, we could become the next Hollywood power couple.

America would eat it up.

That kind of attention was usually worth its weight in gold and couldn't be bought.

I shook my head. My thoughts were spiraling out of control and I'd missed whatever Brian had just rambled on about.

"What?"

Brian sighed. "What's up with you? You seem way more distracted than normal. Which isn't a good thing if you seriously intend on going through with this fight."

Instead of responding, I simply glared.

He sighed and shook his head. "Anyways, I was saying that the role in this movie pitch seemed practically written for you. Playing a boxer isn't even a stretch and should pave the way to future offers. I think you should take it. You keep saying you want to expand your career and spend less time taking fights. We've both agreed you can't stay the champ forever."

If that was his way of saying that I wasn't getting any younger, I didn't need to hear it. "I'm still thinking on it. It was a decent script. I liked the writing. But what about the other details? Who else is attached to this project? Is there a director? Other actors? What kind of time commitment are we talking about? I need more information before I can make an informed decision. You should know that by now."

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