Page 53 of New Girl in the City
“But you know that, don’t you,Mel?”
Well, shit.
This man knew exactly who he was talking to. Well, that was fine because I knew who he was too, and I was here as Liam’s ‘woman’, which meant I didn’t have anything to fear, did I? One snap of my fingers and the big guy named Al would come running. All of this I told myself to steady the shaking hand that was holding my cocktail glass a little too tightly now.
I played for cool and sipped from my glass with a flippant shrug. “Seems that way, Martin,” I returned, turning my head to look at him then. I almost wished I hadn’t. He was looking at me and I fucking hated it. What was worse, he was smiling at me.
My fingers twitched on the stem of my glass and I had to keep from throwing the whole thing in his face. I didn’t want to cause a scene; I didn’t want to embarrass Liam. He might think I was pure class, but the people here might not be of the same opinion if I started flinging drinks at my smug, handsome, ex-husband.
“Ah, there she is. My girl,” he said, a smirk on his face as our eyes met, “I was wondering how long it would take for you to look at me.” He gestured between us with a finger and a chuckle. “I saw you the second you made for the bar. Thought you were going to play the “stranger in a bar” role play for as long as you could.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? Role play?”
He lifted a shoulder in a shrug.
I shook my head and set my drink down with a thud on the table beside us. “For there to be role play, everyone has to agree and be into it, and guess what? I am not into talking to you. Not even a little fucking bit,” I bit out, crossing my arms over my chest.
Martin sighed and sipped at his drink. “What are you doing here, Mel? This isn’t your normal scene.”
“And what do you know about my ‘normal scene’,” I made air quotations before continuing on, “we haven’t seen each other in a decade.”
He nodded in agreement and tipped his glass in my direction. “Far too long in my opinion. You are as lovely as the last time I saw you, Melinda.”
My skin crawled. I hated every syllable that came out of his mouth. I glared at him. “If I never saw you again in my entire life it would be too soon, so please forgive me if I don’t love this little run-in.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” Martin continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “What are you doing here?”
“None of your business. I don’t make a habit of telling my ex-husband my comings-and-goings.”
Below us a roar went up and my heart leapt into my throat. I looked towards the wall of glass to see that an MC had taken to the center of the caged ring and had begun their windup of the fight. Their voice came in crystal clear through speakers in the room. My little bullshit back and forth with Martin was momentarily interrupted.
“Ladies and gentlemen, tonight’s main event is now underway!” The man at the center of the ring made a show of walking the length of the perimeter, stopping to point up at the VIP section that I was in. “And a big thank you to our esteemed guests tonight whose generous bankroll has made events like this possible. Tonight’s purse is now at an even 175,000 dollars, and what better motivation for our fighters tokick some ass!”
A deafening roar sounded through the speakers and my fingers clenched on the plush sofa I was sitting on. What the hell? 175,000? Hadn’t he said his job as a driver was enough to pay for living and saving? Just how expensive was Juilliard, anyway?
I got the appeal when he was fighting for this much money, but it didn’t mean that I wasn’t taken aback by how much was on the line. A fact the MC was now driving home with another spiel, one that was punctuated with a long trill and a whoop. Despite the fancy clothes and luxe interior, this was still a cage match.
“Are you here with him?” Martin asked, from beside me. Liam had just stepped out and was making his way towards the cage with a look I had never seen on his face before. It was intense, focused, and cold. It was fucking scary. His eyes, that I knew could be sharp and cold when he chose but were more often warm and teasing, were the eyes of a man who was ready to go to war.
He hadn’t even looked like this when he almost punched out the creepy perv.
That had been a reaction, but this was business. I could see it in the perfunctory movements, the way his walk towards the cage was measured and even, despite the fury I read in his eyes. This wasn’t Liam as I knew him. This was Liam in the world of cage fighting. This place where fists and blood were currency, this place where men put a price on strength and the will to be the last man standing.
This was not the world I knew, but it was Liam’s world, so I forced myself to keep my eyes on him. I wouldn’t look away. I owed him that much. I wouldn’t shy away from what he was giving me right now. This was all of him—the dark and cold parts, the parts that knew how to fight and destroy, the ones that wouldn’t quit. And I wanted it.
I wanted all of Liam, not just the easy parts that left me breathless and flushed. There was fury and focus in that ring and I moved, fingers sliding up my arms until I was no longer forming a shield against Martin but bracing myself for whatever I was about to see—for whatever Liam was about to show me.
Whatever it was, I was ready for it.
“You’re here with him, aren’t you? Never figured you to go for the big, dumb type.”
All that Liam was giving to me right now, and the only thing ruining it was Martin. Why did he have to be here tonight? This was not his place, it was mine. It was mine because this was Liam’s. I refused to look away when the MC stepped away in place of the referee. Liam slapped hands with his opponent, and I heard the fight start through the speakers.
I was intently watching him when the first punches were thrown. Martin sighed beside me.
“He’s an impressive fighter, I’ll give you that.”
“He’s not just a fighter,” I said, unable to refuse to take the bait. I knew there was a reason Martin was talking to me. He had probably seen me before I made for the bar. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d spotted me the second I had hit the door with Liam.
