Page 94 of Loved By The Bad Boy

“Wanna spar?” I ask.

“Do you?”

We pause at the side of the ring, looking up at the people fighting. A tall, dark-skinned man pulls up beside Ben. I blush when Ben introduces me as his girlfriend and soulmate. I’ll miss him.

“Y’all look good together,” the man says.

Hiding my rosy cheeks behind my palms, I reply, “Thanks.”

Ben’s arm wraps around my shoulders. He’s still smiling as the duo finishes up in the ring.

Sweat rolls down their foreheads to their tank tops matted to their chest, and they shake hands in the spirit of sportsmanship. I scrambled to enter the ring, and one of them helps me up. He’s tall. Really tall. If we were in a real fight, Coach would ask me to focus on scoring points since I have the advantage of speed. I motion for Ben to join me inside, but he rotates his shoulders in refusal.

Jutting out my lower lip, I blink twice. “Benny.”

It has been so long since we fought or trained as a team. Fighting kind of started what we have. It’s a part of our lives. The gentleman left in the ring comes to my aid when Ben doesn’t move.

“What do you want?” he asks.

I shrug. “I want to spar?”

Laughter echoes around us. He’s laughing. The men lifting weights are laughing. Even the man in the glass office is cackling. Haha. Not funny. I might not knock him down since he’s taller than Ben, and I haven’t practiced in a while, but I can get a few kicks or punches to his belly.

“You want to spar?” the guy drawls as if I have trouble understanding English. He is bald with a build and height that reminds me of a basketballer. Ben motions for me to leave the ring, but I ignore him like he did with me earlier. It’s going to be a friendly match. “With who? Me?”

I shove my hands into my back pockets and bounce on the heel of my sneakers. “Maybe.”

Ben joins us. He drags me behind him as if I need protection from Big Guy. “We were just about leaving,” he says. I poke him on the side, but he doesn’t lose his composure. “We’ll be off now.”

“No, we won’t,” I say over his shoulder. Ben balls his hands at his sides. He should be rightfully worried about his girlfriend getting her teeth knocked out, but I step in front of him, chin tilted in defiance. Next time when I ask him to join me, he will rush to the ring. “Yes, you. Let’s spar.”

Another round of laughter follows my reply. I swear, these guys are crazy. So what if I am a girl and skinny? Coach would never let me fight this man if we were back home. That should ring a bell or scare me enough to back down, but sex with Ben must have loosened a screw in my head.

Ben gives me a look and heaves a sigh. He realizes I am not backing out of this, and he still loves me. “Fine. No sparring,” he says. Ouch. My boyfriend also doesn’t believe in me. I place a hand on my chest in mock horror, and he rolls his eyes. I hate him. He grabs my shoulders, and his lips quirk in thought. “But the first one to get a punch in receives a twenty from the loser. Good?”

His eyes search mine to be sure I’m okay with the rule. This should be… fun? I hug him. What’s the worst that can happen? Tall man here will knock me out or send me into a coma if his fist touches my face. Yeah, that’s totally fine. I can handle a little unconsciousness. Why do I need to be conscious when my boyfriend will be miles away from me? What if he meets someone new?

We get into position. Ben collects a whistle to officiate the match. He holds his hand up but never brings it down because someone stops him. “I’ll throw in a hundred if she gets the first punch.”

Why does that sound like— “Josef.”

Ben turns at the mention of his stepfather’s name. They wave at each other. Josef doesn’t freak out. What’s he doing here? Why is Ben so calm? My palms grow moist. Yes, this was a mistake.

“I want to—”

Josef cuts me off by adding, “I will make it five hundred bucks.”

Is this how wealthy people behave? I turn to Ben, and he shrugs. Well, he tried to warn me. The men lifting the dumbbells drop it on the floor, and the rest of the gym gather to watch my death.

“Just a punch or kick?” I ask. He nods. Ben says nothing but gives me two thumbs up. I can do it.

One hit.

“Okay,” I breathe out.

Voices break out in the gym. People support the bet with more money. I lose count of the total amount as Ben covers the distance between us. “Are you sure you want to do this, Gracie?”

I wasn’t before, but now I am. “Yeah.” Laughing, I add, “I’m nervous but excited.”

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