“I’ll take it,” I repeat and cross my arms, watching everything unfold in my arena. The crowd is fuckingelectrictonight.
“You haven’t fought in a few months,” Pandora says as she clicks her nails on the keyboard. “Please don’t die tonight. I need the fucking money.”
I laugh at that and shake my head.
No, I haven’t fought in a while because I’ve been busy.And maybe that’s why I’m so on edge lately. I need to sweat it out in the cage.
My eyes skim the area as I listen to the crowd lose their fucking minds, feeling the energy surge through me, and then my gaze stops and I slowly lean forward, plant my hands on the desk, andstare.
“Blow this up,” I say, nodding at the space on the screen.
“Someone causing trouble?” Pandora asks, doing as I say, but I don’t answer her.
Someone’salwayscausing some kind of trouble here. I don’t police the drugs or the bad attitudes, and I make a fuck ton of money off the booze.
But that’s not what I’m looking at.
She doesn’t fit in. It’s not that she doesn’tblend. She’s tattooed, her red hair in a long braid down her back. She’s in avintage rock-band T-shirt, the sleeves missing, and cutoff denim shorts. Her curves make me salivate. I love a woman who isn’t stick thin. I want hips to hold on to and tits I can lose myself in. I can’t see her feet, but I’d bet that one-of-a-kind sport bike outside that she’s wearing Chucks.
Or sneakers.
She’s not dressed to the nines with impeccable makeup and hair styled within an inch of its life.
And her eyes aren’t on the cage. They skim the crowd as she works that lower lip between straight teeth, and I instantly want to knoweverythingthere is to know about her.
Without looking at Pandora, I press a button, and less than a minute later, Snake, my head of security, walks into the office.
“Boss.”
“This woman.” I point to the screen. “Doesn’t leave this building until I have the chance to talk to her.”
“Got it.”
“Don’t approach her. Leave her alone, but if she tries to leave, tell her to wait for me in my private office.”
He nods, and then he’s gone, and I turn to find Pandora watching me with raised eyebrows.
“What?”
“Do you know her?”
I simply stare at her, and she rolls her eyes.
“You’re starting to piss me off, Dora.”
“Shocking.” She shakes her head and gets back to work. “You’d better go get ready. You’re on after the next match.”
Without a word, I walk out of the room and down to my private office suite where I take my time changing into my shorts, wrapping my hands, and putting on the open-fingered gloves. I don’t wear a helmet.
None of us do.
When there’s a knock on my door, I open it and find Snake there, ready for me.
“Status on the girl?” I ask as he follows me down the hallway.
“She’s in the same spot. Hasn’t moved.”
“Let’s walk past her on the way to the cage.”