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I took a moment to read over the contract, noticing that she was telling the truth. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary—nothing too wordy or even too legal sounding. I’d seen contracts like this before, with a termination clause that we could end the contract and leave the gym without any ramifications. We wouldn’t be locked in.
I moved the contract to Bones so he could read it, although I already knew that if I was good, then he’d trust my judgment.
“So, how did you get into running this gym?” I asked her casually as Bones read.
This was generally a man’s world, as sexist sounding as that was, so I couldn’t help but wonder what had drawn her to it. I guess I wanted to know more about the woman who had crashed into our lives and turned absolutely everything on its head. “I know your father owned it, but why become so involved?”
“Oh, I’ve always loved the sport,” she said with another one of her killer smiles. “My dad, my mother, and I have been living and breathing boxing since I can remember. Boxing wasn’t just part of my dad’s life, but our entire family’s life as well. Before my mother died, she helped him run the business and made it what it is today.”
“Yeah?” I was a little blown away by that. I knew who Smiley Dexter was but had never heard of his wife being a part of the boxing scene. “What was her name?”
“Alyssa. Alyssa Dexter. She died when I was thirteen, leaving my father to raise me on his own plus run the gym. But before she died, she was a powerhouse of a woman and business person. I strive to be half the woman she was.”
“She and your father did a great job. I grew up wishing I would someday be part of a gym like Smiley’s. I never thought I would actually step through the doors of this place even at my height. It’s infamous.”
“You fight, too?” she asked.
“No, not really. I fought when I had to—a survival skill—but I learned early on that managing better suited me. I just didn’t have the speed needed or the brute strength to keep myself from getting killed by people like Bones or Freakshow.”
“Well, those two are some of the best, so it’s not a fair comparison.”
“If I do something, I want to be good at it,” I said. “I’ll leave the fighting to Bones.”
Her eyes remained locked with mine. “I get it. I love the business side, too. The people behind the scenes don’t get the fame and glory, but the hard work starts with us.”
I nodded. “Agreed.”
I didn’t know what the hell was going on here, but an intense connection was growing between us. This girl was not only beautiful, but we both had a love for a sport and what was behind the curtain that I had never shared with a female before. I could see why Bones became weak-kneed every time her name came up.
I, too, couldn’t seem to resist her, which was a nightmare if we were going to keep this professional. I had to stop it, and I needed to stop it right now. “Bones… How does that look to you?” I glanced at my watch, acting as if I hadn’t realized the time.
Bones passed the contract to me. “I’m good signing if you are.”
Without saying another word, I reached for the pen and handed it to Bones. “We got ourselves a deal.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” She took the contract from Bones the moment he signed and did the same. “We’ll set your training schedule tomorrow. Expect it to be brutal.”
I smirked. “It better. His ass is out of shape.”
“Fuck you,” he said with a playful punch to my arm.
She giggled as we rose to leave. I forced myself to not look back, no matter how badly I wanted to.
I stepped into the car, my heart racing all over again, and I called Bones’ father to share the good news. I put him on speaker phone and pointed the phone in Bones’ direction.
“I got in!” he yelled as soon as Pops picked up, not even giving him the chance to say anything. “I went to the tryouts, and Smiley’s signed me! They think I have a chance of becoming a headliner for them. They even mentioned Heathens Hollow.”
“Son,” Pops wheezed, “that’s incredible news!”
“I know. I can’t wait?—”
“And you boys will get to be around that very pretty girl a lot more, too,” he continued. “I just hope that you both manage to keep your heads in the game.”
“Bones has a lot of hard work ahead of him,” I chimed in. “The fact that they lined up the most sought-after fight at Heathens Hollow is telling. If Bones walks into the cage there in the shape he’s in. He’s fucked.”
