“Ew?” I hold one hand out in confusion. The other clutches my gym bag.
“What? My nipples hurt,” she announces the second she sees me. “Just got them pierced.”
“Oh, well hello to you too,Judas,” I say dryly. “We’ll file that under: Things I didn’t need to know.”
“Hello, you salty bitch,” she fires back. “Still pouting from the auction?”
“From being stabbed in the back by myfriend? Yes.”
“You’ll get over it. I’m sure your billion-dollar lot will kiss it and make it better for you.” She winks.
Lucian chuckles from the ring, tossing me a pair of gloves. I climb in, and we start warming up—easy jabs, controlled footwork. We both like taking our frustrations out in here on each other. We’re evenly matched, which means no one’s ego gets too bruised, and we both know it’s never personal.
I’ve known Eve a few years now. Lucian just as long.
The Ledger girls are practically part of my payroll, but I’ve never had a sexual contract with one of them. Just to accompany me to events to keep hordes of social-ladder-climbing women from approaching me.
I know what the press says about me having a new girl on my arm every week, but I don’t give a shit as long as I can keep my peace and privacy.
Lucian gives me a look between swings. “You’re in a good mood. Has something to do with your auction lot?”
I shrug, though there’s no point in denying it. “Maybe. Cassidy’s… different. Beendifferenta long time now but it’s bothering me—why she did this in the first place.”
Eve cracks two first aid cooling packs and sticks them in her shirt, holding them to her breasts. “Oh, that’s so much better already.”
“This is horrendous by the way.” I throw a jab at Lucian, and he moves out of the way with a chuckle. “Just in case you wanted to know if you were traumatizing your friends.”
“Just hack her.” She doesn’t even acknowledge me, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.
Lucian winds up a spinning kick and I move out of the way quickly. “Come on old man. I saw that coming from last week.”
“Keep it up.” He dishes back to me. We both know Lucian could break my neck and I’d be dead before I hit the ground.
“I don’t want to invade her privacy.” I get back to Eve’s suggestion.
“That’s rich, coming from you,” Lucian mutters.
“I want her to come to me and tell me because shewantsto,” I say, throwing a quick combo at Lucian, which he blocks mostly. I land one hit. “Not because I snooped around and forced it out of her.”
Lucian grins like he knows something I don’t. “You ready to do this, lover boy?”
I narrow my eyes and he smirks knowing it’s time to stop holding back and try to beat the shit out of each other.
An hour with Lucian did the trick like usual. He mentioned a fight in a few days and I’m usually game to throw my name in the ring but I’m not sure if that is Cassidy’s scene.
Back and the penthouse and showered, I push the fact Jonathan left me on read to the back of my mind. I’ve got better things to do.
Like take Cassidy out.
I didn’t like how that package from Jonathan dimmed her mood, so I tell her she’s coming shopping with me.
She tries to block me at the studio door before I can get a look at the canvas she’s been working on. “Full u-turn. Out of here.”
I try to look around her, but she moves with me, using her hands to block my line of sight. I saw a little but not enough to figure out what it is.
“You do know thisismy house.”
“And this is my… imagination.”
