CHAPTER EIGHT
Caleb
On edge since Hunter had so astutely pointed out my Cherry obsession, to make things even more stressful, I’d had a niggling feeling all week that something wasn’t right at work. Some of the staff and the guards in the building had been looking at me funny. Neddie especially. He hadn’t been as friendly as usual, not by far.
I slapped my pencil down on the desk and stood, my mind made up. Avoiding the guards, I took the elevator to the basement, then the stairs to the subbasement, using my phone to contribute to lighting like those people in the tunnels on the way to the illegal fight where I met Cherry.
Fuck.
Every thought I had led back to Cherry. I needed to work her out of my system. Was starting to think I wouldn’t be able to until I’d had her to my fill. Which I couldn’t do… so the circle continued, driving me insane.
At the old rusty door, I was surprised when the latch unhooked easily, not sticking as it did when Neddie tried to open it before. The door swung open, and I wasn’t greeted with the darkness I expected, but the glow of a lantern.
I blinked, taking in the scene.
An old man’s mouth dropped open, and he staggered to his feet. He wore a warm cap and a wool coat that was streaked with dirt. Once on his feet, he moved to stand in front of a woman and little girl who couldn’t have been more than four, her brown eyes wide at my sudden intrusion.
“Mommy, that’s not Mr. Neddie.”
Her mother shushed her and pulled her onto her lap.
“We were just movin’, sir,” the older man said, fear making the words tremble. “Don’t mean no harm.”
I shook my head, stunned at what I was witnessing. “Wait,” I said when he crouched to pick up a bag. There weren’t many belongings, a few bags, but what struck me was the camp stove, the sleeping bags spread out. These people were camping out in the belly of the city. I was damn sure they wouldn’t be doing it if they weren’t desperate. “You know Neddie?”
“Neddie’s my friend,” the little girl piped up. “I’m Isabella, what’s your name?” Her mother shushed her, frightened blue eyes locked on mine.
“It’s okay,” I said, stepping into the tunnel and into the light of their lantern where they could see me better.
The older man’s eyes ran down my suit, and his eyes turned chilly, his stance more protective than before.
“You’ve been living down here.” Silence followed my words, Isabella apparently having accepted that the woman wanted her quiet. I took in the area again, which had been swept clean but was still damp and musty. There was a kind of kitchen where the propane stove sat with cans stacked in small rows along with one pot and a rusty looking pan. Where they were sitting next to the lantern, books were piled up next to a makeshift couch made out of discarded cushions piled up on the floor. “For a while.” Silence still as I met their eyes, each of them holding their breath. “No one should have to live down here.”
“We have to,” Isabella said, her voice so soft and innocent. “The shelter kicked us out.”
The little girl’s eyes got big as the woman huffed. “We did not get kicked out!” Taking in a breath, the woman put the girl on her feet and stood, retreat all over her face.
Before they could move to start packing, I held out my hand. “I’m Caleb Birchmeir, I’m—”
“I know who you are,” the old guy said, nodding respectfully. “Wayne Donaldson. This here is my daughter, Rosemary, and my granddaughter. There’s one more, Rosemary’s husband, but he’s at work right now. Been blessed to find him a job just recently.”
Jesus Christ. I’d stumbled upon an entire family living in a concrete tunnel. What did one do in this situation?
“You can’t continue living down here.” I held up a hand and began talking faster when the hard, agreeable light came into Wayne’s eyes, and he moved to pick up the bag again. “I mean, this isn’t right. For you to have to live here.”
“We got no choice,” said Rosemary, whose proud voice was anything but flowery, and for good reason. “The shelter we were staying in was shut down. There’s others, and we tried them, but it’s safer down here. Kyle’s got a job now, so—”
Isabella coughed, and it hit me just how bad living in these conditions could be. She could end up with pneumonia, they all could.
“Listen, I have resources. I want to provide you with a hotel room, or two hotel rooms adjoining. You’ve got to get out of here. If, god forbid, it rained heavily, these tunnels could flood.”
A spark of hope lit Rosemary’s eyes, but Wayne shut her down before she could open her mouth. “Thank ya, but we’ll just move on. Can’t take such a thing.”
“Dad…” Rosemary objected, her eyes pleading with the older man.
He turned to her, frowning. “You don’t even know how Kyle would react to something like that.”
“Kyle is your husband?” I asked Rosemary.
She nodded, tears glimmering unshed in her eyes.
“Why don’t you stay here, talk to Kyle, then make a decision. I’ll send Neddie down later to talk to you. And don’t worry, he’s not in any trouble. If anything, the guy’s impressed me more now than ever, and I didn’t think that was possible. He’s a paradox.” I shook my head and grinned. Neddie had obviously been checking on them, probably bringing them supplies.
Wayne nodded, scratching his chin. “We can do that, guess we can do that.”
“In the meantime, in case there’s anything you need…” I dug out my wallet, pulling out all the cash I had, and held it out to Wayne. “Here.”
The stubborn mule of a man didn’t move.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Isabella’s big eyes going from me to her grandfather and back to me. She said, “Are ya crazy, papaw?”
He scowled at her as her mother gasped.
I laughed, sorting the bills until I found a five. I tucked it in the sweet little girl’s dirty fist, then crooked my finger at her to get her to come closer. When she did, I whispered in her ear. “That’s for you, but you give this to your daddy when he gets ho—” I stopped myself. This place should never be referred to as a home. “When he gets back, okay? It’s for anything you might need.”
“I will!” she shout-whispered, nodding her head emphatically before pocketing the bill. “I won’t even do my jumping jacks so I won’t lose it.”
I stepped back to the door, on a mission now. My stomach clenched when I had the cold steel in my hand. I didn’t want to shut it and leave them in there, but I couldn’t leave the door open. It would be a security breach for the building. I guessed they had another way, probably several to get out.
“Talk to Neddie and let me know what Kyle says. Neddie knows where to find me.”
Wayne inclined his head as Rosemary sat back down on the pillow couch. “Thank you, Mr. Birchmeir.”
“Please, no thanks necessary.” I nodded and swung the door shut, throwing the latch that secured it. If I’d needed a distraction, I certainly had found one.
I went straight to ground level and the delivery entrance where Neddie had his office, but he wasn’t there. Finding another guard, I was informed that Neddie had a doctor’s appointment and wouldn’t be back until the next day. It would have to wait until then. I hoped they wouldn’t get nervous and leave, but if they did, I’d given them several hundred dollars, enough to get by for a little while.
With my distraction on hold, my mind swiftly drifted to Cherry again. I pondered asking Hunter if he wanted to hit the club tonight. I needed to get laid, and bad. For now, though, I’d have to settle for a quick workout.
I was on my way to my car to head to the gym when I realized Cherry would be there right now, training.
Fuck. I’d have to go in after hours if I planned to avoid her, and I definitely didn’t need more fuel for the fire she’d somehow set.
The day passed as I tried not to grumble at my staff, but I knew I bit a few heads off if my secretary narrowed looks were any indication.
I worked late, and at ten before nine, got in my Mercedes-Maybach S560 and drove to the gym.
When I entered, Chris was preparing to close up. I nodded at him. “I’ll lock up. Don’t worry about it.”
“I haven’t done a last check for patrons yet, sir. Andre and Cherry are still in the ring.”
I hated it when people called me sir — it made me think of my father, who ruled his business with an iron hand — but the thought of Cherry in the ring about made me salivate. “That’s fine. I’ll do the check after they go. Have a good night.”
I ushered him out the door, automatically tweaking my plans to a workout in the section of the gym farthest from the ring. I’d needed some alone time. Time to work out the fantasies of Cherry that had been plaguing me since that night at the fight. Now, with her here, I knew that would be impossible.
Making my way to the men’s locker room, where I kept a supply of workout clothes and necessities, my mind spiraled into a vivid picture of Cherry climbing a cage, her tight ass muscles working.
But even from where I stood, I could hear Cherry grunting, yelling at her sparring partner as she went to town. She was a magnificent sight, smashing her fists into the guy’s padding like he was an ex who’d done her wrong, and it made me wonder if there was a man in her life. Something had to be bothering her, but I wasn’t naïve enough to think I could ask her about it. If she wanted to tell me, she would tell me. Otherwise, it wasn’t my business.
Her frustration echoed into the weight room, even after Andre announced a final go around.
“For the last time, keep your hands up!” Andre shouted in his signature pushy manner.
“They are up!” I frowned as Cherry snapped vehemently. “They’re always up, just like my back is always straight. Could you give me some pointers I actually need?”
“Excuse me, young lady?”
I knew Andre was edgy and prone to stomping the best out of his protégé, which I’d thought would be ideal for the drive Cherry showed. Now though, I began to wonder if it was a good fit.
Pushing up off the weight bench, I stood and started for the door.
But to my surprise, before I could make it to the outer room, Cherry softened. “I’m sorry, that was out of line. I, uh, don’t have my head on straight. You mind if I take a break?”
Andre nodded, but his face was gravely serious as he spoke. “Just so you know, you get one freak-out. Do it again, and I’ll have you running circuits until your legs fall off and you’re too tired to mouth off anymore. Got it?”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” She dipped her head to him.
“Let’s call it a night, start out fresh tomorrow.” The bare minimum of a smile was on his face.
Cherry nodded, keeping her gaze on the floor as she headed for the locker room.
“Hey, you can pack it in too. It’s late,” I said from the doorway. “Don’t want to overwork the coach.”
Andre nodded, coming over to shake my hand. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea. Something’s wearing at your girl there, and whatever we do just won’t be productive until she comes out of it.”
“Hopefully this is just a one-time thing.”
“Oh, it’s definitely going to happen again. She’s gone from being an absolute phenomenon and star player to a trainee and doesn’t know who she is right now. That’s going to sting her pride. The important thing is that she gets over it and keeps going every time.”
“Huh, good to know. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Tomorrow it is.” He gave me what I was sure he thought was a friendly punch to the arm but that would have knocked over a lesser man then headed out.
Which left me in an empty building with the object of my fantasy.
And Cherry was completely nude in a shower stall twenty feet from me.
After going from room to room and turning off the lights and making sure all the doors were secured, I bolted for the weight room, intent on going straight for the most punishing machine, and ran straight into a warm body smelling of lavender and citrus. My hands automatically reached out and grasped freshly lotioned skin.
I’d run smack into Cherry making a beeline from the ladies’ locker room, her hoodie and bag slung over her arm. From the angry glint in her eyes, it was clear that she was still pissed from Andre’s earlier chastisement. She blinked up at me, her hazel eyes wary, the intense walls she’d built around her practically screaming at me to back up. But I wasn’t put off quite so easily.
From past experience, I knew that a compliment was the fastest way to get a woman to let down her guard. “Your outfit is very coordinated today,” I said in an even voice, not giving away the fact that my blood was moving faster through my veins from merely touching her soft skin.
I moved my attention from her face to the workout gear she wore too late to realize it was very uncoordinated, black and orange tights matched to a grey and pink tank. My eyes caught on the workout gear that was damn near plastered on, highlighting the hard lines of her body, accentuating the curves.
“It’s all I had left that’s clean,” she answered with almost a growl, probably thinking I was being sarcastic. “I haven’t had time to go to the laundromat.”
Her words barely registered past the pounding pulse in my ears. Suddenly, the only thing I wanted was my mouth on that silky skin, my teeth nipping the contours that made her such an interesting contradiction. I had a feeling her body wasn’t the only thing that was a contradiction.
She wanted me too. I could feel it. But her guard was up.
It wasn’t often that women kept me at bay, wary or not. I guessed I was a bit spoiled, but how could I not be when I had a contact list full of women who would eagerly answer my booty call. In fact, that was my problem. I was overdue to message one of them and work out some stress, but for some reason, I was utterly uninterested in any sort of casual hookup. I told myself I’d been busy, with the end of the fourth quarter and then the overseeing of the building and new tenants, then adding a private investment I oversaw personally. But in the back of my mind, I knew it just might be something else.
Cherry’s brows were knitted together, waiting for a response from me. My gaze caught on her darkened eyes, her pupils so big they were practically blown out.
“Laundry… oh, right.” I was a dumbass. Not everyone had their own washer and dryer, and even more, didn’t have a maid who took care of laundry for them. A few of my brain cells recovered and I let go of her shoulders. “How’s training going?”
She huffed out a breath. “According to Andre, everything I do is wrong.” Tears welled at the admission, and she quickly looked away, blinking hard.
I knew the man had been putting Cherry through her paces, and that his price tag would be worth the final output. But none of that mattered if Cherry gave up before Andre could mold her into what he’d envisioned. Morale was everything.
“Coach is the professional, but I know a thing or two. How about we get in the ring, see what we can come up with?” What the hell was I saying? I needed to create more space between us, not put us in a place where space was at a premium. My mouth just kept moving. “I was a light heavyweight in college, probably weigh in closer to heavyweight now.”
Cherry’s gaze came back to mine, curiosity overriding frustration. “You did college boxing?”
“I’m from a long line of boxers. Dad and granddad got me hooked when they took me to see the Tyson versus Williams fight in ’98. I witnessed the punch that took down Mike Tyson.”
Her eyes widened. “Really? That’s iconic. I’ve never even been to a legal fight.” I laughed, and the tension between us broke when she snickered. “I do obey the law, only break it when it comes to fighting.”
“Cherry, you were above the law that night in the underground. Let me get some gear, and we’ll do some sparring.”
When I’d gathered sparring gloves and helmets, Cherry was beating the crap out of a punching bag, her gloves already on. It couldn’t have been easy for her to fix the Velcro around her wrists. At least she was determined. I observed for several moments before finally going over to her.
I didn’t say anything at first, just held the bag in place while she punched, kicked, and otherwise massacred it. Her form had absolutely gone to pieces, and she was re-ingraining all of the bad habits that Andre was trying to break.
“You need to stop leaning so far forward off your center of gravity.”
She stopped, her gloved hands hovering in the air, her eyes flashing like I’d insulted her. I returned her stare without flinching, and after a few seconds she returned to pummeling, but in a better position.
That only lasted for maybe a minute. As her muscles grew fatigued, she began to lose her form again.
I reminded her, “You’re going off your center.”
“You seem to have quite the opinion for someone who’s just the wallet in this whole arrangement.”
Oh, so she wanted to throw barbs. I hid a smile. I loved her sass and looked forward to a good quarrel with her. Cherry was sorely mistaken if she thought I would dismiss her cheek as easily as Andre had.
“And you seem to have quite the sloppy form for someone who wants to do this as a profession.”
“It’s easy to throw those critiques from atop that mighty tower, isn’t it?” She threw a powerful punch into the bag, and I had the idea she wished it was my face.
“Almost as easy as I’d think it would be to listen to one of the best coaches this side of the country.”
She scowled. “Yeah, apparently you’ve listened enough because you think you know my every flaw.”
Flaw? When I looked at her, the last thing I saw was flaws. “I do. Only because you keep repeating the same mistakes. Something you don’t want in a fighter who’s still just a hopeful.”
“Since you know so much, why don’t you invest in yourself and go pro?” Her eyes widened at her own words, and I knew she was already regretting what she’d said.
Still, my temper flared, along with something else. What was it about this woman that allowed her to pull emotional reactions from me so easily? I didn’t question it as a retort left my mouth. “That’s certainly an idea, but I have other skill sets to rely on that don’t involve putting my personal safety on the line.”
“I have the skills to make it. I’m not just some trick pony.” Her tone was sharp as nipping teeth, but it made my blood rush in a not entirely unpleasant way.
“Would you like to prove that?”
She stepped straight up to me until maybe a finger’s length separated our bodies, the expression on her face demanding me not to take her lightly. “What I’d like to do is see just how much you really know about fighting. Care to step into the ring?”
“I don’t entirely know if a fight between us would be fair.”
“Screw fair,” she spat with a fire that was enviable. “If I lose, I shut up and do everything you and Coach instruct, no complaints. You lose, you let me do things my way and tell Andre to tone it down.”
“Alright then, who am I to turn a lady down.”
“That’s right.” She marched over to the ring, determination in each step.
I found myself more amused than angry as I followed.
She slid into the ring, and the flicker of happiness as soon as her feet touched the mat was impossible to miss. It was then I realized that she’d spent precious little time in the ring since she started her training. It was probably still a bit of a dream come true for her to be in a regulation-compliant setup, and I let her enjoy the moment.
I was struck again by how beautiful she was, her expression of consternation and surprise vivid. She was unable to hide what she felt, most of it showed plainly on her aquiline features.
However, beautiful or not, I wouldn’t let her walk all over me no matter how normal Andre said her reaction was. “Ready?” I asked as I joined her in the ring.
She took a deep breath and nodded, looking considerably less upset as she shed the boxing gloves for sparring gloves that had less padding and were open fingered. “Yeah. Want to go with standard no blows to the head?”
“Sure.” I grabbed a pair of boxing gloves that were hanging over the ropes in my corner of the ring and slipped them on.
“There’s an extra pair of sparring gloves. Here.” She tossed them to me, and I caught them but pitched them out of the ring.
“What are you…?” Her forehead creased. “You trying to give me an advantage?” Damn, she was even prettier when she was mad.
“Not an advantage. I’ll be damned if I fight you with that little bit of padding to soften the blow.”
“I didn’t come in this ring with you so you could soften the blow.” Her gloved hands went to her hips.
My carefully held temper snapped. “Fuck it.” I retrieved the gloves, stuffed my hands in. “Don’t whine to Coach Andre tomorrow when you have bruises.”
One of her perfectly manicured eyebrows quirked up. “I may have an attitude, but I don’t whine.” She shifted, the lights above highlighting her hair with a reddish cast that matched her name.
I was momentarily stunned. How could I fight her if merely the light glancing off her hair turned me into a simpleton?
I settled into a fighter’s stance but couldn’t hold the words back. “You’re beautiful standing in this ring, about to let loose. Magnificent. Your opponents have to be off balance when they get in the ring with you.” I knew enough about MMA to not be completely shit out of luck but was worried my attraction to her was going to be the deciding factor. I wanted to pin her so she would have to bow to my and Andre’s wishes. My wishes most of all.
“Stop with the flattery.” Her cheeks were flushed, so I knew my words held weight. “You know as much about MMA as you do boxing?”
“This gym has a large population of boxers and other fighters that used the facilities. I started working out with some of the boxers, eventually moving to sparring with the MMA guys. I know enough.”
“Oh. I had you pegged for a muscle-bound money man who didn’t know a triangle choke from a four-corner hold.” Her words threw me out of my concentration as she’d obviously planned, and she made the first move, coming across the mat with impressive speed.
“I could teach you some things then.” I threw up my guard, and she struck my arm, hard. I needed to go on the offensive.
But now that I was in the moment, with the gorgeous woman barely a breath from me, I realized that I didn’t want to hit her. In fact, I couldn’t quite remember why I had agreed to this in the first place. The thought of hurting Cherry, even temporarily, seemed utterly repugnant.
It wasn’t often that my temper got the best of me, and I found myself regretting the situation I put myself in.
But Cherry certainly didn’t seem to be bothered by the idea of hurting me, so I threw a couple of jabs followed by a round kick that had my foot tapping her neck.
“Cocky.” Her face flushed as the word that made up most of “cocky” came out of her mouth with a tiny “y” sound at the end.
I needed to find a way to end this quickly, with minimum impact. And she’d just given it to me. “Yeah, I have a lot of cock… iness.” I grinned, and her eyes widened.
Thankfully, she was already exhausted from an intense workout. So, I bided my time, keeping her at bay while what I wanted was to scoop her up and kiss her until neither of us could breathe.
She lashed out to kick me, twisting her splendid hips in a perfect roundhouse, and I dropped to my knees while surging forward. I caught her before she could rechamber and used my shoulder to swing her to the ground.
She let out an oomph as her back hit the mat, and I clambered over her to get into the mounted position, straddling her chest. She quickly realized what was happening and wrapped her legs around my waist to prevent me from getting the best position.
Cherry was a formidable opponent. I pressed my hands to her inner knees, breaking her hold on my waist. Her legs went wider, like they would if she were making room for me between her thighs. I imagined myself dropping into the space, feeling her thighs clamp around me for a different reason.
A hard punch landed at my solar plexus, knocking the air from my lungs.