“Leo?” Bailey nudged at the man as he slept. The thoughts of her daughter and the trouble she may be in had kept her tossing and turning all night despite sleeping next to one of the most powerful and imposing men in the world. “Leo? Will you wake up? Talk to me, please? I can’t sleep.”
Leo rolled his large, tan body towards her, taking the sheets with him. The alcohol had slowly worn off as the night progressed and Bailey fed him meal after meal in an attempt to sober him up. Now he could see Bailey for who she truly was: the strongest, bravest person he had ever met. His eyes fluttered open as he groggily spoke. “What’s the matter?” he murmured.
He pulled her closer with the arm she laid upon. Her head rested upon his bare, hot chest as she traced the lines of his bulging muscles with the smooth pads of her fingers. “I just need a distraction. I—tell me something no one else knows.” Bailey loved the idea of being the keeper of a secret. It wasn’t often that she had someone to tell hers to, let alone someone to trust her with their own. And with her spilling her life out to him by sharing her daughter, she justified it as him owing her one back.
“A secret? Oh, um. Let me think…” Leo longed to shout at her about how he was being blackmailed, how he worried he’d be sent to jail for a long time, how he had made way too many mistakes for a lifetime and now they were catching up to him. But instead, he said the first thing that came to his mind, “My dad never loved me.” Leo had never said those words out loud. He had thought about it every day of his life, yet he wasn’t given the outlet or the courage to say it. Something about the way that Bailey looked at him made him believe she would understand.
He sucked in all the air he could as he let it out in a storm of words, “He was a hard man. He expected perfection at every turn. I had to be the best student, the best athlete, the best son. If I couldn’t live up to it, he would cut me out. He went a month without talking to me when I was in the first grade because I failed a spelling test. A spelling test.”
Bailey tried hard to imagine a studious Leo sitting pretty at a desk. It didn’t add up. “What did he think when you took on boxing? I mean, that’s not really the sport of scholars, is it?”
“He hated it. If it weren’t for my mom sneaking me into classes, I would have never gotten started. I would have never discovered that I loved to nearly kill people. She saw the bloodlust in me. And I think it was her mission to let me get it out in the ring.” Leo thought back fondly to the woman in the button down cardigans watching him from the bleachers. Even as a teen, he realized that if his father found out that she was supporting him in this, she would pay for it in one way or another.
“He had to have found out, though, right? I mean, when you got discovered by Jonathan and then started professionally fighting, he knew.” Bailey asked the questions to his chest, afraid that looking at him would break his spell of openness and honesty.
“He did. One day we were out to eat at this fancy French restaurant. I think we were celebrating one of his international deals. A busboy that sparred with me when I was younger came up to us at our table and congratulated me on my win.” Leo laughed as he added, “Not only did my dad have a heart attack as the words ‘boxing’ and ‘fight’ were used, he also couldn’t believe a busboy would break protocol like that. We never did go back there again…”
“Was he ever proud of you? I mean, you won a title. Even if you were a boxer and it wasn’t a sport he thought was good enough for you, you at least were the best at it.” Bailey wanted to justify Leo’s father’s actions for him. She wanted to give him the hope that he could be loved, especially by family.
“No. The day I won the title was the day he never spoke to me again. He died about five months later from the accident in Monaco. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye. I wasn’t able to fly out of the country.” Leo’s voice softened at the thought. He did not regret what had transpired between him and his dad. But not being able to be there for his mother had been one of the biggest crosses he had to bear.
“Why not? Why couldn’t you fly?”
He sighed. She was going to learn someday. It might as well be from his own mouth as he was in her confessional. “I’m not a good man, Bailey. I’ve done some horrible things to some good people. After that title match in Vegas, I got hopped up on drugs and some pills this girl had given me. We went to this bar—the, uh, The Snapper. It’s where all the greats went to celebrate a win. There was this guy there and he was with the other fighter’s crew. He was talking trash. I don’t know what it is about me, but I couldn’t let him do that to me. I couldn’t let him call me a spoiled asshole after I just beat his guy fair and square. So when he followed me outside, I got him.”
Bailey lurched in horror. She knew what was coming next, yet she had to hear it. This was his story, the unedited version.
“I knocked him out with one punch. I didn’t even hit him that hard. I just saw red when he poked me in the shoulder so I swung, got in contact with him, and he went down. The ambulances came when he didn’t get up. He didn’t get up for a long time…The cops didn’t take me away so I followed the ambulance to the hospital. He had a brain hemorrhage and had to be put in a coma. The next day they arrested me. I sat in jail for two days before the judge decided on my bond of ten million. I can’t leave the country until my trial is over. It’s in three weeks, and I’m scared to death of what’s going to happen to me.”
She could feel him tremble in her arms as the thought of life behind bars rocked him. She asked timidly, “What happened to the other guy, the one in the coma?”
“After that night, his sister Alecia kept in contact with me and gave me updates behind the lawyers’ backs. The last I heard, he was out of the hospital and in rehab. She still emails me every now and then with updates. I think she could see that I wanted to know what happened to him. I genuinely didn’t want to hurt him, you know.” Leo wanted to run. What he had done in the name of alcohol deserved nothing but the dishonor his father showed him. “I didn’t deserve to be at that funeral. My parents, my mom, she’s better off that I wasn’t there.”
Bailey sat up on her arms and looked him into his eyes. They brown pools with its gold, fiery flecks danced in the moonlight from the open bay windows. “There’s always time to say goodbye.”
“I know that. I—I know…” He struggled to think of more to say, so instead he asked her, “Listen, I need a few character witnesses for this trial. I know it’s a lot to ask, especially since you’ve seen so much. I mean, hell, even tonight I screwed up. But I want to make a change, and I need someone to vouch for me. No one knows me like you do.”
“I don’t know, Leo. I can’t lie under oath.” She thought back to her own courtroom drama with her ex-husband screaming at her in front of a judge, accusing her of lying about the abuse.
“I’m not asking you to lie about what I have or haven’t done. I’m asking you to believe in me. I’m going to get better. Every day, I’m going to fight this. Can you see that?” He wanted nothing more than for her to understand how much he wanted to be a better person.
“I will, Leo. I will.” She wasn’t sure what he expected of her, but she would do it. Bailey could feel the earnest effort he was putting forth was genuine. He wanted to be and do more. And for some reason, he wanted to do it for her.
Leo’s face lit up. She had given him hope. A thought crossed his mind as he tried to repay her gesture, “You want to go box with me?”
Bailey smiled as Leo jumped from the bed and began tossing workout clothes in her direction as he quickly slipped on a pair of his trousers. This had become his new favorite hobby: to teach Bailey new boxing moves. He loved seeing her transform with a pair of gloves and him as the punching bag.
The two walked down the steps to the massive training gym in Leo’s garage’s basement. The underground arena was cool and quiet, but it was full to the brim with the latest in workout equipment. Since Bailey had him reopen it, Leo had gone nuts upgrading the facilities. He had even order painters to come and slap a new coat of blue and white along the walls to spruce up what was once an abandoned dungeon.
Leo quickly taped up her hands and then grabbed a mat. She easily jumped into the ring, unlike her first attempt, and got into the position he taught her with her legs spread apart and her chest and neck protected by her arms. He walked around her, studying her body. His warm hands readjusted her hips, squaring them towards where he would stand. And he lifted her chin a bit with the crook of his fingers as he asked her, “Are you ready?”
With all that she could muster, she answered, “Yes.” Bailey ran through the drills that Leo had taught her. She nailed each routine and combination that he shouted. Her punches grew heavier and tighter as the hour passed. Instead of growing more and more tired, she began to burn with fire. Leo watched as she gritted her teeth and stared directly into the mat as if it were her sworn worst enemy.
“Combination 4! Come on, now! Get it! Square the shoulder down!” He noticed her slowing. “Don’t stop now, Bailey. Think of this mat as Joe. What do you want to show him?”
Bailey punched as hard as she could before landing a jab. “I’m stronger than him!” She shouted it out of the blue as answer to his question.
Leo returned, “Who are you, Bailey? What do you want?”
“I want to win.” Another powerful blow as she returned back to her starting position. “I want to WIN! I want to teach that son of a bitch who he's messing with!”
“Are you the old Bailey who took his abuse?” Leo knew he had hit on a nerve.
“NO! I’M NOT!” Her whole body shook as she began the combination again.
“That’s right. You’re Bailey fuckin’ Reed and you’re not only strong, you’re powerful.” He shouted it at her, knowing she would believe him.
She did a jab followed by a cross, “I’m powerful!”
“Scream it!”
“I’M POWERFUL” She landed a left uppercross.
“MEAN IT, BAILEY! MEAN IT LIKE I MEAN IT! YOU’RE STRONG! YOU’RE BRAVE! YOU’RE POWERFUL!” He took two steps closer to her, giving her the impression he was about to attack.
“I’M BAILEY AND I’M POWERFUL!” She landed her final cross and right hand as she dropped her hands and her gloves. A glazed over look came over her face as she slumped, whispering to herself, “I’m powerful…I’m powerful…I’m powerful…”
Leo left the mat on the floor as he ran to her side. He cradled her into his arms and bare chest as he ran his hands through her sweaty hair. “Hey! Hey! Kid, what’s going on? What’s wrong?”
“I’m not powerful, Leo. I left her. I left her! I left her because I couldn’t provide for her.” She began to sob as the realization hit her like a wave.
“You didn’t leave her. You saved her. You put her in a home where she would be fed and taken care of. You didn’t have another option. Joe took that away from you. And we’re going to get her back. As soon as we can, we’re going to get Lily back.” A thought occurred to Leo as he stared down at the red glove on the ring’s floor. “Look. What is the best way to win a match?”
“I – I don’t know…” Bailey hugged him closer, not wanting to let his protection go.
“The best way to win is to present a good offense. We’re not being aggressive here. We need to get to Joe before he gets to her. We need to study him, know his faults. That’s what you do before a big match. We need to study his tapes.”
Bailey thought about what Leo had proposed. She had wanted nothing to do with him, let alone learn about the kind of life he had been living. Yet, he made a point. If she could be one step ahead of the maniac, she could outwit him. And with Leo by her side, there would be no way he would ever make an attempt on her or her daughter either.
“I don’t know how I could ever even begin to thank you for this.” Bailey used her free arm to gesture to the expansive space around and above her.
“What are you talking about?”
“This, Leo. You’ve given me a chance at a new life. And as soon as I can find a place for Lily and I, we’ll get out of your hair. But you will always be a part of our story. I don’t know how I'm going to ever thank you for that.” Bailey looked up at him as tears continued to pool in her eyes.
Leo found the words forming at his mouth before he could stop them, “Then don’t go.”
“What?” Bailey knew she wasn’t hearing him right.
“Then don’t go. Stay here. You and Lily. Stay here.” He meant every word of it. There was no place in his former heart for a kept woman, let alone a child. But the thought of Bailey leaving him again was enough to melt him to his core. She had to stay.
Suddenly, Bailey reached up to Leo’s face and pulled it to her own. She kissed him hard, with everything that she had. He leaned his weight into her own as his arms twisted around her body, forcing her to walk backwards into the ring’s edge. Their mouths continued to twist and turn over each other’s soft lips. She bit, he sucked. Their tongues chased one another from one end to the next.
Leo’s hands traced over the curves of her body. She wore only a sports bra and a pair of gym shorts giving him the ability to feel every inch of her soft skin. His hands grabbed the roundness of her backside and squeezed it tightly so she further pressed into him. Bailey could feel his member growing and pulsating up against her stomach. Her hand dove its way down his golden colored shorts to where it awaited.
She slowly began massaging the shaft with the softness of her palm as he let out a low, deep moan. “Fuck, Bailey…” She yanked the shorts down, exposing him to her as she broke his grip on her body and sank to her knees. He gathered her long brown hair into a ponytail as he watched her in awe. She started with a few small licks with the tip of her pink tongue. It simply flickered against the shaft. But then, without warning, her mouth sucked in his entire length as her head rocked back and forth against the sensitive, stretched skin.
Leo arched his back up against the ropes. Every inch of her wet mouth was an area to be explored and she was giving him her own personal tour. She added small sucks and cool breaths to the mix as her pace quickened. Her hands gently tugged at his balls as they collected themselves.
As he grew close, dangerously close, he pulled her away by her hair, forcing her to fall to the ground. Bailey laid up out on the ring’s mat, waiting for him to pounce. But instead, he stood above her, watching her from his perch. His cock still stood at attention as he caught his breath. He studied the way her breasts formed mountains upon her tiny body and the indent of her hipbone pooling along her torso. She was all peaks and valleys.
He made his way down to the ground as he gently kissed her forehead. She smiled as he released. He then kissed her cheek, her shoulder, her hand. And then, in one impossibly swift motion, he turned her over, placing her on her hands and knees. His arm hooked around her stomach as the other tore at the fabrics of her biker shorts and panties. She couldn’t move if she dared, but she didn’t even try.
Before she knew it, he was in her with one sudden pound of his cock around and in her skin. He was relentless, not wanting to take it slow. He needed her, and he needed her now. He grabbed her hair again, using it as a prop to help him push into her even faster. She screamed at the shock, but the slapping of his hips into hers covered the noise.
Her pussy filled with the sticky liquid that dripped onto his raging cock. He reached down from under her to feel it for himself. She inhaled sharply as he began massaging at her clit. He fell down back on top of her as she struggled to hold his weight and hers with her two hands. His long body covered hers as he continued his assault over and over again, barely giving her the opportunity to breathe.
“Bailey,” he whispered in her ear between gasps, “Look at me.”
She couldn’t bear to turn her head. The sensation of his hard cock drilling her was too much. She looked down at her hands as she tried to concentrate on it.
“Look at me!” He screamed at her.
She turned her head slightly, catching his intense, focused gaze. His eyes darkened with longing as he heaved and then flipped her body over once more so she laid on her back, completely exposed. She had no time to consider the movement before he was in her again, this time holding her legs straight up in the air around his hips as he pressed into her even farther than before.
“You’re not...going...anywhere…” He meant every word. “Stay…with me…”
She cried out as her body began to tremble. Her entire being shook with longing and an unspoken devotion.
“Say you’ll stay!”
Words failed to come out of her mouth as the intensity burrowed into her. Her back arched and turned as she pushed herself further into his hips.
“Say it!” he roared at her as his own body burst.
“I’ll stay! I’ll stay!” She shouted it out as every inch of her gave way and exploded into a hot pool of ecstasy upon the ring’s blue floors. He fell upon her as the last drop of him finally seeped out. Together, they laid there contemplating the promises they had made to one another. Him to protect her. Her to stay as long as he could. As long as his secrets remained kept.