box
where I’d been sitting.
That was why Robert had turned cold to me.
He’d seen that Anderson let himself get distracted by my presence.
He knew that it was my fault. No wonder he had been so angry. If
Anderson had been hit a little harder, he could have lost his spot
in the league entirely. To Robert, I was bad news. A distraction.
Someone to be hated and rid of as soon as possible.
“Kaela,” Anderson said, “Are you OK?”
I shook my head to dislodge my fears. There
was no way I could articulate my concern to him. Robert had been
like a father to him, and I knew that Anderson held his opinions in
very high esteem. If I voiced my worry, maybe Anderson would be
convinced. If Robert thought that I was a jinx, Anderson might come
to feel that way too. I decided to keep mum. Surely, that night’s
fight would be far more successful. If it went off without a hitch,
Robert would have no reason to suspect that I was throwing off
Anderson’s fighting. I forced my lips into a smile and looked up
into Anderson’s troubled face.
“I’m fine,” I said, “I just...I can’t figure
out which dress to wear! Why don’t you pick it for me...?”
I prepared for the match, fighting to keep a
cheerful smile on my face. The last thing I wanted to do was plant
a seed of doubt in Anderson’s head before a big match. For his
part, Anderson remained oblivious to the anxiety that was gnawing
away at me. As the fight approached, his focus narrowed sharply. He
was already channeling all of his attention and energy toward the
altercation that was soon to come. Watching him get in the zone for
his fight was fascinating—I was entranced by the way his mind and
body worked together. He’d been so finely trained that watching him
get ready for a fight was like listening to an orchestra tuning up
before a symphony. All of his muscles were preparing for the brawl,
arranging and coordinating. No wonder sex with him was so an
incredible. When we made love, I was the focus of all that
brilliant energy. How did I get so lucky...I could never presume to
guess.
In the end I settled on a tight black dress
with a fine lacy overlay. The back of the dress was cutout, leaving
the curve of my spine and twin wingtips of my shoulder blades bare.
Anderson came up behind me as I made up my face in the mirror and
placed his powerful hands on my hips. I could see his eyes in the
mirror, could see that they were drinking in the sight of me with
desperate desire.
“You’d better not sit too close to the ring
tonight,” he said, his fingers tightening against my skin, “I’ll
get too distracted by how amazing you look.”
“Don’t even joke,” I told him, brushing
mascara onto my eyelashes. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me, a
possible fix. “You know,” I said, “I could always stay here, if you
think that having me at the match will mess things up.”
A troubled look clouded Anderson’s face.
“Skip the fight?” he said, “You want to skip the fight?”
“No, no,” I said, turning toward him, “I just
wanted to offer. In case you’d rather I didn’t come.”
“Why wouldn’t I want you to come?” Anderson
asked angrily.
“I don't know, I just thought it might be
better...” I said, shocked by his anger.
“Is there something wrong?” Anderson asked,
taking a step closer, “Did something happen at the last fight that
you didn’t mention?”
I thought about Robert’s angry gaze, the way
he’d turned cold the moment Anderson had been knocked down. I
wanted to tell Anderson all about my suspicions, but still I was
hesitant. “I don’t want to get inside your head right before the
match,” I said.
“But there is something?” Anderson
pressed.
“Well...Yeah, I suppose.”
“Tell me,” he said.
“Anderson—”
“Tell me what’s bothering you, Kaela. I’ll be
dwelling on it all night unless you come out and say what’s on your
mind.”
I took a deep breath, knowing that there was
no way to get out of
where I’d been sitting.
That was why Robert had turned cold to me.
He’d seen that Anderson let himself get distracted by my presence.
He knew that it was my fault. No wonder he had been so angry. If
Anderson had been hit a little harder, he could have lost his spot
in the league entirely. To Robert, I was bad news. A distraction.
Someone to be hated and rid of as soon as possible.
“Kaela,” Anderson said, “Are you OK?”
I shook my head to dislodge my fears. There
was no way I could articulate my concern to him. Robert had been
like a father to him, and I knew that Anderson held his opinions in
very high esteem. If I voiced my worry, maybe Anderson would be
convinced. If Robert thought that I was a jinx, Anderson might come
to feel that way too. I decided to keep mum. Surely, that night’s
fight would be far more successful. If it went off without a hitch,
Robert would have no reason to suspect that I was throwing off
Anderson’s fighting. I forced my lips into a smile and looked up
into Anderson’s troubled face.
“I’m fine,” I said, “I just...I can’t figure
out which dress to wear! Why don’t you pick it for me...?”
I prepared for the match, fighting to keep a
cheerful smile on my face. The last thing I wanted to do was plant
a seed of doubt in Anderson’s head before a big match. For his
part, Anderson remained oblivious to the anxiety that was gnawing
away at me. As the fight approached, his focus narrowed sharply. He
was already channeling all of his attention and energy toward the
altercation that was soon to come. Watching him get in the zone for
his fight was fascinating—I was entranced by the way his mind and
body worked together. He’d been so finely trained that watching him
get ready for a fight was like listening to an orchestra tuning up
before a symphony. All of his muscles were preparing for the brawl,
arranging and coordinating. No wonder sex with him was so an
incredible. When we made love, I was the focus of all that
brilliant energy. How did I get so lucky...I could never presume to
guess.
In the end I settled on a tight black dress
with a fine lacy overlay. The back of the dress was cutout, leaving
the curve of my spine and twin wingtips of my shoulder blades bare.
Anderson came up behind me as I made up my face in the mirror and
placed his powerful hands on my hips. I could see his eyes in the
mirror, could see that they were drinking in the sight of me with
desperate desire.
“You’d better not sit too close to the ring
tonight,” he said, his fingers tightening against my skin, “I’ll
get too distracted by how amazing you look.”
“Don’t even joke,” I told him, brushing
mascara onto my eyelashes. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me, a
possible fix. “You know,” I said, “I could always stay here, if you
think that having me at the match will mess things up.”
A troubled look clouded Anderson’s face.
“Skip the fight?” he said, “You want to skip the fight?”
“No, no,” I said, turning toward him, “I just
wanted to offer. In case you’d rather I didn’t come.”
“Why wouldn’t I want you to come?” Anderson
asked angrily.
“I don't know, I just thought it might be
better...” I said, shocked by his anger.
“Is there something wrong?” Anderson asked,
taking a step closer, “Did something happen at the last fight that
you didn’t mention?”
I thought about Robert’s angry gaze, the way
he’d turned cold the moment Anderson had been knocked down. I
wanted to tell Anderson all about my suspicions, but still I was
hesitant. “I don’t want to get inside your head right before the
match,” I said.
“But there is something?” Anderson
pressed.
“Well...Yeah, I suppose.”
“Tell me,” he said.
“Anderson—”
“Tell me what’s bothering you, Kaela. I’ll be
dwelling on it all night unless you come out and say what’s on your
mind.”
I took a deep breath, knowing that there was
no way to get out of
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