Demi
I came out of the locker room, at the gym, ready to get on a treadmill, when I noticed Nick talking to two strange men as his dad looked on. Alvey had a slightly amused look on his face, now, but I couldn't see Nick's face, since he had his back to me. I walked toward them, curiousity getting the best of me.
I didn't make my presence known to Nick, as I got close enough to hear the one man introduce himself. "I'm Munroe Bailey. I'm the Vice President of scouting & development for Wilhelmina modeling agency & this is Geoffrey Davis, one of our scouts."
Nick shook both their hands & glanced at his dad, who shrugged with his eyebrows up. I could see Nick's face & he looked confused. I couldn't believe what they were saying after Nick said, "Okay? What can I do for you?"
"I was doing a photoshoot last week with Marc White & he had a calendar on his desk. I noticed your picture & asked him about you. He showed me all of your pictures from that shoot & said you were a natural in front of the camera. He was right. Each shot was better than the next." Geoffrey Davis said as I stood there with my mouth hanging open. I knew Nick was good looking, but I never imagined he was model material.
"We were hoping you would do an audition photo shoot with one of our photographers, while some directors, agents & us all observe. If they like what they see, you could be signed on as a model." Munroe Bailey said, sounding enthusiastic.
Nick chuckled & shook his head, then got a serious look on his face. "Are you joking?"
"No, we're not joking. We're very serious. And our agency is one of the top agencies in the country so if you sign with us, you'll get a lot of work & the pay is pretty good, even starting out. So... are you interested?" Mr. Bailey asked.
Nick looked at his dad then grinned as he turned to look back at the men. "Of course I'm interested."
"Great." Geoffrey pulled out a card & handed it to Nick. "Be at that address on Friday at eight a.m. Don't worry about how to dress. Simple is fine, since they'll give you clothes they want you to wear." He stuck his hand out for Nick to shake, then turned to Alvey. "So nice to meet you, Alvey & glad you're protective of your son."
"Well, in the MMA business, we can make a lot of enemies. I was just looking out for my good looking son." Alvey smiled, then squeezed Nick's shoulder. "He gets his dashing good looks from me, in case you were wondering." Alvey laughed hard at his own joke & Nick looked down, looking like he was a little embarrassed by his dad.
The two men chuckled as they exchanged a look, then they say their goodbyes & left. Nick turned around & laughed as his dad grinned at him. "This is crazy. I could be a fucking model. How's that for a career change?" Nick saw me, at that moment & smiled. "Babe... did you hear?"
"I did. You might be America's next top model." I chuckled, stepping forward to hug him. "I'm so happy for you."
"Thanks." Nick looked down at the card, in his hand & shook his head. "Wow. I'm still in shock."
"Well, you are a hottie. At least those girls, from last night, thought so." I smirked & he rolled his eyes. "I guess I better get on that treadmill if I'm gonna keep my super hot boyfriend."
Nick grabbed me around the waist before I could walk away from him, his mouth by my ear. "I'm yours forever. I'm a kept man already." His hands were around me & he tapped my stomach, gently, giving me butterflies since I knew he was referring to the baby inside me.
"Good to know." I giggled as he kissed my neck, then he let go of me. I walked to the treadmill & started it up. I put my earbuds in & got lost in my music as I walked, then ran for a bit. I only stopped to take a selfie of myself, since I was obsessed with social media these days & figured it was a good way to document my pregnancy.
After I finished on the treadmill, I went to work out on one of the weight machines. I was lifting my legs as I hung from the bar & was so into my workout that I didn't notice Nick watching me. I smiled as I let my legs touch the floor. "You amaze me." Nick said in a gush of air as he leaned on a piece of equipment.
I chuckled as I let go of the bar. "I figured as much, but why exactly?"
"You're pregnant & working out."
"Well, I worked out before & I really started to like it & I like the way I feel. And I'm sure one day, I'll be too big & uncomfortable to do this, so I'm going to enjoy it for as long as I can."
"Good. I like watching you work out. Are you almost finished?" Nick came a little closer to me.
"I'm done on this equipment."I replied, walking to sit down & Nick sat beside me.
"Want to grab some dinner on our way home?"
"You don't have to work at the bar tonight?" I wrinkled my forehead, since it was Tuesday & he, sometimes, worked on Tuesdays.
"He hired a new bartender, so I'm probably only going to do two nights a week & he said I could bounce too, if I wanted. Now, that I have these training clients, I might not need to work the bar as much."
"And then if you get signed on as a big time model...." I poked him in the stomach as my eyebrows went up, playfully. He grinned as he leaned to kiss me.
"Don't worry. I won't forget the little people, like you."
"Cute." I said, with narrowed eyes. "Know what I want to do?"
"What?"
"Get in the ring & spar. Want to join me?"
"You want to hit me, huh? You want to make me look less pretty so I won't get signed as a model, don't you?" Nick smirked at me & I rolled my eyes. "Yea, I'll get in there with ya."
Nick grabbed some striking pads & I put some gloves on, then we got in the ring. I punched the pads he held up, over & over, turning a little like I was training for a fight. Nick threw out some tips, every now & then, making me laugh. "Are you charging me for this training session?" I asked, breathlessly.
"You get my services for free." He smiled with one eyebrow cocked.
"Oh yea? Good to know." I laughed as I hit one of his padded hands. "And you get my services for free."
Nick smiled, broadly, his eyebrows up. "Uh... I think I had to pay for your PT services."
"Well, that was before I fell in love with you & before I was carrying your child."
He laughed & nodded. "Right." He held the pads up so I could strike them a few times. "Love sure pays."
Nick & I stayed in the ring for almost a half hour, then we showered before we left to go grab dinner & head home. We ate, then sat on the couch to watch TV. Nick was on his phone texting most of the evening & finally I sighed. "Who are you texting?"
"I was texting Matt, from the bar, to see if I could switch shifts with someone since I have to get up early Friday for the model audition. I was supposed to work Thursday night. And I was texting the ladies I'm training. They want to do their first session tomorrow after they get off work." He was looking at his phone when he answered me & for some reason, it annoyed me. I turned back to the tv to watch the show I had turned on, that Nick wasn't even paying attention to, now. I was trying not to worry about his new career path, but I feared I'd hardly get to see him. And no, I wasn't thrilled he was working with four attractive women. I didn't want to seem like a jealous girlfriend so I kept my mouth shut.
"Are you working with them at the gym or somewhere else?"
"At the gym. My dad said I could use the gym & I didn't even have to pay fees for them. Dad is being so cool & supportive. I appreciate it so much."
"Maybe he's trying to make up for the time you two weren't talking."
"Maybe." Nick said, looking up at the TV as he placed his phone beside him, on the couch.
That night we headed to bed & just as we were kissing each other goodnight, his phone chirped. I thought we'd make love, but instead he was turning over & grabbing his phone to check it. He glanced over his shoulder as he stood up. "Babe, I might be a little while, so don't stay up, waiting for me. I love you." He headed out of the room, texting away & I laid there staring at the ceiling as I tried to calm myself down. I calmed down enough to fall asleep, surprisingly & didn't even wake up when Nick came to bed, so I had no idea what time he came back.
When I woke the next morning, he was gone, but left a note on his pillow. "Good morning, Beautiful. I wanted to get an early start at the gym, so I kissed you as you slept soundly. Have an amazing day. I'll see you later. I love you." I wanted to be angry, but his sweet note made me smile. I sighed, thinking maybe I was overreacting, then I got up & got ready for work.
After work, I decided to go to the gym because I wanted to work out & of course I wanted to spy on Nick training the attractive women. He hadn't texted or called me all day, so I was somewhat annoyed when I got to the gym after work. Nick wasn't even there, according to his dad & brother. Lisa was there & I worked out with her a little, while I waited for Nick to get there.
I had been there over an hour, when Nick finally came in, but he wasn't alone, so I couldn't talk to him about his day. The four ladies he was training were with him, so I hung back & went to the treadmill to walk, while I spied. Nick was smiling a lot & laughing often as he showed the ladies around the gym. They all seemed to be flirtatious, but it could have been my imagination. The girls were all in their workout attire, so they put their bags down & got to work after their tour.
Nick took them to the mats to warm up & I wished I could hear what he was saying to them. He did several exercise reps, then they all headed to the bikes. Nick got on one to show them a few things they could do while they were on the bike, then he got off & they kept cycling, while Nick seemed to set a timer on his phone. A guy came over & started talking to him & I decided I was tired of walking on this treadmill. I got off of it, then headed to the locker room to shower.
I came out of the locker room & now Nick was with the girls in a different part of the gym, doing exercises with weights. I stopped to watch him for a few minutes because he looked so hot. I smiled, feeling lucky that he was mine. My gaze went to the girls & one of them, Sara, the one who had the baby, was watching Nick's ass with lust in her eyes. Did she not have a boyfriend that fathered the baby she had at home? Or a husband? I rolled my eyes, sighed, then walked closer to where Nick was, so I'd catch his eye. When I did, he nodded, smiled & held up one finger to let me know to give him a minute.
Finally, Nick stopped his exercises & turned to look at the women. "Great start, ladies. Now, how about fifteen minutes of slow running or fast walking on the treadmills then you can call it a day?" Nick asked pointing toward the treadmills.
"Wow, has it been an hour?" Sara asked as she walked toward Nick, a soft smile on her face.
"Yep, in fifteen minutes it will be an hour."
"Time flies when you're having fun & I never knew working out could be so much fun." Sara batted her lashes, then turned to walk away, purposely shaking her ass, at least as I saw it, from my point of view.
I looked, quickly at Nick's face & good thing for him, he was looking at me & not her ass. "How was your day?" I asked as I hugged him.
"It was good. I got up early, came to the gym, worked out for a few hours, then met with Sean & recorded my testimony. He'll be calling you, too, to do that in the next few days I bet. And I found out who was working undercover, on the inside at Chuck's gym." Nick's eyebrows went up a few times.
"Who?"
"Joe. He has been working with the FBI for almost five years, trying to get enough evidence to bring Chuck down." Nick shook his head as he crossed his arms.
"That's insane. I hope they take his ass down for good. I hope he goes away for a long time."
"I think he will." Nick said, nodding, then he looked over at the girls on the treadmills. "I should probably get back to work. I'll see you at home later, okay?" Nick leaned toward me & puckered, so I kissed him, quickly, then nodded as he walked away. I watched him for a few minutes as he checked on his new clients & when I saw that he was acting professional, I left.
The next morning, Nick got up pretty early & I woke up when I heard the bathroom door close. When he came out minutes later, all freshly showered & smelling like mint from brushing his teeth, I got up & laid on the bed, the opposite way, while he put on his shoes. "Good luck today." I said with a groggy smile, looking up at him.
"Thank you, baby." Nick grinned down at me, then finished putting his shoes on. He stood up & leaned down to kiss me. "I'll call you after it's all over & let ya know how it goes." He murmured, with his face a few inches from mine. "I love you." He said with a smile, then stood up.
"I love you, too." I called out as he walked toward the door, then I collapsed on the bed. I fell back asleep minutes later.
Nick didn't call me while I was at work, nor did he send me any texts, so when I was leaving work that afternoon, I was annoyed with him, yet again. I got in my car & headed to the gym, hoping he was there. He was there, alright, but he wasn't alone. He was on a mat, doing pushups, but he had an attractive woman sitting on his back. I inhaled, slowly, counting to ten in my head so I didn't go off on him.
I kept my distance until the woman got off of him, then I realized that one of the gentlemen from the modeling agency was nearby, watching them & he was snapping photos. Now, I was confused. As I kept watching, I saw Nick trying to teach her to throw a punch & when he stood behind her, I rolled my eyes & sighed, loudly. I must have sighed louder than I thought, because he turned to look my way.
Nick smiled, as he leaned to say something to the woman, then he said something to the guy from the agency, before he came over to me. He kissed my cheek & smiled. "Babe. I have had the best day." He exclaimed, sounding like an excited kid.
"Oh yea? Well, I wouldn't know anything about that since you didn't call me."
"I'm so sorry, but I really haven't had a chance. I was at the audition shoot for like four hours & then I met with the people in charge & they asked me a bunch of questions. That took an hour, then they took me out to lunch & then they wanted to see me in my natural environment because they said they get a lot of athletic type modeling jobs, that I could be perfect for. So we came here & they wanted to do some shots of me & that girl, to see how I would be with other people in a shoot. She's the assistant to the photographer that shot me today. Anyway, they want to sign me & they love me, baby. They said I would probably get a lot of work because of my look & because I'm versatile. They put me in suits & I rocked them. They put me in gym clothes & of course, I rocked those & then we came here & they had me wear this. I'm going to be a fucking model. Can you believe it?" He was smiling so proudly, I had a hard time staying mad at him anymore.
"That's great. I'm happy for you, Nick."
"Thanks. Are you working out?" He asked & I nodded. "Well, I think I'm just about finished with these guys. They want me to go back to the agency so they can go over the contracts & then I'll sign them & then I can come back here & work out a little while."
"Okay. I guess I'll see you later, then." I managed a smile & he gave me a quick kiss before he turned & headed back to the people he had come with. The female assistant was watching me, carefully & I couldn't help but get a familiar feeling inside me. It was the same feeling I had when I first encountered Delta & I had the feeling she wanted Nick. I had been right & now I feared I was right again. This chick looked like she wanted Nick, the way she was looking at him & batting her lashes & touching his arm, lightly. I didn't want to be that jealous, controlling girlfriend, but I couldn't help but worry about Nick working so closely with all these women. Between his training & his new modeling career, he was going to be surrounded by gorgeous women & I was scared it was going to cause problems with us. I knew I couldn't expect him to never be around women, but I expected him to not look like he was enjoying it so much. A part of me started thinking that I wanted to marry him, only because I wanted him to wear a ring so people would know he was taken. I never used to be so insecure. What was my problem? Maybe it was because of the pregnancy. I knew pretty soon, I'd be as big as a house & I'd probably be miserable & Nick might not find me as attractive.
I worked out, trying to take my mind off my insecurities. I was at the gym for over two hours & Nick didn't come back, during that time, so I showered & got dressed, before I tried to call him. He didn't answer, so I sent him a text telling him I was going home. The next night was Saturday & we were supposed to go out to celebrate Valentine's day, so I thought maybe I could talk to him then about my insecurities. When I was leaving the gym, I ran into Lisa, Ryan & Jay. I talked to them for a few minutes, then I asked if they were doing anything for the holiday & Jay was the one who answered.
"Nick is bar tending & I'm bouncing at the KO tomorrow night, so maybe everyone can come hang out with us." Jay said, nodding like he was the smartest guy ever. I felt my blood boil, so I took a deep breath.
"Nick is working tomorrow night? We had plans."
"Yea, he switched with Andrew. He worked for him last night & Nick's working his Saturday night shift."
I sighed, shaking my head. "Nice of him to mention it to me. I'll see you guys later." I said, then headed out of the gym. I drove home, fuming all the way. When I got home, I paced in my living room for several minutes, debating on what I was going to say to Nick when he got home. I made myself something to eat & as the hours passed by, the angrier I got. I was even more fearful that our relationship wasn't going to survive Nick's new careers. He barely started on these career paths & already I felt neglected. How was I going to feel in a few months, when he was even further along on these paths?
I started to get emotional as I thought about our future. I was crying, sitting on the couch, when I heard Nick pull into the driveway. I wiped my tears, quickly when I heard his car door slam. I stared straight ahead, watching whatever was on the TV & my brain was going a mile a minute, trying to figure out what I was going to say to him. I didn't even know what to address first. The plans for Valentine's day that were now canceled or the lack of consideration he's had for me since he became a model, less than twelve hours ago. Did it even matter? Whatever I brought up, I knew, was going to end, with me in tears. I just prayed nothing else happened to make me angrier.
I turned the volume down on the TV when I thought I heard another car door shut. Then I heard voices getting louder as they got closer to the house. My heart began racing in my chest & I felt my anger building. He wasn't alone. He brought someone home with him. I couldn't believe he had the nerve, to be honest. Then, I heard a higher voice & realized it was a woman's voice, so now I was livid. I sat up & watched the front door, waiting to see who he dared bring to our home, without letting me know or asking me. It sounded like a few people, since I heard many footsteps, which might be good for him. If it was several people, then I was less likely to kill him. And boy did I want to kill him, at that moment.