The meeting with the director of PR last night went well, though Abel had hardly been able to concentrate much. He still hadn't heard a thing about Nellie's date, and he had no intention of asking anyone about it, not Nellie, not Noah, no one. The only thing he could hope for was that he'd worn her out enough Thursday night so that the last thing she'd be thinking about on her date was ending it literally with a bang.
He slammed the locker closed much harder than he intended, especially after he remembered Noah was still around and watching him too damn closely.
Andy leaned against the wall, reading off his iPad. "So I need to go over a few things with you. I know you don't follow the tabloids, but I just need to keep you up on the big stuff. This way, no reporters catch you off guard."
Abel sat back into the huge full body massage chair, clicking the remote to place it in just the perfect reclining position, and closed his eyes as the massage started. It was just one of the perks from his latest sponsor. He made a cool six figures for doing a thirty-second commercial for one of these, and they threw in a couple of these chairs for his own personal use. The other one was at his home. While the massage was supposed to be state of the art and it had all kinds of gadgets so you could hook it up to your tablet, phone, or iPod, nothing relieved his tense muscles like the one activity he wished he could do tonight.
Once again, he'd barely heard anything of what Andy was saying. His mind had wandered off to thoughts of all the things he'd done to Nellie and everything he still wanted to do.
"You need to remember that McKinley's camp plays dirty when it comes to trash talking and trying to get in your head through the press. They've already started."
Abel opened one eye. Andy had his attention but just vaguely. Abel still didn't give a shit about the tabloid stories. He heard Hector and Gio's voices coming toward them.
"That story about your dad and the Mexican mafia didn't really go anywhere, but McKinley and his camp are still trying to keep it alive by commenting about it every chance they get."
"Oh, I heard about this," Hector said. Both he and Gio were sitting on stools between Andy and Abel. "McKinley was on Howard Stern the other morning talking about how it makes sense now that an amateur boxer and someone so young could afford to own and run a gym of this caliber."
Admittedly that pissed Abel off. Obviously the asshole hadn't done his homework or he'd know how it was possible. But he refused to let this guy get to him. "I'll deal with him in the ring," he said, closing his eyes again.
"His brothers remind me of B-list celebrities with one sibling who has actually made it," Gio laughed. "They ride their famous sibling's coattails, doing reality shows and interviews all over, when no one really gives a shit about them. But man do they love trash talking."
"This is what I'm talking about," Andy said. "They're known for going all out to get in their opponent's head." He chuckled. "I think it's killing them that they haven't been able to get a peep outta Aweless Ayala."
"And they're not going to," Abel reminded him.
He clicked the remote and the massage chair began inclining upward. Noah walked in the room. "You guys are all coming down to my place tonight, right?" he said, taking the wrap off his hands.
"Oh, shit," Gio stood up. "That reminds me. I'm supposed to stop and grab some stuff from the market for Bianca. She texted me earlier. She's making chili."
Hector stood up too. "I was gonna pick up Charlee and go grab some pizza, but she'll probably wanna hang out at your place instead. Her friend Drew's been out of town for weeks now, and she misses the girl talk."
Gio laughed, grabbing his phone and wallet off the desk. "You better check your phone, dude. Bianca already mentioned Charlee bringing her chicken pasta salad."
Hector's jaw dropped and he hurried away. Noah smirked, turning to Abel. "You're coming down too, right?" Abel read the apprehension in his face right away. "The featherweight championship is on HBO tonight. It's why I decided to throw a barbeque together. Andy says they'll be airing more of your bio before the fight. And I figured we could all take a small break from this grueling training."
Abel didn't have to ask, but just the fact that Noah was asking instead of just assuming he'd be there like he normally would meant Nellie would be there tonight. This was what both Noah and Roni had been worried about from the very beginning, that Abel and Nellie's involvement would change things. Her having gone out last night and his supposedly "serious relationship" with Rachel would be hanging heavily in the room—the tension Noah had mentioned.
Determined to ease Noah's mind and prove he could deal with this, he nodded. "Yeah, I'll be there."
Who was he kidding? As much as he dreaded being around her while Roni and Noah scrutinized their behavior, a part of him was dying to see Nellie already. He'd just been with her a couple of nights ago. That was a worrisome thought and something he'd have to decide how to deal with—soon.
***
The contract Abel signed with HBO specifically stated that he must give them exclusive interviews regarding the fight and his story of how he got to where he was now. They were the only interviews he'd done where he'd spoken beyond just boxing and allowed them access into 5th street, giving them the background on how Jack, the late owner of the gym, had taught him everything he knew about the sport.
Andy told Abel that, seeing as how difficult he'd been about giving exclusive interviews, these short documentary-like interviews were getting huge ratings. They'd been airing bits and pieces of the interview for weeks now alongside of the interviews they also had with McKinley. It was all part of the hype. Abel had sat and watched similar ones endless times of all the big fights he grew up watching. So to see himself being the one featured and the hype being about his fight was a bit surreal.
He didn't purposely set out to be difficult. He'd just heard too many stories about journalists from Felix. As far as Felix was concerned, you couldn't trust them for shit. Most were either too lazy to double check that they got their facts straight or didn't think the interview or article was juicy enough, so they purposely misquoted you for an added flair. It usually stirred up some kind of controversy that didn't sit too positively in the interviewee's favor. Abel had neither the time nor the patience for any of that. So he'd sooner turn down any and all interviews that he wasn't contractually obligated to do. Hence, the media frenzy was beginning to build, and the race was on to get anything additional on him out there.
He sat there on Noah's sofa, watching the pre-fight hype with clips of some of his own and McKinley's fights. There were a few clips he hadn't seen of McKinley and his brothers when they were trash talking him. It was to be expected. Andy said it was actually encouraged. The viewers ate it up.
"That's the younger and louder of his two brothers," Gio said, pointing at the screen. "I can't stand his ass."
If it wasn't for the guy's light complexion along with all the other lighter features, Abel might have thought him a New Jersey grease ball type because of the way he wore his hair and the number of rings on his fingers. The guy wearing a Pistons jersey was pointing at the screen, speaking directly to Abel. "Turn it up," Hector said with a smirk. "This guy's such a joke."
"You don't know about Hammerhead McKinley, Aweless Ayala!" The guy taunted him. "And when McKinley is done wiping the canvas with you on Cinco de Mayo, you're gonna wish you never came sniffing around the big boys, because you ain't nothing but a chavala." He laughed, eyeing the screen and leaning in closer. "That's right, Ayala. I called you a little girl in your own language because you're always hiding and I know why. You're nothing but an F-Beep!-ing chavala."
Abel took a swig of his beer, completely unmoved by the idiot's performance. "What's this guy's name?" he asked.
"They call him Beefhead." Hector laughed. "More like Meathead. He's the one who does all the celebrity reality and game shows. As you can see," Hector turned back to look at Abel, "he's an attention whore. The other one, his older brother . . . I can't remember his name."
"They call the other one McRage something or other," Gio said, "because supposedly he has a short fuse. Even though McRage has been known to do some trash talking, he's not nearly as loud or as big an attention whore as the douche younger brother is. And unlike Beefhead, he was actually pretty good once upon a time."
"I heard he fucked up his own hand and wrist getting into a drunken brawl," Noah said. "Pretty much ended his career because the dumb ass slammed his fist so hard into a brick wall that it cracked in I don't know how many places."
"Yeah, yeah," Hector said. "I heard about that too. And, yeah, I've watched tape of him. He was actually pretty good, probably better than Hammerhead even." He turned to take the bottled water his girlfriend Charlee brought over for him and kissed her. "Thank you, baby."
She smiled at him, running her finger over his brow for a second. It was something Abel had seen her do often. Then she walked back to the dining room with the other girls. The guys continued talking about Hammerhead and his idiot brothers. Abel half-listened, his mind wandering off at times and the knot in his stomach still not easing up as the girls chatted and laughed. Nellie hadn't arrived yet, but it wasn't seeing her that had him tensed up. There was a slight possibility that she wouldn't show up alone. Noah hadn't mentioned a thing about her date, and Abel still wasn't asking, but it was safe to say that if things had gone well Roni very well might've encouraged her to invite Logan.
As good as Abel was with his poker face, he wasn't sure he'd be able to pull off being around her and another dude without Noah picking up on his irritation. And feeling irritated was an understatement if there'd ever been one. Just the thought of seeing her walk in with another dude tensed his insides even more. He'd hardly eaten because of it.
"Hey!" Roni stood from the dining room table as Nellie walked in the front door—alone. She was carrying a covered tray. "Oh my God, did you make deviled eggs?"
"Yes," Nellie smiled. "That's why I'm late. I got a craving at the last minute and decided to whip up a batch." Roni took the tray from her, smiling, and Nellie turned to the front room now where he sat. "Hi guys!" She waved, smiling beautifully.
Abel had to wonder why he'd never seen the beauty until recently. He'd noticed the change in her well enough. She'd gone from Roni's docile quiet friend, who'd been practically invisible to him for the most part, to suddenly this head-turning vixen. He got that part. It wasn't unheard of for a scorned woman to want to reinvent herself in a way that made her feel more attractive, better about herself —reborn. It happened often actually. But the beauty he'd never picked up on before was what got him. He'd been attracted to her long enough. It was hell trying to fight the sexual tension between them for as long as they had, but now he was seeing past that, and every time he saw her, he had to fight the urge to overdo telling her how damn beautiful she was.
He didn't even realize he was already smiling when he acknowledged her, taking her in from top to bottom. She wore a simple enough short little black and white patterned cotton summer dress with wedge sandals similar to the ones she'd worn on her breakfast date with Logan. It was a dress he'd probably seen her in before, but somehow now it was cause for sitting up straighter and gulping. He was already having visions of pulling the spaghetti straps down along with the top of the delicate fabric of her dress and taking her beautiful breasts in his mouth. But more than anything, he wondered if he'd make it through this night without cornering her somewhere and kissing her, because it was what he really wanted to do so badly now.
"I'll have to get with you guys in a little bit," she said as Abel continued to take her in, "so you can fill me in on last night's meeting."
Noah began to nod, but before any of them could say anything, Roni tugged at Nellie's arm. "C'mere, you work horse. Forget about that. I wanna hear about last night."
"Yes," Bianca agreed from where she sat. "I haven't heard anything yet. Sit down. I want details."
Nellie laughed as Abel gnashed his teeth then took a bitter swig of his beer. Of course, the second he took his eyes off her and turned to Noah, his friend was already watching him. Neither said anything, and Abel was glad because the way he felt at that moment he'd have no patience for any of Noah's irritating observations.
The fight started and Abel tried his damnedest to watch without trying to overhear the conversation going on in the dining room. He overheard bits and pieces. Nellie gushed about the concert being fantastic then about hanging in the VIP lounge with the band members. Somehow, Logan managed to get tickets to a sold-out concert and get her into the VIP lounge. Abel wondered about that. Now that he was technically a VIP himself, he'd been experiencing some of that part of this new lifestyle. Typically, you had to be someone big or know someone who could pull some strings to get in, especially if you'd be hanging with band members after their concert.
It could've been his imagination, but it seemed the girls' voices hushed all of a sudden. They were still talking and giggling, but he couldn't make out what they were saying anymore. Maybe it was for the best. It really wasn't any of his business, and hearing the details might be more harmful to his already heightened mental state. Sitting up at the edge of his seat, he decided to give the fight his full attention.
Fuck Nellie's date. The only thing he'd focus on from here on out when it came to Nellie would be when he'd have her under him again. It was all he should care about anyway. Right now he could only hope it would be sometime later tonight. For now, he'd ignore the urgency with which he'd begun to need to be near her—kiss her. It was a sexual urgency. That's all it was.
More to come!