I'm in the middle of stuffing my face with appetizers when commotion ensues. Everyone in the venue either rises from their seats or breaks out into surprised chatter. The place comes alive with an excitement it was missing earlier and I look around for the culprit.
"What's happening?" I ask Holden.
He looks up from his phone with a frown, craning his head. I think he spots what everyone else does because his brow goes up in a rare show of impress. "No fucking way."
"What?" I try to peek around the crowd that's starting to gather at the front. "What? I can't see!"
"I didn't think they'd be here," Holden continues. If I didn't know any better I'd say he looks a little starstruck himself. "They never show up to these things."
"Who?" I shake his arm. Does he have to be so damn cryptic?
"Ladies, please! As flattered as I am you're pissing off my wife and she might punch your tits. Unfortunately for you that's hot to me so I'd let her."
I make a face. Did I hear that right?
The crowd finally parts and that's when I spot them. My mouth drops open at the image of five big and burly men huddled in one group. On each of their arms are their dates who are so freaking stunning I just about stab my own eye because the beauty is too hard to believe. But seriously, these people are hot. It's no wonder they're commanding everyone's attention without saying a word.
Only one face, bored and uninterested, registers to me. It's Asher Pryce. The famous boxer my dad treated. So that must mean the remaining four hunks are... "The Fighter's Den boxers."
"It's hard to get them to attend events," Holden explains. "There's five of them and they're scattered all over the world, taking fights. They only show up to formal gatherings if all five of them happen to be in the same place at once so this is probably one of those times."
"They're...wow," I blurt.
Seriously, what kind of testosterone runs in this group? All of them are well over six feet and ripped to perfection, broad and huge and powerful. Three of the guys have serious and scowling faces. One of them looks easy going and relaxed. And one is just flat-out grinning like he's having the time of his life. They're freaking gorgeous and my mind literally short circuits at the sight.
"They're dominating the sports industry," Holden finishes for me. "That's why everyone is going crazy. There's no such thing as not knowing who these guys are."
"You look impressed too."
"I am. Can't deny they're talented as fuck. They're every sports agents' wet dream but they choose to be represented by their coach."
"So they're the big fish."
"Yeah, they are."
That explains it. A huge guy with buzzed red hair and icy blue eyes, the bodyguard I'm guessing, moves everyone back as they try to go for more pictures and autographs. The boxers are talking to each other, either ignoring the rest of us or just genuinely caught up in their own world. The sight of them is like crack. I literally can't look away.
It doesn't help that they head for our direction. Holden and I watch as they all take their seats at the table next to us. I know I don't exactly watch boxing or know these guys as much as their fans but man, their presence is intimidating. I'm trying hard not to fangirl.
"Talk to them," I instruct Holden under my breath.
His brows pull in. "What for?"
"I don't know! I kind of want to talk to Asher Pryce, bring up how Dad treated his bullet wound three years ago."
"That was your dad?"
"Yeah. I kind of want to get a picture for him. Pretty please?"
Holden sighs and glances over at them. It's hard not to laugh. He's always the tough guy in the room but even he appears nervous around the boxers. They're definitely as serious as the world makes them out to be.
"Hey," Holden calls, voice serious and confident. The men and their dates turn to him immediately. Okay, he's definitely still rocking his tough act. "My apologies if I've interrupted. I'm—"
"Holden Rey," One of the guys interjects. He's the one who was grinning earlier and he's still going strong. This is one happy dude. "You're the man, bro. I saw you on last year's Forbes 30 under 30 for Sports. If Coach wasn't so goddamn in love with me, I'd have you represent me too."
"Shut up, Cameron," the one with green eyes rolls them. "Coach would hand you over like sloppy seconds."
"Jealousy looks good on you, Cage. Rawr."
The guy I now recognize as Jaxon Cage looks horrified. "Did he just fucking rawr me?"
I stifle a laugh. You wouldn't think these guys are funny just by looking at them. They look like they break people for fun.
"It's because he loves you," the woman who I'm assuming is Jaxon's wife grins. "He's always been my competition."
Cameron winks at her. "Love you, Em."
"You guys need to work on your manners," the kinder one shakes his head. He's all dreamy brown eyes and hair and a twinkly smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Nate."
"Hunter," Holden finishes for him. "Saw your match last week. Knockout in the first round. Impressive."
"Appreciate it." He throws his arms around a stunning and quiet blonde who smiles shyly at me when our eyes meet.
Asher points to me. "Why do you look familiar?"
All ten eyes turn to me and I blank out. Woah. Hot people staring at you, Sierra. Don't look like an idiot now. Holden smiles in amusement when I clear my throat and attempt to act normal.
"I'm Sierra Lancaster."
"Lancaster?" The gorgeous redhead with her head on Asher's shoulder narrows her eyes. "We've heard that somewhere."
"Gerald Lancaster?" Asher eyes me for a moment. "The doctor that treated my bullet wound and saved my life?"
I feel a surge of pride at the mention of my father spoken so highly by an obviously respected man. "Yeah, he's my father."
That gets the group buzzing all over again. They all turn in their seats, attention solely on me. I casually pretend like I'm not a second away from peeing my pants.
"Are you a doctor too?" A gorgeous woman asks. She has clear blue eyes and dark hair, and her sleeveless dress shows off her tats. She's sitting beside a behemoth of a man who makes normal humans look fun-sized. He's covered in tattoos as well and has yet to say a word, quietly observing instead. "Because I'm wondering if it's normal to be this hungry in my second trimester."
My eyes drop and I notice her slightly plump belly behind the table. The man beside her—husband, judging by the ring on his left finger—puts a protective hand over her stomach.
"I'm not a doctor but I did go to med school," I clarify. "And yeah, totally normal. Just make sure you're incorporating healthy nutrients alongside feeding your cravings."
"See?" The large man finally speaks. His voice is rough and hoarse. "What'd I tell you, baby girl?"
"Don't gloat." She rolls her eyes. "Healthy food sucks."
"It can be yummy too. I'm a baker so I know my way around a kitchen. I'd be happy to offer you some recipes."
"Do you have a recipe for red velvet cupcakes?" Another woman cuts in. She's all kinds of beautiful and curvy and just reeks sex appeal. "They're my favourite."
"I should know," Cameron adds. "I buy them twice a week for you."
She laughs and kisses his cheek. "And I love you for it, Hermoso."
"Seriously, how's your dad doing?" Asher cuts in again. He's a little more on the serious side than his friends. "I don't think I've seen him since he operated on me."
"He's doing really well. He still talks about you."
"And your mom? She was the scrub nurse with him, right?"
"They're both going strong, thank you. Actually...do you mind if I get a picture for them? They'd love to see you again."
"Yeah, of course." He stands up from his seat and comes over to sit beside me. I nervously fumble for my phone and Holden takes over with a snort when it's obvious I'm not about to get a grip. He takes the picture for us, and I grin wide while Asher offers a ghost of a smile.
"Small world, baby!" His wife grins. Then she looks at me. "We actually had twins a year ago and we're so grateful to your father for saving Asher's life. Could we pass along a picture of our boys?"
My heart warms because that's just about the most adorable thing I've ever heard. "He'd love that."
"Did you used to play professionally?" Jaxon's wife—Emily I think—asks Holden. "I could have sworn I saw you in one of my dad's sports magazines years ago."
Holden doesn't so much as falter but his fist does clench briefly. I take his hand in mine. "Yeah, football. Just for a year."
Emily's eyes soften with empathy. "That's right. Then you got injured. I really hope you're doing okay now."
"I am, thanks."
Jaxon eyes Holden for a moment. "Sometimes we end up being better at other things. I retired after two years and went into coaching. You're kicking ass as an agent. You're where you're supposed to be."
Holden nods and for a moment it looks like he actually believes what Jaxon says.
"Are you guys together?" Cameron's wife looks between us.
"Aves." Nate's wife shakes her head in disappointment. "Please don't meddle."
"What? They look cute!"
"We're together," I answer. I glance at Holden who winks back at me.
"Perfect. So come sit with us. I'm going to get a neck ache speaking over my shoulder."
And that's how we end up sitting through the whole event with the Fighter's Den boxers. More formal introductions are exchanged and my mind spins trying to remember their names. There's so many of them but it's obvious they're amazing people. Kind and funny and welcoming. No wonder my dad never forgot about Asher and his friends. These are the kind of people that make an impression on you for life.
"Uh-oh," I mumble, looking at my phone when it starts blowing up with messages.
Holden wraps an arm around me, kissing my temple. "What's wrong?"
"It's Mom and Dad. They're wondering why I'm casually having dinner with famous boxers and why you and I look like a couple in our selfies."
"You sent them our selfies?"
"What? They miss you."
"I miss them," Holden offers and I smile. I know he means that. "Did you tell them about us?"
"I told them I'd call tonight."
"You should call now." He nips my ear and my whole body heats up. His voice drops to a whisper, all sultry and tempting. "There won't be a lot of talking when we get home, remember? I keep thinking about all the ways I'm going to fuck you."
"Right." My breath whooshes out of me and Holden chuckles. "That."
"I mean it, Shortcake." He pulls back just enough to meet my eyes. "You look beautiful. I'm losing my mind here."
My heart flips over in my chest. He's making it really hard not to kiss the crap out of him. "Thank you."
His eyes drop to my mouth and a sound of frustration leaves him. "You better go make that call before I ruin your stupid fucking lip gloss."
"Wow, aren't we grumpy?"
"I'll be a lot less grumpier when you let me make you come."
"Behave," I whisper-hiss, smacking his chest. But when I look around the table and find amused eyes on us, it's obvious everyone heard that.
"Right on," Cameron grins. "You're speaking my language, Rey."
"Cam," Nate warns tiredly.
Kill me now. Where's a sudden natural disaster when you need one? I clear my throat and quickly excuse myself, glaring at Holden who's passive and uncaring as ever.
I duck my head and rush past tables because of course the award ceremony is starting right when I get up. The lights in the venue dim and I squint my way through to find the bathroom. I find one but it's the men's and screams of shock and horror erupt when I step inside, my eyes landing on about three different penises whipped out and in the middle of...er...use. I slap a hand over my eyes and back out, yelling out an apology that probably falls on deaf ears. And of course those men had to be good-looking professional athletes. Of course.
By the time I locate the women's bathroom I'm a totally dazed mess. That was way too much penis for one night.
"Are you okay?" Someone asks.
I snap out of it and notice another woman here. She's as gorgeous as everyone else I've seen tonight, red-haired and green-eyed. Those eyes drop to take me in and maybe it's just me but I'm pretty sure I'm being judged.
"I'm okay," I smile a little warily, not really enjoying the vibes I'm getting from her. Again, my judgement could be impaired because of all the penis.
She sets her phone down and crosses her arms. "You came with Holden Rey, right?"
Hmm. So that's what this is about. I always wondered when I'd bump into his previous conquests. As much as I remember seeing Holden on magazine covers, I also remember seeing lots of elegant women on his arm. It's been a while since he dated anyone seriously and we've briefly talked about our exes but I don't think this chick is one of them. Warning bells go off in my head and I head into one of the stalls, thankful for the barrier.
"Yup," I call back. I don't have to pee but I do plan on staying here until she goes away.
There's a brief silence. "That would explain why he didn't call me up this year. I'm usually his go-to date but I guess he found someone else to amuse him."
I make a face. Is she really sad that she's not the one to "amuse" him this year?
"Well...I'm his girlfriend," I offer lamely. "And I don't plan on breaking up with him, like, ever, so my bad."
She laughs, a catty little sound that I don't like. "Oh, that's cute. Showing up as his date doesn't make you his girlfriend. If that was the standard then you could say I was his girlfriend once upon a time, but it mainly involved being his arm candy and then having him fuck my brains out all night in a hotel room."
Naturally, a pang of jealousy hits me. Of course it does. But I won't let that get to me. It's not exactly like I was playing Virgin Mary in the years I didn't see him. We've both had sexual partners before so whatever.
"Uh-huh," I tell little miss now, playing Candy Crush on my phone. I've been stuck on the same level for weeks.
"What did you say your name was?"
"I didn't."
"Right." She laughs again. "Anyway, I'm surprised. Holden usually brings girls prettier than you. Maybe you're a pity girlfriend."
Okay, that was one stung too. Worse than the last but I try not to let it get to me, even though my looks have always been a sore spot.
"You tell Holden to call me sometime. I mean this in the nicest way possible but I don't think you're going to last, sweetie."
Isn't she a bag of sunshine? I choose to believe she was neglected as a child and was programmed to be a psycho bitch. It keeps me from punching her in the tit.
"Mm'kay!" I call out cheerfully.
I hear her scoff, clearly pissed off that I'm not crying in the stall like this is middle school and she spread a rumour about me, and listen to her heels clacking away before she's gone.
My cool facade drops and I swallow hard. I'm going to ignore her, like I've always ignored rude comments about my appearance, but it doesn't mean it doesn't suck that I have to. That I've always had to.
I come out of the stall, looking around to make sure Medusa is gone, then wash my hands and focus on not being upset. I won't let her ruin a great night. I kick my shoulders back and leave the bathroom, quickly making my way back to my seat. I can't help but look around for her but don't see her because it's still dark in the venue as someone announces female athlete of the year. I hate that I'm even giving her a second thought.
"How'd the call go?" Holden asks when I take my seat beside him. He smiles at me, so unaware of what just happened.
"Huh?"
"Your parents. How'd they react?"
Right. Crap. The phone call. I shake myself out of it.
"Um...went to voicemail. Maybe they got pulled in for an emergency surgery or something."
He eyes me for a moment. "Are you okay?"
"Of course," I nod.
I don't want to make a big deal out of it. I don't want to be the insecure girlfriend. I've been insecure my whole life and I'll be damned if I let it happen again. So I lean my head on his shoulder, and ignore the way my gut bottoms out. They were just words. I'll forget all about them tomorrow.
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A/N
THE FD MEN AND WOMEN CAME BACK!! Who was fangirling? I was fangirling the whole time! Oh, how I miss all my babies. It was such a treat seeing them again and what their lives are like now.
And my precious little Ser. There's always that one jealous bitch. Let's hate her together.
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