Full Contact (Redemption #3)(50)
Slim’s forehead wrinkles with consternation. “He wants you and he’s the kind of man who gets what he wants. Anyone with half a brain can see you’re a gifted artist, and you’re building a client base here faster than you ever did at my studio. He sees your potential, same as me. If you want to stay, I won’t get in your way. But if you really don’t want what he’s offering, you’d better be prepared when he walks through that door. He’s not going to take no for an answer.”
We finish our last clients just before eight p.m., and I offer to tidy and lock up just for the opportunity to have some time alone before the big fight. After I’m finished, I sit on the client couch and stare at the bare wall where the mural is supposed to be. If this was my shop, I wouldn’t paint a mural on the wall. Instead, I’d fill the space with paintings from local artists. Give people a chance to be seen.
If this was my shop. Am I really even considering it?
The door opens and my breath catches when Torment walks in and joins me on the couch. He’s wearing only his fight shorts with a towel around his neck, no doubt ready to tear Ray limb from limb at the fight tonight. He is broader than Ray and more muscular. Taller too. But for some reason, his toned body does nothing for me—especially when he’s intending to pound on Ray.
“Busy day?”
“Yeah.” I look over at him and raise an eyebrow. “Slim thinks you sent all those fighters this week to keep us too busy to pack up.”
“He’s right.”
Startled by his candor, I bite my lip. “He also says you’re trying to steal me away from him.”
“True. You’re wasting your time in his shop. You have the drive and personality and talent to make this place great. I don’t want to see you throw it away.”
My hand clenches by my side. “I’m happy with Slim. And he would never forgive me if I abandoned him.”
“Slim is safe,” he says. “His shop is comfortable. You have a pretty good idea who’s going to walk in the door every day. But he’s got no ambition, no drive. Safe is good when you’re starting out, but it won’t let you grow. You need to spread your wings. Take a risk. Grab this opportunity with both hands even though it scares you.”
“So, is this your poaching technique?” I raise an eyebrow and lean back on the comfy leather couch. “Tell your target it’s for her own good and her life will be better if she comes to work for you?”
“I do what it takes,” he says with a laugh. His smile fades. “But it’s not just me. Slim knows it’s time for you to go. He sees how you’ve changed since you’ve come to Redemption. That’s why he’s overreacting.”
Squirming in my seat, I stare at the wall. He’s right. I do feel different since I started working here, but I chalked it up to being in a beautiful shop and knowing most of the clients. And Ray. He has awakened things inside me I thought I’d locked up with my paintings so long ago. Hope. Desire. And a longing to be free.
Torment waits while I lock up and we walk through the gym, toward the ring set up for his match with the Predator. Despite our altercation this afternoon, I would never miss this fight, especially since he’s fighting because of me.
“I’ve known Ray for a few years,” he says, stopping when we reach the ring. “Keeps his personal business to himself. He’s never once asked me for anything.” Torment stares at me and I shiver under the force of his gaze. “He came to see me on Monday. He asked me to take back my ultimatum.”
A ball of emotion wells up in my throat, tightening my chest. “Oh.”
His face softens. “Actually, he didn’t ask. He told me that’s how it was going to be. I thought you should know.”
My heart swells at the thought he tried to make things right. “Thanks.”
Torment smiles an evil Torment smile. “Of course, I said no.”
*
“He said no?” Makayla’s voice rises to a shriek when I share Torment’s parting words with her, Jess, Shayla, and Amanda on the bleachers overlooking the fight ring. Soft and curvy, with auburn hair and bright green eyes, Torment’s girlfriend is almost his opposite in every way.
“Oh my God.” Her brow creases in a frown. “Sometimes Torment can be such an ass. Just wait until I get him home. I’ll bet he said no to wind the Predator up. He likes to psych out his opponents before a fight.” She grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Don’t worry about anything. You won’t have to leave the studio. I’ll give him a no he won’t forget. One night alone in his bed after he’s all revved up after a fight will teach him a lesson. I’ll have him eating out of my hand by morning.”
Shayla pulls out a bottle of vodka and some Dixie cups and pours us all a shot. As we drink, Torment, Renegade, Blade Saw, and Tag amble over to our bleachers and then stand semi-clustered below us.
“What’s going on?” Jess frowns when Blade Saw looks up over his shoulder and winks.
“They think we’re going to be ravaged by a horde of inebriated, overexcited fighters so they’ve set up a defensive zone.” Amanda twists a strand of her long, blond hair around her finger. When I first met her, I knew right away she was the woman who had broken Jake’s heart. Not from her breathtaking good looks, but from the way he stood, shielding her with his body, protecting her from me.