“No, I haven’t,” Emily confirmed. “And just an FYI, in case you like your food warm, Logan brought food.”
“It’s your favorite,” Logan’s voice came through the speaker now. “From Chente’s. I tackled the rush-hour traffic just for you, Nellie. I figured I’d get a few extra points in before our date tomorrow night.”
The hard-ass side of Abel was instantly back. The one she’d already dismissed as having imagined before. His unbreakable stare made her squirm against her desk, but he didn’t move away. Gulping back the incredible discomfort she was suddenly feeling now that Abel knew tomorrow night was actually a date and apparently this didn’t thrill him, she also tried to calm her insides. As uncomfortable as she felt, there was a slow buzz budding inside her. Had her instincts about San Francisco changing everything actually been right? It wasn’t a pathetic delusion as she’d begun to think this week.
She pressed the talk button on the intercom, but before she could respond, Abel did for her. “Come on in,” Abel said, still staring at Nellie, and her jaw nearly dropped open. “We’re done in here.”
“What are you doing?” she asked as soon as she let go of the talk button.
For a split second, she saw alarm in his eyes, but then it passed and he smiled. She could see it was a forced smile, but at least he wasn’t burning a hole through her with his glare anymore. “I don’t want to get in the way of your work, and I got what I came here to accomplish—to get you to agree to drive to Vegas with me.”
The door opened and any attempt of Nellie’s to move out of the compromising position she was still in with Abel standing between her legs against her desk was squashed when he didn’t budge. He took in a very surprised-looking Logan from top to bottom as he stood in the open doorway now. “You working late tonight?” Abel asked, still staring at Logan.
“No.” Nellie tried in vain to move, feeling completely mortified that here she was on the edge of her desk with this man’s thigh between hers as tomorrow night’s date stood staring at them.
“Good. I’ll come by your place later tonight.” Abel kissed her forehead before finally walking away.
“Come on in, Logan,” she said, her face completely on fire.
Abel barely nodded at Logan, and he walked past him and out the door. Instead of appearing taken aback by what he’d just witnessed, Logan smiled at her nervously as soon as the door closed behind Abel. “So the rumors about you and Aweless Ayala are really true? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because there is no Aweless Ayala and me,” she said feeling as stupid as she knew that sounded. Clearly they’d been at the very least making out if not more, and then Abel made it a point to mention while looking straight at Logan that he’d be at her house tonight. “We work together now.” She cleared her throat. “But besides that, we’re just friends.”
Logan shook his head. “I’m not sure he’d agree with that. I’m just glad he didn’t wipe the floor with me. Should I be worried that he might?”
“No, don’t be silly,” she said with a laugh in an attempt to make light of it even as she pulled her skirt down casually and sat down. “I’ve known him for years now. You know because of the work I do with 5th Street. I’m helping with the coordinating of his fight too, so he’s around more often. That’s all.”
Logan eyed her a bit strangely with a smirk as he pulled the food out of the bags he walked in holding. “Are you really? That’s so cool. This is one of the biggest and most anticipated fights in a while. So, uh, what’s he like?” Crunching on a tortilla chip, he smiled, looking at her a bit too excited. “I mean aside from intense as shit. I got that just from seeing him on TV, but seeing it in real life, I’m not gonna lie. I feared for my life for a minute there.”
Nellie smiled but not about to give even Logan any inside information on Abel, especially about her relationship with him, she shrugged. “He’s a normal guy. He’s just very private. That’s all.”
“Okay, but c’mon, Nellie. You and him? He made it pretty damn obvious.”
Sticking to her guns, she shook her head again. “Nope, we’re just friends.”
Hearing him exhale heavily, she hoped he was giving up on this. “Well, that’s still so cool. Does that mean you get like ringside seats?”
Clicking and opening the mixer file they’d be working on, she stared at it. “I suppose if I asked,” she said, glad they were off the subject of her and Abel. “To be honest, as close as I work with 5th Street, I’ve never really been a big boxing fan. I’m just helping with the coordinating of the events leading up to it that have anything to do with the promotion of the gym. I know the nickname of the guy he’s fighting, but if I had to pick him out of a line up, I’d be toast.”
Logan eyes widened.” Are you serious?”
Looking up at him, she winced. “Pretty bad, huh? I’ll do a little homework before the fight, I guess. It just has so little to do with my part of the coordinating, so I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
“Well yeah,” Logan agreed quickly. “I don’t follow boxing very closely either. Only reason I even recognized your friend, Abel, is because of all the hype lately, but a few months ago, I’d never even heard of him. I think most people who don’t follow boxing are the same. If you’re just doing the behind the scenes stuff, it probably isn’t important.”
Feeling a little relieved and less guilty about her non-interest in Abel’s opponent, she was distracted by the food Logan had set out. “Oh my God, you got the flautas,” she said, suddenly hungry.
“And the salsa with the big chunks of avocado in it.”
Nellie rolled her chair away from the computer and got closer to where he’d set the food on her desk.
“Ahem!”
She looked up from the food. Logan motioned to his chest, and it took her a moment to realize that he actually meant her chest. Feeling the flush suddenly rush up her face, it suddenly hit her without needing to confirm it. With a jerk of her neck, she looked down at her exposed lacy top of her bra. The three top buttons of her blouse were still undone.
Quickly spinning her chair to take the front of her blouse out of his sight, she buttoned up her blouse quickly. She felt even stupider about saying that she and Abel were nothing more than friends and working together, but still she’d admit to nothing.
When she spun around to face him again, he was chewing with a smirk on his face. She found it a bit odd that this amused him so much when he’d been so persistent about asking her out. It would make sense that he might be a little perturbed by this, not enjoying it so much, but she certainly wasn’t complaining. At least she didn’t have to feel guilty. “So is it as good as I said it was?” she asked, picking up one of the guacamole-and-sour-cream-smothered flautas.
“Yes,” he nodded as he covered his mouth with his napkin, but even with his mouth half covered, she could still see that evil little grin on his face.
She refused to give in and ask what was so funny. Logan had been a bit strange almost from the beginning. After she finished one of her flautas, she slid back in front of her computer and slipped on her glasses. “All right, we have some ground to cover,” she said, already typing.
“Yeah and fast right? Because you gotta get home early.”
Taking a deep breath, she ignored the undertone. Yes, she did want to get home early, and she was absolutely looking forward to it, but she didn’t have to tell Logan about it. Instead, she continued to type, her mind already on what Abel would do to her tonight.
Chapter 9
Bam . . . Bam . . . Bam!
The private training room at 5th Street was obviously not private enough. Already there’d been several people with camera phones at the door windows, trying to take pictures of Abel training. As usual, he’d tried to not let it distract him, even when the would-be amateur photographers were asked to leave. What he had a harder time not being distracted by were thoughts of Nellie and her date tomorrow night with Logan.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
/> “That a boy,” Gio said, holding the bag. “But remember you’re not wearing gloves. You don’t wanna hurt your knuckles. This is about endurance, not strength, so take it easy.”
Abel nodded and slowed a little taking in a breath.
Bam . . . Bam . . . Bam! Bam!
“There you go,” Noah said, taking a seat on the stool nearby.
Abel wasn’t so sure what was more troubling: the fact that she was going out with this guy she worked with—someone she actually had a relationship not just someone she was planning on just having fun with—or the fact that he cared so much. He’d already made up his mind earlier that day that he had no time for a real relationship. Now was the worst time in his life for that. He had too much going on to be able to give any girl the attention she needed, which was exactly why he thought what he had with Nellie was perfect in the first place. So what if she saw others when he wasn’t around?
Bam! Bam! Bam!
“Easy, Abel!” Gio reminded him again about his knuckles.
So what if she might end up sleeping with Logan tomorrow night?
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
“Dude!” Noah stood up off the stool. “What’re you doin’?”
Abel slammed his fist into the bag one last time before backing away and wiping the sweat off his face with the front of his shoulder. “I’m done,” he said simply. “I gotta get outta here.”
He started to walk away, but Noah stopped him. “What’s wrong with you? Everything okay? You’ve been on edge all week.”
Both Gio and Noah stared at him now. “Nah, I’m good,” he said, afraid to look Noah in the eyes, so he started undoing the wrap on his hands.
“Give me that,” Gio said, reaching out for his hand. Abel reached out and let Gio help him take off the wrap. “Maybe you should take a few days off.” Gio offered.
“Nope,” Abel said, immediately shaking his head. “I just took time off for New York. I can’t take any more off. We’re too close now.”
“Well you need to relax, man.” Gio insisted. “You can’t keep having these kinds of workouts where you’re either beating the shit outta one of the trainers you’re sparring with or your own knuckles. Someone’s gonna get hurt.”
“I’ll relax,” Abel said then smirked. “I know exactly what I need, and I’ll take care of it tonight.”
Noah’s expression soured, but surprisingly he didn’t say anything. Abel had thought about it all damn week. Ever since Noah had told him about Nellie’s date, he’d thought that was it. He’d take a break from his visits to Nellie for a while if not for good. The trip to New York had helped. Hanging out with Felix, whom he hadn’t hung with in a while, was a much needed distraction. The guy knew how to party, and if Abel wasn’t in the middle of such in intense training, he might’ve partied with him. The time he spent with him still served its purpose. Felix was also a pro at handling the media, telling Abel that if he just stopped and posed for a few photos the paparazzi would be more relenting. The only problem with that was that Felix didn’t mind posing with every girl who was all over them. Abel hadn’t bothered to check, but he was certain there were plenty of shots with each of them looking as if they’d for sure gotten laid that night. Felix most likely did. Abel had gone back to his room alone and thought about the same damn thing he’d thought about all week—Nellie’s date.
He’d been so desperate to just get over it that he’d even gone as far as agreeing to have lunch with Rachel, one of the girls who worked the juice bar at the gym. Knowing from experience that she was good for few rounds of fun and wasn’t the clingy type either, he figured that she might do the trick. She was forever dropping hints that she was ready to go at it again whenever he was. Stupidly, or maybe he’d just been naïve, he thought maybe she’d make a nice little stress reliever, just as he’d claimed Nellie was. .
But after spending a whole half hour listening to Rachel’s endless drivel and cheap attempts to be sexy with her fluttering lashes and sucking of her own fingers as she ate, he had to pass. There was zero substance, something Nellie had in buckets and something he hadn’t realized until now that he wanted. He’d decided that he was being an idiot, and not only could he handle the understanding he had with Nellie but doing so was absolutely worth the reward. He wasn’t so sure now. Worse yet, he wasn’t sure if maybe he’d blown it today by making his aversion to her date tomorrow so obvious. He could only hope now she wouldn’t send him packing tonight when he showed up at her place.
Once done taking off the wrap, Abel made his way back to the private showers. Noah followed. Somehow Abel had a feeling he would. “So is it true?”
Abel walked into one of the open shower stalls and turned on the water. He turned back to Noah who sat down on one of the benches on the other side of the stall’s pony wall. It came up past Abel’s waist, so he could still see Noah’s curious expression. “Is what true?” Abel asked, pulling off his trunks and briefs, and stood under the shower.
“That you and Rachel are real serious?”
“What?”
Noah laughed. “Roni saw it first and asked me about it, but just last night, I was flipping through the channels, and it was on like two different tabloid shows. They have pictures of you and her earlier this week having sushi and then getting back in your car, so apparently it’s real serious.”
“It’s bullshit. We had lunch. That’s all. Andy said they’d do this once we got closer to the fight.” Not wanting to look at him now, he stood under the shower for a few seconds, lathering up before asking. “What did you tell Roni?”
“I figured as much. So I told her you’d just bagged the girl a few times in the past and that’s probably all this time was too.”
Abel squeezed his eyes shut. Fucking great. As if he needed to give Nellie more reason to feel free to jump from bed to bed. If he was doing it, why shouldn’t she?
Noah stood up now. “Is she who you’re seeing tonight?”
This wasn’t like Noah. He never asked Abel details of his conquests, and he knew better than anyone that Abel wasn’t one to be talking about his personal life. The only reason Noah even knew about Rachel was because she was the one who told everyone. There could only be one reason Noah was asking now—the same reason he’d ever asked before—so Abel had to ask, but he still wouldn’t look at him.” Why?”
“Just wondering.”
“No, you’re not.” He turned to him now. The irritation that had mounted all week and that he’d had to fight to keep under control in Nellie’s office today had just peaked. “You don’t wonder about my personal life, and you know I don’t talk about it. Ever. So what gives? The little wifey put you up to this?”
“First of all,” Noah pointed at him with a murderous glare, “you watch that fucking tone when you talk about Roni. You hear me?”
Abel turned back to the shower, leaning his head under it. He seriously needed to get a grip. He might as well just tell Noah he had no idea how to deal with knowing that Nellie would be on a date tomorrow and that it was making him insane since he was being so damn transparent about it.
“Second,” Noah continued, sounding a little calmer. “Roni mentioned Nellie hadn’t heard from you since last week, the day I told you about her date this Friday. I was just hoping that the tiny little flame I thought I saw in your eye that day had finally set something off upstairs and you’d come to your senses. Then after seeing you enjoy your time with Felix and all those girls and watching the Rachel gossip on TV, I thought you’d really moved on. But seeing you walk around here all week with that look on your face, the one you usually reserve for the ring just before you’re getting ready to tear someone a new one, it got me thinking.” Noah stopped talking and Abel assumed he was waiting for him to look at him, so he took a deep breath and did. Noah lifted a brow. “Please tell me what Roni thought might happen and you assured me wouldn’t, isn’t already happening.” Abel stared at him and Noah shook his head. “Aside from us, Nellie is the only family Roni has. Te
ll me no matter what happens that we’ll be able to sit around the table or be in the same room without the tension becoming so thick it changes everything.”
“Nothing’s changing,” Abel said, turning off the water. He grabbed a towel from the shelf on the wall. “This fight is getting real now. You know I have no patience for the paparazzi, and they’ve been all over my ass. I’ve just been wound a little tight.” Finished drying up, he tied the towel around his waist then looked up at Noah and hoped he could pull this next part off. “But Nellie and I are cool. Like I said before, her personal life and what she does when I’m not around is none of my business.”
Noah let out a heavy breath, looking somewhat relieved. “Good.”
Abel started walking away toward his locker then turned and looked back at Noah “And sorry about my tone there. You know I love Roni.”
“You better be sorry,” Noah chuckled. “’Cause I don’t care how big you are. Mess with her and I’ll come after you.”
For what felt like the first time since Abel had first walked into Nellie’s office today, he smiled. “Yeah, I know you would.”
He’d have to keep in mind how closely Noah was watching him now. He thought it earlier this week, and he was beginning to think it again. Maybe Noah was right. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to keep this up. If only he could convince his heart of that, the same heart that was already pounding against his chest from just knowing he’d be seeing her real soon.
After getting dressed, Abel picked up his brother’s tablet, which sat on the desk in the back office. He’d done everything he could to avoid the tabloids stories ever since he heard the stuff they were saying about his dad. He didn’t really care, but it’d pissed him off that his mom had felt it necessary to once again explain his father’s death as if he or Hector were in any way buying the bullshit stories.
His dad had been in a bar with his brother in Mexico where a brawl broke out. There were shots, and his dad and uncle were two of several men shot and killed that day. End of story. It was later reported that the fight had originated between two guys arguing over a drug deal gone wrong, but his dad and uncle had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. They weren’t involved in the argument at all. The tabloids however were painting a whole other picture. He could only imagine the shit they were saying about him and Rachel and the girls in New York, especially since a few of them were celebrities. Felix told him not to sweat it. He was a free man. These kinds of photos only became a problem if he was ever involved with someone. Abel could only pray now this wouldn’t become a problem because Felix told him to expect the photos to go viral.