A Fighter's Choice (15 page)

“I’m not like you or Brooke. I won’t allow Amber to
get naked for a bunch of assholes. I won’t put her in danger either.”

“Do you hear her getting naked for a crowd?” Harold
asked, standing up. “There are a lot of men out there who would have exploited
Amber. I’m not one of them.”

“We care about her, Jasper,” Brooke said.

“You, however, you’re in danger of taking the fighting
to the next level. This man has already backed off from her since I gave him a
warning. Personally, I’m more worried about the shit you’re connected to. I
don’t know how far he’ll go, Jasper, to try to sway you. This man could be the
start of it.” Harold pointed a finger at him. “How far will you be pushed before
you cave and become a fighter of the big leagues? I’ve heard about you, Jasper.
You’re a fierce fighter, but you’re also a loner. No one trusts you, and that
alone makes you dangerous. Tell me, Jasper, have you let your opponents have
everything you can throw at them?”

Gritting his teeth, Jasper stared, waiting for him to
finish.

“See, I know without you even telling me. You’re not
giving all of yourself during these fights.” If Harold saw it and hadn’t seen
him fight, then who had that had witnessed him fight? The very thought unnerved
Jasper. The biggest fear he had was the danger he could be bringing to Amber.
She meant so much to him. He couldn’t risk losing her.

“It doesn’t matter if I give myself in a fight or not.
What matters is that I win.” He pointed his finger on top of the desk, feeling
his anger start to take over. Harold stared at him, clearly waiting for
something.

“What?” Jasper asked.

“Is it like looking in a mirror, honey?” Brooke asked.

“All the fucking
time.”
Harold shook his head. “I was like you, fucking
stubborn and couldn’t see the truth glaring me right in front of my face.”

“You’re basing your concerns on fears, not facts. If
you gave me some proof…”

“Then stick around and you tell me if you recognize anyone
hanging around the club. It will only take a matter of time before you see a
lot more people come here after those fights. Maybe someone has followed you
here and is looking to find a way of making you decide on your future. I
remember him, Jasper. He’s not going to take no for an answer,” Harold said,
stepping closer.

Jasper frowned. “You don’t allow for boyfriends to
stick around.”

“I know. You’ll be sitting in a corner away from all
the trouble. I don’t want anything bad to happen to my business. You don’t
interact or even show Amber any more attention than necessary.”

He wanted to tell the man to fuck off and deal with
the shit on his own.
Think about Amber.
She’s important.
He’d started to fall for her from the first moment she
spoke to him. Shit, he couldn’t just walk away like he wanted to. He was bound
to her.

“Fine.
I stick around. I find out what’s going on and then what?”

“Then you leave and make a choice.”

“What choice? I’m never going to fight in the big
leagues. I won’t do it.” Jasper held his hands out, trying to get his point
across. “You’re fucking insane.”

“You won’t have a choice, and they’ll make sure you
don’t. Once they know you’re serious about Amber, they’ve got a way in to you.
There’s no hiding from that, no matter what you want to do.” Harold placed a
hand on his shoulder. “I know you hate this. I did as well. You’ve got to make
a choice to protect the woman you love.”

“I didn’t say I loved her.”

Harold chuckled. “You don’t need to. I can see it in
your eyes. I’m not a fucking sap, but I know love when I see it.” He took
Brooke’s hand, showing him with actions more than words. “I got out, but it
cost me a lot.”

“What did it cost?” Jasper asked.

Brooke gasped as if she was holding in a sob. “We lost
a baby because of it. The stress, the pain, all of it was too much, and I lost
our baby.”

Guilt struck him hard. He couldn’t bring himself to do
something like that to Amber. She was too loving, too honest.

“Show me where you’ll want me to sit.” Jasper wasn’t
leaving until he saw this guy that wanted Amber as well as the proof that men
were scoping the field for him, and when he did, there was going to be trouble.

****

“Do you really think there’s a guy coming here to try
to recruit him?” Amber asked. She was stood by the door looking out over the
room to see Jasper in the corner. Brooke had pulled her aside and let her know
everything that was going on. The businessman, whose name she still didn’t
know, had been coming into the club for a while. She didn’t try to remember all
the customers. What concerned
her the
most was what
this man wanted from Jasper. Brooke and Harold were worried about what Jasper
could finally end up being—a fighter in the big leagues. There was so much she
didn’t know about the people she worked for. She hadn’t known Harold was once a
fighter who had to make a decision of his own. She didn’t know if she was more
nervous for Jasper or for herself. Over the last couple of weeks he’d proven
time and time again that he was possessive of her. Glancing toward him, she saw
his gaze was on her. It was hard to work with him looking at her all the time.
She liked the looks, but it was hard for her to even want to give the men
something with her own man there.

“We don’t know if he’s a threat to you, to Jasper, or
just someone who happens to be passing through. Harold’s being cautious over
his own past with Holly, and also his past as a fighter. He’s sure he remembers
this man from his own fighting days
..”
Brooke had told
her everything, even asking her not to be stubborn about what was going on.
“You can’t go to him, Amber. You’ve got to let him do his job.”

“Yeah, I know. It just seems so, I don’t know, lame or
something. I don’t want him to feel responsible or to get angry that his night
has been wasted having to deal with these problems.”

“What do you mean?”

“He asked me to quit working here when we first
started … well, erm, you know.
When we first started
fucking.”

“You don’t need to blush, honey. I know all about sex
and how damn good it can feel to be with the right man. Besides, these are not
your problems. This is Jasper’s problem, seeing as he fights. This guy only
started paying attention later. He probably caught you with Jasper or
something, put two and two together. You know the rest.” Brooke chuckled,
leaning back on the sofa to rest her head. She had a headache and wouldn’t be
dancing that night.

“I know. With him I rarely blush, and it’s fun to be
myself around him.”

“He cares about you, Amber. You should embrace it,
accept it, and take it with you always. It’s what I do with Harold.”

“You really do love your husband, don’t you?” Amber
closed the door, resting her back against it to look at her friend.

“With all my
heart.
I’ll do anything for him, and I’d be happy to do it.
When he first opened the club, I hated it. I didn’t want sexy, young women
flaunting their tits at my man.”

“Now?”

“Now, I couldn’t give a shit. He loves me, and he’s
proven that over the years. Love isn’t instantaneous, and it sure as fuck
doesn’t answer all your worries. It’s a struggle.
A never
ending struggle that you’ve both got to want to get through.
Harold and
I, we get through it together. You’ve just got to find that one guy who you’re
willing to move heaven and earth to get through.”

Amber stared at Brooke as she closed her eyes.

“I’m going to go. Take care and I’ll send Harold in to
check on you.”

“Okay, honey. Thank you.”

Amber left the room as quietly as possible. She gave
Harold an update and watched as he went to check on Brooke. Standing behind the
bar with David, Amber gave herself a chance to look over toward where Jasper
was sitting. Dixie, another of the new girls, was
strutting
her stuff on stage. There were no clothes on her perfect, smooth body, but she
was still driving the men crazy with glimpses of her ass, cunt, and tits.

David was watching her as well.

“Have you fucked that?” Amber asked.

“I’ve not fucked everything in this club.” He glanced
at her before returning his gaze back to the floor.

“I know. You’ve not fucked me.”

“That’s because you’re a lesbian.”

She laughed. “You could think that until I came
complete with a boyfriend. Now, what’s your excuse?”

“You’re in love and have been keeping him away.” He
offered her a quick smile. “Look, this thing between Cassie and me, it’s not
really going to go anywhere. She’s studying to move onto bigger and better
things. I’m not. This is who I am.”

“Then you better know what you’re doing and break it
off with her. Cheating on her is not the answer to everything.” She quickly
glanced over to Jasper. He’d become a lot more than a simple fuck in the few
weeks they’d been together. The more time she spent with him, the deeper her
feelings became with regards to him.

“I’ll break it off when I’m ready.”

Shaking her head, she started to serve the customers,
trying not to change
herself
knowing Jasper was
watching her every move. Minutes passed, and Harold finally appeared.

“How is she?” asked Amber.

“She’s resting for now. The headaches have always been
a problem to her. I try not to fuss, but it’s hard. She’s my world,” Harold
said.

Smiling, she touched his hand trying to offer him
comfort. “I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“I know she will. I’ve made her go to the doctor
before. She just needs to rest, take a few pain pills, and wait for it to
subside. Come on, let’s get back to work.”

Amber made herself forget that Jasper was watching.
Harold and David took turns to send him over a drink. She did notice he was
drinking soda tonight. The night wore on with no signs of the businessman
appearing. She was ready to approach Jasper when the door opened with several
men walking in, laughing and cheering over something.
 
They held wads of cash, showing it around. None
of the men were subtle in their actions.

“I guess someone won big time,” Harold said.

Seconds passed, and in walked the businessman looking
calm and collected as he approached the bar.

Harold and David were serving other customers leaving
her to do the serving.

“Hello, what can I get you?” She smiled politely at
him.

“Hey, sugar, I was starting to wonder where you got
to.” He leaned on the bar, and it took every ounce of willpower not to step
back. There wasn’t anything predatory about him. This man wanted something, and
it wasn’t her.

Don’t freak out over this.

“I’ve been right here. Now, what can I get you?” She
kept her hands by her sides and her body still. The flirtation was gone, the
puffed out chest was gone. This man was getting a simple
barmaid,
or at least a barmaid to her standards.

“I’ll take a beer.
House special.”

“Sure.” She grabbed the glass above her and started to
fill it up.

“That’s a nice hickey you got on your neck.”

With all the distractions of the night, she’d forgotten
to cover it up.

She tried to ignore it.

“The boyfriend
getting a little rough with you?”

Looking into his face, Amber stared at him. There was
a satisfied smile on his face, which repulsed her. Once his beer was full, she
told him the price. He grabbed a couple of notes from his wallet. She took them
and gasped as he held onto her hand stopping her from retreating.

“I asked you a question.”

She opened her mouth to say something more, but Jasper
was already beside him.

“Jasper,” Harold said, warning him.

“Get your fucking hands off my woman, now!” Jasper
didn’t raise his voice. He spoke calmly, but his words were laced with the
menace he intended to unleash.

Amber hated this.

“So, you finally appear out of the woodwork. I never
thought you had it in you.” The man squeezed her fingers tighter, and she
winced at the sudden pain going through her.

Jasper chuckled. She watched him place a hand on the
man’s shoulder, connected to the hand that he held her with. He squeezed, and
the businessman released her, looking a little pale himself.

“Let’s take this outside,” Jasper said.

There was no time for her to intervene as Harold and
Jasper took over.

“Keep her safe,” Harold said, talking to David.

She made to follow, but David forced her to stay
still. “I’m not having that fucker harm me because you wouldn’t do as you’re
told. Stay here with me and help man the bar.” She glanced behind her, but
there was no sign of them. Fuck, she didn’t want Jasper to get into any kind of
trouble. Not for her.