A Fighter's Choice (9 page)

Part of her enjoyed his possessiveness, but it wasn’t
going to work in the long term. She was used to being alone without the
difficulty of dealing with a possessive boyfriend. The job at the strip club
wasn’t the best, but it was the best she could get with her minimum
qualifications. The money was also good, especially the tips from the
customers.

Hands at her waist had her pausing. Jasper pressed a
kiss to her neck right over her pulse. His hands moved up to lie just under her
breasts. “I’m really sorry, baby. I’m not used to this.”

“What?”

“Dealing with
work and shit.
I’m truly sorry.”

“You’re used to dealing with women who only want a
quick fuck. I understand, I think.” She didn’t like the strike of jealousy that
hit her hard at thinking about all the groupies at the fights. Would she ever
be able to go to one of his fights? The very thought made her feel sick and
nervous. There was nothing hot in watching a couple of men pummel each other.

“Great.” He flicked his tongue over her pulse, and she
melted against him. “You’re not at work for a good couple of hours.”

“What do you suggest?”

Both of his hands lay over her tits, pinching her
nipples through the fabric of her dress. All of her troubles faded away to be
replaced by the desire rushing through her body. She didn’t want him to stop,
and part of her feared that she would never want him to stop.

Chapter Eight

“Seriously, I can drive myself to work. It’s not a
problem.” Amber stood in front of him securing her watch to her wrist. She wore
those ridiculous shorts and tight shirt that pulled her tits together showing
off her lavish cleavage. He hated the thought of the men salivating over what
was his. Was she his? One night and day together didn’t actually make her his.

“I’m going to go with you.”

“How are you going to get home?” she asked. “The club
lasts well into the early hours. You don’t have to stay up that late.” She
turned away from him to grab her bag.

“I’ll find something to do.” He stood in her apartment,
and he took the time to look around. There were no personal pictures on the
wall. For the most part, it looked more like a space someone slept in rather than
a lived in apartment. There was nothing to make the space Amber’s. He didn’t
see a single picture on the wall of her. For some reason the bareness of the
walls depressed him.

“How come you don’t have any pictures of yourself?” he
asked, folding his arms.

She tipped her bag onto the coffee table, and he
watched her stuff slide onto the surface. “I’m not that vain.”

“You’ve had boyfriends. Why don’t you have pictures of
them or of you?” He didn’t like talking about other men, but he really wanted
to get to know the woman inside.

“They’re ex for a reason. I’ve got pictures of them,
but I kept them locked away in a box. They’re memories that are not worth
seeing every day.” She threw her purse, makeup, women’s stuff, and her pepper
spray into her bag. He liked the fact she knew how to protect herself.

“It’s not vain to have some of yourself.”

She smiled. “Are you worried, Jasper?”

“Not at all.”

“There are no pictures in your apartment.
Nothing personal to state who you are.
Don’t make a big deal
out of nothing. I’ve never settled down with anyone long enough to care about
pictures.” She stood, putting her bag onto her shoulder. “If you’re determined
to come along with me, are you ready?”

“Yeah.”
He had his wallet in his back pocket of his jeans.

“What’s with the hoodie?” she asked.

“I don’t like drawing attention to myself.” He pointed
at his face.

“You’re drawing attention with the hoodie. It’s creepy
and reminds me of horror movies. Bad guys stalk around wearing hoodies and staying
in corners. You know the drill.” She chuckled.

“Cops start asking questions they can cause problems.
I don’t want to lose my way of earning money.” He followed her to the door
admiring the curves of her ass.

“Stop checking my ass out.”

“Why? It’s a nice ass.” Thinking of her ass, he knew
where to go. He hadn’t been lying when he said he wanted to take her ass. The
best place to go for the equipment he needed was the sex store.

She walked down to her car, and they passed several
kids on the stairs.

“I really don’t know why they have kids,” he said,
shaking his head.

“Some of the customers demand to go bareback. Kids are
a result if they don’t get on the pill. I don’t know. Every time I pass them I
wish there was something I could do to help.”

“There are people who should be dealing with that
shit.” Jasper refused to get involved. Some of the women were probably ordered
around by pimps. He liked fighting, but he also liked to keep both of his lives
separate. The last thing he wanted to do was draw attention to himself in his own
space.

She beeped the car and climbed into the passenger
side. “Do you have a car of your own?”

“I don’t drive.”

Amber chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“The very thought of you not driving, I don’t know.
It’s funny. You’re this hard looking savage, and yet you can’t drive.” She
pushed the key into the ignition and shrugged. “Ignore
me,
I’ve got a weird sense of humor.”

“You’re strange.” He eased back the chair of the
passenger side and rested his head in his hand. Jasper turned to look at her.
The memory of those thick lips wrapped around his cock was still fresh in his
mind. She tapped her fingers on the wheel as she made her way out of the
parking lot. The sun was still up, and it was still hot. He was sweating under
his hood, but Amber actually looked cool, comfortable.

“I’ve been called a lot worse,” she said, smiling.

The drive was too short as minutes later she was
parking around the back of the strip club. He climbed out of the car and
watched as she turned to him. “You don’t have to stick around or come inside.”

“You’re nervous about me seeing all the men who
clearly have a thing for you?” He leaned against her car, staring at her. The
music from the club could be heard as someone opened one of the doors. He saw
an older man taking out a bag of trash. Amber looked behind her and waved.

“That’s Harold. He’s the boss, the owner. His wife,
Brooke, is one of the dancers.”

“He allows his own wife to dance?”

“They’ve got an unusual relationship. You’d like
Brooke. She’s nice. I like her.” She tucked some hair behind her ear. “It’s not
a bad place to work. You should believe me when I say there are worse places to
be.”

“You didn’t answer my question.” He reached out,
grabbing her arm and drawing her close. She took a step closer toward him.

“What about you? Would you want me at one of your
fights?”

Jasper didn’t like the tightening in his gut. “We’re
not talking about me.”

She placed her palm on his chest. “See, you wouldn’t
like me at one of your fights because it’s dangerous. Please, don’t make this
about anything more than it has to be.” She jerked up and pressed her lips to
his. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

He nodded, no longer wanting to argue with her.

Someone called her name interrupting their moment.

“I’ve got to go. Try not to get in trouble or hurt
yourself.”

Against his wishes, he let her go and watched her walk
all the way to the back of the club. A woman with long blonde hair was waiting
for her. He didn’t recognize the woman, but he got the feeling this was Brooke.

Running fingers through his hair, he waited until the
door closed behind her before moving away. He made his way toward the sex shop
he knew was reputable. Amber may not want him to see her within the strip club,
but once he got her home tonight, he was going to prepare that ass for his own
pleasure.

****

“Who was the hot guy?” Brooke asked, taking her bag
from her.

“That’s Jasper, the fighter I was telling you about.” Amber
followed her friend through to the lounge Harold had set up at Brooke’s
insistence.

“What? How did you get from being hot to getting hot
together?”

Amber chuckled. “I fixed up his wounds, and before I
knew what was happening, he was hitting on me. Believe
me,
he’s as damn hot in the bedroom as he is in life.” She shivered remembering the
feel of his cock sliding inside her. How was she going to last the night simply
thinking about him being inside her? He was a deadly combination of heat and
lust.

“Wow, honey, you’re lucky.”

“Stop complimenting other men, baby. I’m right here,
and I keep you more than satisfied.” Harold walked into the room, going to his
wife. Amber watched him wrap his arm around her waist, and slam his lips down
on Brooke’s. Yep, there was no mistaking the lust shining in his eyes. He may
like men looking at his woman, but he didn’t like her thinking about other men.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about, Harold. I know who
I want, and you’re it.” Brooke stroked his cheek. “Even with your weird need to
watch me strip.”

Amber disappeared from the room. If she knew Harold
and Brooke well enough, they’d be fucking within five minutes. There was no
avoiding them. She tucked some hair behind her ear as she walked behind the
bar. The club played slow music as Cassie danced to the tune, slowly and
seductively.

She saw David behind the bar, watching the dance.
There were not many people within the club, but in the next few hours that
would all change.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey. Where’s Harold?” When she gave David a pointed
look, he smirked.
“Figures.
He’s a randy old dog.”

Taking the glasses down from the shelf, she started to
wipe them out and display them on the counter ready for orders.

“I think it’s sweet. He’s completely in love with
her.”

“Are you turning into one of those saps who believe in
love and shit?”

David was one of those guys she was happy to talk with
in work, but she’d never meet him out of work. He was nice enough but a little
too cynical for her. According to some of the dancers, he was a breaker of
hearts and kept to himself.

“Nope, not love but certainly lust.”

She reached up to grab one of menus they kept for
mixing drinks, and she heard David whistle. “You’ve met someone.”

Looking over at him, she frowned.

“You’ve got a hickey on your neck.” He pointed to his
neck. She moved to the mirror to see the outline.

Getting ready for work she’d been more interested in
Jasper than actually paying attention to her appearance. “Fuck,” she said.

“It’s not a problem. You just need to cover it.
Nothing screams lack of tips more than a waitress who’s taken.” He moved past
her to serve a man.

Running fingers through her hair, she pulled it over
down her breasts, to cover her neck from view. Men liked to see a woman as
available. It was how she got tips.

Satisfied no one could see her hickey, which gave her
a thrill to know Jasper wanted her enough to mark her, she set about helping
behind the counter.

Harold joined her and David thirty minutes later
looking pretty satisfied.

“You better keep that boy out of my club. I don’t want
to be cleaning up and paying customers for a jealous boyfriend,” Harold said,
tapping her shoulder.

“Don’t worry. Jasper’s not like that.”

“Yeah, her boyfriend’s so not the jealous type that he
gave her a hickey. Don’t worry, Harold, all’s well in the world of Amber.”
David smirked.

“Why don’t you shut your dirty mouth?” she said,
glaring at him. “Or I might just tell Cassie where your dick was three days
ago.” She’d caught David cheating on Cassie with one of the new girls,
Penelope. Amber wasn’t interested in causing problems, but if David wanted to
play that way, she would.

“Fine, I’ll keep my mouth shut. I didn’t even hear
you.”

She touched her nose. “I’ve got mad silent skills.”

He moved away to start serving other customers. She
ignored David and Harold, concentrating on her customers. They flirted with her,
and she flirted back, making sure that they never got sight of her hickey.

Each time she touched her neck she recalled the feel
of Jasper’s lips on hers. Once she thought of his lips on her, she started to
think about the way he’d opened her thighs and sucked her clit.

With every passing second she was getting hotter and
hotter for her man. Every other time she watched the women dance with the men
drooling, she’d been disgusted. Tonight, she saw something different, something
deeper. The women on stage were pulling the men under their spells. They were
the ones in control, not the men. No one forced them to take their clothes off.