Axel:A Bad Boy Romance(33)

"Come on, Hayden," Axel said throwing up his arms. Why did it feel like  he was arguing with a disappointed girlfriend right now? "I'm not  choosing you over Marie. You are putting yourself between me and her and  I don't want you there."



Hayden took a step back as if he had been slapped.



"You're my trainer, but from now on, I think that can only exist in  here, in the gym. Outside of this place, you can't tell me what to do. I  know what I'm doing. I know my body better than anyone else. I'm  telling you she's good for me and you're ignoring me. How am I supposed  to work with that? You won't look at the evidence. I'm better now, not  weaker."



"And what about whatever she's running from? What if that guy comes  looking the day before a fight and you get the shit kicked out of you  with no time to recover? What then?"



"What if I get hit by a bus? What if a meteor hits the earth and all  life is extinguished? You can't think like that, man. Anything could  happen at any time, but we still have to live our lives."



They were both standing. Hayden seemed almost out of breath. He was  leaning against the desk and shaking his head. There was a dangerous  looking sneer on his face. But Axel was done with him. Maybe it was time  to get a new trainer.



"This, by the way, isn't helping my mental game," Axel said through  clenched teeth. "Fighting with my trainer is not the best way to prepare  for my biggest fight. So I'm gonna go," Axel said. "And this is the  last time we have this conversation."



Hayden shook his head but said nothing as Axel made his way to the door, walked up the stairs and left the gym.





Chapter Thirty-Two



"Wow, this is beautiful," Marie said running her hands over the delicate  and intricate stitching on the back of Axel's red and blue robe. Axel  Connelly, the letters were straight and even and very well done.



"Thanks," Axel said with a knowing smile. "Uh...my mom made it for me."



"Ooh," Marie crooned, holding the robe tightly. "That's so sweet. Your mom made your robe for you."



"Just the stitching, and don't mess it up. It's good luck," he chided.  Marie smiled over at him from the passenger's seat as she carefully  refolded the robe and put it back in the box. He was taking Marie for a  weekend in Philly. Cate was staying with Ingrid, so it was just the two  of them. Axel had some promotional stuff to do for the fight on Sunday,  but the rest of the weekend was reserved for anything they wanted to do.



She had been flattered and thrilled and when he came with the offer. She  had never had a vacation away from her daughter and she felt a little  guilty about how much she was enjoying it. But it certainly was nice to  not have to chase after a five-year-old or wonder what she might be  getting into. Marie allowed herself to settle back into the seat as Axel  sped down the highway towards the city.



"For dinner we have reservations at Zahav. It's supposed to be the best  restaurant in Philadelphia. After that I know of some clubs we can go  to, if you want. Then we can go back to the hotel and..." he drifted off  and looked over at her with a smile. "Then on Sunday I have to do some  work for the fight. Hopefully it won't be too boring for you."         

     



 



"I'm excited to go," Marie said, "and if it get's boring, I can always leave and do some shopping."



"Fair enough. Although it's gonna be a little strange with you and Hayden there at the same time."



"You two still haven't spoken?"



"We talk, but it's only business. I feel like something broke between us and I'm not sure how to fix it, or if I even want to."



Marie didn't know what the fight was about. Axel just said that they  were disagreeing over the training regimen. It made her nervous, though.  This was such a big fight and she really wanted Axel to do well. She  was desperate for him to win. She had heard that some athletes forgo sex  in the days up to a competition and secretly she wondered if she was  the reason Hayden and Axel had been fighting.



The hotel was probably the nicest Marie had ever seen. They weren't just  in a room, but an entire suite. There was a large kitchen, a dining  room with a long, shining wooden table, a living room with several  leather couches facing a big screen TV, and then in the bedroom there  was a huge four-poster bed in the center of the room. Marie stood in the  middle of the room and stared around her with her mouth hanging open.  It was funny: Austin used to brag about getting hookups and deals from  hotels. He would show off average looking rooms like they were something  special. This would have blown his mind. He had never been in a room  half as nice as this.



The thought made her a little giddy and once the bellboy had left Marie  wrapped her arms around Axel's neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Her  tongue slid over his as his hands went around her waist and he pulled  her flush against him. She smiled as she kissed him and he smiled back  as his hand reached down and squeezed her ass.



There was a knock at the door and after a moment Axel released her.  Marie pulled her skirt down and Axel smoothed his shirt as he walked to  the door. The concierge stood in the doorway and next to him was a huge  gift basket. It was so big it needed to be pulled on a cart. It was  wheeled into the room and Marie stared in awe at bottles of champagne  and cans of caviar and dozens of other expensive items she would get to  break into later.



"Are you like famous or something?" she asked a little breathlessly. It  was half a joke and half a real question. She knew Axel was well known  in the fighting community, but she didn't think he was famous enough to  warrant this kind of treatment.



"Not to brag," he said as he tipped the concierge and closed the door, "but I really am famous."



Marie shook her head and walked out onto the balcony. It was a warm day  and the city below teemed with life. Back home in Arizona the streets  would have been empty at this point in the day; the relentless sun and  heat would have driven everyone indoors. But here women in sundresses  and men in sharp suits sipped iced coffee as they strolled down the  street.



She was one of them now. A happy person. She never would have thought it  possible. She was so used to misery that she had stopped expecting  anything better. But now here it was. She could look down on those  people and not feel envy. Their happiness only improved hers. For the  first time in her life she could honestly say she was perfectly happy.



They ate a sumptuous dinner. It was seven or eight courses all picked  out by and prepared by the chef. A wine came with each dish and they sat  back and relaxed and ate their meal over the long course of several  hours. Marie had never tasted food this good. Everything was cooked  perfectly, everything spiced so the flavors were compounded to delicious  new tastes and sensations on her tongue.



And dinner was just the beginning. He took her to a bar downtown. They  took a black car and made out in the back seat as the driver raised the  partition. He parked in front of a club in Old City where about three  dozen people stood waiting in line. But Axel just took her hand and led  her to the bouncer.



"Axel! My man," the bouncer said as he moved the rope aside. "I got my money on you versus Castellano."

"Then the next time I come here, my drinks are on you. You'll have the  money to pay for it," Axel said clapping the man on the shoulder.



From the line Marie could hear people whispering Axel. Axel Connelly.  The MMA fighter. He's supposed to be really good. She felt flushed and  tipsy. The club was dark with only the occasional lights flashing down  from above. They were blues and purples and pinks and occasionally it  looked like the entire world was changing colors. Axel led her onto the  dance floor, his hands on her waist guiding her through the thick crowd.



She felt shy at first with so many strangers around her, but as they  made their way through crowd Marie began to feel lost in a good way. She  was surrounded by people, but none of them were looking at her. She  blended in with them; she was one of them. In a way it felt like she and  Axel were the only people in the very crowded club. They kissed. His  hands were on her waist. She felt breathless. His lips were on her neck  and his hands were grabbing her ass.         

     



 



She pulled herself away from him before they went too far. He released  her, but they danced closed together. Marie swayed with the music  feeling lost in the moment. Nothing else mattered except the song that  was playing and Axel still being close. Everything else faded into the  background as one song became another and she danced until her legs  almost gave out underneath her.



It was past midnight when they left. Back in the car Axel slid his hand  up Marie's thigh and she let him with a giggle. She felt drunk on love.  Drunk on how she felt when she was with him. She had no worries at that  moment. Not a single thing bothered her. It was perfect.