The Client(10)

“Better go get the boy back to work,” Paul said. “It's gonna be hell getting him to focus the rest of the day.”

It was an innocuous comment, but something about it made me tense. “What do you mean?”

I hoped it sounded as nonchalant as I wanted it to be.

Paul rolled his eyes and grinned at me. “Lover boy's got a date with your girl. Guess we know who's the champ after all.”

I flipped him off, but I was only half-joking. I told myself that the knot in my stomach was because I didn't like the idea of anyone thinking Tyrell could've beaten me at my peak.

Except a part of me knew that wasn't the case at all.

I didn't like the idea of Tyrell and Sara going on a date, and I sure as hell didn't like the thought of them sleeping together.

I didn't want to sleep with her. Not at all. It was just that she was my trainer, better than Jelani had ever been. I didn't want some fling with Tyrell to fuck things up.

That's all there was to it.

And I kept telling myself that even as I tried to figure out a way to learn where Tyrell intended to take Sara tonight. I was just looking after her well-being.



* * *



When I decided I wanted to go out tonight, it had nothing to do with the fact that I knew Sara and Tyrell were out. When I chose to get pizza at Tribeca instead of one of the pricey restaurants where I usually dined, it wasn't because I knew that's where Sara would be. I was just in the mood for pizza. It happened...on occasion.

Once seated at the place with the best view of the restaurant, I perused the menu and pretended not to look for Sara.

I spotted Tyrell first, which wasn't a surprise considering how tall he was. He and Sara took a table directly in my line of sight but angled in such a way that, unless either one turned toward me, they wouldn't know I was there. Which was good, because I didn't want them thinking that I was following them.

Because I wasn't.

“Is that seat taken?”

I looked up at the woman I hadn't noticed approach. She was gorgeous. Tall, with long legs and great curves. A mass of blonde curls piled on the top of her head and big brown eyes.

“No,” I answered honestly, then quickly added, “but I'm not looking for company this evening.”

Her eyebrows went up and she stared at me for a moment, her hand still on the back of the chair she'd started to pull out. It was clear that she wasn't used to being refused.

“Sorry.” I gave a half-hearted shrug as I apologized. I hadn't wanted to hurt her feelings, but I meant what I said. I didn't want company.

“Your loss,” she said as she turned and walked away, putting a little extra swing into her hips to show me what I was missing.

I barely noticed. Instead, I was focusing on the way Sara had dressed for tonight. This wasn't a cheap pizza place, but it also wasn't some five-star restaurant where the food was more fancy than filling. The simple skirt and blouse was perfect first date material. Cute and a bit flirty, but not too revealing. Nice enough for something like this, but not so fancy that she couldn't have worn it to go to a club or ice skating, or whatever normal people did on dates.

Women I took out never dressed like that, first date or not, and we always went somewhere expensive. Because of who I was, they expected it, but I never minded paying because they always knew upfront that they wouldn’t be around for long. I wanted sex without strings and they wanted to be seen with me. We both won.

When the waiter returned with my food, I was pleasantly surprised to find it delicious. Having been raised in a family who came from old money, I'd been taught that paying more for something made it innately better. While I'd never said out loud that I felt this way, I realized now that I'd been following that school of thought all along.

I frowned as I ate my pizza. I didn't like how that made me feel. I enjoyed having money, but I'd never considered myself a snob. Now, however, I was starting to think that I'd been mistaken all along.

Someone stepped into my line of sight. “Excuse me, aren't you Dorian Forbes?” A pretty redhead gave me a sweet, charming smile.

“I am.” I leaned back slightly in my seat.

“I saw your last fight,” she said. “You were so good. My brothers were all mad when you decided to retire.”

“It's always nice to meet a fan.” My smile was genuine, and I meant what I said, but hoped she'd move along so I could get back to...observing.

“My friend and I were wondering if we could buy you a drink.” She motioned to her left and I looked over to see a petite brunette waving at us.

Last week, I would've had both girls naked in a hotel room within the hour. I wasn't the kind of man who was accustomed to threesomes, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't had one before either. At the moment, however, the thought of these two women in my bed at the same time wasn't as appealing as it should have been.