Page 12

Chapter

Twelve

FRANKIE

I never wanted to step foot in California again.

Bad luck after bad luck followed us the entire trip. First the loss, then another. The rental van broke down and cost an arm and a leg to fix. Sure, Lucien paid for it because he was contractually obligated, but he wasn’t contractually obligated to shut the fuck up, so that meant I had to hear all about how Smiley’s “couldn’t beat a team of middle school girls with a fucking handicap.”

“I’m not seeing a return on my investments,” Lucien hissed last night over the phone.

“Take those investments and shove them up your ass,” I shot back. “It wouldn’t be the only thing stuck up there.”

That earned me a slap on the shoulder from Ari, but it was worth it.

I opened Smiley’s an hour early so I could get some time on the bags since I couldn’t use the cage matches to channel my anger anymore. The others wouldn’t even spar me anymore because of worries about my head. But they didn’t need to worry about that. They needed to worry about my head exploding because of Lucien’s shit demands.

It had barely been ten minutes when the bell above the front door chimed. I held the punching bag still with a taped-up hand. Who the fuck was here already?

“We’re closed. Can’t you read a sign?”

“Even for me?”

I turned toward the door. River came over with a hand up in greeting, a grin on his face. His black hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and he wore jeans and a plain T-shirt that hugged the muscles of his chest. River was sexy as fuck and had the swagger to prove it. And why wouldn’t he? Out of our twelve matches so far, he’d only lost two. He was at the top of the leaderboard, and the man with a target on his back.

“Practice isn’t for another hour. Come back later.”

“Sick of seeing my face or something?” he cracked.

“Yeah, actually. I’m sick of all of you motherfuckers right now.”

“I can see that, but give the poor bag a break, would you?” River set his hand next to mine on the bag. His grin slipped into something more serious. “We need to talk.”

“About?”

“Bones.”

That surprised me. I’d expected him to ask about his contract or when we could kick Lucien’s ass to the curb.

“What about him?”

“You didn’t notice him holding his right hand during his matches?”

I narrowed my eyes. Of course I had. I’d noticed the second he’d stepped out of the ring during our first loss. He must have tweaked something—a muscle or a nerve or whatever—but he hadn’t come to me, and he hadn’t broken anything. With how much shit he gave me about my injury, I trusted him enough to know his own limits.

“What about it?” I demanded.

River slapped the bag with his palm. “Bench him.”

“Are you insane?”

“He needs to be benched before he fucks himself up. I already fucked up his shoulder at Heathens Hollow, and it’s the same arm. He’s on borrowed time.”

“And who’s going to take his place? Me?” I barked a laugh. “Do you have a backup on speed dial, River?”

“As half-owner of Smiley’s, you probably should have thought of that, yeah?”

“Watch your fucking mouth,” I growled and took a step closer to him. He didn’t even flinch. “I consider everything about this place, even pieces of shit like you.”

“Doubt it, since you’re letting Bones fuck himself out for some clout.”

“You think this is about clout?” I pushed his shoulder. “If it was, your ass wouldn’t be here, and we’d be back at Heathens Hollow instead of the Perks.”

“So, you’re blaming me now?”

“If you want to see it that way.”

River laughed bitterly. “You haven’t changed a bit, Freakshow. Always a selfish, egotistical asshat who thinks he knows better than everyone.”

“Excuse me?”

River puffed his chest out and bumped against me, his face close to mine. “You heard me. I know about the shit you tried to pull in getting Ari out of Heathens Hollow. And how you’re the one who pushed for this stupid fucking contract. You think you know better than anyone else here. Same with Bones. When he fucks his hand up for good, and you lose your cash cow, what then, Mr. Trainer?”

His questions hit me like a ton of bricks. I was an asshole. You didn’t become a giant in the scene being some meek little lamb. Ego came with the territory. So did narcissism. But I wasn’t Freakshow anymore—I was Frankie. Co-owner of Smiley’s and the trainer who was supposed to watch out for his boxers.

But I was also a grown-ass man, same as Bones. He knew he could come to me if he ever needed to tap out. Same with Lotto or Ari. And who the fuck did River think he was, coming in here and questioning me? He had barely been here a week. I’d had bruises longer than River had been part of our “family.”

I shoulder checked him out of the way. “Fuck you, River. Keep your damn mouth shut or?—”

“Or what?” River shoved my shoulder so hard I stumbled a step back. “You gonna clock me, Frankie? For being right?”

“For being a motherfucking pain in my ass.”

“Go ahead then.” He opened his arms in challenge. “Throw the first punch. Be the macho man you pretend to be. See where that gets you.”

I wound my arm back, ready to show that fucking prick a lesson, but before I decked him across the cheek, Ari’s face flashed through my mind. Then Bones then Lotto. They’d fucking kill me if I died from a stupid squabble like this. And River wasn’t even worth it. He was trying to rile me up to prove a point—that Freakshow was still the main player, not Frankie. That might have been true before but not now. Not anymore.

My clenched fist centimeters from his right cheekbone.

River didn’t wince. Didn’t flinch. He stood absolutely still with a dark look that could wither the brightest of sunflowers.

“Get the fuck out of my face,” I demanded. “If you can’t trust me as a trainer, we don’t want you here.”

“Never said I didn’t trust you.”

I dropped my fist and took a step forward. “Well, I don’t trust you. The others might, but I couldn’t give two shits about you.”

His lips slid into a heart-pounding grin. “Sure, Frankie. Keep telling yourself that.”

“You haven’t done anything to earn my trust, fucker.”

River pressed his chest against me, his lips a breadth away from mine. “What can I do to earn that trust then, Freakshow?” He tilted his head. His captivating eyes rooted me to the spot. “How about I show you how I earned the others’ trust?”

He smashed his lips against mine.

I gripped River’s throat with my hand as I kissed him back. That bastard might have thrown the first punch, but I wasn’t going to let him control this match. I bit on his bottom lip and forced my tongue inside his mouth. His moan was cut off when I squeezed his throat. I pushed my tongue against his, a taste of blood filling my mouth.

When I pulled back to breathe, I pushed him back toward the ring by his throat. River was a rat bastard, but he was a handsome-as-fuck rat bastard with a flush on his cheeks and a tint in his bright blue eyes. That, and the outline of his hard cock in his jeans, told me everything. He wanted this. He wanted me. My dick throbbed when he smirked and threw himself forward to kiss me again, all tongue and teeth.

Before he could feel satisfied with his win, I pried him away. I only saw a flash of question in his eyes before I practically threw him onto our ring’s metal stairs. He clung to the top step, and I put my foot on his back to keep him pressed down.

“Every good fighter needs to know when they’ve lost,” I growled as I jerked down my shorts.

River turned back. He licked his lips and grinned at the sight of my length. “You consider this losing, Frankie?”

“I consider this a fucking lesson. Pants off, River. It’s time to learn.”

River tried to sit up, but I pushed him back down with my foot. He grunted and called me a few choice words under his breath. His jeans were unzipped and around his ankles in no time. With an arch of his back, his ass was out on full display.

I smirked and pushed at his asscheeks with my foot. “Look how fucking desperate you look.”

“I’m not the only one with a hard cock,” he shot back. His husky baritone made the ache in my length worse.

“But you’re the only one bent over.”

“Proving my trust.”

I approached and slapped my cock against his left cheek. He grunted and pushed toward me.

“Then I trust you can fucking take it.”

I lifted his hips with my hands and spread his cheeks. I spat twice before pushing into him. His ass was so tight around me. River groaned into the stairs as I rocked inside him. Fuck, I could get used to this. River never looked better than begging for me to fuck him.

I kept his chest down with one hand as I started fucking him. My pace was quick. Relentless. I took out all my anger from this past week on his ass, pounding him down into the stairs. His thighs slapped against the metal side, and his moans echoed off the top when I forced him down further.

One hand keeping control on his shoulder, I reached around and wrapped my hand around his cock. River tipped his head back with a moan. His hair had fallen out of its bun and tangled around his neck. I gave him a violent snap of my hips, my cock throbbing painfully at how fucking sexy he looked as I pounded him. Mouth open, flushed cheeks, pulsing dick. I had full control of this match and only needed to prove my win.

“I never knew you to be such a fucking loser,” I said on a grunt as I tugged his cock even faster, urgency in every slap of my hips.

“Curious who I lost to?” His grin was still there, even as his eyes rolled back. “Fuck, there . Hit that again if you can.”

I angled my hips up and fucked him even harder. His loud cry made my body shiver.

“Fuck, fuck . Keep hitting there and I’m going to come on your hand.”

“You’ll come when I say you will,” I growled.

“You sure about that?” He laughed and pushed his hips back against mine. I forced him back down, stroking his cock even faster. I felt like a feral animal and River sounded just like one.

“You’re going to come on these stairs like the loser you are, and I’m going to come in this pretty little ass of yours so you remember who you fucking lost to.”

“That sounds like a win to me.”

“Fuck off.”

River’s laugh was cut off by his stream of moans as I picked up my pace, and the stairs rocked with my powerful thrusts. His cock pulsed and twitched as I fucked him. He gave a broken grunt and exploded all over my hand and the stairs. His body shook and arched as I stroked him through the pleasure. Even when he tried to jerk away thanks to his sensitivity, I gripped his half-hard cock, milking him through his orgasm.

“See? Loser.” My words barely came out with how hard I was breathing. “Coming first. Pathetic. Take this and don’t you dare spill a drop.”

I pounded into him a few more times before I came, filling his ass with my cum. My body trembled and I gripped his hips hard enough to bruise. I fucked myself through it, making a mess of his ass and thighs. Fuck, I hadn’t realized how pent up I was. Cum leaked from his ass and down his thighs even though my cock was still inside.

River hummed and pushed up on his elbows. “Looks like I spilled. Or maybe you did?” He smirked. “So, who’s the real loser here, Frankie?”

“Shut the fuck up, River.”

“Make me.” His eyes burned with challenge. I gritted my teeth. River was always a good fighter, and his fucking style was no exception. “I still think you’re a damn idiot and won’t stay quiet about that. Not when it comes to my teammate.”

I ripped myself away from him and shook my head. “I’ll talk to him.” I doubt Bones would want to talk about it either, but now that I had the semblance of post-nut clarity, River had a point. We’d be fucked if Bones ruined himself now.

“Good. Thanks.”

River stood up and fixed his jeans and hair. Except for the flush on his cheeks and the cum on the stairs and floor, it was as if nothing had happened.

“I’ll clean this up and get ready.” He was all business again, but then he looked at me and winked. “Unless you have another lesson to teach me?”

“Mind your own damn business.” I grunted and stalked off.

If I didn’t, I knew I’d be teaching him a lot more lessons all over the rest of the gym.

Fucker.