SWOLLEN: A Secret Baby Sports Romance Read Free Page B

memory of that night had cooled off, and I was back in the area. I have no idea how this is going to go. People like me scare women sometimes, and the stuff that I do isn’t exactly PG, so, although I’m a good looking guy, I can be a super tough sell.
    “ Hi”, I say when she comes over.
    “ Hi”, she says with a smile, giving everything away in a second.
    I know how to read people. It makes me good at what I do. People telegraph stuff all the time even though they don’t realize it. The night we met she was scared and intimidated, but right now she’s open and relaxed. I know she’s been thinking about me without evening needing to ask her. That much is clear. I know she’s happy to see me again too. I’ve been thinking about her as well. Despite all the other shit that’s been going on at the moment, this girl has been enough to keep me focused. Waiting a month has been hard, but I knew this was important enough not to rush. Winning is all about making the right moves at the right moment, and right now is the right time to make my move here.
    “ Busy night?” I ask, the question not important so much as the asking of it.
    “ Same as usual”, she says casually.
    “ I was in the area, thought I’d come and say hello. I hope you don’t mind?”
    “ No”, she says. “I was-. I’ve been thinking about you. I never said thank you for what you did.”
    “ That’s ok. I’m sorry it had to go down like that.”
    “ You saved my ass”, she says. “I-. Honestly, I’m glad you’re here. What do you want to drink, my shout? It’s the least I can do.”
    She’s even better looking than I remember her, far too good to drag into my world. One night will never be enough, but one night is better than zero and it’s impossible to resist any longer.
    I’m not the kind of guy a girl like this needs to get messed up with long-term, but I’m here because I know that short term I can’t hold myself back. I’ve ruined countless relationships because of what my chosen profession is, and it’s made one thing perfectly clear. No matter how much you like the girl, nothing good comes from exposing her to that. I saw her reaction the night we met, if she was ever to come to one of my fights, she’d see a side of me that would make her want to be as far away from me as physically possible.
    She’s far too sweet a girl for me to do that too, and even though I know already she’s been thinking about fucking me, I need to take responsibility for her emotional well-being. Don’t get too attached. Fuck, but don’t fuck people up. I do enough of that in the makeshift rings in the basement levels of abandoned buildings.
    I get attached easily too, so I have to be careful with something so addictive.
    “ I have a suggestion”, I say. “If you aren’t interested, that’s cool, but I’ve got to ask.”
    “ Go on”, she says, already intrigued, already on the hook and waiting for me to yank it away from her.
    Just a fuck, nothing else.
    “ I like you”, I say.
    “ You don’t know anything about me”, she says.
    “ I know you don’t like working here. I know you’re intelligent, creative and undervalued. I know you’ve been thinking about me since that night too.”
    “ Okay”, she says, going a little red.
    “ I’m going to be direct, and I hope I don’t overstep the mark in doing so. I think you appreciate direct men, so I’m going to go out on a limb here. Let me take you home when you’ve finished here and we can do all the things you’ve been dreaming about. If I’ve completely misread the situation, and you aren’t interested in me or that proposition, I apologize profusely, and I’ll leave immediately.”
    She looks away for a second, a tell as clear as the light of the day she’s been caught and can’t quite believe it.
    “ You know how many people come in here and ask me if they can take me home?”
    “ I think it probably happens on a daily basis”, I say.
    “ So what makes you