Her Tattooed Savior (New Adult Wrestling Erotic Romance) (2 page)

Mandy squeezed her eyes shut as she continued to cry and plead, but
Ronnie’s fists never came. She waited for the impact, she readied herself, but
the blow never made contact. Instead she heard, “Dude, what the hell?” and she
forced herself to look to see what was going on.

Standing between her and her boyfriend was the largest man she’d ever
seen in person. Even in the dark parking lot she could see his tanned muscles,
his dark hair tied back in a ponytail, and the tattoos that traced down his
arms. It took her a second to realize who it was, he looked so much different
when he was wearing clothes, but the man in front of her was Jay Viper.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” the big man boomed as he
squeezed Ronnie’s fist in his large hand. “Are you actually going to hit an
innocent woman?”

“Stay out of it!” Ronnie screamed at the wrestler. “No one asked you.”

“You asked me the moment you raised your hand to her,” Viper informed
Ronnie as he squeezed his hand harder. Mandy could see the wrestler breathing
heavily as he bellowed, “Did no one teach you any respect?”

“What’s it to you?” Ronnie screamed back. Mandy knew that after the
beers and probably some meth that Ronnie wasn’t feeling any of it, and she was
more worried for the muscular wrestler than her skinny boyfriend. She’d heard
what meth could do to people and she already knew what Ronnie was capable of.

Still, the big wrestler showed no fear. He easily pushed Ronnie to the
ground and by then enough of a crowd had gathered that even Ronnie knew to stay
down. People had their phones out and they were taking pictures as Jay Viper
turned and helped Mandy to her feet. “What’s your name?” he asked as he
extended his hand.

“Mandy,” she told him. “Ow!” she cried as she dropped back to the
ground.

“Are you okay?” Jay Viper asked as he kneeled down beside her.

“My foot,” she whimpered. “I think I cut it.”

“Yup, looks like,” Jay said as he took one look at it. “Here, I’ll take
you to the ring doctor to get it checked out.”

Mandy was going to tell him no, she was going to stay with Ronnie and
deal with the consequences, but Jay didn’t give her a chance to argue. He
scooped her up in his muscular arms and carried her back towards the arena with
Ronnie screaming after them. If he followed her, she didn’t know, but she
didn’t see him when they got back inside.

“What happened to your shoe?” Jay asked as they got back inside. “No
wonder you cut your foot.”

“I’m clumsy,” Mandy lied as Jay carried her down a set of stairs. She
was used to lying about where her injuries came from. She couldn’t stop herself
even though she knew Jay had seen Ronnie about to hit her again.

“No you aren’t,” Jay called her on it in his deep voice. “I know an
abuser when I see one, and I didn’t need to see him about to hit you to know
it. I’ll get the doctor to check out your foot, but don’t lie to him.”

Mandy gulped, but she nodded. Despite all her injuries, she’d never
once seen a doctor. Once she worried that Ronnie had broken her wrist, but
after a few days she could move it again and decided she was fine. There was no
reason to get a doctor involved, they just asked questions she didn’t want to
answer.

“What’s up, Jay?” the doctor asked as Jay carried Mandy into the room.
“I didn’t know we had a new Starlet on the roster.”

“What?” Mandy asked as Jay set her down on the rolling medical table.
It was a little unsteady and the doctor was working out of a locker room, but
Mandy just assumed that’s because they were always on the road.

“Starlets are the women wrestlers with the company,” Jay informed her,
his green eyes catching hers as he helped her bring her feet up on to the
table. “She cut her foot,” he told the doctor and Mandy shivered as he touched
her bare legs. Mandy almost fainted when she saw the blood on her foot, but
managed to keep it together.

“Ah yes,” the doctor, an older man with greying hair and a bald spot,
said. “Looks like you stepped on a bit of broken glass. Nothing I can’t take
care of.”

“Ow!” Mandy cried as the doctor took tweezers to her bare foot. She was
used to being hurt, she’d grown accustomed to pain, but there was something
about her feet that made her uneasy.

“Here,” Jay said as he offered her his hand. “Hold my hand and look at
me.”

“Okay,” Mandy nodded as she placed her hand in his. Compared to the
wrestler, her hand looked like no more than a doll’s. He was so big up close,
and his muscles were defined even under his black t-shirt. She stared at his
chest to avoid looking at his eyes, Mandy was scared of finding herself too
drawn in by his light green stare to even risk it.

“All done!” the doctor told her, but Mandy hadn’t felt a thing. She’d
been too focused on Jay to even feel the doctor as he’d removed the shard of
glass from her foot, but Jay was nice enough to keep holding her hand as the
doctor cleaned her foot and wrapped a bandage around it.

“Thanks,” Mandy said once he was done wrapping her bandage. “Sorry for
bugging you like this.”

“It’s nothing,” the doctor assured her. “Wait, what’s this?” he asked
as he leaned forward and looked closer at Mandy’s face. “Where did you get this
bruise?”

“Nowhere,” Mandy lied. With both the doctor and Jay Viper’s eyes on
her, she began to tremble. No one had ever confronted her about the abuse
before and she didn’t know what to do now that someone had.

“Jay,” the doctor said to the big wrestler who was still holding her
hand. “This young lady is going to need a pair of shoes. She looks about a
seven. Sapphire wears a seven, could you ask her to lend this woman something
so she can get home?”

“Sure,” Jay nodded, but Mandy didn’t want him to go. She knew what the
doctor wanted and it scared her more than Ronnie’s fists ever had.

“Look,” the doctor sighed when Jay left the room. “You won’t listen to
me, but you should get that bruise x-rayed. And you definitely need to file a
restraining order against the person who is doing this to you. No one deserves
this.”

“
It’s
fine,” Mandy shook her head as she
fought back tears. “It’s just a mistake, I promise. It’s never happened
before.”

“Right,” the doctor sighed again. “Ah, did you get the shoes?” he asked
Jay as he returned to the change room.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Sapphire said you could have them, don’t worry
about it.”

“Thanks,” Mandy sniffed as she pulled on the sparkly sneakers. “Could I
maybe get a hand to the doors?”

“Sure,” Jay offered. He helped her off the table and then looped his
muscular arm around her waist while she hobbled out of the room.

“Miss,” the doctor called after them. “Please consider what I said.”

Mandy didn’t answer him as she limped out of the room with Jay. They
entered the stadium hallway and it was so much different than when the show was
open that she almost felt like she was in a whole new place. Only a few
employees mulled about while she hobbled down the hall and there was garbage
everywhere. It was all so surreal, but having Jay help her was the weirdest
part.

It was rare for Mandy to meet nice guys, and usually if she did they
were only looking for one thing from the busty blonde. Jay was nothing like
them, and he wasn’t anything like Ronnie either. In the ring he’d been
ferocious, but as they passed other wrestlers in the otherwise empty halls, he
nodded and said hello to each and every one of them.

“Do you have a ride home?” Jay asked when they approached the main
doors of the stadium.

“Um,” Mandy turned to avoid his gaze. “I was just going to call a
taxi.”

“Are you sure?” the big wrestler asked. “Do you need some cash for it?”

“No,” Mandy shook her head. Jay made her stomach uneasy and she didn’t
know why. The beastly look in his eyes was gone, so that wasn’t it. There was
something else, and when she realized it was simply kindness, her cheeks
flushed. “I can get it.”

“Honestly,” Jay said as he ran his hand over his dark hair. “I’m
worried about you getting home safe.” She didn’t disbelieve that. Between
Ronnie’s escalating behavior and the deep, protective growl of Jay’s voice, she
was glad someone like Jay at least cared about her.

“I’ll be fine,” Mandy assured him. “I’ll just grab a cab.”

“I don’t want to overstep my bounds,” Jay told her. “I don’t think it’s
a good idea. I’d feel a lot better if you let me give you a ride home. With a guy
like that asshole out there, I’d rather know you got home safe.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Mandy said as her blush deepened. “It’s
like an hour away.”

“Even more reason I should drive you,” Jay insisted. “A cab ride that
long would cost you a lot of money. If you feel guilty, don’t. My bike hasn’t
been on a nice long ride in a while and could use the miles. It’s a win-win for
both of us.”

“Your bike?” Mandy asked with her eyes wide. She couldn’t believe it,
could she? Mandy had always dreamed of hitting the open road on the back of a
motorcycle and riding off into the night with a man like Jay, but she never
thought fantasies like that came true. The closest she ever got was the dirt
bike Ronnie had bought when he’d turned seventeen. He decided to show off for
her and all his friends before he even learned to ride it. He’d crashed it
almost instantly and then blamed Mandy for distracting him. That was the last
she’d ever seen or heard of the bike.

“Is that okay?” Jay asked. “I can borrow someone’s car. Jeff would let
me use his truck. He’s one of the managers and he tows mine and my buddy Sean’s
bikes for us when we’re on the tour bus.”

“No!” Mandy blurted out. “I mean, yes
it’s
fine. No to the truck. I’ve always wondered what a motorcycle would be like.”

“Good,” he nodded. “You stay here, I’ll find Jeff and get my bike off
his trailer.”

Mandy did as he instructed and sat on one of the benches just inside
the stadium doors. While she waited, Mandy stared down at her borrowed shoes.
They looked brand new and glittered with purple and teal sparkles. She had to
wonder if the Starlet he’d got them off of was actually that willing to give
them up or not, but she smiled at the gesture.

“Ready?” Jay asked as he came out through the main doors. “The bike’s
ready to go.”

He’d grabbed a leather jacket and she couldn’t tell if he looked more
attractive in it or in his wrestling trunks. Over his arm he had another jacket
and held it out for Mandy. “It might be too big,” he shrugged as Mandy slipped
it on. “But it’ll keep the wind off you. Not much I can do about your legs
though.”

“That’s fine,” Mandy said as Jay helped her up. “You’ve already done
more than enough.”

He got her to key her address into his GSP before she got on the
motorcycle. “Ready?” Jay asked as he helped her on to the back of his bike and
gave her a helmet. It was an older model Harley, if Mandy had to guess. It
looked brand new though, and when he used his big foot to kick the bike to
life, she let herself purr with the motor. It was everything she’d ever dreamed
of and they hadn’t even started moving yet. “Hold on.”

Jay put his own helmet over his long dark hair and revved the engine
before he let the bike lurch forward. Mandy screamed with delight, real
delight, as they tore out of the parking lot. She didn’t even care if Jay heard
her, it was too exhilarating not to simply enjoy it.

Her finders held on tight to Jay’s rock hard stomach as he got on to
the open highway. Her legs were spread almost uncomfortably around his hips as
they travelled, but she didn’t care. The sound of the motor and the wind in her
hair was dizzying and she never wanted it to end.

As if he sensed her glee, Jay revved the engine again and picked up
speed. The old Harley seemed to growl under her as they drove, and the hum of the
engine sent goosebumps across her skin, but none of it compared to how
comforting it felt to have her arms around Jay. She knew it was wrong, but as
she leaned her head on his back, she let herself sigh and imagine for just a
minute that he wasn’t taking her home, but to his luxury hotel room where he’d
make passionate love to her all night long.

Her joy deflated as she saw her scummy apartment building creeping up
on the skyline. It was one of the larger buildings on the outskirts of town and
the lights from the top floors were easily visible as they got closer. It was
like a beacon reminding her where she truly belonged.

“Is that it?” Jay hollered back at her as they got closer to the old
apartment building. Mandy nodded her head against his back and Jay pulled back
on the throttle as they turned into the parking lot.

Tears touched Mandy’s eyes and she struggled to fight them back before
she had to take off the helmet. She didn’t want Jay to see her cry, not again.
The night had been so strangely wonderful, and she didn’t want to ruin saying
good-bye to the man by crying.

“Want a hand upstairs?” Jay asked as he helped her off the back of the
bike.

“I’m okay,” Mandy shook her head as she took off her borrowed helmet
and jacket. She’d managed to put a smile on her face and she had to hope that
he thought her red eyes were from the late night and the long ride. “You’ve
already done too much.”

“No I haven’t,” the muscular man shook his head. “I shouldn’t have just
let that asshole leave. I should have called the cops.”

“No don’t!” Mandy almost cried out. “You can’t, I mean. It’s not that
big of a deal.”

“To hell it isn’t,” Jay growled. He looked mad just thinking about it
and Mandy cringed like she always did when Ronnie got that look about him. Jay
didn’t hit her, shake her, or even shove her. Instead he asked for her phone.
“I’m only in town a couple more days,” he told her. “But if that asshole comes
near you, I want you to call me. I’ll take care of him for you.”

Mandy gave him her phone, but she tried to assure him that it wouldn’t
be necessary. “Ronnie’s a good guy,” she tried to convince Jay, and maybe
herself, while she watched him key in his number. “He just let’s his temper get
away from him. He’s probably cooled off by now, a drive usually does that for
him.”