Xavier Cold (Hard Knocks #2) (16 page)

I take the paper, and there’s a list of times and places written on it. “Mine?”

He nods and adjusts the white plastic sunglasses sitting on top of his mullet. “X texted me and asked that I show you the ropes while he’s not here.”

“That’s kind of you, Jimmy.”

He shrugs. “He’s paying me, so don’t think too highly of me.” He glances down at my bag. “Well, I’ll let you get settled in. As usual, dinner in the hotel restaurant is on
Tension
. Come down when you’re ready.”

“Okay.”

Jimmy begins to walk away.

I throw out another, “Thank you,” which only results in him raising his hand into the air in a weird wave while his back is still to me.

I sigh as I get on the next open elevator. This experience is so different from when I travel with Xavier. I can’t wait for him to get back on the road with me.

A
fter dinner, the next thing on the agenda was a meeting with the wardrobe department. I knock on room 507, and a little black lady with short-cropped hair and glasses answers the door.

She smiles, making her appear warm and inviting. “Anna Sweets, it’s lovely to finally meet you. I’m Pearl, the entire wardrobe department. Come on in.”

“A one woman show?”

“Exactly,” she says.

I laugh as I step into the hotel room and notice that her it’s packed with suitcases full of fabric. A compact sewing machine sits on the desk with a wrestler’s costume.

“You weren’t kidding. You really are a one-man band. You make everyone’s costumes by hand?”

She nods. “I do. Every outfit you’ve ever seen on
Tension
over the last fifteen years has been one of my designs. That brings me to you. I can’t have you out there, on the air, wearing just a plain old T-shirt and jeans.”

I grimace. “You can’t? I really don’t plan on being in the ring much.”

She lifts one eyebrow. “That’s not the word that has been passed down from the top of the
Tension
chain. From what I hear, you’ll be making an appearance on every show for the next three months, maybe longer, on Rex’s arm.”

I rub my forehead and squeeze my eyes shut. “Oh no.”

She pats my shoulder. “X is gonna have to get over it, honey. If he wants you to keep this job, he knows better than anyone that you’ll have to play along with whatever the big boss wants. Mr. Silverman has really been pushing the idea of a huge rivalry over you between X and Rex.”

“Any idea what they want me to do when I’m out in the ring?”

“You’re asking the wrong person for that. I only make the clothes for the storyline. They don’t divulge more than minor information to me when it comes to the plot so I can make sure the outfits are correct. I’ve been asked to prepare a costume for you that goes along with Rex’s.”

The idea of matching Rex makes my stomach turn a bit. “This is going to end so badly.”

“Maybe it won’t. X is a smart guy. He’ll get over it if he wants to keep you.”

“Thank you.” I sigh. “I guess we’d better get to work then.”

Pearl takes a few minutes to measure every inch of my body, and then she sits on the side of her bed and begins sketching on a pad. Within a few moments, the vision she sees in her head for the outfit she wants to make for me comes to fruition on paper. It’s basically the same as jeans and a T-shirt I usually wear. This time though, the outfit consists of tight pink leather pants and a white blouse with bright pink sequins that say
Anna Sweets
on top of a frosted cupcake.

I laugh. “Cute.”

“Thanks.” She smiles widely at her own artwork. “I think it plays up the whole sweet thing pretty well.” She hands me the pad, so I can take a closer inspection. “You like it?”

I nod. “It’s really great.”

She smiles. “Good. Then, I’ll get to work and have this ready for your appearance tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow?” My stomach flips again. The idea of being out in front of that crowd without Xavier terrifies me. “That soon?”

“You’ll be great,” Pearl encourages. She glances down at her watch. “Okay, it’s almost time for my next appointment. I’ll find you backstage to give you this outfit before you go live.”

“Sounds good.”

We exchange cell phone numbers, so she can text me when the costume is ready, and then I head back to my room.

While I wait on the elevator, I check my cell. I haven’t had a chance to read messages since I texted Quinn and Xavier to tell them I’d safely landed in Seattle and got checked into my room. I have four missed texts.

I click on the message icon and chuckle. Quinn was the last person to text me, and without even clicking on the full message, I can see she’s waiting on me to call her.

Quinn: Hello?

Quinn: Call me every day while you’re on the road. Does this ring a bell?

I shake my head as I type my reply.

Anna: Sorry. Busy schedule since I landed. Heading to bed now. Will call in the morning.

Even though it’s only eight in the evening here on the West Coast, I’m still on Detroit time. I yawn as I click the next message. It causes me to bite my lip with anticipation since Xavier and I didn’t exactly part on a happy note.

Xavier: Glad you’re safe. Hope Liv found you okay.

Xavier: Going to bed. Totally beat. I know the time change sucks for you, but if you need to talk, call anytime. Love you.

His words make me smile. Even when we fight, he’s still sweet, making me miss him even more. If I were back in Detroit, I would have him cornered by now, forcing him to spill whatever it is that he’s been hiding from me, the thing that’s caused this weird rift between us. Once whatever it is comes to light, I know we’ll be able to fix it together.

I shoot a reply to him, wanting to let him know I’m thinking about him.

Anna: I’ll call you tomorrow. Get some rest. You looked beat today. Miss you like crazy and love you.

I stuff my phone into my back pocket as the elevator stops on my floor. I’m exhausted myself and can’t wait to lay down. I fish my room card out of pocket, and when my eyes snap up to read the numbers on the doors, they lock on Rex’s dark eyes.

My back stiffens when I see the one man I’ve been dreading to face ever since I discovered I would have to come on the road without Xavier. Rex’s long dark hair is pulled back into a low ponytail. A yellow hue tints the underside of his eyes, a remnant of Xavier breaking his nose, and several small bruises are on his chin and arms. Other than that, he appears to be in pretty good shape. Rex should be thankful
Tension
’s bouncer, Freddie, was there to pull Xavier off of him before Xavier could inflict a lot more damage.

His eyes twinkle as an evil smile dances across his lips. “There’s my girl.”

“Stop it,” I order. “I’m not your girl.”

His smile widens. “Of course you are. For the next three months while Xavier is gone, you’ll be on my arm while on camera...and off camera, too, if you play your cards right.”

I roll my eyes as I attempt to step around him in the hall. “You disgust me.”

“That’s interesting.” He smirks. “Xavier can fuck half the women in this company, yet I’m the disgusting one. I find that a little hypocritical coming from you.”

Even though I know it’s probably true, the mention of Xavier being with a lot of women turns my stomach. I don’t enjoy that thought being thrown in my face. In some ways, I’m just as bad as Xavier in some ways when it comes to the jealousy department.

The thing about this conversation though is that I know Rex is trying to mess with me in a lame attempt at pushing Xavier’s buttons even though he’s on the other side of the country.

I try one more time to step around Rex, wanting nothing more than to get away from him. “Would you please stop getting in front of me?”

Rex defensively throws his hands up. “All you have to do is say please. I like it when beautiful women beg. It’s my weakness.”

I shove past him and don’t even bother to engage in an argument.

I swipe my key in the door and then shove down the handle.

“Oh, Anna,” Rex calls in a singsong voice, “I’ll be right next door if you want to work on that kiss of ours that’s happening tomorrow night.”

“Fuck you, Rex.” I square my shoulders and march into my room, cutting off my contact with the man that can get under my skin quicker than any other man I’ve ever met.

I waste no time in getting ready for bed. Tomorrow will be a busy day, and I know I’ll need all the sleep I can get if I’m going to survive it.

I set my alarm on my phone for eight in the morning, and just before I place the phone on the nightstand, I notice a new text has arrived. I click on the phone and gasp.

It’s been a long time since that name has shown up on my phone. My hand trembles a bit as I pull the screen up for a closer inspection. After I left him without so much as a word, Jorge is the last person I ever expected to hear from again.

Out of everything I left behind in Portland, the one thing I regret is the way I left Jorge. Even though it was obvious we didn’t love each other the way we should have in such an involved relationship, I did care for him, and he deserved at least an explanation from me. I wouldn’t blame him if he hated me.

As I click on his name, I take a deep breath and prepare myself for the scathing message.

Jorge: I heard you’re in Seattle. If I drive up there, will you see me?

My heart does a double thump against my ribs as I read over his words more than a dozen times. I’m not sure what he’ll say to me, but whatever it is, I need to woman up and hear him out. I owe him that much.

Anna: I’ll be here until Wednesday morning. I have shows tonight and Sunday, but I have downtime on Monday until I do Tuesday’s show.

I chew my bottom lip as I hit Send and wait on his response. The phone chimes again, alerting me to a new message before I’ve even had the chance to set the phone down.

Jorge: Dinner on Monday night? We have many things to discuss.

Anna: We do. Monday sounds great. I’ll text you my hotel information, so you can pick me up.

I send the information and lay the phone down on the nightstand. A sliver of light from the evening sun creeps through the crack in the curtains and streaks across the ceiling as I stare at it. So many things roll through my mind all at once. I find it difficult to focus. It almost feels as though everything is coming down on me at once—being on my own at the show, being away from Xavier, dealing with Rex, and now facing the messy past with Jorge.

I hope I can handle all the pressure because now is not the time for me to crack.

T
he driver pulls through the gated section of the arena and stops near a back door where I recognize Freddie, the
Tension
bouncer who pulled Xavier off of Rex.

I push open the back door and slip out of the SUV.

I head toward the door. Freddie is standing there with his eyes are trained on me as I near him.

Immediately, his gaze checks behind me. “I see X took the suspension seriously since he’s not with you.”

I step up next to him, and his nearly seven-foot frame towers over me. “He did. He’s still back in Detroit.”

Freddie raises his dark eyebrows and writes something down on his clipboard. “I have to say, I’m a bit surprised that X didn’t attempt to bend the rules, like he typically does, and show up with you here anyway. I expected that actually.”

I shrug. “He knows this is only temporary. Hopefully he trusts me. There’s no need for him to violate the terms of his suspension.”

“X might trust you, but I know he sure as hell doesn’t trust Rex. I don’t care what line of bullshit the public relations department fed the press about the fight between them onstage being a part of the show. I’ve gotten between the two of them too many times for me to believe it wasn’t real. Rex has been taunting X for far too long. It was all bound to come to a head at some point.”

My lips pull into a tight line. “You’re right, but if the story keeps X out of jail, I’ll go along with it any day.”

Freddie gives me a pointed look. “Is that why you agreed to the whole love-triangle thing with Rex?”

I tilt my head to the side. “How do you know about that?”

“Everyone does. This is Tension, Anna. Everyone knows everyone’s business here.” He sighs. “It doesn’t help that Rex has been bragging about having you on his arm to everyone either.”

“Great,” I mutter. “I suppose he’s already in there?”

Freddie nods. “He is. If he gives you shit, come find me.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.”

“Not a problem,” he replies coolly. “X is a good guy, and I know he only did what he did because he had been pushed, so I’d like to help him out as much as I can.”

“You’re a good guy, Freddie.” I pat the smooth brown skin on his forearm.

He smiles. “I try. Now, let’s get you back there before you’re late.”

He presses a button on the walkie-talkie hanging over his shoulder. “Security needed at the back entrance. I’m escorting talent into the building.”

The radio squawks to life. “Copy that.”

Freddie nods toward the door and then heads inside with me on his heels.

Backstage is the same as every other time I’ve been back here. Men and women of all shapes and sizes, wearing T-shirts with the word
Tension
on them, are buzzing around, pushing equipment in every direction.

Freddie stops at a set of open blue doors. “Catering is in here. I’ll radio the writers and tell them where you are. I’m sure they’ll send someone for you shortly.”

“Thanks, again, Freddie.”

“No problem, Anna Sweets. Take care of yourself.”

When he leaves me standing there, I wrap my arms around myself and head into what Xavier loves to refer to as the Snake Pit. As always, several women dressed to kill are gathered around one of the tables, no doubt plotting on how to get their hooks into a professional wrestler.

Not one friendly face is to be seen in the place, so I make my way over to an empty tables and sit down. I drag my phone out and dial Xavier’s number, but the line simply rings a few times before going straight to voice mail.