The Deal and Outcome

EMMA

“Anthony, let’s cut to the chase. What’s it going to take for you to join forces with us?”

I’m not one for beating around the bush. This meeting is already tense enough.

“I’ll sign on the dotted line if you can prove that the rumors about you are true,” he says, leaning back in his chair, looking uninterested.

“What are you getting at, Anthony?” I can already feel my patience wearing thin with this guy.

“Word on the street is, you don’t even need a bodyguard. He’s just a decoy to make us underestimate you.

“Some of my colleagues have found out the hard way that you, Emma, are as ruthless as they come.

“If you can prove this to me and pass my little test, I’ll sign whatever you want, right here, right now. But if you fail, there’s no deal, and you’re mine for one night. Do we have a deal?”

“And what’s this test of yours, Anthony?” I’m a bit taken aback that my reputation for being ruthless has spread so fast.

“If you can take down ten of my best guys—~alone~,” he emphasizes, “without any help from your bodyguard, consider the contract signed.”

I pretend to mull over his proposition.

“Alright, but on two conditions. First, no guns. Any other weapons are fair game. Second, no one dies during this little test. Once someone is knocked out or taps out, they’re out.”

“If I lose, I’m yours, for one night. And when I say yours, I mean you and only you, not any of your other men. Deal?”

“Deal.” We shake hands, both rising from our chairs at the same time. I don’t even glance at Levi.

“Can Levi grab my bag from the SUV, Anthony? My gym clothes are in there. I’d rather not ruin my tailored outfits.”

“Of course.”

Levi exits the room, looking unfazed. I follow Anthony and his bodyguards down a long hallway. I’m guessing we’re heading to a gym or some sort of spacious room.

At the end of the hallway, we reach a door that one of his men opens. It leads to a massive room. The floor is stark white and the walls are lined with mirrors. I wait in the center of the room for Levi.

Anthony speaks to one of his men, likely instructing him to round up his top ten. Levi enters with my bag, handing it to me. I give him my cane, then turn to Anthony.

“Where can I change?”

He points to a closed door, which I assume is a bathroom. I head over and sure enough, it’s a beautifully decorated bathroom.

I change into my gym shorts and sports bra, leaving my stomach exposed. I twist my long hair into a tight bun so it can’t be yanked.

Finally, I put on my knuckle duster, wrap it with white tape, and pull on black fingerless gloves.

This isn’t going to be a fair fight. I need to make sure I come out on top. If I lose and have to honor the deal with Anthony to spend the night with him, Diablo will lose his mind.

I’m not thrilled about the idea either. Anthony is a despicable man.

When I step out of the bathroom, I see the ten men Anthony has chosen. Shit, they’re all tall and muscular, and it’s clear they’ve been trained.

I swallow hard, second-guessing my decision to go through with this. But I can’t show fear. They’ll seize on it. I walk over to Levi, hand him my bag, and take the cane from him.

I give him a small smile before walking to the center of the room.

“Let’s make sure we’re clear on the rules, Anthony. I fight ten guys. A defeat is only a defeat if the person is knocked out or taps out. Once he’s out, he can’t rejoin. No guns, but all other weapons are allowed.

“Levi can’t interfere or help me in any way. If I defeat all ten guys, we’re in business. If I fail, I’m yours for tonight. Did I cover everything, or did I miss something?” I say, trying to sound more confident than I feel.

“That’s it. The guys understand. As soon as I sit down, the challenge begins.”

With that, he walks over to a chair in the far corner of the room and sits down. Before I can even think of a strategy, five of the ten guys start moving toward me.

They all have the same look in their eyes. They want to destroy me. They start circling me like predators, and I’m their prey. I need something to calm my nerves.

I snap my fingers, and Levi immediately starts playing my favorite music. We always keep a small speaker in my bag to connect to my phone. I love music. It helps me relax, and right now, I need to be relaxed.

Anthony looks a bit surprised by the music, but quickly regains his composure and turns his attention to the center of the room where the action is about to start.

The first guy lunges at me, but I sidestep him and whack another one over the head with my cane. He doesn’t get up. One down, nine to go. Two guys drag his body to the corner of the room, trying to revive him.

I know he’s not dead. I just knocked him out. Two guys decide to come at me from different directions. I kick one, spin, and punch the other.

Both of them look a bit stunned but quickly recover and lunge at me again. I know I need to go all out this time. Otherwise, they’ll wear me out before I even get to the next five.

I kick one with all my might in the chest, following up with two quick punches, one to his nose and the other to his throat. He falls to the floor, gasping for air.

The other guy grabs me from behind, pinning my arms to my sides. I tilt my head forward as if I’ve given up, then whip it back hard, hitting him in the nose.

He releases me, clutching his broken, bleeding nose, slightly hunched over. I turn my back to him to gain some momentum, then spin and kick him in the face, splattering blood everywhere.

It’s like a scene from a movie playing in slow motion. I see his face jerk to the left and seize the opportunity to kick him in the chest with both legs, landing perfectly. He drops to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

The other five guys are starting to realize that I’m not going to be as easy to take down as they thought. I’m running on pure adrenaline now. Seven guys at once, just what I needed.

They circle around me. I scan the group, looking for the strongest one. When my blue eyes lock with his brown ones, I know he’s their leader. He’s probably their trainer, their alpha.

He’s a good-looking guy, around my age, maybe a year older.

I swing my cane to his left, knocking the guy next to him off balance, then I punch the alpha square in the jaw. Chaos breaks out. I’m kicking and punching anything and anyone within reach.

They have the numbers, but they don’t have my stamina or my determination. I separate the top part of the cane from the bottom, revealing the blade in one hand and the bottom end in the other.

The fight goes on, and I notice that the brown-eyed hunk is holding back, letting the others wear me down.

Eventually, only the alpha is left standing. I’m exhausted. I’ve already taken down nine guys. My arms and legs are aching.

Levi is still standing exactly where I left him. He hasn’t moved since the fight started. I need a little more motivation. I snap my fingers twice.

Levi immediately starts playing my favorite fight song, “Not Afraid” by Eminem. The alpha and I circle each other, sizing each other up.

He’s barely winded, while I’m hanging by a thread. If I’m going to win, I’ll need to outsmart him.

“Come on Alex. Win this for me. I want that sexy ass in my bed tonight,” Anthony yells from his chair. That’s all the motivation I need.

There’s no way I’m letting Anthony get his hands on me. Screw playing nice.

I put the two pieces of the cane back together and toss it to Levi. He catches it and holds onto it.

“Wrong move, baby. You could have used that to try and beat me.”

“Don’t call me ‘baby’. I’m not your baby, and I never will be. I don’t need a weapon to win. I have a brain. You? You probably just have a small dick that does all your thinking for you.”

“Baby, if you were mine, I promise you’d be screaming my name so loud when I fuck you. My dick is a lot of things, but small isn’t one of them.”

“First, you’ll never have the privilege of fucking me. Second, can we get this over with? I have a boyfriend at home and I promise you, tonight I’ll be screaming ~his~ name when he’s inside me.

“I mean, this is fun and all, but I prefer to be fucked for pleasure, not for a fight. And I want my boyfriend to fuck me, not you or your boss.”

I see a small twitch in his jaw. I’ve hit a nerve. Interesting.

We both take fighting stances, waiting for the other to make the first move. We stand there, staring at each other. I notice the tattoos on his abs and a few smaller ones on his arms.

He’s got a six-pack that flexes when he moves. He has an infinity tattoo, the center crossing over his left nipple. His arms are all muscle. I bet he could lift me up without breaking a sweat.

My eyes move up to his face. He’s got a strong jawline, brown eyes, and messy brown hair. He’s a good-looking guy. It’s a shame he works for a jerk like Anthony.

From what I’ve seen, he’s definitely trained in fighting—that’s why I’m facing him last. Our eyes meet and I can tell he’s checking me out. He likes what he sees.

Even though my nose is caked with dried blood, my left cheek is probably already bruising, and my stomach is red and sore from the hits I’ve taken, there’s a look of admiration in his eyes.

I take advantage of his distraction and kick him in the chest, landing smoothly on my feet. He stumbles a bit, but doesn’t fall like the others.

He punches me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I know I need to act fast. He’s strong and he’s not holding back.

I pretend to be weaker than I am, clutching my stomach and gasping for breath. He moves in, fists clenched, ready to throw another punch. It’s now or never. He might actually beat me.

I drop into a split, then punch him in the dick with both fists. He doubles over, clutching himself.

I kick him in the face, then spin and kick him again.

I jump up and wrap my leg around his neck, cutting off his air. He falls to the ground, trying to fight me off. I press harder with my leg, but he refuses to tap out. He’s stubborn.

I shift my position slightly, still keeping my leg around his neck, and start punching him in the face, chest, and stomach.

I’m starting to lose hope. My arms are so tired. My leg is starting to cramp. I’m about to give up when I hear the sound I’ve been waiting for. He’s tapping out.

Thank God. I don’t think I could have kept this up much longer.

I release my hold on his neck and fall back, trying to catch my breath. He’s also breathing hard, trying to calm down.

“Damn, beautiful. I can’t believe you beat me. I thought I had you. You’re good. If you’re this good at fighting, I can only imagine how you are in bed.”

“Damn that split, I’d tie those legs up if you were mine. Amazing.”

“Well, like I said, you’ll never get the chance to fuck me. But if you ever want to change employers, give me a call. I’m sure you can get my number.”

Levi walks over with a bottle of water. I take it from him and drain it. “What time is it, Vi?”

“Boss, it’s past six,” Levi says, using my code name when other Mafia members or bosses are within earshot.

Damn it, I’ve been battling these assholes for nearly four hours. No wonder I’m exhausted.

“Let’s wrap up the business part of this deal. I need to get home and soak in a hot bath.”

“Diablo’s been calling non-stop since four,” Levi informs me. “He’s probably worried about you, Boss.”

“I’ll call him once we’re in the car.”

I stride over to Anthony, extending my hand to Levi for the contract, which he hands over without delay.

“Time to seal our deal, Anthony. If you don’t mind, I need your signature on each page.”

“I’ve changed my mind. I’m not signing a damn thing,” he snaps.

“You better hope I misheard you, Anthony.”

“No, you heard right. I’m not signing.”

I step closer to him, our bodies brushing against each other. I tilt my head up slightly to meet his gaze. He’s not as tall as the other men in my life, so it’s easier.

“Anthony, you know how this business operates. If you back out of our deal and word gets around—and trust me, I’ll make sure it does—

“Everyone will know you’re not a man of your word. You back out of deals and you’re, in essence, a coward. Where do you see your business in—let’s say, two days—once I’m through with you?”

“Just so you know, I usually record all my deals just in case something like this happens. So yes, I have all the evidence I need.”

I see him swallow hard. He knows that if this gets out, he’ll be dead within three days.

Which will put me in control of his business anyway, achieving what I intended with this deal in the first place. Minus his cut.

“Fine, I’ll sign and honor the deal. You did win fair and square. We’re now allies. I look forward to doing business with you.” He takes the contract from Levi and signs where necessary.

“I’ll email you a copy. If you need to contact me for any reason, my details are on your copy of the contract.”

We shake hands and Levi and I turn to leave.

“Hey, beautiful,” I hear the sex god call out. I turn to him, puzzled as to why he wants to talk to me. He saunters over, stopping just inches away.

Looking up at him, I find his brown eyes gazing into my blue ones with an unreadable expression.

“My name’s Alex. Expect a call from me soon. I promise it won’t be on your work phone. It’ll be on your private one.”

He turns and walks away. I glance at Levi with a “what the hell” look. He shrugs and keeps walking.

Once we’re safely in the SUV, I dial Diablo’s number. He picks up before it even rings.

“Where the hell are you, baby? I’m worried sick.”

“Babe, it’s been a long day. I’m okay. I’ll fill you in tomorrow. I’m heading to the penthouse tonight. I need a long bath and some sleep. I’ll see you after the gym tomorrow.”

“You’re not coming home, baby?” I can hear the disappointment in his voice and I almost give in, but I know I won’t get any rest tonight if I do.

“No babe, I need some alone time and rest. I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you.” I hang up before he can respond.

I rest my head against the window of the SUV and fall asleep instantly, my worn-out body oblivious to the uncomfortable position I’m in.