Love On The Ropes (Ringside Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page B

mastered the gift of lying
with his eyes . I’m happy you got back with Mr. Malloy, Ma. Sure, I’ll come
home for Easter. Like hell he’d come home and watch that pervert touch his
mother’s behind, listen to his little brother argue politics, and suffer
through small talk with his sister’s latest boyfriend.
    “I’m afraid you’ve done this to
yourself, son,” Cosmo said.
    “Son?” The jerk had no right to
call him that. No one did. Whoa, chill out .
    “Cosmo, it was an accident,” Sandy
said.
    She was defending him?
    “You mean The Stripper accidentally
tackled Floyd and nearly killed him with a pink shoe?” Cosmo said.
    “The Stripper didn’t understand,”
she replied.
    “Stop calling me that,” J spoke
up.
    “The wrestling subculture is new
to him,” Sandy went on. “He thought Floyd was really insulting him when he made
that comment about his mother.”
    Cosmo burst into laughter,
slapping his hand on his thigh. “Where have you been, boy?”
    In a hellish urban jungle fighting
drug lords.
    “That kind of ribbing goes on all
the time around here,” Cosmo said. “He didn’t mean anything by it.”
    “I get that now.”
    Cosmo’s smile faded. “Still, if we
can’t mend things between you and Floyd, you’re out.”
    “Let me help,” Sandy said.
    Why was she doing this? J hated
when someone offered to help because their generosity was usually followed by
shame or pain, or both.
    “Is Floyd still here?” she asked.
    “Yep, packing to go home.”
    “We’ll give it a shot.”
    “We? Meaning what?” J didn’t like
the sound of this.
    “Meaning I’ll help you apologize.”
    “I’d rather quit.”
    “Here.” She shoved at his
shoulder. “Just got rid of that chip for you. Must have been a heavy sucker.”
She shot him a full-cheeked smile and he forgot to breathe. How did she do
that?
    “Follow me.” She started for the
door.
    He stared at her, this tiny female
dressed in jeans, a fatigue T-shirt and tennis shoes. She was leading him
around by the nose.
    Turning, she waited by the door.
“Well?”
    Her tone set his teeth on edge.
“Listen, lady—”
    “Dude, you need to grow up,
swallow your pride and keep your job.” She marched out the door.
    He stared after her, dumbfounded.
He’d been insulted by this woman at least a dozen times in the past twenty
minutes.
    “I’d go with her if I were you,
son,” Cosmo said.
    J marched past the promoter. “I’m
not your son.”
    He spotted Sandy down the hall. “Stop!”
He started after her, bad knee and all. “Don’t you hear me, woman?” He
jog-hopped and caught up to her as she reached the locker room. “You know I’m
hurt and you’re making me chase after you?”
    “Don’t pull that guilt thing on
me, chief. You dug this hole all by yourself. You ready to climb out?”
    “Yes—no.”
    “Which is it?”
    “Yes, I guess.”
    “Great. I know how to push Floyd’s
buttons. Walk in and humble yourself. You know, be submissive and don’t make
eye contact.”
    He ground his teeth. Be submissive?
    “Then say, ‘Floyd, I’m sorry. I
didn’t understand how things worked around here. I didn’t mean to hurt you.’ ”
    “But I did mean to hurt him.”
    “Lie. I know you can do it.” She
smiled.
    Okay, which non-truth had she
figured out?
    “I don’t want to do this,” he
said, eyeing the door.
    “Then you’re a selfish pig.”
    “Excuse me?” He stared her down.
    “You’re only thinking of yourself,
not your sister. Where will she live? In a cardboard box?” She shuddered.
    Apparently she’d bought the lie
about his homeless sister.
    “Okay, fine.”
    “You know what to say?”
    “More or less.”
    “Let’s go.”
    “You’re coming with me?” Hell, if
he lost his temper he didn’t want it to be in front of his one ally in this
place.
    “You’ll need backup.” She swung
open the door and a dozen men froze.
    Some were packing up their gear,
some were getting ready to work out. Floyd stood