The PRETTY (EROM Curvy Romance #1) (9 page)

BOOK: The PRETTY (EROM Curvy Romance #1)
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Chapter Seventeen

T
he three forces
circle overhead as Tuesday rolls up her sleeve to expose the amulet in a way the Forces can see, but without Roman’s attention being drawn towards it.

T
he three Forces
focus in on the amulet etched into Tuesday’s wrist. They decide not to attack, but to hover and watch for now.

T
uesday breaks the silence
, “You found the location.”

R
oman doesn’t know
how to feel. He’s thankful that Tuesday has admitted that this place is real but upset that she has lied to him. Roman also wonders how she was able to cover up any trace of being with others?


T
hen what I saw
, it wasn’t a dream,” Roman states as fact.

T
uesday has
to be extremely careful. She has to give him enough information to satisfy him, but not enough to put him in further danger.


Y
es
, I was here, and you saw me,” Tuesday confides as she turns to walk away.

R
oman reaches
out and grabs her arm firmly in an aggressive move.


Y
ou’re not going anywhere
until I understand it all,” he pronounces.

T
uesday yanks
her arm away from Roman. She glances upward and spots the three Forces. However, Roman still has no idea that they are above him.

S
he treads lightly
.


O
kay
. I’ll tell you,” Tuesday agrees.

T
uesday takes
Roman’s hand and walks him to a log where they both have a seat; a place obscured from the view of the three Forces.


I
haven’t been completely
honest with you, Roman.”


N
o shit
,” Roman offers up.


Y
ou were here before
, and so was I. But what you think you saw, didn’t happen,” Tuesday covers up.


I
came here
to this place to meet up with an ex-boyfriend. He’s been following me around, and won’t take no for an answer.”


I
could have taken
care of him,” Roman shoots back.


N
o
, I fight my own battles. I don’t want you dragged into any of this. He discovered that you and I were spending work hours together, and he became jealous. He wants to be with me and doesn’t want anyone else in the picture. So he slipped something in your water meant to knock you out. It’s his way, the coward that he is, to get the upper hand over you. He knows he doesn’t stand a chance if you were one-hundred percent.”


W
hen did
he have the chance?” Roman asks.


H
e must have found
a water bottle in your unlocked car, that’s my guess. However, because you’re in excellent physical shape, the drug took much longer to react than he anticipated. So when you followed me here, the drug was slowly taking effect, I suppose. And when you found me, we were— I believe you know the rest.”

R
oman stands up
, “So there was only one person here?”


Y
es
, just me and my ex. We got together just one last time. That’s all of it,” Tuesday concludes.


B
ut I swear
I saw three of them, they were translucent and had wings. I can’t believe I just said that ” Roman says, embarrassed.

T
uesday stands
up next to him, “It was only him. Your mind must have played tricks on you. You weren’t yourself; you were drugged.”

T
uesday reaches
over and wraps her arms around Roman’s neck, “I am so sorry you had to get mixed up in my mess, Roman.”

R
oman reciprocates
the hug with some hesitancy at first before he squeezes her tight in his arms.


W
hat type
of drug was it?” Roman speaks in her ear.


W
hat
?” Tuesday responds as she loosens her embrace.


W
hat type of drug
? I have to know if it’ll affect my performance or qualification tests before the championship bout.”

T
uesday backs away a few steps
. She hadn’t thought this story all the way through. She had to make up a drug that creates hallucinations but is not harmful to the body. She then recalls one she experimented with while in grad school to cope with her insane schedule.

T
uesday informs Roman
,“I believe he said it was Salvia. It’s a herb. The effects aren’t lasting, but they make you believe in things that aren’t there. It sort of creates an alternative universe.”

R
oman pulls
out his cell phone and Googles “Silva.” reads about it on its wiki page:

S
alvia divinorum
(also known as Sage of the Diviners, Ska María Pastora, Seer's Sage, and just Salvia) is a psychoactive plant that can induce visions and other hallucinatory experiences.


W
hat the hell
?” Roman says as he reads further and discovers that someone can use a dropper to dispense a few droplets in water. But what Roman is more concerned about is the side effects. He continues reading the wiki page:

-
P
ast memories
, such as revisiting places from childhood memory

- Sensations of motion, or being pulled or twisted by forces

- Visions of membranes, films, and various two-dimensional surfaces

- Overlapping realities, such as the perception of being in several locations at once

R
oman shoves
his phone back in his pocket, “So you allowed me to be drugged, and you didn’t say a goddamn thing? What is wrong with you?”

T
uesday profusely apologizes
, “I am so so sorry, Roman. I had no idea he would go that far. I only found out about it after the fact. If I had any idea that he would go that far, I would have said something. Will you forgive me?”

R
oman picks
up a downed tree limb and smashes it across the trunk of a nearby tree in anger. His face is red, and his fist coiled.

H
e shouts at Tuesday
, What is his name?”

T
uesday can’t tell
him for fear he will discover that he died seven months ago.

W
ith intensity in his eyes
, Roman strides towards Tuesday and again she backs up. She’s afraid of what he might do and afraid of what might happen to him.


R
oman grabs
her by the shoulders and grips her tight, “What is the son of a bitch’s name? That man who drugged me?”

T
uesday remains silent
.


A
re you protecting this man
? Are you still in love with him?”

L
ove
… that’s the first time that word has ever come out of his mouth. Roman has never said it to anyone, nor used it in a sentence. Women have said it to him and asked him to say it back when he’s fucking them, but he never does.

T
uesday breaks away
from his grip, “I do, still, feel something for him, but it is not love. It’s a bit of obligation and pity mixed with lust. I’m sure you can understand where I’m coming from, can’t you?”

O
f course
, Roman has experienced the same type of insane relationship. He’s had no problem fucking random women purely for lust… and never for love.

R
oman finds
himself doubting how he has interacted with women. He’s surprised Tuesday admitted satisfying her lustful urges.

B
ut there is
something about Tuesday that demands much more than a passing fling. He’s fallen in love with her. He wants to ask her if she feels the same, but he is afraid of the answer.

T
uesday runs back
into Roman’s arms. She leans into him as their lips hover close to each other but don’t touch.

T
hey are drawn together
by a hint of a promise and a dash of rejection.

Chapter Eighteen

F
ans and press
pack the sixteen-thousand-seat arena. All want to get a look at the main card lineup between The Pretty and Lucky Lewis.

T
he pre-fight
interview always draws fans and press from around the world. Twenty-foot banners with The Pretty and Lucky Lewis’ faces flank both sides of the dais.

M
ultiple camera flashes
nearly blind the fighters as camera operators jockey for the premium positions.

T
he Pretty wears
a crisp white shirt and tie. He’s clean-shaven with his hands folded in front of him. Al has a seat next to him. He places a hand on his shoulder for encouragement.

L
ucky Lewis wears
a flashy dark purple suit and dark shades to match his skinny black tie. He has a cocky look on his face. Allistor sits next to him.

A
Grey
-haired Suit stands at the mike, “Welcome to UFC 202. I would like to thank the fighters, the media, the Athletic Commission, and our partners. This weekend will be one for the ages. With this championship battle already making headlines across the globe, the fight promises to be extraordinary. We have The Pretty vs. Lucky Lewis, fighting for the light-heavyweight title.”

T
he crowd cheers
for both fighters. Roman rises to his feet and waves to the crowd as Lucky Lewis does a fist pump in the air before they both sit back down.

T
he Grey-haired Suit continues
, “Fans will witness either The Pretty take what is rightfully his, or witness Lucky Lewis, the underdog, mastermind the upset of the century.”

B
oth cheers and jeers
, shouts and screams erupt in the auditorium for both fighters. However, the cheers for Roman drown out the jeers for Lucky.


A
nd don’t forget
to attend the UFC Fan Weekend and Expo. I hope everyone has downloaded our app to keep up with our current schedule. Now I’ll take the first question,” the Suit says.

P
ress members raise their hands
, and he picks a Reporter from the crowd.

T
he Reporter rises
, “Mike Dugan, USA Sports. Of course this is not the fight we were geared up for. No one expected Lucky Lewis to get a shot at the championship this early—“

L
ucky Lewis leans forward
and shouts in his mic while he cuts the Reporter off, “Why the hell not?”

T
he Reporter
, a bit surprised by the outburst, responds, “Well, you barely made weight, your record losses almost equal your wins. Many here think you haven’t earned it.”

T
here are
a spattering claps in the crowd.

L
ucky Lewis stands
up and kicks his chair away from him as it flies up and crashes into the back wall. The Reporter looks around for Security as he’s scared shitless.

L
ucky responds
, “Ain’t this America, bitch?”

T
he Grey
-haired Suit pipes in, “Let him finish his question, Lewis. Take your seat.”

L
ewis doesn’t break
eye contact with the Reporter as someone picks up his chair and puts it back behind him. Lewis unhurriedly sits back down.

T
he Reporter is a bit frazzled
, but he continues, “So how has the main card line-up changed things?” He then takes a seat.

T
he Suit responds
, “Ticket sales have surpassed eight million, and that doesn’t include pay-per-view. Those figures are through the roof. On top of that, sixty-thousand fans are coming to the arena. This fight is as big, if not bigger than what was anticipated.”

T
he suit points
to another Reporter, “John Phillips, Sports Central. Can you explain what exactly happened with The Dragon? There were conflicting reports. Some said he had a broken rib, and others said he didn’t. There was even social media chat that the UFC was going to force him to fight, even with a broken rib, regardless. Can you clarify?”

T
he Suit clears
his throat and takes a sip of water from a bottle, “First off, there was no confusion on our end. But know this, all fighter’s safety and health is our utmost concern. We would never force anyone to fight if it endangered their health. Those rumors are categorically false. Now with that being said, The Dragon went to several doctors. All looked at the x-rays. Two came up with the same conclusion, and one did not. One said he was cleared to fight, and the other two said he was not because his rib and cartilage injuries were too severe. So that is why he is not here today. But we know The Dragon will be watching the main card and rooting for both men.”

A
nother Reporter stands
to address the panel, “Tucker Ellis, Fox Sports. I’d like to address The Pretty. Apparently Lucky Lewis is getting credit and heat from stepping in on short notice. But you also are now faced with a different fighter than what you have trained for. At the last minute, you’re taking on an entirely different stylistic fighter. How will you handle this? What is your new mindset?”

T
he Pretty scoots
close to the microphone and speaks, “My mind is bulletproof. Solid.”

T
here are
cheers from the crowd.

T
he Pretty continues
, “I’m number one. Who gives a shit if number two bows out and number five steps in his place. Number two, three, four, five; makes no difference to me. I’m still number one.”

L
ucky grimaces
as the crowd erupt in applause and a standing ovation.

O
nce they settle down
, The Pretty continues, “I am happy to be here and happy to give the fans what they want. Make no mistake, I’m the reason there is an eight-million-dollar gate on this fight. They’re coming to see me, not whoever happens to be in the other corner.”

L
ucky Lewis wants
to stand again, however, Allistor whispers in his ear as he holds him down with a firm hand on his shoulder.

A
llistor says
, “Remember, it’s all for show. Let him have his moment now because it will be the last one he’ll ever get.”

L
ucky Lewis calms
down and smirks from the side of his mouth. He does grab the microphone in front of him and cuts Roman off, “This number four will embarrass you in front of your fans. You won’t know what happened when it all goes dark, after the strikes and blitzes from this number four.”

T
he crowd is
on their feet. Some cheer while others boo. They lean in and await The Pretty’s response.

T
he Pretty continues
, “In my opinion, Lucky is a very one-dimensional fighter. He’s a long, south-paw stand-up fighter. That’s it. No wrestling background, no Jujitsu. You take away all his hype, his colorful clothes and he’s left with nothing. I’m going to destroy Lucky Lewis.”

T
here are more
hoots and applause from the crowd.

BOOK: The PRETTY (EROM Curvy Romance #1)
7.29Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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