“What?” Nate asked as if he hadn’t heard me.
“Was it your business acumen that got her the makeup deal or the fact that she’s a highly talented musician with a face any makeup brand would be a fool to pass up?”
I kept my eyes locked on Lena even while I directed my words to her date. He was insignificant as far as I was concerned.
Her lips parted and a small sigh escaped them.
“It takes more than a pretty face to get a deal like that,” Nate replied after a few silent moments.
“I’m sure it does.” I turned to Eli. “Like knowing your 9-2-1 record. Nine wins, two losses, and one tie. That tie should’ve been a W, by the way.”
Eli frowned before looking over at Roger Wolcott. “The ref was full of shit,” he said to me.
“That loss to Tucker was surprising as well,” I said, mentioning his most recent loss.
Eli cleared his throat. “What the fuck ever. I know that bastard is on ’roids or something.” He huffed. “You know my record. Good for you,” he said with an air of arrogance. “What can you do for me?”
“In addition to getting you top dollar for your first professional fight, we have a line of sponsors already in the bag. They’re hungry for new talent. Especially in the MMA world.”
Lifting his chin, Eli nodded. “Aren’t you going off to Thailand? How are you going to manage me while managing your own career?”
I was glad to see he had done some due diligence. I had agreed to spend months in Thailand to train and scout new talent.
“Even while I’m in Thailand, Preston will remain in Texas handling business at home,” I answered. “But also, you could use some training when it comes to your kickboxing skills. Thailand is the perfect location for that. It’d give you a jump on the international circuit.”
That raised his interest if the way his eyebrows lifted and he cocked his head sideways were any indication. Eli and I spent the next few minutes discussing his training alongside me in Thailand for the next nine months.
While speaking to Eli, I noticed Lena lean over and say something to the douchebag before leaving. As much as completing this deal meant, I found my attention wandering to the woman walking away.
* * *
Lena
I pushed out a long breath as I gripped the sides of the sink. The bathroom’s walls muffled the sound of the music from the lounge. After glancing in each stall, I finally sighed, grateful there was no one else in there.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I turned to lean against the sink.
It’d been a long day. I had a studio session with an up-and-coming musical artist, followed by a photoshoot with the very same makeup company my fiancé had just bragged about getting for me. All I wanted to do was to go home and lay down.
Yet, I promised Nate that I’d come out with him, even though I had no idea what this event was about.
On a sigh, I closed my eyes, and suddenly, an image of hazel and green colored eyes appeared. The image was so intense that I gasped out loud, recalling the man introduced as Gabriel Townsend from earlier.
I’d been almost dumbstruck when I first laid eyes on him. I hoped no one noticed, but as he turned his attention on me, a spark of something overwhelmed me. It was difficult to merely push the wordsnice to meet youthrough my lips. There was something about him that I couldn’t pinpoint.
Something about the way his stare lingered on me. And that compliment he’d stuck so smoothly inside of his comeback at Nate. Many people had called me pretty, but none of those compliments bounced around in my mind the way his had.
“Get a grip,” I whispered to myself. Pushing away from the sink, I spun around to look myself over in the mirror. I retrieved my makeup bag to powder my face and revive my look for the rest of the night. There was no telling how much longer we’d be out.
With Nate, a simple, in and out event could turn into an all-nighter if he felt so inclined.
After applying the powder and freshening up, I paused, playing with the diamond on my ring finger. It felt heavier than usual. It started to feel that way over the past year.
Most days, I hardly wore the ring, but whenever we went out, Nate insisted I put it on to show it off and let people know we were still very much engaged. When I used to ask him to settle on a wedding date, he’d continue to put me off. It was never the right time, according to my fiancé. I stopped asking over a year ago.
While I started for the door, my cell phone rang.
“Hello?” I answered even though I didn’t recognize the number. Very few people outside of my immediate circle had my cell phone number. However, it wasn’t uncommon for one of my parents to call me from a number I didn’t know.
