"Fine." I cover my face when my cheeks start to tingle. "So, apparently, I like... Oh God, I can't even say it."
He claps and squeals. "Ooooh. Like what? Like what?"
I scrunch up my face, cringing. "My...bumbeing played with."
Loud laughter creates crackling feedback in the speaker. "Me too!"
"Oh my gawd, stop it. I can't talk about this anymore. My cheeks are on fire with embarrassment."
"No, that's the chlamydia he's given you."
"That's not funny," I mutter.
He laughs again. "I got a kick out of it."
I walk toward the arena, gripping the straps of my backpack as motorbikes and scooters scatter around me in a chaotic formation. People shuffle about. Beautiful Balinese girls strut towards the entrance in high heels, balancing perfectly on the cobblestone streets. Overwhelmed by the crowd and nervous about seeing Max, still unsure about which version of his personality I'll be graced with today, I search around for him, or Flick, or anyone.
A black motorbike pulls up alongside me. "Get on."
My smile meets my eyes when I see Max gripping the handlebars. No helmet. No jacket. Just a tee-shirt, shorts, aviators, and flip-flops.
It's Bali.
Grabbing his shoulders, I swing my leg over the bike and cuddle his waist, resting my cheek on his warm back. My arms tighten as the bike takes off.
This is a good start. Apparently, I get nice Max today.
When we pull up around the back of the arena, I slide offand he kicks the stand down. He leans the heavy bike to the side before swinging his leg over.
He stills in front of me. "You prepared for this madness?"
"I'm a ballerina. There's nothing I'll see in there that can compare to what I've put my body through."
He laughs but has no rebuttal. "Good." His eyes drop to the zipper running down between my breasts. "I like this."
I swallow. "Good."
When I'm around Max, it feels like I've got a million things to say, but they all end up trapped in my throat.
His fingers entwine with mine and we walk into the arena. It's so hot with all the bodies in here that most of the men are shirtless. Max strides down the passage towards the ring, pulling me along behind him. People yell or motion to communicate over the racket. When they see Max, they tend to duck out of his way, so even though the arena is hectic to all of my senses, the crowd parts for us and we move around seamlessly.
He stops at the front row and motions for me to sit alongside Stacey. Then he sits down beside me. I peer down the line of seats, past Xander, Clay, and Flick, to wave at Bronson, who makes a funny face at me. He's such a child; I love it.
The final chair in the row is on the other side of Max. A middle-aged man sits down on it, his eyes trained on the ring. Max slides his hand down between my thighs, but doesn't break eye contact from the commotion of people now ducking between the ropes.
A bell rings. I cross my thighs over each other, snuggling Max's hand between them. The boxers are clearly identified by their gloves, waxed up faces, and the way they gnaw with anticipation on their mouth guards. They're both Caucasians.
I lean towards Max. "Where are the Balinese competitors?"
"This is heavyweight, Little One."
The speaker whines as it's switched on. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the BBA championship round in Ubud, Indonesia. This event is brought to you by Storm Industries. This battle is sanctioned by the World Boxing Association and the Athletic Association Indonesia. Introducing our three judges: Mike Harley, Wayan Lempard, and all the way from the District, Australia, we have The Legend, Luca "The Butcher" Butcher!"
My eyes widen and I turn to see the man on Max's right raise his fist. The crowd goes mental—his name is chanted in adoration. So that's Max's dad... He would have been quite something when he was younger. Although he is still handsome, his nose has obviously taken more than a few hits and there is a scar under his left eye. It's clear just by looking at him that he has lived a fierce existence.
"The referee, the man in charge, is Tiuk Leyir. And now the moment we have all been waiting for—it's go time! On the left, we have the challenger from Melbourne, Australia—Steven Garrad, weighing in at 96kg! And on the right, from the District, Australia, weighing in at 101kg, is the defending BBA Heavy Weight Champion, DrazicMarino!"
I wish I had earplugs as the cheering blisters my ears.
