Hesitantly, I take it and spritz a tiny bit on my wrists.
“Neck. Elbows. Backs of your knees.”
“Uh, yeah. Okay. Got it.” While I’m doing that, I can’t help but think there is more to it than just showing up and letting some guy scratch and sniff me. “What else do I need to know?”
“The rest is easy. There are round cards on either side of the ring where the guys have a bench. Right after they announce the fighters, you pick up your card and make your way around the ring. Slow walk, swing your hips, push your boobs out.”
“And what do I do between rounds?”
“If you want, you can sit on the bench, waiting, or if you have friends here, you can hang with them in the regular seating.”
Freya should be here any time now, thank fuck. My brows draw together. In fact, I’m surprised she hasn’t burst in here to collect me yet. “Okay. Yeah. I can handle all that, I think.”
Morgan shrugs. “Give them as good a show as you possibly can.”
I blow out a breath, wiping my sweaty hands across my stomach. “How long does this last?”
“Three rounds, five minutes each. Sometimes it takes the full fifteen minutes, other times, it’s over in five seconds.”
My eyes bug out. “Five seconds?”
She stands up and throws a fake punch toward my nose—one that comes a little too close for my liking—and I rear back. In response, she gets this odd Cheshire Cat-like grin on her face. “Knock out. Wouldn’t surprise me if it happens tonight. With Bear fighting?Yourguy doesn’t stand a chance in hell. He’ll probably wet himself the second he steps foot in the ring.”
I don’t knowmyguy, so I make no comment about her bold assumption. “What do I do when the fight is over?”
“That’s up to you, baby.” Her brows wriggle suggestively. “This is your night. Your five minutes of fame. Make the most of it. He wins? Definitely make sure he’s taken care of—if you know what I mean. And hell, same if he loses.”
EIGHT
ECHO
I’m trying sohard to keep my cool, but I know my face is probably turning a tomato red at Morgan’s insinuation of what I’m supposed to do tonight. I think she’s for real—I detect no lies. Why hadn’t Cassie or Freya made this clearer?
While I’ve been studying Morgan, she’s been giving me a once-over, letting her eyes travel up and down my body. She purses her lips, searching my face and hesitating only a second before she blurts out, “Are you a freshman? I’m not trying to be mean, but you seem so damn innocent. Do you maybe need some tips or tricks on how to give a decent blow job?”
Wow.I don’t know what I thought she would say, but she’s caught me off guard, causing my mouth to drop open in unadulterated shock. Behind me, the other girl—who’s obviously been listening in on our conversation—doesn’t disguise her snort of laughter. And Morgan, this judgmental bitch, waits with an expectant expression on her face, like it’s an actual question she wants answered. She doesn’t know a damn thing about me. I’m anything but innocent. Not anymore. Weighing my options carefully, I make a show of settling my hands confidently on my hips. I could lay into her, but I’d prefer not to make an enemy out of this girl, so instead, I shrug. “I’m always being underestimated.” Drawing in a breath, I give her a doe-eyed blink, subtly clapping back with my next words. “I bet no one makes that mistake with you.”
Morgan’s brows draw together for a fraction of a second before her face breaks into a smile. “No, ma’am. They don’t. They know I know what the fuck I’m doing. I’m itching to get at Bear tonight. His gargantuan cock has been calling my name all day.”
I’m in the process of trying not to laugh at the fact that she all but missed my dig at her, but also how absurd she sounds talking about some guy’s mammoth trouser snake, when there’s a loud knock on the door.
“Ladies, it’s time,” barks out a rough, gritty voice.
Quickly glancing in the mirror’s reflection, I take a deep breath. I look good. I know I do. My eyes shift to Morgan. I just don’t look likethat.But there’s no way a transformation of that magnitude could happen in the ten minutes I’ve been here, so “my guy”—whoever he is—will have to be satisfied with what I have to offer.
Like a whirlwind, Morgan leaps into motion, beckoning with her hand that I should follow her. When we exit, I’m beyond relieved to find Freya hurrying down the hall toward me. Morgan winks, a sassy grin on her lips. “Looks like your mama is finally here. See ya around the ring, girlfriend.” She strides down the hall, immediately working the crowd as she approaches, like she was made to do this. Meanwhile, I swallow back the enormous lump in my throat, because I most definitely was not.
But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try. I can do this. Mentally psyching myself up, I exhale in a slow, steady stream. As long as it’s not my brother in the ring, which would be both unfortunate and absolutely gross, this is no problem. I can be convincing. I can be the cage girl for SIN. Davis is just going to have to look the other way if he’s here. Oh god, I really hope he’s not here. I know he moved in yesterday, but as per my request, he hasn’t reached out otherwise.
My mind wanders while I wait for Freya, who’s gotten waylaid. It still feels really strange that my family is back in Georgia again. When Freya contacted me about the whole legacy bid thing at TZE this year, my sister said we should move back home. Connecticut hadn’t been kind to our family, and this way, both Davis and I could attend KU. She thought it would be okay after all this time. That we’d figure things out. And maybe, just maybe, it’d help us feel close to the parents we lost if we came back, especially with the Madden Family Trust still owning our childhood home.
Davis and Kara are the only ones left to look out for me. My eyes crash shut and my chest jerks with unfathomable pain.Our parents are dead.
“Echo, you ready?” Freya’s voice draws me out of my head. She sounds calm, but her eyes don’t disguise how fucking nervous she is that I can’t handle this.
A gust of air blows between my painted lips. “Yeah. I think so. Tell me your version of what I should be doing out there. I want to make sure I’m meeting expectations.”
Freya’s teeth clench, and she shoots me an anxious smile. “You’re going to show our fighter a good time. They like their egos stroked. Fawn all over him, stick your boobs in his face, tell him he’s a big bad fighter. Sit on his lap and let him get a little handsy with you. Make him feel good. It’s all part of the job.” She nods, strangely like she’s affirming with herself that this is how it’s done. “Then, once he’s in the ring, you get up and make your way around, holding the round card high over your head, all sexy like. I’m sure you’ve seen something like that on TV before.”
