Fight Me, Baby

  Fight Me, Baby

  Fiona Davenport

  Copyright © 2020 by Fiona Davenport

  Cover designed by Elle Christensen

  Edited by Editing4Indies

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Fight Me, Baby

  1. Saint

  2. Angelique

  3. Saint

  4. Angelique

  5. Saint

  6. Angelique

  7. Saint

  8. Angelique

  9. Saint

  10. Angelique

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Fight Me, Baby

  Angelique Butler didn’t want to prance around in front of a crowd in a bikini, but the situation her brother landed her in had left her no choice. Then the decision was taken out of her hands when Michael “Saint” St. John tossed her over his shoulder and carried her away.

  As a champion MMA fighter, Saint was used to taking hard hits, but nothing prepared him for his reaction to Angelique. The gorgeous blonde was meant for his eyes only, and he was more than willing to get the message across to her brother—in and out of the ring.

  1

  Saint

  “Well, well, well. If it isn’t Michael St. John,” Knox, the head of security for the Lennox Hotel and Casino, greeted me with a chin lift. I rolled my eyes, and he grinned. “You ready for tonight, princess?”

  I squinted at him in annoyance and grunted, “Fuck you. When have I ever been unprepared for a fight?”

  Knox smirked, and I considered giving him a tap on his face...with my fist. He was deliberately trying to get under my skin. We’d known each other for years, ever since we started competing in small-time fights in our twenties. He’d gone into security, only fighting for an outlet, whereas I’d gone pro and made a name for myself as a deadly MMA champion. Between my fight salary, sponsorships, and fight night bonuses, I was the highest paid MMA fighter in the UFC this year. I could have retired as a millionaire several years ago, had even decided that if I retired, it would be in Vegas, and bought a big ass house on a horse ranch nearby. But I enjoyed the sport, and nothing else interested me, so I’d keep fighting until I had damn good reason not to.

  Knox was frequently at my fights and loved to bust my chops. I gave as good as I got, but in the end, it was all just friendly bullshit. If either one of us ever needed something, the other would be right there to help. I knew I could count on Knox to bring the shovel and find a place where no one would ever find the body.

  Tonight was the finals, the match that would decide who fought in the championship. I’d won the belt three years running, and this year would be no different. I was looking forward to going up against my next opponent. I knew Sam a little, and I’d followed his season. He was going to make me work for it, so it would be a fun fight.

  “There something you need, Dawson?” I asked as I wrapped up one hand.

  “I wanted to give you a heads-up. There’s been a change on the roster for tonight.”

  My head snapped up, and I stopped what I was doing to stare at Knox. “Where’s Sam?”

  Knox folded his arms over his chest as his brow furrowed. “In the hospital with a broken leg, three cracked ribs, and seven broken fingers.” His expression turned dark and suspicious. “A couple of my men found him in the garage getting the shit kicked out of him by at least six guys. They jumped in to help and managed to do some damage before the fuckers ran off like pussies.”

  “Robbery?” I asked, unable to say much else because I was still reeling from the news. Sam was a big fucking guy and a straight arrow, so I assumed it had to be a robbery.

  Knox shook his head. “I don’t think so. It doesn’t make sense, though. One of my men said he recognized a few of them as thugs who worked for Jimmy Benton.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “The bookie?” My head automatically began to swivel from side to side, a denial rolling off my tongue. “No way. I’ve never met anyone more straitlaced than Sam.”

  “I agree. But I also trust my guys. Something isn’t right here, and I’m going to look into it.”

  An offer of help was on the tip of my tongue when we were joined by Drew Lennox, the co-owner of the arena, and he cut me off before I could speak. “We’ll take care of it, Saint. Focus on the fight.”

  I wanted to argue, but he was right. Especially now that I was going to be up against an unknown opponent. “Who’s the replacement?”

  “Vince Butler.”

  “What the fuck?” I shouted, making the spectators nearest my corner jump. I ignored them as I fumed, “How the fuck did that scrawny motherfucker end up competing in the finals?” This was Vince’s first year in the UFC, and nobody had expected him to make it past his first few opponents. He was a shit fighter, but the little asshole fought dirty. Though we couldn’t prove anything, we all suspected that he’d cheated his way to the top. I’d been happy to see him take a beating in the pre-qualifiers and lose the fight. But with Sam out of the competition, it seemed he’d scored high enough to be the wild card.

  Drew blew out an agitated breath and stuck his hands in his pockets. “I don’t usually put any stock in rumors, but the word is that Vince is in deep with the seedier side of town. In this instance, I’m inclined to believe it.”

  Knox glared at the Octagon as though the fucker was already in there. “Watch your back, Saint. If the talk is true, he’s probably desperate, and that can make him easy pickings or very dangerous.”

  The conversation was getting in my head and distracting me. Not fully concentrating on my opponent could cost me the fight or even get me injured. Knox knew that, which was probably why he took the opportunity to make another dig at me, particularly my reputation for stellar footwork. “Just be on your twinkle-toes, princess.”

  “You’re cruisin’ for a bruisin’, Dawson,” I growled.

  Just then, Zack Parker, the owner of The Artemis, the neighboring hotel and casino, walked up to our trio. He and Drew had partnered up to build the arena between their two establishments. “Saint,” he said in greeting. “From the look on your face, I assume they’ve told you about the switch up in opponents tonight.”

  I nodded and cracked my knuckles because the sound reminded me of broken bones, which Vince would have plenty of by the time I was done with him. I was about to respond when something caught my eye, and I spun around to fully face the ring.

  The world around me seemed to stop with one exception. Climbing into the ring from the opposite side was the most stunning woman I’d ever seen in my thirty-five years. She was tall and slender, almost a little too thin but with just enough curves to her hips that they would be perfect for holding while I fucked her. Her tits were on the small side, but they were perfect to me. Round and perky with hard little nipples that made my mouth water. She had shoulder-length blond hair, and when she stood and her eyes swept the area around her, I almost got lost in their turquoise depths. They were unique and amazing.

  As I drank in the sight of her, my mood began to plummet, and I felt my expression harden. The reason I was able to admire her so closely was because she was practically fucking naked. Her tiny black bikini top (if you could call two triangles and a piece of string a top) barely contained her tits, and the thin material made it very clear she was a little cold. The bottoms were tied at the sides, hanging low on her hips, and I was almost positive that if she moved the wrong way, the fabric would no longer cover her pussy. />
  Possession slammed into me, and an inferno raged inside me. No one was allowed to see her like this but me. She walked over to the referee, and he handed her large white cards with numbers on them. She was a ring girl?

  “Oh, fuck no,” I snarled. I charged to the ring and swung myself up on the side before quickly climbing over the ropes. By the time I reached her, I’d pulled off my long, silver robe and threw it over her shoulders, covering what was for my eyes only.

  She gasped as I tied the robe tightly closed but didn’t have a chance to say anything because I lifted her over my shoulder in a fireman’s hold and marched back over to one side of the Octagon. I maneuvered us over the ropes and then jumped to the ground, easily landing on my feet. Keeping her firmly in my grasp, I stomped over to Knox and gently set her back on her feet. “Hold this for me,” I growled.

  2

  Angelique

  Hold this for me?! What in the heck just happened?

  Fisting my hands at my hips, I turned to glare at the guy who’d just carted me out of the ring and into a corner of the stadium. He was so darn tall, I had to tilt my head all the way back to meet his dark eyes. I gulped a little when I took in how gorgeous he was with chiseled features, lush lips, and thick, dark hair. But just because he was sexier than any guy I’d ever seen before didn’t mean I wasn’t going to give him a piece of my mind. He started to walk away, and I shouted, “Hey, wait! You can’t just pick me up, put me where you want me, and tell some strange guy”—I hitched my thumb in the direction of the man he’d given his ridiculous command to—“to hold me for you...while calling me a ‘this.’ I’m a woman, not a thing.”

  He pivoted back around, and his gaze swept down my body, which was now covered by the huge robe he’d thrown over me. When his eyes came back up again and met mine, they’d darkened a shade. “I’m well aware that you’re a woman. The scraps of material you’re wearing that are supposed to pass for a bikini made it more than clear. I could see just about every inch of your delectable body, including your pebbled nipples pressing against the top.”

  One of the guys behind me chuckled, and I turned to direct my glare at him as my cheeks filled with heat. He held his hands up in a gesture of surrender, and said, “I’m not laughing at you. I swear, it’s aimed one hundred percent at Saint.”

  Saint?! Oh, crap! No wonder he was so strong he could pick me up and carry me as though I weighed no more than a small child. He had to be the reigning MMA champ who my brother had somehow weaseled his way into fighting against. I swiveled my head back to Saint and asked, “You’re fighting Vince Butler tonight?”

  His eyebrows lifted as his head jerked back in surprise. “Yeah, I just found out about what happened to Sam. How did you know about the switch before me?”

  “That’s an excellent question,” one of the other guys drawled as they all moved to stand next to Saint. I was all by myself, opposite the line of three hot guys in suits and Saint in nothing more than a pair of fighter shorts and a shirt that did nothing to conceal how muscular his chest was.

  “I’m Knox Dawson, head of security for the Lennox,” the biggest of the suited-up trio introduced himself before jerking his chin at the other two. “This is Drew Lennox, owner of the Lennox, and Zack Parker, co-owner of The Artemis. Both of whom own this arena. As the hosts of the match, we have too much on the line to tolerate security breaches of any kind.”

  Intimidated beyond belief by the three of them, I took a tiny step back and crossed my arms over my chest. A deep growl rumbled up Saint’s chest, and he stalked to my side, wrapping his arm around my waist to pull me close. “Knock it off. You’re scaring her.”

  “Relax, Saint. I don’t think she’s the breach. I meant some Joe Blow on the payroll who’s running his mouth when he shouldn’t,” Knox explained. “Sometimes, guys get dumb around pretty girls and say shit they know they should keep quiet because they’re hoping to impress them.”

  Saint’s arm tightened around me as I groaned, “Eww! That’s not what happened at all.”

  “How’d you find out about the switch, angel eyes?” Saint asked.

  “My brother told me,” I admitted softly, turning my head to search behind me for Vince because I knew he wouldn’t like me tattling on him to these guys. He’d already been on edge when I’d talked to him in the locker room, and I didn’t want to give him a reason to aim his anger my way.

  Saint shifted his hold on me so I was looking at him instead of Knox, Drew, and Zack. I relaxed a little as I stared up at him. Even though Saint should’ve been the scariest of the bunch, I felt safer with him for some reason. “Who’s your brother?”

  “Vince.”

  My one-word reply dropped like a bomb into the silence surrounding us as I watched Saint’s dark eyes fill with rage. His nostrils flared as he looked over my shoulder at his friends. He took a few deep breaths before his gaze dropped back to my face, and most of the anger had drained from his eyes. “Did your brother get you the job as a ring girl?”

  “Yeah,” I confirmed, thinking about how he’d had to pester me into doing it. I wasn’t comfortable walking around barely dressed, let alone in front of a huge crowd of mostly men when I’d be the focus of a lot of their attention as I carried number signs around the Octagon between rounds. Vince hadn’t cared about what I thought about it, not when I’d pull in five thousand dollars in one night since this was a pay-per-view match against the champion. I still hadn’t wanted to do it and had only caved when he’d warned me that if he didn’t find a way to pay off his gambling debt, then his bookie was going to come looking for me too.

  He shifted his focus to Drew. “Pull one of the showgirls and have her take over as the ring girl for the match.”

  “Hey, wait!” I cried. “You can’t do that. My brother got me the job, and I really need the money.”

  “No way in hell are you going out there. Not when I’m about to kick your brother’s ass for getting you a job that has you walking around practically naked,” Saint growled. “Between what I’m being paid just to be here, sponsorship money, fight bonuses, and pay-per-view points, money isn’t something you’ll ever have to worry about again.”

  My brow wrinkled in confusion as I tried to work through how what Saint made led to me not having to worry about money. The other guys were no help as they each nodded as though they totally got it. Drew pulled out his phone, fired off a message, and said, “They’ll have a new ring girl before the end of the first round.”

  “Perfect.” I still hadn’t figured it all out when Saint dropped a kiss on the top of my head before pointing at Knox. “Take care of her while I’m up there.”

  “Will do, man,” he promised. I watched Saint stride away before Knox gently gripped my elbow to lead me closer to the ring, with Drew and Zack following close behind us. The aisles were packed with people making their way to their seats, but everyone moved quickly to get out of our path, so it didn’t take long for us to reach the front row.

  “This is us,” Knox explained as he lifted the reserved signs off four of the seats.

  My legs felt weak, so I dropped onto the chair to his right that he pointed at without arguing. Rubbing my hands over my face, I sighed, “I don’t understand what’s happening here.”

  “What’s your name?” Drew asked after a moment.

  I hesitated, not really sure I wanted them to know my name, but then finally answered. “Angelique.”

  “Well, Angelique. We’d tell you, but it’s more fun to discover on your own,” Drew said with a smirk as he took the seat to my left.

  “It’s good for Saint that our wives aren’t here because they’d definitely fill you in,” Zack added, taking the seat on Drew’s other side. “And then you might get it in your head to run in the opposite direction.”

  “Not that it’d do you much good,” Knox chuckled, shaking his head as he leaned back in his seat and stretched his long legs out in front of him.

  “True,” Zack conceded with a nod. “But it
makes it more fun for those of us enjoying the show when they try to resist.”

  “I’m not sure what’s going on, but I know my brother isn’t going to like it,” I mumbled.

  “I wouldn’t worry about him being pissed at you, Angelique.” Knox patted my shoulder. “Vince was already outmatched in the fight against Saint. Now that he’s managed to piss him off and make it personal, the little asshole is about to get what’s coming to him.”

  A big part of me wanted to cheer at the thought of my brother being taken down a peg or two by Saint after all the trouble he’d put me through over the years. But not when his threats about what his bookie would do to me still swam in my head...unless Saint really meant it when he said I’d never have to worry about money again.

  3

  Saint

  I hated leaving my girl in the hands of another, but at least I knew they would protect her with their lives. Plus, all three of them were happily married and only had eyes for their wives. This was the only reason I was able to get my head back in the game. Like Knox had said, in a fair fight, Vince wasn’t worth shit in the ring. But he didn’t come to play fair, which meant that even though I knew I’d win, I still had to watch my back a little more than normal.

  I walked up to an outside corner of the ring where my manager, Bobby, was waiting and noticed that the referee looked mad as hell while he yelled into his phone. When he snapped it shut and shoved it into his pocket, he turned to glare out into the audience. I knew exactly who he was directing that nasty look at, and I grabbed the lowest rope, prepared to launch myself up and give the guy a piece of my fist.