Page 36 of Fight for Forever

“Well, if it isn’tThe Slayer.”

Joey’s shoulders stiffen. I glance to my left and see a tall, broad man in a white tuxedo with a black shirt and bow tie approaching the table. He’s good looking, but the sneer on his face detracts from that.

My body tenses and I go on guard, feeling the tension radiating from Joey isn’t helping.

My eyes go back to the man. This is Kelvin Marris. The one he is due to fight in a month's time. The one who has been talking a lot of crap about Joey. After Joey told me, as soon as I got home, I looked everything up.

I even watched a snippet of their fight but had to turn it off when they started laying into one another. It scared me a little, but my mind’s eye kept bringing up an image of Joey laughing with his aunt.

Or the patient smile on his face whenever he's showing me something new. How he jokes around with the other men at the gym and had banter with Jenna. Still, I struggled to watch him using his fists against someone else’s face.

I’m instantly on guard as Marris steps up to the table, putting both hands on the back of the chair beside me. He doesn’t seem to care that he’s interrupted a conversation, or that most people around the table are looking at him with a mixture of irritation and confusion. Except the promoter, he looks ridiculously happy about it.

“Kelvin,” Joey says, giving him the most fake smile I’ve seen on Joey’s usually happy face.

I also don’t miss how he doesn’t use his fighting name. Kelvin ‘The Leviathan’ Marris. I looked up what it meant. Apparently, a Leviathan is a mythical sea creature. I find it apt the definition I read about it says the leviathan is a demon of the deadly sin, envy.

It’s written all over his face and in every action he has taken since Joey agreed to fight him again that he is envious, with something to prove. I want to get as far away from him as possible.

Especially when his eyes shift to me. He eyes me up and down, lingering on my breasts, making me fold in to make myself smaller.

“What do you want, Kelvin?” Joey says, drawing the man’s eyes away, but not before he gives me a wink that makes bile swirl in my throat.

Joey moves a little closer to me and his hand touches my knee beneath the table. That would have made me jolt before now, but it’s meant to reassure me, and it does. Knowing he’s got my back and he will do anything to prevent me from feeling uncomfortable.

“Just wanted to say hello. You know, show my respect. Before our fight.”

There is nothing respectful about the way he is leaning over the table, staring down at Joey. I can sense how he wants to get up,to put himself on the same level as this asshole, but he remains seated and tips his chin.

“Thanks,” Joey says like this guy is doing him a favor rather than trying to rattle him. “Dinner is about to be served. You should go get your seat, so the servers can move around.”

The fake smile falls from Marris’ face. Joey’s voice was calm and reasonable in his suggestion, but everyone at the table can see it for what it is. A dismissal.

“Who’s your friend? You didn’t introduce us.” He turns his dark eyes to me, and I shift in my seat again. “I’m surprised you got someone this beautiful to go anywhere with you.”

“Don’t,” Joey says.

Marris can see he’s touched a nerve. He leers at me again. “I’m Kelvin.” He reaches for my hand, but I move it so he can’t touch me.

He huffs out a laugh as he studies me, then glances at Joey, who is seething now.

“You should look me up after we have our fight,” he winks at me. “Someone as beautiful as you doesn’t want to be stuck with a loser. You’ll want to be with the winner.”

“In which case, I’ll be fine right where I am.”

His features contort and his cheeks go red, especially when the promoter at the table laughs, not so subtly at my put down.

“We’ll see,” he says through gritted teeth. He leans closer so I have to move back, otherwise he will be far too close to me. He starts to say something, but Joey gets up, forcing him to move backwards.

People look over. It’s obvious what is going on. The fight is all anyone has been talking about tonight. Most of the questions Joey has got have been about the rematch.

A lot of them have been telling him he’ll beat Marris again. It’s just a formality. It’s what has got him so riled up, if he’s heard people talking too.

“Walk away.”

Marris glares at him, looks at me, this time in disgust, then laughs loudly before holding up his hands in some kind of fake placating way. He walks away and Joey takes his seat again.

“It’s okay,” he says, leaning into me, angling so the rest of the people at the table don’t see me panicking.