TKO (A Bad Boy MMA Romance) by Olivia Lancaster Page A

tugging my arm as she sat cross-legged on my couch. “You haven’t come to Haze since you got hurt, and everyone misses youuuu! I’m going to be going anyway, I can’t afford to miss an appearance like you can, you know? Come on, you keep saying that therapy is doing wonders for you, so I want to see it in action on the dance floor!” She bounced her eyebrows with a grin. “It’ll look good to the cameras that you’re making such a quick recovery, especially if we show up together.”
     
                  I tossed the idea around in my head a little, and I could feel Selena’s grip tugging on me meaningfully. I knew I was going to end up going whether or not I really wanted to, but honestly, clubbing was another one of the things I really was enjoying about big city life. Back home, the closest thing we had to a nightclub was the parking lot behind a run-down gas station we cleaned up to have a few parties with the beer we had someone’s older brother buy for us.
     
                  But Vegas? Vegas was a city that knew how to party unlike any other.
     
                  “Alright, fine, let’s get ready,” I said with a grin to her, and in an instant, she sprang up and headed to the bathroom to start applying her makeup for the evening.
     
                 
     
    * * *
     
     
     
                  “...and Brittany’s new boyfriend doesn’t even pay attention to her when she wears that fancy silver getup her sponsor got her. I’m telling you, she and her fucking thigh-highs need to find a new piece of eye candy to hang onto, you know?”
     
                  “Sounds like it,” I mused, only somewhat paying attention. I wasn't as half sharp on the social scene as Selena was, and I didn’t know how to handle conversations about the intricacies of the social norms and slip-ups that could be career-making or breaking for the people who ran in her circle.
     
                  “It’s ridiculous. That’s something I like about you, Marc. You’re easy to figure out, and even easier to manage.”
     
                  I cocked my eyebrow at Selena as we drove down the road in my dark blue Mustang. I wasn’t sure whether I liked that remark very much.
     
                  “What was that supposed to mean?”
     
                  Selena tched and waved her hand dismissively. “I’m just talking about how it goes with the modeling crowd, nothing personal. It’s a compliment, really.”
     
                  I rolled my eyes, pushing it out of my mind as we pulled up at the club.
     
                  Haze was a big place with a dark exterior and even darker interior, save for the flashing lights that kept the place pumping well past midnight. This was a few notches above the usual clubs though, even by Vegas standards. Haze was the kind of place you only got into if you were ‘on the list.’ For our crowd, that meant mostly people who had some kind of sports or ad media presence. The somebodies of our world.
     
                  Selena and I were both ‘on the list.’
     
                  We made our way past the bouncer, who just gave us a nod. He knew us both well by now; Selena had me out here at least once a week when I was fit and healthy. She most likely dragged me out here tonight so I wouldn’t miss a second week.
     
                  Inside, we were greeted by a rousing cheer from the people inside who saw us. Most of them were Selena’s friends, and in a matter of moments, we were swarmed.
     
                  “Oh my god girl, where have you been ?”
     
                  “Just taking care of this big lug, haha, hi Jen!”
     
                  “Selena you bitch, get over here for a shot!”
     
                  “ Please tell me Brandi texted you last