Page 23 of Boy Toy Not Included

Diesel tried hard not to smile. He wasn’t trying to be an asshole. Diesel was simply shocked he had caught that. “You do. Come on. Let’s do it again. Maybe it was a fluke.”

They got back into things. Again, the smallest of smirks and an easy dodge. “Seriously. You have a tell.”

Kuba looked angry and ready to fight for real. “I’m not fucking around here, D. This is my career.”

Diesel felt guilty, but he saw what he saw. “I’m sorry. This isn’t a joke.” He glanced around. There was a recording system set up just for Kuba to study his weaknesses and improve. Diesel motioned in that direction. “Let’s turn that thing on. We’ll try again and maybe I’m wrong.”

With a sharp nod, Kuba powered up the system and got things rolling. “Okay. Let’s test this.”

They didn’t waste time, and again he smirked. Diesel jumped backward. “Okay. I’m not fucking crazy. We have to slow this down and watch this.”

Side by side, Kuba opened the app on his phone and then mirrored the screen so they could study the clip on a large TV on the wall. They moved close.

Diesel looked so hard at the screen that his eyes nearly crossed. “There.” He leapt forward and pointed at the screen. “Right there.”

Kuba rewound in slow motion before moving forward in slower motion. “What the fuck?” Kuba moved inches from the screen and continued to study the recording clip by clip. “No. What the actual fuck?” He tossed his phone onto one of the leather recliners meant for viewing the screen. “One more time. It’s still recording. Let’s do this.”

They tried again. Same results. “Fuck me! This can’t be real. If nothing else ever goes right in my life again, I can’t lose to Dread.” The spite in Kuba’s words caught Diesel slightly off balance. He knew the pair had some sort of crazy rivalry, but that was pure hatred Diesel heard in Kuba’s tone.

“Hey. Knock, knock. The door was unlocked, so I assume you’re in business.”

The smile that exploded across Kuba’s face as a tall guy strolled in was breathtaking. All signs of rage vanished. He met his visitor halfway. “Well, goddamn, Chipper. I haven’t seen you inages. Happiness looks good on you. Where’s that sassy better half of yours?”

“Back at the hotel with the kids. We wore them out at zoo today. I figured while I was in town, I’d check in while they’re resting. We’re taking them to some artsy crap tonight.”

Kuba laughed. “Aren’t these twin boys under a year old?”

Chipper’s smile never faltered. “Yeah. Nine months. Baylor is pretty adamant about starting their love of creativity early.”

Kuba nodded along. “I can see that about Bay. Hey.” He motioned Diesel’s way. “This is my bodyguard, Diesel.” He quickly glanced Diesel’s way. “Diesel, this is Chipper. He retired as the light-heavyweight champion.”

Diesel stepped forward and shook Chipper’s hand. The guy looked like one of those guys everyone liked. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Chipper nodded. “You too.” He switched his gaze back and forth between them, as if it was important to him that no one felt left out. “That’s one of the reasons I stopped by. I heard some rumors Dread had pulled some shit that forced you to hire security.” He eyed Diesel. “It looks like you hired someone who can handle himself.”

Diesel smiled.

Kuba nodded. “It’s mostly for show. Some of Dread’s little buddies thought it was cute to try to run my ass over while I was out jogging one day. Dad got pissed and hired Diesel. Not that I’m complaining. He’s awesome. In fact, he noticed…” Kuba paused and seemed to think it over before starting again. “Since you’re here, maybe you could do me a favor and hit the mat with me. D is pretty damn skilled at sparring, but there’s a theory I need to test that he can’t help me with. I’m pretty sure it’s in his contract somewhere,” Kuba added with a laugh. “I can loan you something to wear.”

“Sure. I just need some shorts and I’m in.”

Diesel moved around the room as the pair disappeared. He grabbed his shirt and put it back on. His mind wandered. He couldn’t help but wonder if his observations had hurt or helped. The last thing he wanted was to be the reason Kuba lost confidence this close to his fight. They were two weeks out. While he didn’t know if Kuba was nervous, since he hadn’t shown any signs, Diesel was nervous as hell. Kuba was confident to the point of cocky. His entire life revolved around holding on to that top-dog position. Diesel got it. Kuba was one of the youngest fighters in history to hold the championship title. He was good. He was competitive. Diesel had a bad feeling Kuba was also one lost fight against Dread from a breakdown. The closer he got to Kuba, the more he realized exactly why Kuba was the best. He had nothing else.

The pair returned. They both had their knuckles taped.

Chipper wore the same type of loose shorts that Kuba did. They were made for range of motion. He looked every bit thechampion he was. The off-putting thing was, Chipper had an angelic-looking face. His tattoos and hard body were at complete odds with the expressions he constantly wore. There was a scar across his nose, but he never lost a smile that kept him looking like a giant puppy.

Chipper pounced onto the mat like an overexcited kid. He bounced. “Come on, Kuba. I’m ready to play.”

Kuba shook his head at Chipper’s antics. He readjusted the camera. “I’m going to let this run.”

“That’s cool.” Chipper bounced from foot to foot like a kid who needed to pee. “It’s been forever since we sparred. Let’s go.” Chipper dragged out the final word, making Diesel laugh. Kuba had definitely set something free inside Chipper.

Kuba met Diesel’s stare and motioned Chipper’s way. “Just so you know, this guy had an adult ball pit and bouncy house at his wedding.”

A surprised bark of laughter escaped Diesel.

Chipper’s smile never dimmed. “Don’t act like you didn’t jump in my bouncy house. I saw the whole thing.”