Page 6 of Love Punch

My stomach gave a guilty lurch.Damn. Had I been responsible for a man getting fired? I took out my phone and tapped out a note to myself to give him an excellent reference—even if he was an unprofessional, flirtatious prick. I promptly deleted that note. Screw him.

“Right, back to training, young Bradley,” Jason said. “You’ve got a big fight coming up. And the crowd will have their blood.”

Chapter 3

Bradley

The kitchen smelled of cinnamon and…something, I could never tell what Arthur was baking with but whenever I let my guard down and took a bite, it never mattered. My stomach rumbled. Lapses weren’t allowed in the week before such a big fight. In just four days, I’d be fighting in front of 70,000 fans in the Millennium Stadium, and millions across the world at home. My fee was in the high seven figures but still, there was something missing. And I knew what it was.

“Did that mixer come out of my budget?” I asked Arthur, pointing at the monstrosity taking up half the space on the kitchen island.

“Maybe,” he said as he carefully measured out vanilla essence before tipping it into the mixture.

“And what benefit do I get out of your cake making skills in the week before a fight?”

“I stay happy. And having a happy assistant is worth far more than the five hundred pounds I took out of your account to payfor it.” Arthur smiled as he turned it on, then grimaced as he was blasted by a puff of flour. “Blegh. That wasn’t meant to happen.”

I looked away to hide my own grin. I’d spent years trying my best to keep up with Arthur’s intelligence and his witty retorts. And normally I’d have one lined up to throw back at him. But he was right. A happy Arthur was worth more than five hundred pounds. But that had less to do with his skills as an assistant and much more to do with the fact I was hopelessly and utterly in love with the man.

It had been just over three years since Arthur had thrown himself into the PA role. If I had to put a number on it, I’d fallen in lust with him the second he stood up to me in the changing room. And it wasn’t long before I realised my feelings ran that much deeper. I’d do anything for him, if in my own way.

I watched as he dipped his finger into the mixture, then brought it to his mouth, his tongue darting out to catch some fallen sugar afterward. And then his lips moved and broke out into a smile.

“Earth to Bradley,” he teased, waving his hand in front of my face. “Were you listening to a word I just said?”

“Yes? Something about how good it tastes?”

“No. I was talking about the fact you’ve still not asked me to book a holiday for next week. You always want to go away after a big fight.” Arthur had his phone out, tapping out as he always did, then pushed it across the table to me. “See? You could go to the Maldives this time. You’ve always wanted the Maldives.”

“I know. And I’m only going if you do. You deserve the break all the same. Come on. Let’s fly first class, go to the best restaurants.”

Arthur grimaced. “Unfortunately, my wage does not stretch to first class.”

I rolled my eyes. We’d had this argument a million times. “You literally pay your own wage. You could pay yourself ten times theamount if you wanted. I’ve had to force a pay rise on you every year. And this would be my treat. Think of it as your Christmas bonus.”

“It’s June.”

“Think of it as the last three years of Christmas bonuses then. Come on.” I was practically begging but as always, I found it hard to actuallybegfor anything from Arthur. I wasn’t exactly known for being in touch with my feelings. Boxing was a dog-eat-dog world. But something was coming. Something that might let me break out of my shell.

“If I pay to go on holiday with my boss, it’s weird. If my boss pays for me to go on holiday with him, it’s work.” Arthur tapped away on his phone again, the mixture to his side forgotten. “I’ll just book myself another nice Cotswolds holiday. It’s cheaper, and I always have fun.”

“Then let me come with you.”

“Why?” Arthur’s response was instant, and felt like a knife to the chest. I’d wanted to confess my feelings plenty of times over the years but there were lots of times where I thought I imagined that our feelings might be mutual. I had myself convinced that he only put up with me because of our professional relationship.

“Because we get along,” I said. “And…this job doesn’t get me a lot of friends. And I think you’re my friend.”

Arthur ducked his head. “I am. I just…I don’t want you spending thousands on me. It doesn’t feel right.”

“I want to.”Because I love you.

“Fine. Relax after this flight and we’ll book somewhere. Maybe not the Maldives, though. Somewhere in between. So I don’t feel too guilty.”

“Deal.” I grinned. This was the best news I’d gotten in forever. I’d jump for joy if I was allowed. Instead, I just allowed myself that little smile.

Arthur’s phone pinged, and his lips turned downward. His tap-tap-tap on the screen in response was fast and furious.

“Everything okay?” I asked. I stepped around the island to have a peek at the phone screen, but he turned it away from me.

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