Chapter One Hundred and Twenty: Cashing In
The gym was still the same as it had been when Maggie had last stepped inside of it months ago. She inhaled the scent of worn leather that came with the tang of disinfectant as she sat behind the worn reception desk, her laptop propped open on the surface. To the right of the portable computer was a stack of receipts and invoices dating back over the past six months. Upon the computer screen was an Excel spreadsheet, along with the Kashflow data base Antonio used to keep track of payments going in and out through the gym.
"So the summary of this is don't open a boxing gym." Antonio informed Maggie as he exited the office with two open bottles of beer in his hand from the mini fridge he stored alongside his desk.
He placed one on the left side of the laptop, out of spilling distance before slipping into the seat alongside hers. His bare tattooed shoulder grazed hers lightly before he dipped his head in order to capture her pretty gaze as she snorted her response to his earlier comment.
"I think the summary is don't leave your accounts until the last minute." she corrected him, raising her eyebrows knowingly before reaching for her beer bottle and taking a swig of it.
"I just kind of lost track of everything after..." he trailed off, lowering his dark gaze to his beer bottle as his fingertips began to tug at the paper label.
"I get it." Maggie said quietly, her dainty hand reached between the two of them coming to rest on his. Her thumb gently traced along the line of the white scar embedded upon the flesh of Antonio's right wrist sending a flutter of heat pulsing through his powerful body. "I'm back now so you can have all the help you want with the accounts, just please don't leave them this long again."
The honesty of her words rang in his ears as he set his own beer bottle down and turned all of his attention back onto her. Despite the fact they were both disheveled from their workout, Maggie still looked beautiful. Her chestnut colored hair was drawn back into a ponytail, with loose strands falling across that creamy skin of hers. Her athletic body was clad in form fitting sea blue vest top and black Lycra leggings. However it was those eyes of hers that got him every time. There was an entire world in them just for him and he found himself lost in her all over again.
Antonio reached, his warm fingertips ghosting along the line of her jaw, his thumb skating over the apple of her cheek. Maggie tilted her head, her soft lips caressing the base of his palm. There was an intimacy in that gesture, one that stretched far beyond the physical aspects of their relationship.
"I promise." he responded, leaning forward, closing the gap between the two of them.
Maggie lingered tantalizingly close, her pert pink lips inches away from his as Antonio's eyes lowered to them. Her breathing hitched as his thumb chased over the shape of her mouth. It had been an age since he had kissed her, almost six months and he craved the sensation of completeness that came with being with this wonderful woman.
Already that familiar chemistry was sizzling between the two of them. Antonio could feel the heat radiating from Maggie's skin, their clothing rustling as he drew even closer.
"Maggie..." he whispered against her mouth. "I..."
A throat cleared from the opposite side of the desk, causing the two of them to break apart reluctantly. Antonio pursed his lips together before twisting his head towards the raven haired teenager standing across from them.
"Hey, you Antonio?" she asked him, shifting awkwardly under the weight of his dark gaze.
"That's me." he said, raising to his feet whilst Maggie pretended to busy herself with the numbers on her laptop. "And you are?"
"Michelle." the teenager introduced herself. "Al's daughter."
There was a moment of silence as Antonio took in that information, his brain fumbling over mechanics as he tilted his head towards Maggie, his dark eyebrows furrowed as he read the expression on her pretty features. She was pretending not to notice the fact he was staring right at her, her teeth gnawing at her lower lip as she averted her gaze. He'd seen it before when she was feigning ignorance, more than once in their time together as partners and he wasn't fooled by it. She had known about Al's illegitimate daughter. He wasn't surprised by that, hell he would place a bet that her and Gabe had helped him out somehow.
"Right." he uttered turning his attention back to Michelle. "Right."
He reached into the compartments underneath the front desk and pulled out a set of black boxing gloves before handing them over to Michelle.
"You ever do any boxing before?" Antonio asked her, already the coach in him was coming out to play and it relished the possibility of a new challenge.
"Well, nothing, you know, like, official." Michelle informed him as Maggie placed the matching black boxing pads on the desk for Antonio to reach.
It was a story Antonio heard often from the kids that came here, they had experience fighting out on the street but in the ring it was different, there was skill involved and discipline. That's where they benefited, they learned skills that helped them in the real world, met people who would help them get their lives back on track.
"All right." Antonio said, gesturing towards the boxing ring. "Let's see what you got."
Hey guys, I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas!
Lauren: I hope this chapter made you squeal even more, considering how things are moving between Maggie and Antonio. I think in my head Al is very aware of the damage what happened can cause to a person however Maggie is his person so he likes to make sure everyone knows where they stand.
Anime: I think after everything Maggie needed the showdown more than anyone since Sorenson has been a tool for such a long time. Maggie and Antonio are way back to getting on track and I writing this chapter was really a joy for me in that respect. I don't think anything could keep them apart forever. You are right there is no way Roman is going to let Mike get away with what he did.