Hook'd (28 page)

"Finally!" Reese voiced when the cab arrived at MGM Hotel and Casino. The longest hour of her damn life. She glanced at her phone for the time. She hoped to god she didn't miss it.

She paid the driver, then ran to the entrance. When she entered the lobby, she met the crowd of cheering fans. She shuffled her way through, huffing with annoyance as they bumped her with each step.

She searched around the spacious place guarded with an abundance of security, unsure of where to go. She approached one of the security guards nearby, asking for the location of the fight and he directed her to the arena.

When she arrived at the lobby of the arena, crowded with spectators and more security guarding the place like a militant army, she made her way through the metal detector, as they searched through her things.

The process only lessened her patience. She was wasting time.

"Do you have a ticket, ma'am?" the ticket taker requested, as she approached the steel barricade by the entrance.

Reese cleared her throat. "No, but here's the thing...I actually know Cameron Lewis."

The scrawny, blonde haired young man gave her a deadpanned stare.

"I really do.  I'm his girlfriend."

"Right. Like every other woman in here."

"I am! Look, I'll even show you a picture." She pulled out her phone and searched for a picture online. Much to her luck, she found a photo of them posing together on the red carpet. She showed him the screen. "See?"

His blue eyes drifted from the picture to her. His face as stoic as a piece of stone.

"I still need a ticket."

She groaned, frustrated. Damnit!

Reese called Yasmine, hoping to god she would pick up.

The sudden noises blared through the line.

"Hello?!?" Yasmine hollered.

"Yasmine! Listen, I'm here at the arena and I'm trying to—"

"What?!?"

"I said I'm here at the area and I'm trying to get inside. Can you—"

"Wait, I can't hear you! It's too loud in here. Text me!"

The line went dead.

"Ugh!"

Reese quickly shot her a text, informing her where she was and that she needed to get inside.

Yas:

3/28/16, 12:20am

Wait you're here?!?

Reese:

3/28/16, 12:20am

Yes! I'm locked out. Can you come and get me?

Yas:

3/28/16, 12:21am

Girl I would but I'm literally stuck. And plus the fights over anyway. Cam lost =(

Her heart dropped.

He lost?

Her phone buzzed when another text arrived.

Yas:

3/28/16, 12:35am

Wait give me a second. Let me see what I could do. Which entrance are u?

Now defeated, Reese replied.

She couldn't believe he lost.

Cam entered the dressing room, surrounded by his crew. The atmosphere a much dimmer one in comparison to before, with everyone now in a despondent mood due to the loss. Except for himself.

Instead, he was enraged. He couldn't believe he had lost. Especially the way he did. A total K.O. He had allowed Chavez to humiliate him, leaving him with two swollen eyes, a bruised nose and sore ribs. Never in any fight throughout his entire career had he been so brutally injured and on top of that, knocked out. And for it all to end like this, was shameful. He would never forgive himself for it.

Soon, he would have to get up on stage for the post press conference to speak in front of the world, and he was in no mood to do so. If it was up to him, he would avoid all media. He didn't feel like being seen. He didn't even want to be around anyone right now.

"It's alright, man. You win some you lose some." Deshawn patted his back. "You'll get 'em next time."

"Yeah, you still the champ, bruh!" Bryson cheered on as his team clapped in support.

It only aggravated him. He knew it was all bullshit. No matter what they said, they really wanted that victory. And he knew it. This wasn't what they had prepared for these last 8 months. They didn't come this far and work this hard, only to lose. That's not what his team stood for.

"Just cut the bullshit, alright? Why don't ya'll admit that I fucked up?" He snapped.

The place fell silent.

"All of ya'll, out. I need a minute."

Everyone cleared out, except for Slick.

"Aye, you gonna be alright?"

Cam nodded. "Yeah.”

"Alright, I'll be outside. Remember, the press conference is in hour. See you in a bit." Slick gave him daps, before he left the dressing room.

Relieved to be alone, Cam stripped his clothes and hopped into the shower. He grunted in pain at the touch of hot water pelleting his bruised skin. He leaned his head on the tiled wall as the blood streamed down the drain, wishing he could wash the memories of tonight away just the same.

*

"Girl, you sure you wanna do this?" Yasmine asked.

"Yes, I need to see him."

It was now the end of the night and Reese was still on the hunt for Cameron. He had just wrapped up his press conference and plenty other interviews and was now on his way to the hotel.  Although she couldn't get into the arena, she was still able to track his whereabouts, thanks to Yasmine, whom had been by her side informing her on all the details. And now, they were in the backseat of the cab as they cruised around the brightly lit Vegas strip.

She was exhausted. With her muscles aching from all the running she had done, not to mention the long flight it took to get here, she was ready to pass out. But she fought the urge. She was going to find Cameron, even if it killed her.

"You know this is crazy as hell, right?"

And she didn't care.

"Can't believe you're going through all this trouble. And my dumb ass is riding along with you," Yasmine complained.

"Cause, you're my ride or die."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

She couldn't be more thankful for Yasmine. Instead of traveling on some luxurious, private bus with Cameron like she should've been doing, she was here by her side in the backseat of some musty, old taxi. She really did love her friend.

With a tired sigh, Reese rested her head on her shoulder. "I need a place to sleep tonight."

"You didn't book a room?"

"Nope."

"Fine."

"Thanks." A yawn left her lips.

When they arrived in front of the hotel, Reese sat up and looked out the window as they sat in traffic amongst the hounds of vehicles veering into whichever parking spot available.

"Do you know if he arrived yet?" Reese asked her.

"No."

"Can you text him and see?"

"I already did...5 minutes ago."

"I know, but he might already be there now."

Yasmine gave her a deadpanned look.

"Please? I just need to know."

Huffing out a sigh, Yasmine pulled out a phone. "You get on my nerves."

"Thanks, love you."

A large bus pulled up ahead, easing against the curb and she averted her attention. She took notice to the bold picture of Cameron plastered on the bus, and she piped up. 

She slapped Yasmine's arm. "Wait, that's him!"

"Ow, bitch!"

Like bees to honey, paparazzi surrounded the bus, waiting for his entrance. A crowd of men stepped out and they snapped pictures. His hefty security blocked off the hounding paparazzi as they walked toward the front entrance of the building. She searched for any sight of Cameron amongst the group, but the angle they were in made it damn near impossible.

"Move in closer," she urged the driver, as they sat in traffic.

"He can't, Reese."

"What do you mean he can't?"

"There's traffic."

"So? All he has to do is move around all these cars. Or beep the horn or something. I just don't understand why we're just sitting here!"

Yasmine gripped her arms. "Reese!"

She paused. "What?"

"Stop!"

Reese caught her breath.

"Just calm down. You're over reacting right now."

Annoyed, she pulled away.

"Fuck this." She opened the door.

"Reese!"

She hopped out of the car and raced through the maze of traffic. Her legs strode quicker than her mind could process. She didn't care that she looked like a damn maniac. All she cared about was seeing Cameron. That was it.

She busted through the doors of the hotel, and into the main lobby to find the group of men walking ahead.

"Cameron!"

Their heads turned. And in that moment, their eyes met. Her heart swelled at his presence, only to dampen at the sight of his battered face.

His frown deepened as she approached him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in a stiff tone.

"I really need to talk to you."

He glared at her with pure disgust, as though she were nothing to him, and it shrunk her spirit so deep, she could barely stand it.  With a scoff, he turned around.

"I'm sorry!"

He stopped in his tracks. The onlookers watched the scenario, some recording with phones. But she didn't care about any of that.

Cameron faced her and she stepped closer.

"I'm so sorry...for everything. I never meant to hurt you. I didn't mean any of the things I said. None of it. I never wanted us to break up, at all. But he forced me to!" She pointed to Slick who stood alongside of him. Their heads spun to him, as he froze.

"He threatened me if I didn't!"

"I don't know what she's talking about," Slick coolly brushed his suit.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"Cam, this bitch is lying. Let's just go. We don't got time for this."

"Oh I'm lying? So, that wasn't you who showed up at my house the other night, put a gun to my head and threatened me to leave him? Huh, you piece of shit?" She roared, ready to attack the measly bastard.

Cameron's face plastered with shock.

"Is it true?" he asked him.

"Hell no, it ain't true. You really gonna believe this bitch, Cam? Over me?" He chuckled, amused.

"It is true! And you could do whatever you want with the tape, I don't give a fuck!" She glared at him.

Right now, she had nothing to lose.

She turned to Cameron, who stood there in confusion. Trying to assess the puzzling scenario before him. She stepped closer to him.

"I love you."

He froze. Her heart tightened as emotions spiraled within.

"All this time, I've been just running...running from what I truly feel for you. And you were right, it's time I face my fear and do what my heart feels. And that's loving you," she whispered, her eyes welling with tears.

He stood there without a word. His conflicted orbs drilling hers. He was battling himself. Fighting to trust her or not. But he needed to. He needed to trust that she meant every word she spoke. She loved him with every fiber of her being. There was no denying it anymore.

"Go to hell," he spewed with venom.

Her heart shattered to pieces. Hurt, she stared at him, lost for words.

Glaring at her, he stepped back.

"Let's go," he said to his men.

They turned away and left, leaving her broken with despair.

"
Yo, that shit was crazy b." Bryson laughed as they entered the presidential suite.

"I know, man. But my boy kept it G, though. See, that's the Cam I know. We don't
luh dese hoesss
," Deshawn joked, extending his hand to Cameron who dismissed him, bypassing him without a word.

"Oh, word? You just gonna do me like that, man?"

After what had occurred, his mood had been in disarray. Just seeing Reese again brought up so many pent up emotions he didn't expect to feel. Shock, rage, hurt. She had the nerve to show up after what she had done. What made her think he would forgive her? Then for her to profess her so called, "love" for him...he didn't even have the words. Bitch thought she was slick. He wasn't stupid. It had all been a ploy to win him back. She was just so full of fucking games and at this point, he was sick of it.

But then a very small part of him...just wasn't so sure. He had never seen her act the way she did just now. The yearning look in her eyes, the desperation in her tone, the fervency in her words, made it all the more convincing. This was Reese. The same woman who could barely open up about herself, on their first date. It was unlike her to just announce her feelings in front of everyone, risking the shame and embarrassment, just for the sake of it. She cared too much about what people thought.

Her words lingered in his mind, echoing his brain like bats in a dark cave. He glanced over at Slick, whom had been awfully quiet since the scenario. As his crew joked amongst themselves, Slick retrieved a bottle of Jack Daniels from the bar.

"Aye, ya'll step out for a minute," Cam told them.

They grew quiet.

"What?" Bryson snickered.

"Ya'll heard me. Out."

Mumbling to themselves, they cleared the room and shut the door. Slick remained by the bar, taking a sip of his drink.

"Aye, you want?" He offered, raising the bottle.

Cameron shook his head, walking to the bar.

"You sure? Some good shit." He poured some more into his glass.

"So, is it true?" He got to the point.

"Is what true?"

"You know what I'm talkin' about. The whole shit with Reese."

Slick placed the glass down. "Yeah it is."

He stood there, taken aback. "What?"

"Man, don't act like you just got ya balls cut off or somethin’. I did you a favor."

He scowled. "A favor? Putting a gun to my girl's head, threatening her, is a favor?"

"The bitch was a distraction, Cam!"

"A distraction?"

"Yeah, a distraction. I was just doing my job. I wanted us to win. But you was so pussy whipped to even see it! Now look, you still let that son of a bitch beat you. All for what? 'Cause you were so hurt a bitch broke your heart—"

Cam charged at him and gripped his collar, yanking his face to his.

"I should beat your fucking ass right now," he threatened through clenched teeth.

Slick burst into laughter, only igniting his heated rage.

"Oh, now you wanna fight somebody? Where was all this anger in the ring, huh?" He taunted. "You know what your problem is, Cam? You're weak. Yeah, you might know how to fight. But you see this right here..." He tapped Cameron's chest. "This big ass heart of yours is gonna be your downfall. You got so much fucking potential. You could be the greatest! And it angers me to see how much you waste it because you let everything get to your head. You should be thanking me. ‘Cause without me, you wouldn’t be shit!"

Cam clenched his jaw. "You ain't do shit for me. I'm the one who won all those fucking fights!"

Slick laughed. "Oh, really? So that's what you think huh?"

Cam tightened his grip, urging to throw him over the balcony.

"If it wasn't for me paying those judges off, your weak ass wouldn't have gotten this far. You'd be just another, titleless fighter without shit!"

His chest fell, as the words struck him to the gut. "What?"

"Yeah, I paid them off. All those times you walked into the ring, doped up, high out of your fucking mind, how you think you was able to win all those fights? You think you would've done that shit on your own? I'm the one who got you this far in your career. You owe me!"

Loss for words, Cam couldn't even respond. Unable to process the brutal truth.

"Why you think I orchestrated that rape shit in the first place? It'll be the only way I could light some fire under your ass."

He blinked. "You set that up?"

"Yeah, I did."

Cam stood there in shock.

"Yeah..." Slick nodded, a sinister smile tracing his lips. "Look at you...already breaking down. You'll never be one of the greats. You'll always be that same, unwanted little bitch from the projects who never amounted up to shit—“

Cam threw a punch in his face and he toppled into the stool. Slick laughed, wiping the blood dripping from his nose.

"That's what I like to see! With a punch like that, you would've definitely won tonight—”

In rage, Cam slammed him to the floor and gripped his throat, urging to snap it in half.

"Snake muthafucka!"

Slick gripped his hands, struggling to breathe. He clenched tighter. The thought of him hurting Reese and orchestrating the rape, fired heated rage in his blood and he wanted nothing more than to kill him. Slick's irises clouded, as he slowly began to give out.

The door swung open.

"Oh shit, Cam!" Bryson yelled.

He continued to strangle him, slamming his skull against the tile floor.

"Aye, ya'll get in here!"

They all rushed into the room and grabbed Cameron, forcing him off of him. They pulled him away, and he forced to escape their hold. Slick coughed out, gasping for breaths.

"The fuck is goin' on, man?!?" Bryson yelled out.

"I love you, man..." Slick struggled to get up, reaching out to him in need. "You always been like a son to me."

"You're fired."

Slick's chest fell. "What?"

"Stay the fuck away from me." He glared at him.

"Cam..." He shook his head slowly. "Don't do this..."

He pushed everyone off of him and stormed out the room.

*

"I just feel so stupid..." Reese mumbled, as she cuddled with Yasmine on the sofa within her hotel suite.

Her heart crushed at the mere thought of Cameron hurting her the way he did. She had poured her whole heart to him, only to make a complete fool of herself. She didn't expect him to act so cold. She just had some glimmer of hope that he would have believed her. And would just run into her arms like she so desperately wished. But she was wrong. And she hated herself for it.

"That's what love does to us. It makes us stupid as hell," Yasmine added.

"I fucking hate love."

"Cheers to that."

They clinked their glasses together, then took gulps of their Champagne. The tasty drink blessed her taste buds, inducing her with the buzz she so desperately needed.

"You think I'm on TMZ right now?" Reese asked, fiddling with her phone.

"Yup."

"Great."

With as many people recording the scenario, she wouldn't be surprised.

"Aye, at least you gave it a try, you know?"

"And it backfired."

"Nope. It freed you, that's what it did."

"Huh?" Reese said, confused.

"For once, you allowed yourself to live in the moment. You didn't give a fuck what anyone else thought. Just did what your heart told you, all for the sake of love. Not everyone has the balls to do that. Shit, I respect it."

"At what cost, though?"

She was left with nothing now but a broken heart, lack of dignity, and probably a tarnished reputation. It wasn't worth it.

A knock on the door grasped their attention.

"That better be room service. Got my ass starving up in here," Yasmine complained, standing up.

She had ordered room service about an hour ago, or so it seemed. Reese on the other hand, had no appetite to eat. She was too depressed to even think about food right now.

Yasmine walked to the door and opened it.

"Oh...it's you."

Reese glanced at the door and her heart stopped.

"Can I come in?" Cameron asked softly.

Yasmine glanced over her shoulder. "Can he come in?"

She urged to say no. She wanted to curse him out. Shun him, for crushing her heart the way he did.

She placed her bottle down and walked toward him. Yasmine stepped aside as Reese stood at the entrance. She folded her arms, glaring at him.

"What do you want?"

"I wanted to come over here and apologize. I'm sorry for what my manager did to you, you shouldn't have gone through that. But I took care of it, so he'll never touch you again."

She listened. Not even bothering to speak.

With a sigh, he licked his lips. "And also, I wanna apologize for the way I acted earlier. I was wrong for treating you the way I did and I'm sorry."

Reese tapped her foot, his apology not sitting well with her. That was not what she wanted to hear. She wanted to hear more. Something. Anything to make her feel that she wasn't alone in the whirlwind of feelings she had unknowingly engulfed herself into. She wanted him to make her feel less of a fool for putting her heart on the line. To heal the aching pain she felt, just staring into the face of the man she had fallen in love with.

"Is that it?" She forced a terse tone.

He stepped closer. "I love you."

She froze. His hands brushed her hair, as he stared into her eyes. Lost for words, she swallowed the dry air in her throat.

"I made a lot of fucked up mistakes in the past. And I know you're unsure about trusting me with your heart, but I'm standing before you as a man, and telling you right now, that I wanna be with you. For as long as I can. You're a good woman, Reese. Beautiful, Strong. Everything a man could ask for. You deserve to be loved and to be happy. And I wanna be the one to give you that. I wanna make this work," He whispered, rubbing her face. "I love you.”

Her heart rushed with a myriad of emotions, as she stood before him, overwhelmed by his words.

“Do you feel the same?" He asked, his gaze locked with hers.

Tears filled her eyes, she nodded. "Yes."

"So this moment right here, right now, I want us to take this journey together. No bullshit this time."

On impulse, she placed her lips on his, accepting his plea. He kissed her back with a tight embrace, and she welcomed his soft lips and tongue, missing him so desperately.

“Aww, see, now ya’ll ‘bout to make a bitch cry."

They broke their kiss. With a grin, Reese spun around to see Yasmine waving her face dramatically, and she shook her head at her antics.

"Where are you sleeping at tonight?"

Reese faced him to meet his heated stare. She blushed.

"Well, I was going to be with Yas, but—"

"Nope, go. Bye!"

She laughed at her response. "Okay, I guess not."

"Good, then you're coming with me." He bit his lip, bringing her closer. "And I ain't letting you go this time."