Chapter 22

Marcus wanted to work on kicks and defending against them. Rory was doing his part by feeding Marcus a steady diet of front kicks. Marcus used both his hands to knock them down, and his guard began to drop as he anticipated Rory’s next kick.

Rory brought his leg up halfway, leaned back, and rolled his hip over. His leg whipped over Marcus’s guard, and his foot planted itself in the man’s ear. It was a textbook Question Mark Kick that Chris had taught him.

Marcus ended up on the mat, looking dazed.

Rory went over and offered him a hand, which he slapped away.

“You’re a dick. I can’t believe you all but knocked me out twice this morning. What was that one called?” Marcus asked as he struggled to stand.

“The first one was a Superman Punch, and this one is called a Question Mark Kick. In Grandmaster: Final Conflict, it’s Jirani’s signature move. After he kicks you, you question your sanity,” Rory teased.

He’d come clean to Marcus that he didn’t really get his moves from video games, but the guys in the gym ate it up when he told stories like this. They actually believed he was some kind of freak who could watch a Mortal Combat video and duplicate the moves. Marcus and Rory would have a good laugh when the gym rats would be practicing those moves later this week.

“Slow it down and show it to me,” Marcus ordered.

What Marcus hadn’t said was that for every time Rory put him on his ass, he paid him back threefold.

Rory and Marcus were learning a lot from each other. Mixed Martial Arts covered a lot of different disciplines. Marcus had learned to wrestle first, while Rory was initially taught jiujitsu and later Muay Thai, which was part kickboxing.

“The key is leaning your chest back so that you can bring more power to the kick,” Rory said as he demonstrated. “If I hadn’t held back, that would have ended the fight.”

Rory showed him three more times before Marcus tried it. Rory showed Marcus that the kick was easy to block if he kept his guard up. A tip was that when Rory leaned back, it would signal that he was about to do the kick. If Marcus was watching, by leaning back himself, he would be out of reach of the worst of it.

They’d been going at it for a couple of hours. The two of them had gotten to the gym a bit after five that morning, and it was just after seven.

“Before you go, I have an offer I want to make you,” Marcus said. “My next fight is three weeks out, and my new manager wants me to go to Reno to train. I want you to come with me to be one of my sparring partners. I need someone quick with martial-arts skills to keep me on my toes.”

“I can’t do the heavy stuff you’ll need,” Rory said, referring to Marcus being at least a weight class above him.

He would need someone bigger to get used to his upcoming opponent.

“My manager has a guy for that. What do you say? It would be two weeks of working all day in the gym, and I can see if he will set you up with a fight, too.”

“I need to ask my parents and my current manager. He’ll want to talk to your guy,” Rory said.

“I’ll message you his contact info. I just need to know before Thursday so we can book your flight and stuff. It’ll be a real learning experience for you,” Marcus promised.

Rory met Juana at the massage table. He looked forward to her working his muscles so they didn’t ache for the rest of the day.

“You’re getting better, working with Marcus,” she said as she began to do her magic on his neck.

“You can see it after only a couple of days?”

“I can. He’s pushing you more than I ever did. Your stance is better, and you don’t hold back nearly as much as you did with me. I thought for sure you’d knocked him out twice today, and if it had been the real thing, he’d have been down and out.”

“He did knock me down a few times,” Rory admitted.

“The difference is, you would’ve gotten up. When you finally turn pro, you’re going to be a handful. If you can knock out someone of Marcus’s caliber at sixteen, imagine what you’ll be capable of in two years.”

She’d obviously been watching closely. After Juana broke down his training session, the conversation turned to massage techniques. When it was his turn to give her a massage, he found that she not only looked cut, but her muscles felt like steel cords under her skin.

She was teaching him how to do Swedish massage therapy. Juana explained it was the most common style done in the States, and it was the type of massage you’d typically get at a spa, gym, clinic, or wellness center. She teased him that it was great for foreplay—like he hadn’t already guessed that.

The session was soon over, and he paid Juana for his massage. He hurried to the studio because he had a morning interview with a woman who said she had an E-cup.

Crystal knew they were interviewing a possible MILF who would fit a series of videos Tyler wanted to shoot the following week. That was her excuse for ‘dropping in’ right before Moriah Bills was interviewed.

When she walked into Rory’s office, he gave her an inquiring look.

“Are you here because of yesterday?”

“I probably should be, but Tyler needs a MILF. If she’s a fit, we can just get her to medical and then hire her,” Crystal explained.

“Have you seen her pictures? Can I please motorboat those huge titties?” Rory asked with a devious look.

She had a little perv under her roof. She didn’t comment because Moriah and Sarah walked in.

Rory let Sarah do the interview. She had a checklist of everything she needed to do and questions to ask. Crystal was impressed that Rory didn’t say anything when Sarah made a minor error. She’d found that when people first started managing someone, they thought they had to make sure everything was perfect.

She was glad that Rory didn’t micromanage Sarah. It was one of the management styles that was most difficult to break. If someone wanted to advance, they had to learn to allow their people to do their job.

Sarah finally got to the key question: “Why do you want to do porn?”

“My job brings me to Las Vegas once or twice a year. Last spring, there was a porn convention at the same time. My ex begged to come with me so he could be a fanboy. When I would join him, people kept coming up to me, asking who I was and if they could take a picture with me.

“I have large boobs, 38E, which made them think I’m an adult star. I’d never thought about performing, even though I enjoy watching. That got me thinking, and when I had some vacation time, I decided to see if I have what it takes,” Moriah answered.

Rory played camera operator and filmed her body. She was right; those were some ginormous boobs. Moriah’s areolas had to be as large as Rory’s palm. Crystal was impressed that they were 100% real and had few stretch marks.

She called Tyler in so he could ask her a few more questions. He was satisfied and offered her the job if she passed the medical tests. He had plans for eight movies that would be filmed over this and the following week. He offered her ten grand with the possibility of a more extended contract if she decided she wanted to do this for a living.

When the interview was over, Sarah took Moriah to meet Nurse Kelly.

Rory’s phone chirped, and when he checked his message, he looked confused.

“Hey. I have lunch plans, and I’m hanging out with Sean and Jace this afternoon. Is it okay if I jet home and change clothes, or do you need me for anything?”

“On your way, can you take some boxes for today’s presentation to the hotel for me?” Crystal asked.

With only a handful of men who worked for them, Rory was used to being asked to do manual labor when the need arose. He was getting out early, so he didn’t give her a hassle—not that he ever did.

Rory had sent a message to Gigi and Paula to arrange for lunch to be at his house. He’d just come down from changing and walked in the back door when the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” Rory called out as he jogged to the front door.

Rory had to pause for a moment to take in Gigi’s appearance. She wore a baby-blue tank top and matching short-shorts. Her blond hair had been pulled back into a sporty ponytail.

“Are you going to stare or let me in?”

“Sorry, but you look gorgeous, as always. You have to make allowances for us mere mortals,” Rory shot back.

She walked in and stopped to take in the great room.

“You’re right; Crystal did a great job transforming this place. This is the first time I’ve been in here since we had to sell it,” Gigi said.

“How long ago was that?” Rory asked.

“I was in grade school, so it had to be at least six or eight years ago.”

“After lunch, I’ll take you around so you can see the whole place,” he offered.

“I’d like that,” she said and then sniffed the air. “Did you order takeout? I can’t imagine you cooked.”

“You might live with a bunch of cavemen, but I can actually do more than grill. I was making dinner each night since I was in middle school.”

“So, you cooked?”

“Well, no. We have a chef who makes our meals. When I lived with my mom, it was just her and me,” Rory explained.

“Where’s your mom?”

“She passed not too long ago. I’d never met Tyler until after her funeral,” he said.

Rory took her to the kitchen and introduced her to Paula.

“Go into the solarium, and I’ll serve you there,” Paula said.

Rory was secretly pleased that Paula had thought ahead and made this lunch private and nicer than eating at the counter.

The solarium was Crystal’s domain; that was where she would go when she wanted to be alone. Rory had only been in there once since he moved in. The room had large potted tropical plants, and the furniture had a Florida vibe. It was white wicker with tropical-print cushions. Off to one side was a glass table that had two place settings.

He walked Gigi over to one and pulled out her chair for her.

“As soon as I tell everyone about the treatment I got on a lunch date with you, you’ll have all the girls in The Valley chasing you,” she said, taking her seat.

“I sometimes forget that my dad has so much money until something like this happens. We just hired Paula, so I had no idea she’d put on a lunch this nice,” he admitted.

“I can’t wait to tell my dad you guys have a chef. My mom might swing by and thank you personally because she’s been asking for one for years. Dad will have to keep up with the Luvs.”

Paula came out and served the first course, an authentic Spanish gazpacho—cold tomato soup. The main course was shrimp Alfredo, followed by tiramisu for dessert.

“I’m going to have to stop going out for lunch if this is what I can get at home,” Rory said.

“Send me a message when you’re staying in for lunch, and I’ll join you,” Gigi agreed.

Rory would have to let on to Crystal and Tyler that they were underutilizing their chef. They’d built the house to entertain and impress, and they should use it for business lunches when they wanted private conversations.

“The reason I wanted to have lunch with you is that I understand that you’re the organizer for the Lake Mead weekend. Normally, that’s something the seniors set up,” Gigi said.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to step on anyone’s toes. This was something that grew out of my effort to get to know my stepsister better. We’ve been playing tourist because I wanted to know the Vegas area. She said Lake Mead was something she wanted to do,” he explained.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just that everyone wants to go, and I’m typically the one who organizes stuff. It’ll be my job to do that at Valley Prep this year,” she enlightened him. “I wanted to find out what you’ve done so far.”

“I’ve rented two spots with motorhomes that sleep six each. We’re going up Thursday night and chilling, and it’ll give us a chance to get the lay of the land. Friday and Saturday, my dad rented us a boat,” Rory said as he found it on his phone and showed it to Gigi.

His dad had upgraded their boat and included a captain. Sophie had at first picked out a two-story pontoon boat. Tyler knew a guy with a seventy-two-foot houseboat that had three bedrooms and two baths. The water-level section had air conditioning, and the two upper stories were open.

“Wow. How many people have you invited?” Gigi asked.

“Sophie and I have six each in our motorhomes. I know Chad’s going, but I’m not inviting him or his gang on the boat. One of the guys I have a class with is bringing his fraternity. They’re organizing a party for Saturday night that includes a band. Other than that, it’ll be word-of-mouth, I guess,” Rory shared.

“Did you plan anything for Friday night? And what about alcohol?”

“Sophie said she’d get Crystal to take her to the liquor store and buy some for our personal use. I can’t see her buying for everyone, though. If people want to join us on the boat, I guess maybe they would have to bring their own.”

“Let me organize the party boat. We can charge people to ride and have it include food and beverages. I’ll also get transportation to and from the campground, bartenders, caterers, a DJ for music, and security to control any trouble. I’ll even get a cleanup crew to come in Friday and Saturday. Sunday morning, I’ll split the profits with you,” Gigi offered.

“Sounds like you’ve done this before,” Rory said.

“My mom has been making me help her with events since I could walk, and I’ve gained the contacts to put together this kind of event on short notice. I’ll make sure you’re the talk of The Valley come next week. Your first party needs to top all others of the summer, and I’ll make that happen,” she promised.

“What do you need from me?” he asked.

“I need the boat captain’s information and your credit card for deposits, paying for booze, and the like.”

“Can I ask one favor? Can you ask Sophie and Summer to help you? I don’t want to cut my stepsister out of this, and Summer wants to be you next year,” he said.

“You’re smarter than I thought,” she said as she took his debit card.