Ben's hand on Tallulah's lower back bothered her. As he maneuvered them through the crowds of people in the art studio, he took advantage of the fact that he could touch her the way he wanted to.

The man was trying too hard, laughing too easily, uncomfortable in a suit that had a new sheen. She, on the other hand, underplayed her part, coy and a little slow to warm. Let him feel like he was in charge. She remained girlish, innocent. Beneath her mask of delight and interested listening, she was very aware of AJ's eyes on her. Like she was doing something wrong.

Ben had been good on his word. In less than two months of being in Manchester, Tallulah was finally showing her pieces at his gallery.

Her paintings dominated the walls, every color was bold and painted with such precise lines that they all almost looked like a mosaic. They were curved yet sharply defined; they seemed to stable but tumble at the same time.

"This is the woman I've been rambling to you about for years," Ben said to a scruffy looking man with waist-long dreadlocks.

"I've heard so many good things about you Tallulah," he said and took her hands, kissing her knuckles. "His description of you didn't do you justice."

Ben chuckled. "This is Justin, he's a writer for the urban magazine. He'll be doing a piece about your work if he thinks it's worth a feature."

Tallulah smiled. "Is it?"

"Your work is amazing. We should set up an interview."

"Of course," Ben answered. "I'll call you and we can set everything up."

"It was nice to meet you, Justin, excuse me for a bit." Tallulah pulled away and made her way to out of the studio. She had been mingling with the guests all morning, she was so tired and needed some fresh air.

"Tired of being paraded around like an art piece?" Anthony's voice whispered into her ear.

Tallulah snapped her eyes to him. "Something like that. I'm more into the painting and not into the selling."

"You look beautiful today," he said, eyes skimming her body.

Her face got hot. "Thank you."

They were both silent.

"I have to go back in," Tallulah said, making her way to the door. AJ grabbed her before she could go in.

"Can I take you out for a celebratory drink after?" his eyes were racking her body, making her very aware of how her top was clinging to her breasts and how the skirt she was wearing was hugging her body.

Tallulah smiled. "Yes. That sounds nice."

**

"To you," AJ congratulated, raising the beer bottle in his hand. "Congratulations on your first sale. Out of all fourteen pieces, only three are left."

The bar curved into the room, dark in the barely lit space. Through the windows, the diamonds of lead panes trickled the sallow light of street-lamps. The dominant smell was of stale beer and body odor.

The bar was hundreds of conversations told in loud voices, all of them competing with the urban music that dominated the atmosphere.

"Thank you. I didn't think it would make me this happy." She wiggled along to the music in her seat. "I made a lot of money."

Anthony looked at her bottle of Bacardi gold, worriedly. "Do you drink?"

She shook her head. "There is a first time for everything, right?"

"Not when it comes to beer."

She sunk her teeth into her lower lip and looked into his eyes. "Are you worried about me?"

"Yes."

She grinned at him behind her bottle. "I'm a big girl, I can handle my drink."

Anthony held up his hand, wagged his finger at her. "You," he said, "are trouble."

She wagged her finger back at him. "You," she said, "are worse."

He laughed.

"We're not going to flirt," she said. "We're going to drink and talk. Then we are going to go home and everything is going to go back to normal."

"If I kiss you again, are you saying you won't like it?"

She looked momentarily confused. "Are you saying you want to kiss me?"

He nodded.

"Here, in the bar?"

"Here," AJ said, pointing at his lips, "in your mouth."

"You don't think that's a bad idea?"

"I don't think it's a bad idea. I know it's a bad idea. I still want to do it."

AJ put his hand on Tallulah's knee and squeezed it. She made a soft sound, like a sigh but backward. Her eyes seemed to darken. His heart beat wilder and wilder. He leaned in again and pressed his lips to hers.

Underneath the table, Tallulah reached out and put her hand on his thigh. Anthony melted under its heat. He felt it penetrate the fabric of his trousers to his skin.

"That's not something you should do," he said.

She started to move her hand away but Anthony grabbed her by the wrist.

"I didn't say don't do it. I only said you shouldn't do it."

"There's a difference?" Tallulah asked, sliding her hand up his thigh.

"Big difference."

Thank God they were in a secluded corner of the bar so that the whole world couldn't see them. Not that it would have stopped them. The kiss was better than when he'd kissed her a few nights ago, hotter than he'd hoped and even more terrifying than she'd imagined. This kiss was ruining her, ruining her for all other kisses from all other men. It was him or no one.

She took her hand off AJ's crotch and then she did something even worse she got up from the table.

"Why did you do that?" he asked.

"I'm trying to come to my senses," she said. "I'll be right back."

Tallulah made her way into the bathroom, trying to control her breathing. She splashed some water on her face. What was she doing? She was having fun, with a good looking man who had women offer themselves to him when he walked down the streets and she liked it.

There was a commotion in their booth when she walked back. Squeezing between a group of people, Tallulah stood between a gigantic man who was face to face with AJ.

"It's not about the belt, I don't care about the belt. Man to man show me some respect, standing in front of me like your gonna do sumfin," AJ said calmly. "You're not about that life."

He grabbed a hold of her wrists and pushed her behind him.

"You're not about that life," he repeated.

"What more respect do you want?" The tall man with fair skin pushed up on him.

"Don't push up on me... don't push up on me," AJ warned, a vein on the side of his neck ticking. Tallulah swallowed hard and placed her hand on his biceps, trying to calm him. AJ folded his arms across his chest and shoved the man using his elbows.

The man, who Tallulah still didn't know laughed as some men stepped between them, pulling them apart. Desperately trying to control him, Tallulah grabbed his shirt into her hands.

"Don't act with me, I am not an actor," AJ said. "Don't act like you're about that life, cause you're not."

"I shook your hand, you shook my hand," the man said. "You got yourself a fight, Antony. There is no acting here. You can act big and bad in front of all these cameras and all these people, in the end, you're going to have to put a mouthpiece in your mouth and gloves in your hands."

That was when Tallulah was aware of the crowd of people that were recording what was happening. Things were escalating really fast.

She grabbed a hold of his face and forced him to look into her eyes. "Ignore him."

"Don't take things personally man, I'm just trying to sell a fight," the man continued to rile him up.

"Come on," Tallulah grabbed his hand. "Let's go home."

"What, do I have to fuck your bitch to get a reaction from you?"

She felt his muscles tense under her. Her breath stalled in anticipation of what AJ was planning on doing next. His face was as dark as a gathering storm.

"Get her out of here," he commanded a man who was hovering behind him. Tallulah knew him from the team that worked with AJ closely during his training sessions. He grabbed a hold of her despite her protests and dragged her towards the exit.

Her stomach clenched in nervousness when she saw AJ throwing the first punch before they disappeared out of sight.

"He's a pro boxer, don't worry about him," the bodyguard told her as she paced around, waiting for their car.

Minutes later, security escorted an angry Anthony out as he hurled insults at whoever was close enough to hear them.

A frown etched on his face as he faced Tallulah.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Anthony took her by the arm and steered her into a narrow alley between a bike shop and a coffee shop. He pushed Tallulah against the brick wall and checked to make sure no one could see them from the street.

He kissed her gently at first and then harder, then deeper. She moaned in the back of her throat, and it was all the encouragement he needed to slide his hand under her shirt and press his arousal against her stomach.

Her skin was soft, and he felt the muscles of her stomach tighten as she took in a quick breath. He slid his hand higher, higher. He tickled her ribcage, caressed her hip and finally cupped her breast over her bra.

"Are you going to stop me?" he asked.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you came to your senses once you witnessed how bad my temper really is?"

Their eyes met in the dark. "Who was he?"

"His name is Wladimir Klitschko...my next fight is with him." AJ traced his fingers down her exposed stomach, leaning his body on her.

"What made you so angry?"

He kissed her from her lips to her ear, where he whispered a dangerous answer. "He called you a bitch and said that he would fuck you."

Her heart rammed into her chest.

"I don't know why that made me angry."

She lifted a hand to his jaw and felt his skin quiver beneath her touch. He towered over her small frame by a foot but the way her eyes met his, bold and uncompromising, she may as well have been his physical equal.

AJ dipped his head and kissed her again.

**

The fight that I describe with AJ kinda took place in real life with Eric Molina but it didn't get physical. Check out the video above if you're interested...