Free Got A Hold On You (Ringside Romance) by Pat White

and
happy life. Before he ended up like his dad—angry, bitter, and dead
before his time.
    “Dammit,” he muttered, surprised by the sudden
self-analysis. Must be the blow to the head. He touched the goose egg above his
eye. Time to put bad decisions behind him and refuse to be manipulated.
Actually it was time he did a little manipulating of his own, starting with the
terrible Tiger Lady. He was sure he could finesse the wacky female from last
night. He wasn’t so sure about a professional actress. No, the inexperienced
Tatianna would be the perfect pawn to carry out his plan.
    The door to the locker room swung open.
    “Never would have guessed you’re related to that slave
driver Sullivan,” Luther said. “No offense, ma’am.”
    “None taken, Mr. Rawlings. My uncle’s been in this
business a long time and has some rather old-fashioned views about how to run
things. I hope to change that, bring wrestling into the mainstream.”
    Luther’s eyes gleamed with admiration. She really had
him under her spell.
    “I’ll look into the contract issues, Mr. Rawlings. It
was nice to meet you.” They shook hands, her small, pale fingers dwarfed in the
giant’s burly paw.
    She shot Jack a smug look and proceeded down the hall.
Jack glanced at Luther.
    “Nice lady,” Luther said. “Smart, too, not like
Sully.”
    “You’re still getting paid, Mr. Hudson, even if you’re
not in the ring,” she called over her shoulder as if ordering him to follow her
like a puppy dog.
    He ground his teeth. He’d like to get her in the ring
for five minutes. A good, old-fashioned submission hold would clear that
arrogant tone from her voice.
    “Have fun, Jack.” Luther slapped him on the shoulder
and laughed, obviously reading Jack’s mind.
    “Yeah, right,” Jack muttered. He started after her,
afraid of what she’d do next. He didn’t like surprises, not one bit. Catching
up to her he studied her face, set in stone, like well-carved marble.
    “Let’s get one thing clear, Mr. Hudson.” She stopped
and squared off at him.
    He still had a hard time taking her seriously when she
barely came up to his chest.
    “I don’t like surprises,” she said. “You pull any more
on me and I swear—”
    “Hey, lady, you’re the one who walked into the locker
room. I thought you wanted, you know, to sample some biceps for yourself. ” He
grinned.
      “In case
you haven’t noticed, Mr. Hudson, brawn doesn’t impress me, nor does it
intimidate me.”
    Oh, he’d noticed all right. He also noticed that
whenever he got within six inches of her, her face flushed three shades of
pink.
    Time for a little non-intimidation .
He planted his hands on the wall at either side of her head.
    “I’m not here to intimidate you, Frank. On the
contrary, I want to live up to my role of tour guide. It’s the least I can do for
you and that generous uncle of yours.”
    Her eyes changed color from light blue-green to cobalt
in a flash. He glanced down to see whether she was making that tight fist
again, but she’d shoved her hands behind her back.
    His gaze drifted to her peach-colored lips, the lower
lip a little fuller than the top, giving her a natural pout that most women
would kill for. For an uptight drill sergeant she had incredible lips, lips
that looked like they needed to be kissed something bad. Hell, where did that
come from?
    “Since you’re being so accommodating, Mr. Hudson,
please take me to the press office. We need to schedule your appearances for
next week. ”
    “Not next week, babe. I get a week off, remember?” He
tapped gently at his head injury.
    “That was my uncle’s deal, not mine. I’ve got big
plans for you, Mr. Hudson, very big plans.”

Chapter Five

 
    The next day at WHAK headquarters, Frankie and Uncle
Joe brainstormed angles, ticket sales, and strategy for handling Black Jack
Hudson.
    “I don’t know what else to do. A deal’s a deal.” Uncle
Joe dropped a bag containing the infamous leopard-skin