BEAST (MMA Bad Boys Book 1) by L. Grubb Read Free Book Online

dull, boring and drama free.
    The customers are starting to dwindle as the lunch hour ends and waitresses are clearing tables while waiters are resetting them. The dark red walls and black carpet are the colours of a dungeon but the chandeliers shroud the place in a false sense of royalty. The dimmed lights and the little tea-light candles on the tables make for a relaxed setting. The kitchen is open plan so patrons can see how their food is made and the bar is just to the side of the kitchen and right in front of the main doors. It’s a small bar but stocked with every kind of hard liquor available. Beer is served in bottles and is only Italian as to honour her heritage. This place is the only place that I let my walls down, where I can relax just a little.
    “Beast!” My mother squeals from the doorway to the corridor leading to offices and toilets. “God damn, ma boy, I’ve missed you!” She walks toward me and I envelope her in a bear hug. I take in her floral scent and the feeling of home washes over me.
    “I missed you to, Ma. How’s things?” I ask as I hold her a little away from me to take a look at her. She looks younger than her fourty-two years and laugh lines are finally visible after years of being miserable.
    “Good, good. Let me get you a drink. Whiskey?” She goes behind the bar and starts fixing drinks before I’ve even had a chance to reply. “I haven’t seen you for a week, Beast. That’s so unlike you these days.”
    “I’ve had to train every day, fighting every night. I’ve been to wiped out and moody. I didn’t want to bring that to you.” I grab the glass that she slides to me and take a welcome sip. I close my eyes and relish in the burn as it trails down my throat and lands in a fiery pool in my stomach.
    “You can always come to me, Beast. You know that, don’t you?” I can hear the uncertainty in her throat and I understand her trepidation. I chose not to get to close yet she wants me as close as possible. She’s swimming in guilt at not standing up to the man that ran my life, she’s guilty for my tainted soul. Choosing to stay away isn’t what I want but what I feel necessary so my Ma can live, experience life without all my bullshit on her shoulders. Not wanting to be my father, I visit a few times a week for half hour a time. It’s controlled and I never talk about MMA. Ever. Her old life haunts her and she shows it on her face and her eyes. She’s like an open book and that’s why my father found it so easy to put her in place. He swam in the glory of having a wife that did as she was told but also so fucking scared of him that she couldn’t hide it. He was a sick, sick man but she’s free now.
    “I know, Ma, but I refuse to bring my bullshit life to you. You need to live, experience life without the MMA shit hanging over you. I’ll never be free but you are. It’s not because I don’t love you, it’s because I do that I choose to stand back just a little. I’m not my father, Ma.” I take her dainty hand between my own and tilt my head to look into her eyes. “I promise you, I’m not standing back to hurt you, Ma. I love ya.”
    I sound like a sappy twat, but my Ma is my soft spot, my weakness, and I do love her. A graceful smile spreads across her face, making her eyes sparkle in the dim lighting. After looking at me with her happy face, I smile…Yeah, I do fucking smile sometimes. The sound of the door opening behind me has my Ma looking over my shoulder. Curious as to who’s walked in, I turn to check them out. Stood right there is Carlotta, beautiful even in some skinny jeans and black tank top. I frown. Since when did I find women beautiful?
    “What’s that look on your face?” My Ma brings me back to earth and I look at her. Her confusion is written in her eyes and I swallow.
    “She’s an MMA light-weight fighter. I met her last night.” I close my eyes as her laughter reaches my ears. It’s a glorious sound. In my world, no-one laughs