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The Bet, Part 1
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The Consumed Series The Bet, Part 2
I can't get to the row of treadmills fast enough. I pick the first one, climb on without stretching, and jog. When my treadmill hits the thirty-minute mark, and the generous serving of embarrassment Dad heaped on me has melted away, I peer over at Seth. He's still in the ring with his team. While he spars, Dad watches him closely, his eyes wide with awe like a kid in a candy store. Seth and his partner touch gloves, then Seth turns away and approaches my father. Dad tugs at Seth's gloves, pulling them off his big hands, and pats him on the back.An ear-splitting whistle demands my attention. I slow my treadmill and look for the source of the noise-to Jackson who waves his arm, gesturing for me to come over. I stop the machine and drop off the end. I grab my backpack, eyeing Seth and Dad chatting over the ropes. I don't join them in fear of what my father will say next, so I go to Jackson and join him in Seth's training room."Cute babies, huh?" He gestures to a stack of long, thick mat
The Consumed Series The Team
I hiss as I catch my fingers in my wet, tangled hair. I tug them free, and my scalp burns. I thought the shower would help reduce some of the frustration that's built up under my skin. It doesn't.Then quit. I'll cover it, recalling Seth's tone grates on my nerves. I pull a face at the tiled wall, scowling as if Seth is standing right in front of me. And don't get me started on my father. My fingers catch in another tangle. I clench my teeth and rip through it, cursing the fact I had no conditioner in my locker to help with the knots. How dare he make me feel like I'm being unreasonable. He's lucky he's still allowed to come to work and participate in Seth's training.I squeeze grapefruit and pomegranate-scented soap onto a loofah and scrub under my arms and across my chest. The delightful scent emanating from the bubbles takes the edge off, easing some of my agitation.Knock. Knock. I pause, holding my loofah to my stomach."I'm showering," I call out."You think that will make me go
The Consumed Series The Bomb Drop
I run my fingers over the keyboard, desperate to stay on top of the emails, of sending the requested clinical notes exactly where they need to go. Import. Export. Attach. Type. Send. Rinse and repeat. I catch my tongue between my teeth and hold it prisoner as I get to the end of a lengthy email to an insurance company who refused to pay out on our last patient's appointment even though it was pre-approved."Excuse me." I lift my head as an elderly woman slides her slender arms along the glass top of the reception desk. "I've been waiting for over an hour. My appointment was meant to be forty minutes ago."I fake a warm smile. "Thank you for being so patient. Mason won't be much longer."With an elongated sigh, she turns away from me, and I hit send on my email. I sit back in my seat as Mason exits his therapy room with his current patient. The man, who goes by the name of Gary Voss, keeps his head down and strolls from the clinic without so much as a glance in my direction."File this,
The Consumed Series The Hospital, Part 1
My heart stops dead and my throat constricts. My veins surge in my hand which tightly grips the phone's handset. The plastic creaks and the static is a knife in my ear. A cold sweat slides from the nape of my neck and down my back as I swallow thickly, tears welling in my eyes. At the forefront of my mind, all I can see is Dad's heart breaking in his face when I made Seth deny him his trip to Boston. Has this happened because I argued with him? Did I cause him more stress than his body could handle?"Olivia?""Is..." I force a sharp pinch of air into my lungs. "I-is he okay?"Mason leans forward, planting his hands on the desk, his body softer than it was moments ago."He's okay."I gasp and fall into my seat. I swipe my hand over my forehead, then press my palm to my cheeks, encouraging blood to return to my face. My welling tears empty themselves of grief and fill with relief. I let them spill over the edge and roll down my cheek, then I swipe them away."We're at the Portland Hospit
The Consumed Series The Hospital, Part 2
"I guess I can't go to Boston now," Dad grumbles, pouting. "You're gonna have to go in my place."I frown. "I told you I can't go.""You have to. You have to go, Olly."I gesture to him lying there, hooked up to more machines than I can count. "What about you? What about-""Me?" He pulls a face, like he has no idea what I'm talking about. "What about me? I'm fine. I'm fine, aren't I, Sandra?""You're the opposite of fine," I state and he shifts in his bed, a failed attempt at sitting up."Listen to me. There's nothing for you here in Portland." He looks to Mom. "What are we gonna do for the next few weeks, hm? Hang around here with the nurses? Laze around at home?" Mom sticks her lower lip out and nods, agreeing. "Olivia, if you don't go to Boston you will regret it.""How so?"He points out the door. "You only have him to yourself for a short time amount of time. Once he goes pro, and he will, he'll belong to the world and you'll wish you made the most of the quieter times.""I don't
The Consumed Series The Right Thing
I go without Seth for six days. Training and preparing for his Boston fight against Joshua Denisov has eaten up all his time, not leaving a second spare for me. The days have dragged by. I've only been able to speak with him over the phone for the shortest slices of time. The short phone calls don't satisfy me. They don't scratch my itch or quench my thirst for his company.I've kept myself busy, running errands, coming back and forth from the hospital and my parent's house. Exhausted doesn't begin to cover it. I'm looking forward to blowing off some steam in another city since the doctor cleared Dad yesterday and Mom assures me she has everything under control.Exhaling, I arch my back and pull my phone out from where it's wedged-between my backside and the couch cushion. I shake my feet, then let them hang over the armrest as I unlock my phone and look at the time. Seth will be here in twenty minutes. Butterflies release themselves from their gilded cages, and in their excited flutte
The Consumed Series The Seven Minutes
Seth pulls into the glamorous drive of a ritzy hotel in the heart of Boston. The second he takes the car out of drive, my door is tugged open by a balding gentleman in a red vest with gold hems."Good evening, Ma'am," he greets, extending his hand."Oh? Okay." I take the man's hand and he helps me from the car.I catch a glimpse of his name on his name tag. Michael. And when I'm standing safely on the path leading to the hotel's entryway, Michael releases me and Seth takes his place, threading his warm fingers through mine. He tells Michael about our suitcases in the trunk. Michael nods and retrieves our luggage from the car. He keeps his fingers locked with mine as we approach a gold rotating door. I let Seth take the lead, and he pushes through one of the glass wings. We come out the other side unscathed."Seth!"We turn in the direction of the shout, meeting the happy faces of Darryl, Jackson, and the rest of Seth's team. They wave us over and I'm tugged along. I admire the lobby as
The Consumed Series The Polaris Club, Part 1
It took Darryl six minutes to reach our hotel room. Seth only needed five and a half to help relieve some of the tension that built inside me over the last six days.I spent the rest of the day at some MMAC training center while Seth trained and the entire evening with the whole team at a fancy Italian restaurant a few blocks over. When we finished there, Darryl allowed us twenty minutes to prepare for Polaris and insisted on getting ready in our hotel room.I tighten my high-pony and smooth my hands down the front of a simple black dress. I adjust the collar that sits tight around my pointy clavicles and tug at the hem just above my knee. Happy with my uncomplicated outfit, I meet Darryl and Seth in the foyer. Both men have draped their bodies in fitted suits, Darryl's black and Seth's a striking graphite hue. Forgoing his suit jacket, Seth's white, long-sleeved dress shirt pulls tight over his broad shoulders and around his torso, showcasing a disciplined body made of stone. His pres
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