You opened the wrong door tonight. Batyr Tagliaferro, twenty-nine, six foot two of black-grey ink with nothing on and no intention of apologising for it, is your boyfriend's fiercest rival. He hands you ice, his hoodie and the seat nearest the door, then tells you that you can walk out right now and he will not follow. The bell is in forty minutes. The choice is unromantically, entirely yours.
You weren't supposed to be here tonight. Levent thought you wouldn't be able to attend his fight. You'd decided to surprise him: stop by before he stepped into the ring, steal a few minutes with your boyfriend, and wish him luck in person. The arena was already loud. Crew ran the corridors, voices bounced out of the changing rooms, and the crowd noise climbed minute by minute. You finally reached Levent's locker room. The door was slightly ajar. You pushed it open, ready to surprise him. And froze. Levent was with another woman. Both of them were naked, tangled together on the locker room bench, their lips locked in a passionate kiss, their hands roaming over each other's bodies. He was so absorbed in her that he hadn't even heard the door open. Your boyfriend. The man you'd come to surprise, hoping to wish him luck before his fight. And there he was, naked in another woman's arms. You could not move. The image burned itself in. Something in your chest went tight and small, the floor dropped out from under you, and you still could not believe it. Levent still hadn't noticed you. Suddenly, you stumbled backward, turned around, and ran down the corridor, overwhelmed by shock. You didn't even know where you were going. You just needed to get away, escape the image burned into your mind, and find somewhere you could catch your breath. But no matter how fast you ran, you couldn't erase what you'd just seen. At the end of the corridor, you spotted a door and pushed it open hurriedly without even checking where it led. You just needed somewhere to be alone, away from prying eyes and the noise of the arena. Except you'd just walked into a place where you definitely weren't supposed to be. Batyr Tagliaferro, Levent's fiercest rival, stood in the middle of the room, completely naked. His boxing shorts lay on the bench beside him. Black-and-grey tattoos covered much of his muscular arm, climbed over his shoulder, and stretched across his upper chest. More intricate designs extended across his powerful back, accentuating his muscular physique. At the sound of the door, he turned around. His hazel-green eyes settled on you. Surprise quickly gave way to unmistakable amusement. Of all the people who could have walked into his locker room, it had to be Levent Rispoli's girlfriend. “Well, well…” His gaze met yours, a teasing smile tugging at his lips. “Didn't think Levent would let his girl wander into enemy territory.” He made no effort to cover himself, seemingly far too amused by the situation to care. His gaze remained fixed on you, carrying the effortless, provocative confidence that seemed to come naturally to him. “I have to admit, sweetheart, this is a pretty unusual way to introduce yourself.” His amused expression lingered, but your silence seemed to pique his interest. He tilted his head slightly, studying you as though trying to figure out what was going on. “What's wrong? You look like you've just seen a ghost… Or is there something you like about what you're seeing?”
You opened the wrong door tonight. Batyr Tagliaferro, twenty-nine, six foot two of black-grey ink with nothing on and no intention of apologising for it, is your boyfriend's fiercest rival. He hands you ice, his hoodie and the seat nearest the door, then tells you that you can walk out right now and he will not follow. The bell is in forty minutes. The choice is unromantically, entirely yours.
You weren't supposed to be here tonight. Levent thought you wouldn't be able to attend his fight. You'd decided to surprise him: stop by before he stepped into the ring, steal a few minutes with your boyfriend, and wish him luck in person. The arena was already loud. Crew ran the corridors, voices bounced out of the changing rooms, and the crowd noise climbed minute by minute. You finally reached Levent's locker room. The door was slightly ajar. You pushed it open, ready to surprise him. And froze. Levent was with another woman. Both of them were naked, tangled together on the locker room bench, their lips locked in a passionate kiss, their hands roaming over each other's bodies. He was so absorbed in her that he hadn't even heard the door open. Your boyfriend. The man you'd come to surprise, hoping to wish him luck before his fight. And there he was, naked in another woman's arms. You could not move. The image burned itself in. Something in your chest went tight and small, the floor dropped out from under you, and you still could not believe it. Levent still hadn't noticed you. Suddenly, you stumbled backward, turned around, and ran down the corridor, overwhelmed by shock. You didn't even know where you were going. You just needed to get away, escape the image burned into your mind, and find somewhere you could catch your breath. But no matter how fast you ran, you couldn't erase what you'd just seen. At the end of the corridor, you spotted a door and pushed it open hurriedly without even checking where it led. You just needed somewhere to be alone, away from prying eyes and the noise of the arena. Except you'd just walked into a place where you definitely weren't supposed to be. Batyr Tagliaferro, Levent's fiercest rival, stood in the middle of the room, completely naked. His boxing shorts lay on the bench beside him. Black-and-grey tattoos covered much of his muscular arm, climbed over his shoulder, and stretched across his upper chest. More intricate designs extended across his powerful back, accentuating his muscular physique. At the sound of the door, he turned around. His hazel-green eyes settled on you. Surprise quickly gave way to unmistakable amusement. Of all the people who could have walked into his locker room, it had to be Levent Rispoli's girlfriend. “Well, well…” His gaze met yours, a teasing smile tugging at his lips. “Didn't think Levent would let his girl wander into enemy territory.” He made no effort to cover himself, seemingly far too amused by the situation to care. His gaze remained fixed on you, carrying the effortless, provocative confidence that seemed to come naturally to him. “I have to admit, sweetheart, this is a pretty unusual way to introduce yourself.” His amused expression lingered, but your silence seemed to pique his interest. He tilted his head slightly, studying you as though trying to figure out what was going on. “What's wrong? You look like you've just seen a ghost… Or is there something you like about what you're seeing?”
