Mr Blackwell:Teacher Student Romance
By: S K QuinnSomeone yells, ‘He got lucky!’
‘Time to go kid,’ says Baz, as Jaden is dragged from the ring by red-haired men who I take to be his brothers.
‘No,’ I say, pulling back. ‘I want one more fight.’
‘What? You want to fight again? You don’t need to kid. You’ve seen what I wanted you to see. You’re a damn good fighter.’
‘Him.’ I point to Tony the barman. ‘I want him.’
Tony lets out a deep laugh. ‘Careful little boy. I’m a full-grown man and I’ll rip your fucking head off.’
‘Then get in the ring and prove it.’
Tony throws his shirt at the bikini girl, and I see his muscles ripple. He’s my height, but twice the width. Stocky and muscular. ‘Ready to see the little boy actor get fucked up?’ he asks the crowd.
A roar goes up.
Tony climbs into the ring. ‘Fuck the rounds. This is just me and you boy.’
He pushes the bikini girl to one side, and my world goes red again.
My fist connects with his jaw – three hard punches, bam, bam, bam.
He falls to the floor.
Another knock out. It was that easy.
Baz is right. I’m good at this.
The crowd don’t know how to react at first. And then they slowly start to clap and cheer. The roars grow louder, and I feel men slap me on the back.
‘Well done kid.’ Baz throws an arm around my shoulder. ‘Well done. So how are you feeling?’
‘Good,’ I admit, as Baz pulls me through the crowd.
‘What about Ria – you worked out what to do about her?’
‘No.’
‘She’ll be at the wrap party tonight. You know that, don’t you?’
‘Then I won’t go.’
‘Hang on a fucking minute. You promised you’d be my wingman. Remember? I get twice the pussy when you’re around. You’re a fucking girl magnet.’
‘Fine.’ I don’t break promises. ‘I’ll go to the wrap party. And stay out of Ria’s way.’
6
Christ, I hate these cookie-cutter LA nightclubs – every one the same.
This place is just like all the rest: champagne on ice, glass-cube walls and beautiful girls posing under white strobes.
I recognise some people from the movie set. Others from soap operas, TV shows and movies. Mercifully, Ria isn’t here yet.
I pull a box of Marlboro from my suit pocket and flip a cigarette into my lips.
‘You can’t smoke in here,’ says Baz, holding out a union Jack Zippo.
‘Let’s get a drink,’ I say, inhaling deeply.
Women are watching me, and I frown.
One woman in particular – a tall girl with bright red lips and long, jet-black hair – fixes her green eyes right on mine.
In the real world, she’d be pretty. You might even call her stunning, given the bold colours in her outfit. But in this crowd, she’s one of many stunning women, all dressed to kill.
‘The girls love you don’t they?’ says Baz, as we walk towards the bar. ‘Mr cheekbone handsome.’
I feel the eyes of the black-haired girl on my back.
‘They don’t know me. If they got to know me they wouldn’t like me at all.’
‘Oh, you’re not that bad,’ says Baz. ‘An old head on young shoulders, that’s all.’
‘The attention is unwelcome,’ I say. ‘I have nothing to offer these girls.’
‘Oh no?’ Baz nudges me with his elbow. ‘That’s not what Ria’s been saying.’
My jaw hardens and I lean onto the bar and wave the barman over. ‘Two Jack Daniels.’
‘How did you do that?’ Baz asks.
‘Do what?’
‘The barman had the whole length of the bar to serve. We only just got here. How did you get him to serve you?’
‘All I did was ask.’
I see a flash of black by Baz’s shoulder – the dark-haired girl. She’s leaning right onto the bar now, her eyes fixed on the barman. He puts drinks in front of us, and then serves the girl next.
‘She’s obviously got a bit of your magic,’ says Baz, throwing a thumb at the girl. ‘Except she’s cheating. Wearing a dress like that.’ He turns to her. ‘All right darlin’. What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?’
