The Main Event Read Online Free Page A

road.
      Mesquite gripped the wheel. “I feel bad for the ones who decided to stay in Boston. They’re probably not going to make it tonight.”
      He was right. Our trip was already taking longer than it should have. We finally arrived around 6 a.m. and were greeted by a hotel staff member who offered to park the car for us. Inside our room I collapsed on the bed with a sigh.
      Nerves and stress made my head ache and all I wanted was sleep. Mesquite must have felt the same way as he fell next to me onto the mattress. We both slept until early in the afternoon. He woke me with a kiss on the cheek.
      “I’m going to run by the arena and check in before going to the gym.”
      I sat up, stretching. “Okay. I’m going to give Denver a call and see when he’s wanting to meet up.”
      Mesquite gestured toward the window. “Make sure it’s close. Looks like the snow’s been coming down pretty good since we’ve been asleep.”
      He gave me another quick kiss and left. I decided to send Denver a text instead of calling him. When he didn’t reply, I decided to shower. By the time I got out, he’d replied. Crap. I only had a few minutes before he wanted to meet in the lobby.
      I threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. My hair was swept into a ponytail and I grabbed my jacket before leaving the room. In the lobby I saw Denver talking to the same fan that Mesquite and I had met in the parking garage.
      When I approached them he said to her, “I have to run. This pretty lady and I have a date.”
      She glanced at me and said, “I thought she was with Mesquite. Why are you going on a date with her?”
      Wow. That was pretty dang nosy of her!
      Denver didn’t miss a beat and replied, “Jamie’s my girl. I’ll see you at the show tonight.”
      He took me by the hand and led me away.
      As we left she called out, saying, “Thanks for the comp tickets.”
      He didn’t acknowledge her as we went outside. Mesquite hadn’t been kidding – it had snowed a lot since we’d arrived to Providence and the wind was making it feel colder than it was.
      Luckily the car was waiting and I slid into the passenger’s seat.
      When Denver was inside I said, “We saw that fan yesterday in Boston. She said she was only going to the pay-per-view on Sunday.”
      He replied, “Yeah, I think that was her plan. There’s going to be a lot of empty seats so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to offer her a comp seat. She’s on her own tomorrow, though.”
      “So where are we going for coffee?”
      “There’s supposed to be a great little bistro a few miles from here. Several people recommended it to me when I asked on Twitter.”
      I laughed. “You do realize that anyone who saw that will probably show up, hoping to get a picture with the champ.”
      He frowned and said, “I hope they do. There’s not telling when I’ll get the belt back after I lose it tomorrow.”
      Ouch.
      I tried to smooth things over. “I’m sure you’ll be champion before you know it.”
      He laughed, but it sounded more bitter than happy. “Come on, Jamie, we both know that’s not going to happen. Mesquite is their golden boy. He’ll be champion for a while, probably until Richmond returns. Then the two of them will feud.”
      He was right – that is more than likely how it would go, but I didn’t want to agree with him.
      He went on. “And they’re going to keep me off live events until they think I won’t be popular with the fans.”
      Ugh. That was the worst thing that could happen to a wrestler.
      “Why don’t they just go with it? It wouldn’t be the first time someone was more popular than anticipated.”
      “My visa has a lot to do with it. They want to make sure I can get it renewed before they push me.” He shrugged. “Who knows – maybe it’ll be a good thing if I have to go back home.”
      Had I made him feel this way?
      He must have guessed my train of thought because he said,