Felix Read online

  He leaned in to check if Adelina was still asleep. He smiled when he confirmed it, taking in her half-covered naked body sprawled out on his hotel bed.

  “You were the one who said this girl came highly recommended,” he reminded Rene.

  “Her mother came highly recommended,” Rene snapped. “I didn’t know she’d retired and Ms. Lazardi had since taken over the agency. But from what I’m told, she’s not just a publicist she’s a hell of a negotiator when it comes to endorsement deals. I don’t want you blowing this.”

  “Well, I’ll tell you right now,” Felix said, taking a swig of his drink with a smirk. “Her mother taught her well. She’s doing a helluva job.”

  He heard Rene groan. Once again, Felix had to laugh but reminded his agent that he had things under control. He really did. Sure, this relationship with this new publicist would be a lot different than the two prior ones. But when it came to publicists, Felix already had two major fails. The third time had to be the charm. So he had a publicist who he’d be doing a little more than just consulting with anytime he was in town. That didn’t sound so bad to him.

  Chapter 2

  Ella

  “After this morning’s arraignment, many critics of the former “Pride of East Los Angeles” boxing champ Felix Sanchez are asking if maybe L.A. prosecutors didn’t make a deal with the devil himself. It seems—”

  “Whoa, whoa, put it back,” Ella Castellano’s brother Memo said as he walked out onto the patio where she was making breakfast on a mini propane stove.

  She’d just changed the channel on the television and frowned because she was so over hearing about Sanchez’s antics. It was as if he and Lindsay Lohan were competing for air time on the news every other week. “Really?”

  “Yeah, I wanna hear what they’re saying about Sanchez. Is he in trouble again?”

  Ella handed him the remote to the small TV that sat on top of one of the extra refrigerators just outside the storage house. “I’ve lost track of whether or not he’s in jail or rehab,” she said, spooning some of the eggs and potatoes onto a paper plate. “What a waste.”

  She handed the plate to Memo, who was engrossed in the news coverage of the fallen champ. Ella half listened. She was more interested in finishing up breakfast so she could finish getting ready for school. The reporter was saying something about Felix having avoided jail time because of a plea deal he’d made.

  “Figures,” she muttered, turning off the small stove. Celebrities never had to face the music like real people. “I’m done here. Remind dad he promised he’d work on the front room.”

  Her brother didn’t even look at her when he laughed. “Like that’s ever gonna happen.”

  “He’s been working on the garage,” she reminded him as she walked to the kitchen door.

  “Yeah, working on squeezing more stuff in it.”

  “No. He promised no more garage sales until we get rid of some of this stuff.”

  Ella squeezed through the kitchen and hallway to get to the bathroom, where she brushed her teeth quickly then worked her way back to her room. It was the only room in the house where she could breathe easily. She was already dressed, so she grabbed her purse and applied a little lip gloss and some mascara. Smacking her lips in the mirror, she smiled big to double-check she didn’t have anything on her teeth and rushed out.

  Today would be a busy one for her. She had two finals and half a shift at Starbucks, and then she’d be meeting her friend Carmen at 5th Street to check on Sonia and the class she’d neglected these past few weeks. With finals looming and papers to turn in, it’d been a while since she’d been to the gym. Maybe she could even work out a little while she was there. Most likely she’d be too tired, but she threw her gym bag in the car anyway.

  The day went by fairly quickly, and aside from her manager offering her the position of shift manager, which she knew was coming, the day had been pretty uneventful until she got to the gym. She’d already circled the packed parking lot twice and was about to give up and just go home when she found a parking space.

  She was still standing next to her car, debating whether or not she should take her gym bag in with her. Judging from the packed parking lot and the small crowd just outside the front door of the gym, something was going on.

  “Hey, Ella.”

  She turned, surprised and a little annoyed that she had never even seen Gabe approaching her. One of the first rules she and Sonia talked about with students taking the self-defense classes they ran now was to always be aware of their surroundings. “Hey.” She smiled, looking down at the boxing gloves he held. “You boxing now?”

  “Nah.” He chuckled. “These are my brother’s. He’s a huge fan of Sanchez, so when he heard he was gonna be here tonight, he asked me if I could bring them down and get them signed.”

  “Is that why this place is so crowded?”

  “Yeah, isn’t that why you’re here?”

  Ella couldn’t help laugh. “No. I didn’t even know he was gonna be here. I just stopped by to check in with my brother’s girlfriend. She and I help out with the self-defense classes, but I haven’t been able to for a few weeks because of finals and work.” She turned back to get a better look at the crowd and winced. “Maybe I should come back another time. I’d hate to get stuck waiting in line. I thought I’d just be in and out in twenty or thirty minutes, tops.”

  “You don’t have to wait in line unless you’re getting something signed. You can just go around those people. That’s how they did it last time anyway.”

  Conceding but deciding against grabbing her gym bag, she began walking with Gabe toward the entrance.

  “So how’ve you been?” he asked.

  “Busy,” she said, looking straight ahead. “School, work, and before finals I was spending most of my free time here. I’ll likely go back to that routine again now that finals are over. And you?”

  “I’ve been working for my uncle.”

  “That’s good.” Ella continued to stare straight ahead. “I remember you having a hard time finding a job.”

  “Yeah, I’ve been working there almost six months now.”

  They’d almost reached the front entrance, and Ella thought she was home free. They’d made small talk the whole way without getting into anything personal; then he hit her with it.

  “Are you still seeing that cop?”

  She pressed her lips together in an effort not to frown, because talking to her former and first boyfriend ever about her latest ex was just too weird. She shrugged, making Gabe laugh softly.

  “Is that a yes or a no?”

  “It’s complicated,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t ask more. “I still talk to him.”

  They reached the entrance and Gabe had been right. The line went in one door, but the other was wide open for anyone who wasn’t there to see Sanchez. She said goodbye to Gabe, and they parted ways quickly as she walked around the enormous line and he walked to the end of it.

  Once inside the gym, she saw the sign that announced not just the “Pride of East Los Angeles” himself, Sanchez, doing signings but “Aweless Ayala” as well. No wonder the place was packed. Ella had had the pleasure of meeting most of the awe-inspiring guys of 5th Street. Their presence at the gym never went unnoticed. Despite Abel’s fame and the number of people in the gym who just about froze when he walked through it, she often saw him there working, business as usual. Though, he did stick to the private work-out rooms in the back as much as possible.

  As much as she’d like to think of herself as not the type to get star struck, she wouldn’t even try to pretend that she wasn’t. Every time she saw any of them, her insides would get all warm and giddy, though she had gotten better at playing it off. You’d think after all this time she’d be used to it. Even Noah and Gio, who weren’t famous for their fighting, were both equally as famous as Sanchez and Abel as trainers not just to Abel and Sanchez but other big name boxers as well. They were even known to make appearances on the late night shows du
ring the hype leading up to one of the big fights.

  The humble little boxing gym she grew up walking by on her way to and from school was also known worldwide now, and she often saw Gio and Noah on television for other things—ringside doing commentary on some of the biggest fights, promoting charitable events, or even sitting in on some of the ESPN sport commentating shows.

  Even their wives were well-known in the community for all the work they did with 5th Street and its many charities. When Abel’s wife, Nellie, and his brother Hector’s fiancée, Charlee, had shown up at the self-defense classes Ella and her brother’s girlfriend Sonia had put together at the local high school, Ella had been floored. They offered to let them bring the classes to 5th Street and expand the program. Ever the suspicious pessimist, Ella at first questioned their motives. It seemed too good to be true. They were willing to let them move the small program Ella had worked so hard to put together to their state-of-the-art gym and even fund it completely all for nothing? She wasn’t sure what to think. But then Nellie explained they’d been following the news at the time about her brother and what had happened to Sonia on TV and were very impressed when they’d interviewed Sonia and Ella about the program they worked so hard on. They wanted to help in some way. And now here they were two years later. What had started as one class a week in the high school gym was now an ongoing program with classes held every day of the week.

  As she walked past the mob of people who were waiting to get their things autographed, she came to an angle from which she could see the tables where the guys sat, signing away. Felix was leaning over to sign a shirt he’d been handed. He looked up and smiled at the guy who stood in front of him. Then Felix got up and posed for a photo with him. Just like with all the other guys the first time she’d seen them in person, Ella felt breathless. But this felt even bigger than with the other guys. Felix was on television far more than any of the others. He wasn’t just a sports star; he was a full-blown celebrity. He’d been on Dancing with the Stars, been featured in music videos, and even had his own highly successful line of sports apparel. As expected, in person, he was bigger than life.

  She watched as he took his seat again and leaned over to Abel, who sat next to him. Whatever Abel said to him cracked him up. She may’ve lost all respect for the athlete he’d once been, when he seemed to lose his love for the sport and went all Hollywood instead, but she could definitely see why so many women wanted a piece of him. He was amazing.

  Ella’s heart suddenly spiked. She’d been so lost in thought she hadn’t realized she’d been staring at him, and now he was looking right at her. Afraid of making a complete ass of herself by turning around to see if it was her he was actually looking at, she smiled, hoping he wouldn’t smile back. If he did, it’d confirm it was her he was looking at.

  For a moment, he seemed confused as if he were trying to determine if he knew her or maybe—she prayed—it was someone behind her he was actually looking at. Then he smiled the most beautiful smile she’d ever been treated to, making her breath catch. So what did she do? She turned and practically ran, not slowing until she was sure she was out of his sight.

  “So whatta ya think?”

  Startled out of her thoughts, Ella turned to Carmen, who stood in front of her, looking in the direction she’d come from.

  “I don’t know,” Carmen continued before Ella could respond. “I’m not that impressed. I mean he’s good-looking and all, but, hmm . . . I was expecting more. The guy has Athena in love with him, for Christ’s sake. I guess I was sort of expecting something more godlike.”

  Ella smirked as her insides calmed, walking toward the self-defense class, glad she’d been able to avoid the question. She needed time to get her thoughts together still. “How do you know Athena is in love with him?”

  Carmen’s eyes opened wide with a look as if to say Ella should know this. “She checked herself into rehab because of him!”

  “Say the tabloids, Carmen. Who knows what the real truth is?”

  Carmen filled her in on more of what she “knew” about Felix and his love life or rather many conquests as they walked together toward the back room where Sonia should be. Ella laughed every now and again at how animated Carmen got about the stories she’d heard. She was obviously mocking the tabloids as well. “You know they say he’s hung like a—”

  “Carmen!” Ella gasped, nudging her friend. She covered her own mouth and looked around but had to laugh. “How in the world would the tabloids know that?”

  “Easy,” Carmen said, giggling. “You know the stalkarazzi stops at nothing, and apparently, he sunbathes naked at that resort he frequents so much down in Mexico. Of course, they have to blur it out.” Carmen stopped and caught her breath dramatically just before they entered the room where the self-defense class was held. “You know who would know? Bianca, Gio’s wife. She used to date Felix once upon a time. Maybe you can sneak it in the conversation some time and—”

  “No, I will not be asking her about that, loca.” Ella laughed at her friend’s absurdity.

  “You know,” Carmen continued as they walked into the class. “I bet if we Googled those photos I’m sure we could find them online somewhere uncensored.”

  Ella hushed her, pretending to be appalled despite her inability to fight the urge to laugh. Her silly friend had at least managed to help subdue Ella’s altered nerves. Felix was probably used to that kind of reaction from girls. As stupid as she felt, he’d probably forget about that moment soon enough and be gone again. As far as she knew, he only made appearances at 5th Street every few months.

  Sonia walked over as soon as she saw Ella. The class was divided up as usual in four separate groups, and Ella watched, speaking with Sonia in a lowered voice.

  “I’m done,” she informed her. “After today, I’m free to be here as often as I can manage.”

  Ella hadn’t even given much thought to the shift supervisor position she’d been offered. She definitely could use more money, but this program was so near and dear to her heart. If she took the position, it would take up so much more of her time. She’d already had to opt out of the neighborhood watch program because she didn’t want to have to explain why she’d never be able to volunteer having the meetings at her place. She didn’t want to cut down on her time here too.

  Sonia filled her in on some of the new students they’d picked up since Ella last attended. Sadly, the majority of the women here decided to take the class only after having experienced something so traumatizing they felt the need to empower themselves. Ella had been trying so hard to get the word out so that more would take the class before anything forced them to.

  “Did you get to see Felix?” Sonia asked, smiling wide-eyed. Ella nodded. “Isn’t he an absolute dream?”

  Ella smiled, nodding again but didn’t dare mention getting caught gawking. This wasn’t the first time Felix had been at 5th Street since their program had been picked up by the gym. Ella had just coincidently missed him every time. Most of the times, she’d done so purposely. She’d heard some of the other staff members talk about what a circus the place turned into and what a nightmare the parking was whenever he dropped by. All the other times she’d known ahead of time he’d be there, so she’d made sure to stay away. As curious as she was to see him in person, she didn’t want to get caught up in the mess. Already, she’d been there a few times when the gym was hosting one of their many special events, and she knew what the parking could be like. In hindsight, she was surprised she’d been able to get a parking spot at all tonight.

  The door opened, and the three girls turned to see Nellie, 5th Street’s head coordinator, walk in, smiling big. “Ella, I’m glad you’re here. Sonia’s had a chance to meet with Felix before, but you haven’t, have you?”

  That got her heart thumping good and hard. Oh no. “No,” she said, clearing her throat. “No, I haven’t.”

  “Will you be here for a while?”

  “Um,” Ella said, glancing at Carmen, who was nodd
ing almost animatedly. “About a half hour?”

  Nellie winced, biting the corner of her lip. “I’m not sure they’ll be done by then. I’ll see if I can pull him away for a moment, though. If not, he’ll be around for the next few weeks, so I’ll make sure you get to meet him. The guys and I have told him a lot about you and how you started the program all on your own. He said he remembers hearing about your brother and Sonia’s story. He knows all about how you worked on getting the self-defense classes going even in the midst of that mess. I also told him about your idea of getting 5th Street to start an annual breast-cancer awareness run. He likes it. He has an aunt who was diagnosed a few months ago and says he’s looking forward to meeting you. But it seems every time he’s come in you’ve missed him. Or he’s missed you, rather.”

  “Yeah.” Ella nodded, pulling a strand of hair behind her ear. “This is the first time I’ve been here when he’s here.”

  Carmen squeezed her arm, and Ella knew what that meant. She’d die if Ella didn’t stick around to meet with him. At least Ella knew she wouldn’t be alone when it happened, and what she’d done out there wasn’t so bad. So she smiled then made a mad dash in the other direction when he smiled back. Big deal. So she was in a hurry. He’d probably already forgotten about it.

  At least she wouldn’t be alone. Carmen would no doubt be glued to her side now. For the first time that night, she wished she’d refreshed the makeup she’d been wearing since she left that morning. She wasn’t ridiculous enough to think for even a second a superstar like Felix would be looking at her in any other way than professionally, but she at least wanted to look presentable.

  “Okay,” Ella said with a smile, letting Nellie’s words sink in.

  Felix was looking forward to meeting her? Was that maybe why he’d smiled at her because he already knew who she was and not because she was gazing his way all dreamy-eyed?