Chapter 6

"I love that woman, but I don't understand why I need a musical accompaniment to what amounts to my humiliating ass kicking," Claudia complained, as Laney proved her point by taking the blonde's chin in the palm of her hand, hooking her heel around Claudia's knee and throwing her into the mat.

Addison stopped playing her cello and asked with mild curiosity, "That seemed like an extra hard thump. Did that hurt, Claudia? Did she throw you very far?"

"Your sympathy would be a lot more believable if you weren't playing the Mortal Kombat theme song," Claudia grumbled, picking herself up off the mat. "Yeah, I'm a gamer, bitch. I know when I'm being mocked. Too bad you can't see my repeated smack downs for yourself."

Addison shook her long, wavy hair back and sat regally in her chair. Claudia only teased her because they all knew her lack of sight didn't bother her. Addison had been born blind and, far from letting it hold her back, she had spent her life succeeding, despite parents who treated her like a handicap.

"Focus, Ms. Cantore," Laney said severely, drawing Claudia's attention. "We are on the clock. I am attempting to teach you self-defense at your fiancé's insistence. It is upon his sufferance that we are both here."

Claudia rolled her eyes and picked herself up off the floor. She ran manicured fingers over her high-end workout clothes and then gestured toward Addison. "Remind me why we have our own personal sarcastic orchestra while we pretend you can teach me how not to die?"

Laney lifted the edge of her lip in a semi-smile. "Daniel is having a boys' night out and decided that Addison should do the same with us girls. Probably he just wants to keep her safe while he's out of the house. I agreed that she should spend the night with one of us here in the tower and he dropped her off. She said she needed to practice before seeing Maestro on Monday, so I suggested she do so while we spar."

Claudia stood with her mouth open, staring at one of the security cages, trying to process Laney's words. Laney didn't move, but Addison started giggling and said, "She's gaping at nothing, isn't she?"

"Yes," Laney acknowledged, somewhat confused. "I don't understand."

Addison clarified. "It's because she can't picture my boyfriend going on a 'boy's night out'."

Claudia snorted. "Not unless it involves a gun and a bunch of dead bodies. No offence Addie, but your guy doesn't play well with others."

Addison shrugged and said mischievously, "He plays well with me."

"Ew, Addie!" Claudia protested, laughing. "But seriously, has Daniel gone out on a murderous rampage? Should I be worried? Last I heard, Tyson is going to be home tonight and my man can usually reign senior psychopath in when darling Addison isn't around to sex him up."

"Tyson wasn't invited to boy's night. I think there's a no gazillionaires rule or something, but I happen to know exactly who will be there," Addison said, spreading her knees, wiggling her skirt out of the way and placing her cello back between her thighs.

"Oh. My. God!" Claudia said dramatically. "You have to tell me!"

"Can we please get on with the actual lesson," Laney said, planting her feet into the mat and raising her hands in a defensive pose.

Claudia sighed and brought her hands up, but kept her eyes on Addison. Laney snapped her fingers, bringing Claudia's bright green eyes back to her. Claudia rolled her eyes and let the smaller Japanese woman show her how she managed to throw her onto the mats. After a few practice attempts where Laney allowed Claudia to hook her knee around Laney's leg and push her down, Claudia finally turned to Addison who was back to playing fight music.

"Okay, spill! Who's going to boy's night?"

Addison laughed and put her bow down. "They're calling it the bodyguard's poker night."

"Seriously!?" Claudia shouted and laughed at the same time, rolling on the mat where Laney had roughly deposited her seconds before. "Not a creative bone between them, is there?"

"Oh yeah, I'm as dead serious as Daniel is about the last guy who flirted with me. Daniel is going, Anya's cage fighter husband Ash, Boris and Jane Sitnokov's business partner Mack Hudson. He's some kind of bounty hunter, ex-military guy according to Jane. It's like the deadliest poker game I've ever heard of. I'm not even sure how they plan on putting all these guys in one room without bloodshed."

"Fuck me," Claudia breathed. "That is a lot of testosterone at one table."

"Yeah, I frisked Daniel before he left and made him leave his weapons behind. He wasn't happy. He complained that the others wouldn't go weaponless."

"Daniel is like a machine. He needs no weapons to take other people down," Laney pointed out.

"Exactly," agreed Addison. "I thought I should at least give the other poker players a fighting chance if things get violent."

"If!" Claudia snorted.

"I really hope Daniel doesn't maim anyone," Addison murmured anxiously.

"Ah, relationship goals," Claudia said, grinning.

"Says the woman who's trying to figure out how to put a Russian mob boss and an Italian mob boss in the same room together for her wedding to a shady billionaire. At least you have my Daniel and your Laney to make sure things don't go south on you, bridezilla," Addison replied, setting her bow to cello and playing softly while Laney scooped Claudia off the mat and set her on her feet.

It was time to quit playing with the blind but razor-sharp musician, Claudia decided, and turned her focus on the quiet ninja. Swinging her long blond ponytail over one shoulder she let her green gaze drift over Laney's utilitarian outfit of sports bra and work out shorts. Basic, but cute. Which was pretty much Laney to a tee.

"So- Boris is going to be at this bodyguard's poker game-" Claudia said, letting her words drift off in the hopes that Laney might pick up what she was putting down.

No such luck. Laney just gave Claudia her usual blank stare. Claudia stood and put up her guard. Both women stepped around each other, with Laney taking jabs while Claudia blocked. In general, Claudia understood the importance of taking lessons with Laney. But she was beginning to think the lessons would never stick. In fact, she thought she might be getting worse at self-defense instead of better, given the amount of ass kicking Laney dealt her on a regular basis. She only ended up with bruises for her efforts and very few useful new skills.

She still had her smart mouth to protect her though.

"So, do you think Boris will try to get info out of Daniel about his favourite obsession?" she asked, seconds before she found herself flat on the mat with Laney's fist planted in her chest.

"Now that sounded like a hard fall!" Addison shouted cheerfully, playing a dramatic crescendo on her cello.