The Secrets of Sin

Mari

“Hey, I’m, uh, Beast. It’s nice to meet you.” He acts like a flustered kid, like one of the teens coming in for their first time. This isn’t like him at all.

Oh, sugar snaps! I have to talk! My voice!

Waving my hand in a flirty little wave, I turn it up to ten. The charm has to come on thick. I cannot get caught. Not by Ben. Erik can’t ever know.

“Hi, handsome, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Sin, I’m your personal angel tonight.” I have no idea where this voice comes from, but whoever lent it to me, thank you!

I have never flirted with Ben, ever. This was beyond weird but I was already in so deep. The only way I could get out of this was to get in further. Then I will never take a risk like this again!

Ben smiles shyly and rubs the back of his neck as a small pink tint clings to his cheeks.

I made him blush! Oh, my goodness. That’s so cute on him.

“Well, I’ll be getting out there. Showtime in five. I know you’ll kick ass tonight, like always. Sin, thank you again for this.” Mr. James holds the door while giving us one more glance before he leaves.

Now, the hard part. How to leave a good impression while giving no sign at all of who I really am to a man who has known me my whole life?

Ben can’t look at me, at least not when I’m looking at him. I feel his eyes on me. I know the feeling all too well.

“May I ask you a few questions, Beasty?” I tilt on my heels to stop myself from twisting my fingers like I always do. It’s too easy to let Mari slip into Sin with Ben here.

“Yes, sure. Yeah.” He gulps. He is so shy right now. I wish I could mess with him about it.

“I have never been to one of these before. Could you walk me through it?” I say, keeping the voice up.

“Yeah, well, my song will play and we’ll walk out together.

“The crowds are always loud as fuck and the lights with be jarring. My opponent will already be out there. No ropes or cage. It’s just an open space with colored tape.

“It shouldn’t take me more than, uh, maybe ten minutes to finish. When the bell dings and my arms go up, then the match is over. That’s when you can come back to me.”

He eyes my legs, looking at them with an intense stare that makes me squirm. I rein in my Mari side and stuff that part of me away to keep up the charade.

“Do you always win?” I tilt my head and lick my lips as I run my eyes over his body.

He notices. He grunts and clears his throat. His hands twitch at his side. I’m affecting him. Like all the others, I’m turning Ben on!

“I haven’t lost in the last two years. I’m undefeated,” he says, proudly.

I love the shine in his eyes when he talks about something he loves.

This is it; this is the real Ben. The side of him that Mari isn’t allowed to see because I’m so innocent and can’t handle the bad of the world.

I wish I could snatch my mask off and go all “Ah ha! Fooled you! See! I can handle grown-up stuff. I’m not a little girl anymore!”

But that would be the worst thing I could ever do.

“My brave champion. My Beasty,” I cooed, instead.

I see the goosebumps on his skin and the restraint in his eyes. I almost let out a gasp when I see them fill with lust for me.

A knock at the door interrupts us. “Show time,” someone calls out from the other side.

Ben snaps out of his daze and jumps to his feet.

We open the door together. I am sweating bullets when Ben holds out his hand for me to take. I smile and wrap my arm into the crook of his elbow.

I might be playing his girlfriend but the Angel of Sin wouldn’t just walk out hand in hand. She has to tease it up. She has to have her own way of things.

Even though this is brand new and my nerves are sky high and climbing by the minute, I still have a show to put on. Ten grand for Erik and his new car.

Even with the house packed full of people, it still feels chilly. But Ben and I stand close, and his body heat wafts off him and warms me.

We walk down the corridor and I match his every step, then Ben takes us through two swinging doors.

The crowd is loud; I could hear them clear as day from Ben’s dressing room, and now, the roar is deafening.

“I got you,” Ben whispers. It’s sweet that he thinks I am nervous because of the crowd and he wants to make me feel better. This is the Ben I know.

The song “Punch Back” by Five Finger Death Punch booms over the speakers and the crowd goes crazy.

I thought my fans go wild; this is unreal. His fans adore him; it’s like he is a god here, just as I feel like a goddess on my own stage. His face doesn’t show it, but I know he likes this.

He has a serious stone wall up like he is going up against his greatest enemy. I smile and wave at the crowd, blowing kisses to the ones who reach out and call my name.

Seeing The Beast with the Angel of Sin is making them crazed, like they were finding out some huge secret. The euphoria was making me feel high.

The floor is a wide, open circle, bordered with red, blue, and black tape. The man Ben is going up against has him matched in height but that’s it. Ben is much bigger than him and more intimidating.

This guy looks like he is here to have fun. Ben is here for his job. He is ready to go to work.

I walk with him to the side of the blue tape that holds a small square.

Ben takes my hand in his and lays a sweet kiss on the top of it as he enters the ring.

I smile up at him, taking his hands and locking our fingers together. I pull them to my lips and plant two soft kisses on each hand, then put a hand on each shoulder to kiss him on his cheek.

I’m glad I decided to change my lipstick to a lip stain. No smudging or smears.

When I let go of him, the crowd goes berserk. Ben’s cheeks light up and turn a light pink.

“I’ll be waiting for you, my Beasty.” I flutter my long lashes and blow him one more kiss before stepping back and taking my seat by Brittany and Mr. James in a black booth on the floor.

Thankful that Mr. James is talking to someone else, I rush to spill my guts to Brittany. Her eyes widen as big as dinner plates, but there’s nothing we can do.

The first ring of the bell snaps our attention to Ben. I hold my breath as the men circle each other. The pandemonium is off the walls.

The other guy, who goes by the stage name Shark, throws the first punch. Ben blocks it and hits him twice in the side before Shark even knows what’s happening.

The guy goes on the attack. What seems like a show of strength, he starts to swing blindly to hit with power, but most certainly, without coordination.

Ben sees the opportunity and kicks Shark’s legs out from under him. Ben pounces like the animal he is and rains down hit after hit.

The crowd erupts with cheers. I do too. I leap to my feet, and Brittany holds on to me as we jump in our heels together while screaming “Beast, Beast, Beast” with the rest of the fans.

We lose our minds when Ben stands up and raises his hand to his chest. He crouches down like a bear ready to pounce; waiting for his opponent to get back to his feet and re-engage in the fight.

The crowd waits in silence, daring Shark to give The Beast his chance.

Shark stirs, leaning up like the dead man he is, but Ben waits. He lets Shark get to his feet, who is already wobbling.

Then, without another moment to lose, Ben stands at his full six-foot-six height, spins on one leg, and kicks the other out to connect with Shark’s head.

Shark’s whole face shifts to an inhuman degree, like Ben’s kick melts his face. The cheers cry out from everyone in the arena. They’re all yelling for Ben.

Shark falls like a sack of potatoes and hits the mat with a loud thud.

Ben stands back to watch the countdown of ten seconds. If Shark doesn’t get up, Ben wins.

Shark didn’t even land a single punch to Ben’s face. I was so worried he would be busted up and bloody, but his arms aren’t even red from the strikes he blocked. Ben is amazing.

The bell dings and Ben’s arms go up in victory.

I run out, forgetting about being sexy and seductive. My Mari side is in full blast as I run into his arms and lock them around his neck. He spins us in a circle, and I cheer for him.

“I’m so proud of you! You were amazing, Ben! You don’t have a scratch on you! This was amazing!” I gush, leaning in and hugging him.

I am lost in this moment, the cheer of the crowd, and the madness of this night.

Ben holds me tighter, nuzzling his face in my neck and breathing hard.

Mr. James walks into the ring with us. He pats Ben on the back, tells him good job, and leads us out. Ben’s song starts to play but it’s barely audible over the roar of the fans.

Still holding me to him, Ben carries me out and down the hall to his dressing room, not putting me down until Mr. James shuts the door and claps to get our attention.

“Sin, what an excellent job you’ve done tonight. I can see why you’re the best at the club.” He smiles, fawning over my ability to act like a sinful angel.

I pull it together, switching back into a naughty angel, stuffing Mari further down.

“Thank you, sir. I enjoyed myself tonight. Thank you for choosing me.” I brush my hair back and give him a sexy, shy smile.

Mr. James nods and hands me a thick yellow envelope from his jacket pocket. I take it and twist the bind to peek inside. Seeing the bundles of hundreds, I smile up at him.

I thank him again and bid him farewell as he leaves the room.

I move to follow him, but take another look at Ben. He is looking at me this time. Finally comfortable in my presence as Sin, he doesn’t look away when I catch him staring.

“You know where to find me if you ever need another blessing from an angel.” I hold the doorknob in my hand, teasing Ben with a lick of my lips.

He stands so still for a minute, I think maybe something is wrong until he takes a tentative step forward and looks at me from head to toe.

“Beasty?” I say his name like I’m calling forth the actual animal inside him.

Ben closes the gap between us. In one step from his long legs, he is in front of me, pressing his sweaty body against me, pinning me between the door and him. My breath catches in my throat.

My eyes bug out from this one move. His tightly taped hand hooks under my chin and tilts my gaze up to meet his beautiful sky blues. I see so many emotions swirling in his eyes.

Excitement, confusion, wonder, lust, contentment, and one that makes my heart stop dead in my chest.

The true side of Ben shines when he looks at something he loves, something he’s proud of, something that he truly wants.

And suddenly his lips crash against mine.