I kissed her shoulder. “You give me a figure and I’ll see what I can do to make it happen.”

“What is it exactly that your family does to have all this money, Michael? I’m all for charity, but if it came by criminal means then I’d have to decline.”

“You mean like the mob?” I laughed. Stereotyping at its finest.

She turned her head, looking me in the eyes without smiling. “Ah, yeah. I couldn’t take dirty money.” She shook her head.

“You just made my day.” I laughed, squeezing her tightly. “Totally stereotyping, but funny as hell, Mia.” I held her chin in my grasp and kissed her on the lips. “We own a vineyard in Italy. It’s been in our family for generations.”

“Why do you work at the tattoo shop and fight then? You could just sit at home all day.”

“My parents didn’t raise us to be lazy. We were taught to work and be appreciative of what we have. I fight for the fun and challenge. The shop feels more like a hobby than a real job.”

“I get it. I couldn’t sit on my ass all day either.”

“I think I could get my parents to chip in to help the clinic too. My mom is a sucker for a child in need. I’ll talk with her.”

She turned in my lap and the friction against my dick made it start to harden. She held my cheeks in her small hands and stared in my eyes. All the craziness of the past week had vanished.

All that mattered in this moment was us.

“You have a big heart under that Superman exterior, Michael. You’re a big softy.” Her fingertips rubbed against the five o’clock shadow on my face and I could feel every hair move under her touch.

“Don’t tell anyone. You’ll ruin my image.” I laughed. “What’s pressing against your ass isn’t soft.”

She giggled as she rested her forehead against mine. “It’ll have to wait until we get done at the clinic. There are needy people waiting for me.”

“I’m needy,” I said, as my dick twitched against her ass. ”Real needy.”

“You’re horny, there’s a difference.” She smacked my shoulder.

Her smile made my heart ache. I’d do whatever I could to help her make her dream of working at the clinic full-time a reality. She deserved to have that smile every day.

“Tell that to my cock.” I took the opportunity to kiss her neck as she tipped it back, laughing. Her heartbeat thundered against my lips as I inhaled the sweet vanilla scent.

God, I wanted to eat her.

“Remember, I have a needle for that problem.”

“You and the fuckin’ needle, woman.” I pushed her off me. “Get up, let’s go or I’m not letting you out of this bed all day.”

She snickered as she climbed off the bed and walked into the bathroom.

It felt like we hadn’t missed a day together. The air between us had been cleared and Tammy was an inconsequential part of the past. I climbed off the bed and threw on my t-shirt and shorts and went into the kitchen to wait for her.

I helped myself to a cup of coffee since I knew she’d take more than a few minutes to get ready. Her cheeks had been tear-stained and her hair had that ‘I just got fucked look’. I called the one person I knew would be interested in helping me make Mia’s dream a reality.

“Hey, Ma,” I said, and sipped the black velvety liquid.

“Hey, baby. How are you?”

“I’m great, actually. I’m over at Mia’s and I think we patched things up.”

“Hmm,” she said with a small laugh. “You’re a big boy.”

“That’s what she said, Ma.” I chuckled at my wittiness.

Her laughter grew loud until there was silence and static. She must have covered the phone so I wouldn’t hear her giggling. “Son, there are things a mother doesn’t need to hear and I changed your diapers so, I know. That poor girl.”

“Alright, enough about that. I know we’re pals, Ma, but I called you for a reason.” I sat down, placing my cup on the table and stared at her neatly manicured yard.

“What is it, baby?”

I explained to my mother the work that Mia did at the clinic. I shared all the information I knew and told her about Mia’s dream to work there full-time and help the people in the area.

“What do they need?” she asked without hesitation.

“Money.”

“I know that.” She laughed. “How much?”

“I don’t know. They get some funding from the government, but not enough. The doctors that volunteer help pay the rent and they get some medicines for free.”

“Find out all the details and come see your father and me. I’m sure we can work something out. I’d love to help any way I can.”

“Thanks, Ma. I’m going to spend the day there snooping around and I’ll stop over when I get a chance.”

“Hey, how’s the training coming? Your fight is soon.” She sighed into the phone. I know she hated the violence and could never understand why I chose to enter the cage.

“Really good and now that Mia and I patched things up, I can finally focus on kicking that guy’s ass.”

“Make sure you stay focused. I don’t want to see my baby hurt.”

“I’m like a brick wall, Ma.”

“Don’t be too cocky, son. Your father is calling me. He wants a cup of coffee. He’s lucky I love him.”

I wanted a love like theirs – long lasting and unbreakable.

“You’d go pick the beans if he asked just to make that man happy.”

“Let’s not give him any ideas, Michael. Call me later, okay?”

“Love ya. I’ll talk to you tonight.”

“Love you, too.”

Mia wrapped her arms around my neck, kissing my cheek. “That better have been your mother or I’m getting that needle ready as soon as we get there.”

I grabbed her hands and leaned into her kiss. “It was. You’re dying to stick a needle in my dick, aren’t you.” I laughed.

“Just remember that it’s always an option.” She laughed against my ear and I closed my eyes and let the happiness sink in.

I stood, grabbing my keys off the counter. “Let’s go, Dr. Jekyll. I’m driving.”

“We can take my car.” She stayed by the table.

“Nope, I’m the man, so I drive.” I opened the door and waited for her.

As she walked by me she said, “Let’s not start the macho bullshit.”

“My dad drives my mom around all the time. I just grew up with some beliefs. Let’s not kill them yet. You relax and talk and I’ll be your chauffer.”

She sighed but nodded. I opened the truck door for her and waited for her to get situated before I closed her in and jogged around to my side. Her eyes were glued to me as I made my way around the truck.

“You really have the chivalry thing down,” she said as I sat.

“It’s one thing my ma always taught me. How to be a gentleman when necessary.”

We held hands and listened to music, stopping on the song ‘Happy’ by Pharrell to sing along. How could I not shout the words at the top of my lungs?

“Is this it?” I asked, as I pulled into the parking lot.

“Yep, I know it’s not pretty but it gets the job done.” She shrugged.

“Yeah. This place doesn’t look like much, Doc.”

“I know. The people that come here deserve better.”

“I hope you don’t pay a lot in rent.” I stared at the old brick façade. A tiny sign that read GS Health Clinic hung above the door but the average person driving by would miss it entirely.

“No, we rent the space for pretty cheap. The owner gives us a deal because he likes what we do.”

“Does the inside look any better?”

“It’s old but clean. We spend the money we have on rent and supplies.”

“Let’s get inside. I want to check it out.” There wasn’t an open spot in the parking lot and that told me that there was a need for this clinic.

“How do you know the people really can’t afford medical care?”

“They have to bring in their government assistance paperwork and proof that they’ve been denied Medicaid.”

“Seems fair and keeps it legit.” I followed Mia into the building and a bustling waiting room. People of all ages and races sat patiently in the space.

Mia stopped and smiled at the woman behind the desk. “Cammie, this is Michael. He’s going to hang out here today.”