by Franca Storm
Taking your eye off your opponent, Blake? Big mistake.
I launch myself at him, pummeling him into the ropes, my whirlwind of blows landing perfectly. His arms wrap around me and he pulls me into him, enveloping me in a crushing bear hug; the kind that is most definitely illegal.
“Disqualified!” Jim yells.
Blake laughs and releases me. “Yeah, I know.” He holds his right fist out to me. I meet it with my own. “You’re good, Nicki,” he tells me before climbing out of the ring. I watch him limp away, holding his stomach and wincing with every step.
I bound over to Jim and lean against the ropes. “Thanks. That was fun.”
I’m thanking him because he finally gave into my unyielding insistence that he let me box with a guy in the ring—full on sparring. Normally, I’m not really allowed to spar with guys inside the ring, because I’m a girl and only 5’1” and one hundred pounds.
I climb out and Jim instantly has his fingers on my right cheek, right where I took a hefty punch from Blake. I flinch at the contact as I always do. But Jim knows me and immediately says what he always says, “It’s okay, princess.”
“Is she all right?”
It’s Axel’s voice. He joins us by the ring and gazes at me with concern.
“Yeah. She’ll be fine. She’s not cut. It won’t bruise too badly,” Jim tells him. He grabs my arm. My tattoo is red raw from the burn of Blake’s glove. He laughs. “That phoenix just looks a little angry. You’re good. It’ll just be sore for a couple of days. Ice your cheek, Nicki. Got it?”
“Yeah,” I say. “I will.” I pull off my gloves and start unwrapping my hands.
He lets me go. “See you in a couple of days.”
“You know it.”
I toss my wraps and gloves into my open gym bag on the floor beside the ring. And then I snatch up my hoodie and shrug it on, not bothering to do it up. I’m sweating too much for that. Before I can reach for my bag, Axel grabs it for me.
“I’ll walk you to the showers,” he says before I can protest.
I raise my eyebrows at him.
“I’ll wait outside. God, you have a dirty mind.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, I saw that look you gave me.”
“You seriously weren’t thinking what I thought you were?”
“About joining you in there and soaping up your wet, naked body? Nope. But now I am.”
I roll my eyes.
“Are you hungry?” he asks.
“Always after a fight.”
“Good. We’ll go eat somewhere after you shower.”
He looks at me, waiting intently for my answer.
Why the hell not? “Okay,” I say. I grab my gym bag from him and bound off into the shower room. I bump into Blake on my way in. “Sorry.”
“For bumping into me, or for this?” he asks, lifting his t-shirt to show me the nasty bruising already forming over his stomach.
“Hey! Don’t flash my girl!” Axel calls to him.
Blake laughs. He ruffles my hair and says, “Good fight, Nicki.”
I smile and make my way into the shower room. Although they’re unisex, thankfully they’re all private stalls. I step inside and close the door. And then it hits me. Axel just called me his girl. Shit. That’s a little fast. Maybe John was right about that possession thing that Axel’s frat has going on. Well, we’re just going out to grab a bite to eat. I’ll just make sure he doesn’t leave his mark on me again. I hate hickeys. They’re so…urgh.
I force myself to put it out of my mind and concentrate on showering.
***
I push through the gym doors and stop short when I see Axel-fucking-Craven leaning against the wall beside the shower rooms. Argh! The last person I ever wanna see.
“Hey,” he says as I approach. “Doesn’t look like you’re here to work out,” he comments, glancing at my clothes.
I’m wearing a pair of worn, ripped jeans and a white dress shirt, with a leather jacket thrown over it. I’m definitely not dressed to box today.
“I’m here to pick Nicki up,” I respond, scanning the gym floor to my left for any sign of her.
“Did she call you?”
“No. I knew she didn’t have a ride, so I’m here.”
“Well, there’s no need. I’m taking her out. I’ll drop her home after.”
What. The. Fuck? “What?” I snap, raising my voice.
My reaction amuses him. Too much. He steps towards me and asks, “Are you guys dating, or something, Johnny boy? Is she your girl?”
Is she my girl? Such a loaded question, especially right now. She isn’t, but she’s definitely something to me.
“Well?” he presses me, stepping closer.
“She. Is. Mine.”
“Weird, because it didn’t seem like it. She didn’t mention you. She didn’t say a damned word about you actually, even after I asked her out to eat. I would’ve thought that if she was yours then she would’ve said something and turned me down, you know?”
“It’s complicated, you fuck.”
“You’re either dating, or you’re not. So which is it?”
I hate people fucking questioning me. It really gets under my skin. And it’s worse right now cuz it’s about Nicki. I don’t answer. I just stand there staring the motherfucker down.
“Thought so,” he says, interpreting my silence the way he wants to.
“What do you want with her? She’s not your usual type. She’s not one of your easy fucks.”
He smiles slyly and lowers his voice to barely above a whisper. “You can’t fuck them all, Johnny boy.”
I knew it! Fuck!
I can’t contain my temper and I lunge at him, slamming him into the wall. The boxer in me takes over and I drive my fist right into his fucking gut. Once. Twice. He thrusts his hands out and pushes me back and the asshole is laughing. Enraged beyond belief, all I see is red. Blood red. All I know is that I want him down on the ground choking on his own blood. I plunge my right fist into his face. He curses as his head snaps to the side from the power of my hit. A sick part of me gets off on seeing the bloodied scrape on his face, the fact that I made the stupid prick bleed.
“You don’t fucking touch her!” I bellow. “Do you hear me, asshole?”
Strong arms wrap around me, pulling me away from him.
Axel, the pussy that he is, uses the opportunity to punch me in the face. What kind of a man takes a hit at a guy being restrained? The guy knows no respect. Son of a bitch! I lunge at him, but the arms on me tighten and force me back. There’s only one person who can restrain me when I’m this angry. Uncle Jim.
Blake hurries over and blocks Axel’s path to me with his body.
“You think this is over?” I thunder. “They won’t always be around. And then I’ll beat you into the ground, you piece of shit! You pussy!”
“John, stop!” Jim orders me. “Calm down.”
Axel leans back behind Blake, who is still blocking him and looking between us, wondering what the hell is happening.
“You have one hell of a temper, man. I’m not sure Nicki likes that in a man,” Axel says. “I wonder how she’s gonna react when she finds out you did this…” he continues, gesturing to his bloodied cheek. “…that you attacked me for no goddamn reason.”
“You fuck! Don’t use her! I will kill you. I swear to God. You think I’m kidding? I’ll rip your fucking head off! Don’t touch her!”
“Nicki?” Blake asks, looking between us. “Axel, what’s going on?”
“What is going on?” Nicki asks, emerging from the shower room suddenly.
Axel moves to speak, but Uncle Jim cuts in quickly: “Shut it. John. Nicki. My office. Now.”
Chapter 11
~John~
I’m pacing up and down my uncle’s office, my hands pulling angrily at my hair as my boots thump heavily on the hardwood floor. I can’t calm down. It’s been years since I’ve been this angry about anything. That night when Nicki was attacked was
the last time. And what I’d done then to that scum bag who’d touched her had been a wakeup call. Since then, I’ve never let myself get that out of control again. Until now.
“Sit down,” my uncle growls at me from behind his desk.
When that guy tells you to do something, you don’t argue. I mutter a curse under my breath and force myself to sink into the chair beside Nicki. He leans over his desk and orders me, “Talk.”
“Jim, he won’t hurt me,” Nicki says, her cheeks red with embarrassment at the idea of discussing what we’re about to in front of my uncle.
“I know, princess. But when John gets like this he tends to take it out on whatever’s lying around at the time. I don’t want him trashing my office, so I’m staying.”
Nicki heaves a sigh and twists her body in her chair to face me. “Why did you attack him?”
“He’s a piece of shit.”
“That’s not an answer, John.”
Seems like the only answer when it comes to Axel. I draw in a breath in an effort to calm myself. I hate being angry around her, because I know how much anyone losing their temper scares her. And the struggle of trying to cool down just antagonizes me more. It’s like a frigging catch-22 situation. Argh! “I came here to give you a ride home.”
“And I appreciate it.”
“And then that…fuck…told me he was taking you out.”
She nods. “Yeah. It’s just lunch.”
I roll my eyes and slump back against my chair. Just lunch? She’s so naïve.
“What? What is that look for?” she asks. “Tell me,” she presses.
I look at my uncle and I can tell immediately that he knows what I’m not saying. But, as usual, Nicki doesn’t get it. And that’s exactly why she won’t be able to handle Axel and his sick games and manipulations.
“Axel wants to fuck you.”
“So what?”
I’m shocked. Why? Cuz she’s not shocked. She’s…what then?...fine with it? What the hell? “What? You want that?”
She shrugs her shoulders like it’s no big deal.
And just like that, my anger sparks to life again. I jerk forward in my chair. “You want that asshole to stick his limp dick in your pussy? You wanna spread your legs for him and let him use you like another one of his easy lays?”
“John!” my uncle scolds me. “Watch your mouth.”
“Do you?” I push, ignoring his warning.
“Maybe!” she blurts out.
Fuck. I feel like she’s just slapped the shit out of me. “Maybe, huh? You think he’s gonna be gentle with you? You think he’s gonna care if you’re hurt and sore when he takes you? You think he’s gonna make you come like I did? He’s not gonna give a shit about you.”
“John! I said watch your language!”
Nicki looks away and shields her face with her hands. “Stop it.”
I kick back my chair and jump to my feet. “You’re making a mistake. I’m trying to protect you. He’s going after you to get at me, okay?”
“You’re so full of yourself!” she yells, getting up from her chair and storming over to me. “And you’re such a liar.”
“Liar? I wish I was lying. I don’t want you to get hurt here.”
“Right, of course. You’d rather do that yourself.”
I wince at her comment. “No, I never want to hurt you.”
She shifts her weight, blows out a breath and cocks her head to the side. “Look, are we together?”
“What?”
“Are we together? Are you and I dating?”
“No, but—”
“Then I’m not yours.”
“Nicki, that’s not—”
“Great, then all of this is pointless.” She brushes past me roughly and storms to the door.
I beat her to it and slap my hand against it before she can open it.
“John, stop it!”
“Not until you listen.”
She thrusts both her hands into my chest. “Stop suffocating me! Do you want me to be like this forever; afraid to be touched by anyone?”
“No.”
“Is it that you want to be the only one, John? Are you jealous? You can’t stand the idea of any other man laying his hands on me? Of any other man being with me?” She steps into me and glares up at me. “You keep them all away from me, yet you don’t want me. So you want me to be alone forever, never with anyone until you’re ready to step up? I don’t fucking think so. You’ve already made it perfectly clear where you stand. So back the hell off!”
She pushes me again. Even harder this time. I don’t do anything to stop her. I let her. My back jars against the wall, winding me. But I don’t care. I can’t look away. I can’t take my eyes off her as she gives me a dirty look and then turns her back and walks away from me.
I jump suddenly as something cold presses against my cheek. It takes me a second to realize that it’s my uncle pressing an ice pack to my right eye where Axel punched me while I was restrained. Shit, how long have I been standing here just staring into space?
“Thanks,” I say, taking the ice pack from him and holding it to my face.
“You slept with Nicki?”
I shake my head.
“Well, you clearly did something with her. You know you’re making a mistake here, right?”
“I know. I should’ve never done anything with her.”
“No, you idiot. You’re making a mistake by blowing her off.”
I look away. “I’m not…ready.”
He slaps my shoulder. Hard. “Then hurry up and get ready or that asshole is gonna take your girl.”
I look up at him, surprised. “So you think he’s an asshole too?”
“Of course.”
“Why can’t she see that?”
“Nicki’s been through a lot. You know that better than anyone. She hasn’t grown up normally like other girls her age. She doesn’t have those street smarts when it comes to men. She’s still learning. Do you want her to have to learn the hard way?”
“No.”
“Then man up, John.”
He walks out of the room and I call out, “Man up?”
“Yeah, you heard me.”
Chapter 12
~Nicki~
“Sorry about that,” Axel says as he walks back into the den of the frat house with another ice-pack pressed to his now very black eye.
“No problem,” I respond from the couch.
I’ve never seen a guy make such a big deal about a punch to the face and a couple to the ribs. When he showed me the damage I knew immediately that John had been holding back. How do I know? None of his ribs were broken. John can do a lot of damage. But, even in a state of rage like he was today, he’d drawn the line and he hadn’t stepped over it. The one time that he did still haunts him, I guess. I didn’t realize until I saw him lose his temper today. No one else saw it, but I did. He was fighting himself, fighting to maintain control.
I wonder why he never talks about it with me. He probably thinks I won’t be able to handle it. But maybe it would have helped me. Instead I repressed it. And now look at me. I can’t even let a guy touch me—other than John—without freaking out like some crazy woman.
Well, I’m determined to remedy that. John doesn’t want me, but if I can do that stuff with him now, maybe it means I’m ready to do it with someone else.
Axel groans as he slumps back down onto the couch and rubs his ribs with his free hand. We’re watching a movie on the giant flat screen in the frat house den.
“What you thinking about, Nicki?” Axel asks, cutting through my many thoughts.
“Nothing much,” I lie. “How’s your eye doing?”
I’m not much of a touchy-feely person, but I figure I should at least sound like I care. It probably sounds awful, but it’s just a black eye. He’s not like John and I. He’s not a boxer. John? Stop thinking about him!
“I took a couple of painkillers and it’s starting to feel better now.”
Painkiller
s? Wow. “That’s good,” I respond lamely.
He doesn’t seem to notice and he grins at me. “You’re so cute, you know that?” He snakes his arm along the back of the couch and smoothly positions himself until it’s resting on my shoulders. I try to keep my eyes on the TV, try to distract myself. Anything so I don’t freak out like I usually do. But I fail and shudder at his contact.
It does nothing to deter him and he pulls me against him and leans in, whispering, “You know, Nicki. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I know. It’s not that.”
He smiles and says, “Do you want another beer?”
I glance at my two empties on the coffee table and shake my head. “No, I’m good.”
“You’re sure?”
“Are you trying to get me drunk, Axel?” I ask, cocking an eyebrow.
“If it’ll loosen you up a little, sure.”
Shit. He’s right. This is stupid. Do it! Do it! I lean into him. He doesn’t move. He just looks at me and his eyes darken. They look wild. Primal. It sends a shiver of trepidation through me. It’s a warning. But I force myself to ignore it.
He doesn’t wait any longer. His lips crash down on mine and he kisses me hard. His right hand fists in my hair, trapping my mouth against his as he takes my mouth determinedly; forcefully. I hear a blunt smack on the coffee table and I know he’s tossed the ice-pack on there. Now that his left hand is free, he slips it under my tank top. I gasp as I feel his ice-cold fingers touch my stomach.
“Come on, Nicki,” he whispers in my ear, before biting my earlobe.
I’m so overcome that it takes me a moment to realize what he means. I’m not kissing him back. I’m not doing anything. I’m just sitting here frozen like the inexperienced, scared virgin that I am.
Again, he doesn’t wait. He doesn’t ask my permission as his tongue prods stubbornly at the crevice of my lips. He pushes his way in and before I know it his tongue is sliding against mine. It forces my response and I return every stroke of his, struggling to match his fierceness.