“Your footwork is looking good. Keep on with the short, solid attacks, and then take him to the ground. He’s starting to look tired, so look for the submission as soon as you get the opportunity. Try for the rear naked choke we’ve been practicing.”
The horn sounded and Rafael leaped to his feet, shoving his mouthguard back in, and Rick and William hurried out of the octagon.
“He’s doing well,” William said. “I think he might have him in this round.”
“Yeah. Let’s hope so. It’s a nasty split above his eye. The sooner he gets to the ground the better. All the time they’re exchanging punches, he’s gonna keep aiming for that split.” Rick grimaced.
After some heart-stopping moments in which he nearly got himself knocked out, Rafael finally got his opponent to the ground and the odds turned in his favor. His opponent’s ground game wasn’t strong, and Rafael got the choke and a tapout just before the horn.
“Yes!” Rick punched the air and hugged William.
“Think you can get a tapout quicker than Rafael?”
“Is that a challenge?”
“Sure is.”
“Okay, you’re on.” They shook on it as they entered the octagon to clean Rafael up a bit and celebrate. “Loser has to do burpees throughout the entire warmup next class.”
William grinned. “Game on.”
IT WAS a swift changeover when they got out back. Art looked really focused, but fired up and ready at the same time. Max had done an astounding job with him. Rick threw an energy drink and protein bar at Rafael and grabbed his sweats for him to put on over his kit. It wasn’t an ideal situation by far. They only had a couple of minutes before they were back out there again. Max helped Rafael get himself sorted while Rick slipped on the focus pads and did a super-quick warmup with Art. Next time he was gonna have to bring more students with him. There were a couple who were nearly ready to give it a try.
“Art Garcia, we’re ready for you.”
“Okay, let’s go,” Rick said to William and Rafael. “You ready?” They both nodded. “Thanks for your help, Max. Do you want to go watch out front now? I’ll come find you after my fight,” Rick shouted over his shoulder. Max gave him a thumbs-up.
FINALLY, IT was his turn to fight. Rick felt a mixture of nervous excitement and overwhelming confidence as William held the pads for him as he warmed up.
It was time to go. Rick made his way to the hall entrance. It looked dark after the bright light of the changing room, but his eyes soon adjusted, and he took several deep breaths as he waited for his walkout music to begin. At the first beats of the dance track, the flashing lights came to rest on Rick, and he jogged out onto the walkway between the barriers that held back the fight fans, waving, and slapping any outstretched hands. The fast beats of the dance track always energized him, and it was like a switch was flipped inside him whenever he heard it: it was time to fight. He was 100 percent focused.
He was checked at ringside by the officials, and then he made his way into the octagon. With the more impressive fight record, Rick had been given the option whether he wanted to be first or second to walk out to the octagon, and he had chosen to come out second. It gave him the advantage of making his opponent wait, and it also meant there was less time for Rick to overthink the fight and become nervous. The mind games were almost as important as the fight itself.
Their fight was announced, and then the referee brought them both into the middle and reminded them of the rules. Rick and Chad, his opponent, touched gloves and backed off, waiting for the horn to signal the start of their fight.
Rick had a game plan, and it went perfectly at the start. His biggest weapon was the fact that he could switch stance and fight just as strongly both orthodox and southpaw. If his opponent hadn’t done his homework, then it was guaranteed to catch them out. Rick stuck to the orthodox stance for now, with his left foot forward, and traded Thai kicks to Chad’s shins. It was then that Rick noticed Chad was copying his actions. Rick would kick and then Chad would do likewise. If Rick kicked a little higher, Chad’s next kick was also higher. He loved it when he came across a fighter like this. He’d seen it all too frequently, and it made it so easy to set them up for a knockout.
Moving in closer, Rick went for a combination of jab, cross, hook to the head, and then quickly darted out of range, his fist by his jaw to protect himself. Sure enough, Chad retaliated with a jab, cross, and hook—all of which Rick easily blocked. What he didn’t expect, however, was Chad’s kick that followed: a spinning hook to his right temple that dragged across his eye. What the hell? Rule one of fighting: you never kick high on a fresh opponent. Rick fell to the canvas, his fists covering his face, but it was too late. The damage had been done. He scrambled to get to his feet before he got counted out, hanging onto the octagon netting while he waited for his vision to stabilize. The ref finished counting and peered at him. Rick knew he was checking if he was okay to continue, so he put on his best smile and hoped he didn’t look as dazed as he felt.
“Okay?” the ref asked.
“Yeah.” Rick nodded, and the ref signaled for them to continue fighting. Chad was holding out his hand, and Rick touched gloves with him before they circled each other again, each of them looking for the perfect opening. There was no way Rick was going to let him get the upper hand again. He couldn’t believe he had been so complacent. He was always telling his students to never underestimate their opponent, and he had gone and done just that.
Settling back into the fight, Rick set up a series of punches, which Chad again copied, but this time Rick then switched to southpaw stance, using his speed and the element of surprise to go in for the kill.
CHAPTER NINE
Max
WATCHING RICK in the octagon was the single most terrifying thing Max had ever had the misfortune to witness. Each time Rick’s opponent caught him with a heavy punch, it made Max wince and wonder how Rick didn’t seem to even register the pain.
It was the kick that caught Rick across the face and knocked him to the canvas that had Max leaping onto his seat, trying to get a closer look to make sure Rick was okay. He watched through his fingers after that… with his eyes closed. Somehow, Rick had managed to get up and went on to win the fight, and Max had never been so relieved.
Max realized that one, MMA was brutal and he was glad he hadn’t agreed to take it up properly; two, Rick was as tough as they came and very well-known in the ninja scene—he was totally in his element here; and three, watching someone he knew putting themselves in a position where they could get seriously hurt was something he never ever wanted to experience again. He’d even found it hard watching Art and William fight, who he barely knew. Oh, and four, he apparently cared about Rick more than he’d realized. It was absolute torture watching some guy kick the shit out of him. Fuck, he needed a drink after that.
“What did you think?” Rick asked as he slid into the seat next to him. He’d showered and smelled so good, and Max tried not to let it distract him from how upset he was. “Pretty awesome, huh?”
“Awesome? You’re going to have some dude’s footprint on your fucking cheek tomorrow.”
Rick laughed. The guy was batshit crazy. Max had thought he was worried for Rick before the fight. He hadn’t even been able to stomach any dinner, but that was nothing compared to how worried he was going to be in the future when he knew Rick had a fight.
“He caught me across my eye, not my cheek, and it was my own fault. I should’ve seen that spinning hook coming.”
Max shook his head. “You’re crazy. You’re officially crazier than I am. That’s gotta fucking hurt.”
“Yeah, not until tomorrow, though. Adrenaline’s still working. You ready to get out of here?”
Thank fuck for that. “Yeah, let’s get the hell out of this place.” The arena was filled with tough fighter types, and Max was very aware of how out of place he looked and the funny stares he was getting. It wasn’t much fun being out there on his own, and he’d already wi
tnessed a couple of fights starting out in the crowd. Thankfully security dealt with them fast before they got even more out of hand.
Max climbed on the back of Rick’s lime-green-and-black Kawasaki and held on tight, grateful Rick had come away from the fight mostly unscathed. A few minutes later, Rick pulled up in the dojo parking lot. “Art will be here any minute with the gear,” Rick said as they climbed off his bike. “Listen. How would you feel about staying here tonight?”
Max removed his helmet and took out a packet of cigarettes from his pocket. “Here? Like at the dojo?”
“Yeah. I got a mattress and some other bits so we’d be comfortable. We wouldn’t have to worry about anyone disturbing us. My parents have the only other key, but I can bolt the door from the inside.”
“You’re serious?” Max shook his head with a smile and lit a cigarette. “We can stay here?”
Rick pulled Max into the shadows and rested his hands on Max’s waist. Turning his head, Max blew smoke to the side so it didn’t go into Rick’s face. “Well, we’re not supposed to,” Rick said. “But yeah, we can stay here. If anyone sees you leaving, just say that I was giving you a private MMA lesson.”
“What if someone sees my motorcycle here overnight? Pete lives opposite, he’s bound to notice.”
“Mm, good point. I’ve got a tarp you can borrow for tonight.”
“That works for me,” Max said and took a step away as Art pulled up in his car.
“Hey,” Art said. He had a shocking purple bruise on his cheek, and his nose was held in place with tape. That was definitely going to hurt tomorrow. Despite the state of him, he had won his fight.
“We’re sorting out your guard next class,” Rick said.
“I think I’ve learned my lesson, Sensei,” Art said and jumped out of the car.
“Seriously, though, you did really well tonight. You can be proud of yourself. Do you two want to bring the bags into the office and I’ll sort them out?”
“Sure,” Max said and gave Art a hand.
After they waved Art goodbye, Max slid inside and shut the door.
“Here,” Rick said and handed him the tarp for his bike.
“Thanks. Saves us dropping my bike at mine tonight and coming back here after.”
When Max came inside after covering his bike, he locked and bolted the door. Rick had stowed the equipment away and was waiting for him by the door to the hall.
Max’s nerves ratcheted up as their eyes locked. They were finally alone.
Rick must have reached for him at the exact same moment, and their lips met in a desperate kiss. Max pressed his body as close to Rick as he could, digging his fingers into Rick’s hips and pulling him even closer, but still it wasn’t enough to relieve the pressure in his aching cock. Something sharp dug into Max’s back, and he realized Rick had him over his desk. Were they really going to do it right here? His first time with a guy was going to be on a desk. Nervous laughter bubbled inside him, and he forced it down.
“Comfortable?” Rick’s lips were right by his ear, his teeth grazing the delicate nerves and sending shivers down Max’s neck.
“Fuck.” Max reached for his balls and pulled down hard, breathing heavily. He couldn’t remember ever being this turned on. Squeezing his eyes shut for a second, he tried to focus on something other than the overwhelming desire that threatened to end this far too soon.
Rick ground against him, a slight smile on his lips. He knew exactly what he was doing. What effect he was having on him. “Shall we move this into the hall?” He kissed Max’s neck beneath his earlobe and worked his way to the crook between Max’s neck and shoulder, where he bit down.
Max groaned and leaned into him. “Jesus, Rick.” Max thrust against him. Hard. And the friction against his solid cock both eased the tension and made him want Rick even more. “I’m not gonna make it into the hall if you keep on like this.”
Grabbing Max’s hand, which was damp from nerves, Rick pulled him up off the desk and dragged him into the hall. By the far wall was a mattress, complete with comforter and pillows, and there was even a lamp to the left of it, casting a gentle glow around the room. It was perfect.
Rick let go of Max’s hand and lifted his T-shirt over his head, then threw it to the floor, and Max followed suit and removed his. His heart was pounding. What if he got this wrong? What if he was no good at this and didn’t satisfy Rick? His hands were trembling as he wiped them on his pants.
Rick reached for Max’s hand again and pulled him down on top of him on the mattress. “Relax. It’s okay,” he whispered. His tongue traced the shell of Max’s ear and sent all coherent thought away in an instant as Max leaned into his touch. “Tell me what you want.”
“I’ll take whatever you want to give me.” Max wrapped his arms around Rick. He never wanted this to end. Wanted to experience everything. For Rick to show him what he’d been missing out on all this time.
Rolling them so he was on top, Rick ground his hips, grazing Max’s cock with each revolution. It was sweet torture. Rick was as hard as he was. It had to be agonizing for him too. Rick kissed him, deep and slow. “If you want me to stop at any point, just say the word. Okay?”
“Uh-huh.” Max let his head fall back against the pillow and closed his eyes to take in the sensation of Rick’s lips on his collarbone, his chest, his nipples. Max gasped as Rick sucked on one and then the other, his tongue flicking them before moving down to his abdomen, his hips…. Oh fuck.
Rick’s fingers were on the button of his pants, and Max bucked, trying to get him to hurry the fuck up. Soon he would be inside Rick’s mouth. The thought of it alone nearly made him come. Luckily, Rick seemed to be in as much of a hurry as he was. Max opened his eyes and tilted his head to watch Rick undo his zipper. Then Max lifted his hips so Rick could pull his pants down. He removed them completely and threw them to the side.
Kneeling up, Rick was watching him with hooded eyes as he undid his own zip and pulled out the thickest cock Max had ever seen. His breathing quickened and his cock jolted at the sight.
“This okay?” Rick said. “Do you want me to stop?”
“Hell no. But if you were gonna fuck me, I might need a minute to prepare.”
Rick laughed. “Actually I was going to suck you. If that’s okay?”
That was more than okay. He couldn’t wait for Rick’s warm, wet mouth to bring him off. The thought of it had him trembling. To calm himself, Max pressed their bodies together, aligned their cocks, and took them both in his hand as Rick kissed him and rocked into his grip.
“Or we could just do this?” Rick said, thrusting harder and kissing him deeper.
It felt better than he’d ever imagined it could. A total sensory overload. It was tempting to let go and come together like this, but more than anything he wanted Rick’s talented mouth around his cock. Rick placed his hand over Max’s, and the pressure on them both increased.
“Fuck.” He wasn’t going to have any choice if Rick kept doing that.
Rick released his grip slightly and moaned. His cock jerked in Max’s hand. “That feels so good, but we need some lube. Don’t move.” Rick let go and reached to the side of the mattress.
The loss of pressure on his cock was unbearable, so Max pumped himself a couple of times, taking in the sight of Rick’s muscular torso and imagining what he would look like as he came. Sexy as fuck. Max jerked himself faster.
“You look so hot like that,” Rick said, watching him for a moment, then pumping lube into his hand and warming it slightly before applying it to his cock with long, slow movements. He shoved down his jeans and kicked them off the mattress. He started to lean down.
“Wait,” Max said. “Let me watch you.”
Now naked, Rick rested back on his heels. “What, like this?” he asked.
“Don’t you want to touch yourself?”
“Like this?” Rick gripped his cock, sliding his hand back and forth slowly.
Max jerked himself faster, his breathing r
agged. That was the hottest thing he’d ever seen. It turned him on all the more, knowing that all of that was just for him.
“God, that lube feels good,” Rick said and groaned, his fingers flying over his cock.
“Get over here,” Max growled, then whimpered as Rick took them both in his strong hand.
The glide of the lube made it more intense. Rick’s rigid cock sliding against his as he rode the brink of orgasm was too much, and he thrust into his hand one final time, grabbing Rick’s shoulders and crying out as he came hard over Rick’s hand and cock. His body was trembling from his release when Rick suddenly gripped him tighter and yelled, his muscles tensing and eyes clenching shut as he coated Max’s chest with thick white ribbons.
Rick kissed him and then rolled next to him. Both of them were breathing heavily.
Max had never felt so content and satiated… so lucky. To have found Rick and been able to experience this. He rested his hand on his forehead and smiled as he replayed the image of Rick coming. That was something burned to memory for life.
Rick was the first to catch his breath, and he leaned up on his elbow and stared down at Max, grinning.
“Sorry I didn’t get to blow you, but you’re just too damn hot.”
“Hey, don’t blame me.” Max grinned back. “You’d better follow through next time, though.”
“Mm. And when is that likely to be, do you reckon?” Rick kissed him. Gently this time.
“Whenever you like.” Max reached across for Rick’s hand and placed it on his softening cock.
“Maybe we should get cleaned up first,” Rick said, wiping his hand across Max’s chest.
“Hey!”
“You’re covered in it. A bit more isn’t going to make much difference.” Rick smirked. “Come on.” He pulled Max to his feet.
Purple Method Page 16