by Claire Adams
He went for a left hook. I ducked and got him in the ribs. He backed up some. I did the same. He went to lunge at me, and I ducked, again making him almost fall over. Artie had been right; all I had to do was be faster than him. I was doing great and holding up strong on my end when the end of the first round came. I was ahead and was starting to think how easy this was.
I was feeling good about myself. Maybe a little too good. I knew I should keep my cockiness in check, but I figured I could have this in the bag if I just kept evading him and making my move before he ever did.
The second round started, and automatically the guy picked me and flung me to the floor. I hadn’t had a chance to get away from him this time. The crowd gasped, and I got up right away, before he could put me in any sort of hold. I was glad I was quick to get up because I could have been KO’d. I could not believe how quickly this had turned around.
“You got this,” I said to myself and aimed for a right hook, then a quick left. I missed both and stumbled forward some, almost not able to catch myself. I took a couple of deep breaths to calm myself down. I could not let him have me. Just because he was bigger didn’t mean anything at all. He might not have the skills I did. He got a good hit in, and I almost fell over. I caught myself. He got a couple more hits in, and the third bell rang. I was relieved.
We started moving around in a circle a bit, eyeing each other. He was sizing me up, and I let him do it. I knew I could have an advantage if he started getting cocky. Just like I did at the end of the first round. My head was back on straight though. I was ready.
“Isn’t your wife dead?” the guy said to me. My ears perked up because I wasn’t sure if I heard him right or not. I was hoping it was the latter. No one could be that stupid.
“What?” I asked. It was hard to talk because of my mouth piece, but I made it work.
“Your wife. Isn’t she dead?” My blood started to boil, but he continued. “She probably died from embarrassment after being married to such a shitty ass fighter.”
I drowned out all the extra noise in the room. The crowd disappeared, and all I could focus on was him. I had never had anyone bring her up in a fight. The guy must have done his research and found something he thought he could use to his advantage. My breathing slowed as I thought about what he said to me.
He was taunting me now because he wanted to get a rise out of me. It was working, but I didn’t think it was working the way he hoped it would. That was one subject no one could bring up, especially if you were going to talk smack about it. My wife had been an amazing person and did not deserve some asshole bad mouthing her just to get a rise out of me.
“You better watch what you say,” I warned him. My anger was growing deeper by the second. I thought I’d give him a chance to change his mind. If he kept going this way, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to stop after I KO’d him.
“I’m just saying I wouldn’t want to live any longer if I were her.” And that was all he could get out before I lifted him into the air and slammed him on the ground. The adrenaline was pumping through my body.
He got up, clearly dazed by the fall. Then he looked at me and grinned.
“Looks like I hit a soft spot,” he chided. I saw red.
Without even thinking, I got him with three uppercuts and watched as the guy fell back down onto the ground.
I quickly moved and put him into a sleeper hold.
“No one ever talks about my wife like that,” I growled.
The guy passed out before he could even tap out.
The ref ran over, got on the ground, counted to three, and called out that I was the winner. It didn’t hit me right away. I was still so pissed about what the guy said.
The crowd went absolutely wild. And that pulled me out of my anger. I started bouncing around the ring getting the crowd even more pumped. I was still a little pissed about what the guy said about my wife, but I let my anger go. He hadn’t realized that he was just adding fuel to my fire. He helped me win by being an asshole, and for me, that was true karma. I went to the side of the cage and waved Anna over to me. She made her way down the stands and through the crowd.
I picked her up and gave her a huge kiss. The crowd went wild all over again. It felt so good to hear everyone chanting my name.
“Great fight. I’m so proud of you,” she said over the noise from the crowd.
“Thank you for being here. It made all the difference in the world to me,” I said and gave her another long kiss before I put her back on the ground.
I thought I saw her blush, but I didn’t have time to ask about it before Artie was telling me we needed to get into the changing room.
I told Anna to meet me back there in five or ten minutes.
I looked back at my opponent, who seemed to still be trying to recover from his knock out, and I gave him a dirty look. Maybe next time he wouldn’t be dumb enough to talk about someone’s dead wife.
Then I followed Artie into the back where it was a little quieter, but not for too long. The crowds were trying to make their way back to me. They wanted pictures and autographs. It felt great that these were the people who didn’t give up on me after my horrible fight last time.
Artie announced that I would take pictures and sign autographs for ten minutes, but then I had to get changed and head home. The crowd yelled in excitement. It was music to my ears.
As I talked with fans, I hoped Anna would make her way back over to me. I wanted to talk to her, to see her, to just be near her.
“You sure did get pissed in that last round,” a fan started saying to me. “Did the guy say something to you?”
I wondered if I should tell them what happened, but at the last second, I decided to go with just a vague answer. They didn’t need to know too much information about what got me fired up. I didn’t need that getting out. “He was just talking trash. I had to end it.”
The fan high fived me. “That was so cool how you ended him like that! I bet he won’t talk trash about you anymore.”
“I hope not,” I said. Because I didn’t want anyone else talking bad about Tammy that way. It was bullshit. Just thinking about it was starting to make my blood boil again. I forced myself to focus on Anna instead. I immediately began to feel better. She was this calming presence in my life, and I didn’t think she even realized how much I did need that.
Chapter Twelve
Anna
I let Justin go when Artie told him to wrap things up. I planned to meet him in the back in a few minutes. I had to give him some time alone with his coach first. He won his fight, and I could not have been prouder of him. I always had faith in him, and I knew that he would bounce back after his last loss.
I had to admit it was scary during the second round. I thought for sure he was going to get knocked out then, but he came back hard. Something the guy said in the third round must have really pissed him off because he went after him with a fire I had never seen before. It was crazy to watch. I made a mental note to ask him about it later.
“Hey, pretty lady. What are you doing all alone out here?” I heard someone say. I turned around to face a very fit, very muscular and tall guy. He had dark hair and blue eyes. He smelled of beer, and I could tell he was drunk. I was uncomfortable already.
“I’m here with someone. I’m just waiting for him,” I said. I hoped that was enough to make him back off. Men could be pigs sometimes, and I was used to it, but I had never been this nervous around someone before. He gave off a vibe that made my skin crawl.
“I don’t see him around,” he said and took a step closer to me.
I fought the urge to run or scream. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. I wasn’t that type of person. Besides, he wasn’t threatening me. Yet.
“Because he’s busy,” I said growing more irritated with each passing moment. I didn’t know what this guy was going to do, and it was really starting to bother me that he wouldn’t just back the fuck off.
He took a couple more steps toward me
, and I took a couple backward. This guy was starting to cross a line. I wished I had pepper spray on me. It was moments like this that it would have come in handy.
“How about you come home with me, and I’ll show you a good time?” he licked his lips, and I cringed.
“I said, I’m here with someone,” I told him through gritted teeth.
“Your boy left you out here alone. Obviously, he doesn’t know how to treat you right. If I were your man, I’d never let you out of my sight.” Again, he took a few more steps towards me, and I backed up even more.
My stomach turned. I couldn’t believe the nerve of this guy. “I’m here with Justin Simon. The guy who just won that fight.”
The guy’s eyes went wide, and he started backing away from me. He put his hands up in self-defense.
“Oh. I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I didn’t mean any disrespect. Please don’t tell him.” The guy started backing away quickly.
“What? Why?” I said with a laugh. I should have used his name sooner. Had I known the guy was going to back off like he did.
“He’ll fuck me up. I’m so sorry. I meant no disrespect. Tell Justin, I said, he did great tonight and I’m a huge fan.” The guy turned and practically ran away from me.
I couldn’t believe how scared the guy got when I dropped Justin’s name. That was definitely going to be a perk. I hated when creepy guys, especially drunk ones, hit on me.
I decided it had been enough time and started making my way toward the back. It was hard to get through as there were a lot of people back there. I figured they were all fans that wanted things signed or to talk to the fighters. I spotted Artie and started to weave my way through the crowd toward him.
“Watch it,” a random girl said when I tried to squeeze past her. “I was here first.”
“Excuse me,” I mumbled and continued to fight my way through the crowd.
I finally reached Artie after quite a few people had told me to “fuck off.”
“Hey, Anna, right?” he asked.
I held out my hand. “Yes. You must be Artie,” I said.
He shook my hand. “That I am. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” His statement was weird to me.
“What do you mean?” I said with a laugh.
“I know Justin cares a lot about you. I’m glad you’re here for him. He needs someone like you in his life, someone that can point him in the right direction.”
“Well thank you, but I haven’t done much.” I was truly flattered by what he was saying, but more than a little confused.
“Yes, you have. He needs good, positive people in his life to help him make better decisions,” he said before walking away. I watched him go feeling more confused than ever.
I turned to head toward Justin, a little confused by my exchange with Artie. Justin saw me and closed the gap between us. He grabbed my arm and gently pulled me to him, which caused me to receive a few glares from some of the girls in the crowd.
“Alright everyone, see you next time,” he said. He indicated for them to leave, which caused him to receive a few, “Alright, Justin! My man!” calls as they made their way out. I laughed.
When everyone was gone, he turned to look at me. “I told you, you’re my good luck charm. Did you enjoy the fight?”
I shrugged. “It was a little intense. And there was a moment afterward that was weird.”
“What do you mean? When I kissed you in front of everyone?”
I touched his arm. “No. That was wonderful. It was after that, when you and Artie headed back here.”
“What happened?”
“A drunk guy came up and started hitting on me.”
Justin cocked his head to the side. “Oh really? Did he hurt you?”
“No. But at first he wouldn’t leave me alone.”
Justin started walking toward the door. “Where is he? You want me to take care of it for you? Teach him a lesson?”
I laughed. “Actually, the second I said I was here with you, he freaked out and took off.”
A sexy smile spread across Justin’s face. “That’s pretty awesome.”
I laughed.
“Thank you for coming tonight,” he said.
He was still sweaty from his fight, and he looked sexier than ever.
“I haven’t come yet,” I grinned.
Justin’s eyes got wide. “Oh, my God,” he said and pulled me into him. He gripped my face hard between his hands and started kissing me. It was hot and passionate. I felt him start to push me back up against the wall.
“I guess I’m going to have to change that,” he said.
He shoved me against the wall and pulled my jeans and thong down. He lifted my shirt up and began sucking on my nipples. His hand slid down between my legs. He rubbed my clit so hard that I quickly forgot how to breathe. It happened so fast, then he stopped suddenly and looked at me.
“Fuck, I want you so bad,” he growled.
“Me too,” I said
He let go of me, backed up, and pulled his own pants and boxers down.
I was naked from the waist down, and Justin was now completely naked. His shirt was off when I entered the room. He lifted me up so he was holding me and I was pinned between him and the wall.
He stared at me with an intense expression. I was panting with desire while he licked his lips and caressed my thighs.
“Justin,” I begged, biting my lip. I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to feel him inside me.
He lowered me a bit so he could slide in, and he immediately started to move in and out of me hard and fast. I was banging into the wall, but it didn’t bother me. This time, I didn’t care if anyone heard us. In fact, the thought of people possibly hearing made it that much hotter to me. I secretly wanted to make as much noise as possible.
He was being so rough and hard with me, and it was turning me on like none other. I’d never felt so sexy and wanted in my life.
I had my arms wrapped around his neck, and he was bouncing me up and down with his hands wrapped around my ass. He was moving me, and I wasn’t doing much work besides moaning louder than ever.
He started kissing me, moving his tongue around my mouth with a desperate hunger as he bounced me up and down on his dick.
He was grunting, and I was on the verge of screaming with pleasure. He started sucking on my neck, and I gasped.
He moved faster and harder, making my body his own. I felt myself getting closer.
“Are you close?” he asked breathlessly.
“Mmhmm. Don’t stop,” I said begging. I lowered my lips to his ear and whispered, “God Justin, please don’t stop. Don’t stop. Don’t stop.”
“Cum for me,” he said. “Cum for me, Anna. Oh god, baby.”
That was enough to push me over the edge and yell out his name. I let myself scream as loud as I wanted, all my inhibitions gone. I felt him cum at the same exact time again.
He held me tight while the waves of pleasure rocked us both. Then, he lowered me to the floor when were finished, and I had to sit down. I could hardly stand, my legs felt like jelly, and I even felt a little light headed. He gave a whole new meaning to the term “weak in the knees.”
“Fuck, you’re amazing,” he said.
“So are you,” I said.
Justin sat down next to me. We both relaxed while our breathing returned to normal.
“Can I ask you something?” I said after thinking about it for a minute.
“Sure. Ask away.”
“What did the guy say to you that made you so mad?”
Justin took a deep breath, and I knew right away this was going to be an uncomfortable subject for him.
“He was talking shit about Tammy.”
I instantly regretted asking him about it. I hadn’t intended to make him uncomfortable or to bring up something that so obviously hurt him. “Justin, I’m so sorry. That’s not okay.” I felt bad for him, and I could not believe that someone would stoop that low.
“It’s okay. I don’t
think he’ll ever do it again.” He had an intense look on his face that told me I should drop the subject.
A few minutes of silence passed. I tried to think of something to say to break the silence, but I wasn’t sure if I should or not. The last thing I wanted to do was upset him even more. I decided to change the subject.
“Why were you so worried about your fight tonight? You seemed more high-strung than usual, and Artie said he was glad I’m with you because you need people to lead you in the right direction,” I told him.
Justin seemed to be considering his answer. “Well, I don’t know if I should tell you,” he said. I could tell he was serious which only made me want to know more.
“What do you mean? You know you can tell me anything, right?” I said grabbing his hand. I wanted him to know that I was serious about this.
“I made a stupid bet,” he finally admitted.
“What do you mean?” I wasn’t sure what to expect. Betting could be bad, and with the way he was acting, I was starting to assume it was really bad.
“Well, I made a bet on my last fight. I bet on myself to clear all my debt so I wouldn’t have to worry about anything anymore and then, I lost. So, I made a new bet with the same guy, a bet to clear the debt I now owe him. If I win my next four, well, three now, fights, then I won’t owe him a thing.”
“And if you lose?” I didn’t want to ask, but something told me I should.
He was hesitant, like he didn’t really want to tell me, and that’s what worried me the most. It had only been one week since we’d first had sex, but I cared about him so much. I cared about him before that night too, but over the last week, it had grown immensely.
“If I lose, then I owe him double, and who knows what else he will do if I can’t pay that. Which I know I can’t,” he said solemnly. “My only choice is to win and keep winning. I cannot afford to lose.”
I stood up and moved onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around my waist. “Well then, you will just have to win them all.”