by Claire Adams
I came out of the ring to where Jet was standing. I ran into his arms, jumped up, and encircled my legs around his waist. I was so excited. I couldn't believe how well I had done. A few weeks ago I would never have thought that was even possible for me to accomplish, and now there I was, I had knocked a girl on her ass with a kick. I didn’t care what anyone thought about me and Jet at that moment--I was on top of the world, and this was my man. I kissed him passionately as the girl came up to me and shook my hand while I was in Jet's arms. She congratulated me, and told me we could train together anytime I wanted to. I was so ridiculously happy at that moment I didn't know what I was going to do.
“My little warrior. I told you that you had come a long way.”
I kissed his mouth, loving the warmth against my skin. “It was so amazing. No wonder you want to do this as your career. It's such a rush, and the feeling is addictive.”
He laughed. “Yes, I know. I'm proud of you, Natalie, you did extremely well. Congratulations, my beauty. She didn't even get a chance to draw blood.”
I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight. I hadn’t felt that good in quite some time. I was truly blissful in the arms of a man that had helped me get this far. Bring it on, world, because at that moment I felt like I could conquer anything.
It was the night of Jet's fight at the nationals, and I may have been almost as nervous as he was. It was a big night for him, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Julie and I had gotten seats front row center, and the arena at our school was jam-packed. You couldn't fit another body in there, it was that full. I had done girlfriend duty already by being backstage in the locker room with him. I kissed him good luck, and gave him a complimentary smack on his ass as I headed out the door. All eyes had been on me while I was in the locker room with Jet, and I assumed the rumor mills would be cooking in overdrive after that. Despite the fact that there were other girlfriends in the locker room as well, eyes had followed me around the entire time. Maybe I was that big of an anomaly in Jet's life.
I had been thrilled to see Jet's entire family at the fight. His brother and girlfriend were there, as well as a sister I never knew he had, and his mom and dad. Although they were divorced, they still sat side by side in support of their son. I wondered what it had taken to convince Jet's dad to show up that night. Well, at least he was there. That was all that mattered, as I knew it would mean the world to Jet.
“This guy must be in love, Natalie. Look at the seats we are sitting in. Either that, or you give a mean BJ.” Julie laughed, enjoying herself. I couldn't help but laugh; Julie was a riot.
The seats at the fight were magnificent, but Jet wanted me as close to him as humanly possible. And, hello, I was his girlfriend, after all―shouldn't I get great seats? I noticed however that Katie managed to get herself backstage with the teammates. She was going to be part of his corner for the evening, but I refused to let it bother me.
“Well, to be honest, Julie, I haven't got that far with Jet. The penetration alone was quite breathtaking, though. The guy is good, and to be honest, I can't get enough of him.”
“You're kidding me? Well, don't start bragging or anything.”
“No, I'm being honest here. But I am very eager to get the opportunity to give him one.”
“Oh my God, are you in love with this guy?”
“Oh, quiet. We don't need to get into that here. You don't want me to get stoned by all his adoring fans, do you? Besides, it’s a little early for love, don't you think? I was just nominated to be his girlfriend like a week ago.”
“Hey, I've heard of love at first sight, haven't you?”
I cackled. “Well, as you well know, that certainly wasn't the case. We almost killed each other for the first few weeks, and poor Jet, every time I think of the first time we met, I'm surprised the guy didn't curl up into the fetal position after that.”
Julie was laughing pretty hard at that point. “Yeah, you were a real prize that night for sure. Drunk and bitter at the bar and you wouldn't even look at the poor guy.”
“Yeah, and then he asked me to dance. As if I even know how. What a spectacle that would have been.”
“Yeah, dancing isn't exactly your strong suit.”
We were dying laughing in our seats, and I think we were even starting to draw a crowd.
“Here's the moment you all have been waiting for! Come on out, Jetttt!!”
“Oh, Julie, he's coming out.”
The crowd, as usual, were losing their minds screaming at him as he came down the aisle toward the cage. My hard was beating hard in my chest as I watched him come down with his team in tow. He looked so sexy, I thought I would lose my mind. Katie wasn't far behind him as she brought up the rear of his cornering team. The crowd was calling out his name in a fury, and it was obvious that he had some very loyal fans. Jet rushed into the cage and circled it, awaiting his opponent’s arrival. I admired him as he circled the cage, and I could tell he was searching for me in the crowd. When our eyes met, he grinned devilishly. He was a little cockier when he was fighting, and I liked seeing that side of him. Actually, I liked seeing all sides of Jet. I was definitely a lucky girl.
Julie gasped as the other fighter came out and headed down the aisle toward Jet.
“He's so hot!”
“Hey, whose side are you on?”
Julie laughed. “Oh, sorry. He is hot, though. Like, ‘I would throw my own mother off a train just to go out for dinner with him hot’.”
We bent over in fits of laughter again, and I hoped our behavior wouldn't get us kicked out. We weren't even drunk or anything.
“I love you. Julie, you are so funny.”
“Thanks, girl. But if Jet beats him up, I'm taking him home to give him a pity fuck.”
I laughed loudly as the crowd continued to go wild around us. It was a blessing it was so loud in the arena because if people were to hear our conversation, they would probably think we were nuts.
Curtis joined Jet in the cage, and the two fighters positioned themselves in their respective corners and waited for the bell.
With the ring of the bell, Curtis charged at Jet. The movement was so abrupt that it took me aback. I almost fainted when I saw Jet's head fly to the side from the impact of Curtis's punch.
I saw the blood from his eye and my stomach dropped. “Oh, God.”
“It's not a big deal, Natalie. It's not like he's never been punched before. Try to breathe,” Julie said with a giggle.
All I could hear were the sounds of bone cracking against flesh, and it turned my stomach every time. God, why had I agreed to come and watch this? Curtis pummelled Jet with three blows all at once, and all to his face.
I couldn't bear to watch, but Julie shook my shoulder until I looked back at the cage. Thankfully, Jet recovered quickly from his attack and came up with a front kick as Curtis was coming back into him. After that, he followed it with an uppercut and a left hook. Curtis took both hits and stumbled backwards.
Curtis swung again, but Jet blocked it, and they exchanged jabs for a few minutes before the bell rang and they returned to their corners. Jet's coach was applying something to Jet's wounds, and then gave him a drink of water, all the while yelling at him. This fight was just as important to Coach as it was to Jet. He had been training with Jet for so long that it was important to him that Jet be successful. I wished I were up in the corner with all of them, hearing the advice they had for Jet, and cheering him on for the next round. I felt a pang of jealousy when I saw Katie lean in and whisper intensely into Jet's ear. She tapped his shoulder and went back to the corner with the other teammates. I wondered what she had said to him. What words of encouragement had she given him, and would her words be what caused him to win that round? Did she have that kind of effect on Jet? I shook my head and decided to let it go. That was, until Julie opened her big mouth.
“I can't believe that Katie girl is in his corner. That girl has some balls, I'm telling you. Do you think she used to be a guy?”
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“Not with that body I don't. Julie she has the kind of body that makes guys want to commit sin.”
Julie started laughing. “Yeah, no doubt. She's probably been ridden pretty hard by the teammates, so don't feel so bad.”
I laughed. “Ugh, stop it, Julie. I was literally just trying to get her out of my head, and you start in like that? Are you crazy?”
“A little.”
“Do you really think she has slept with a bunch of them?”
“Who knows? It's always hard with girls like that. They are really aggressive so she could be skanky or maybe even a lesbian. Maybe she's just sick of men in general.”
“No, she's definitely not a lesbian or else she would be after me and not Jet.”
“Don't worry about her, Natalie, if Jet wanted her he could have had her, but he picked you instead.”
I smiled as I looked back up at Jet. He was nodding his head, looking angrier than ever. The bell went off and they went at each other with kicks flying and punches slamming. It was so brutal that the smile that had been on my face was wiped completely off again. Jet feinted to the side, and Curtis punched, but missed Jet by a landslide, but it left an opening for Jet to slam a right cross right to the side of Curtis's head. When Curtis recovered, it was the perfect opportunity for Jet to come in with an uppercut to the face that connected so hard to Curtis's jaw, he staggered backwards. It took him a moment to recover his footing, but then he was back at it. He swung out his arm, but Jet ducked and came back with a punch to the ribs, gut, and face, all landing perfectly. Jet pulled back again and waited to see what Curtis was going to do next.
Curtis came in and threw another punch, aiming for Jet's face, but Jet blocked the punch, returning with one of his own. He slammed his fist right into Curtis's face, dropping him to his knees. When Curtis got back up he started in toward Jet. when suddenly Jet spun with a high kick and connected with Curtis's head, dropping him again.
Jet was bleeding and although he was doing well, every now and then he allowed Curtis to get a couple of body shots in. He was doing this to get Curtis close, because when Curtis got a shot in, Jet threw in a few of his own, because he was ready for whatever was coming his way. I hated when Jet got injured; I loathed it, in fact, even though it was his job. It was part of all the choices he had made for his own life. I would never suggest that he quit, but I also felt gutted every time he took a hit. I just wanted to run up there, kiss him, and make him feel better. I looked over at his parents, and although his dad was stone-faced, his mother looked exactly the way that I felt.
Curtis stood up and hit Jet in the face, causing his head to swing even though his body stayed firmly planted on the cage floor. Jet swung back and hit Curtis even harder. They got into a clinch, and then shoved off from one another. I knew Jet hated going to the ground and would avoid it at all costs. Jet charged at Curtis, looking like a madman with blood pouring from his head, and he hit Curtis with a series of pow, pow, pow punches. I smiled as pride for Jet washed over me instantly. He truly was in his glory up there and he was one hell of a talented fighter, I hoped his father could recognize that while he sat and watched his son do what he loved.
Curtis started to back off as Jet hit him against the cage. Jet kept him there, throwing some hard knees into his body. Jet was hitting him hard, but Curtis wasn't going down easily.
I realized I had been holding my breath the entire time, and I expelled the air from my lungs. I looked over at Julie, alarmed, and she took my hand in hers and squeezed it.
Jet was a spectacular fighter and watching him move in rhythm was part of the reason I was so crazy about him. This was surely his calling, and I couldn't imagine Jet doing anything else with his life. Hopefully his dad could see that as well, and would lay off of him. Jet used pure gut instinct and smarts when he fought. He plotted his rounds and flew through them. living in the moment.
He was just so focused as he pummelled Curtis, hitting him mercilessly, crushing him in a pool of his own blood. It was shocking just how much blood ended up on the cage floor, and nobody blinked an eye. It was just okay for two men to just destroy each other until the bell rang in a round.
Jet grinned as he looked down at his opponent, who wasn't about to get back up for more. He looked around at the crowd and there was blood dripping from his eyebrow down to his nose. My heart was beating furiously in my chest, and I feared that I would throw up. How embarrassing would that have been for Jet to have a girlfriend who couldn't watch him fight? His corner was going nuts, and the fight was called.
The endorphins were going through Jet's body at that moment, and that would prevent him from feeling any pain. He's proud, I can tell, and driven to push the limits of every fight. I was spent just from watching him and unsure of what was going through my man's mind at that moment. He was strong, handsome, and in control of his destiny. I turned to look around at the crowd screaming for their king of the ring, who just won yet another fight. He had just won the nationals, and he was sitting pretty right on top.
“The winner of the nationals for tonight's fight is Jet! Ladies and gentlemen, here is your winner!”
The crowd went wild, and Jet's team rushed into the cage to congratulate him. I tried to ignore the fact that Katie wrapped her arms around Jet in a tight hug.
I turned to Julie, who was grinning, and she hugged me hard. “Congratulations, girl, your man is on top.”
“Yes! I guess that means you are grabbing the loser for that pity fuck.”
Julie laughed. “You got it!”
I looked back in time to see Jet leaving the cage and heading back to the locker room. When he caught my eye, he grinned and winked at me.
There was no after party after the fight that time, even though Jet could probably have used the booze. His body looked a wreck, and it always amazed me how these fighters were willing to do those things to their bodies for the sake of being a fighter. He was in a lot of pain from the fight, and there was bruising popping up everywhere. I wanted to touch the bruises, put my mouth against them and make him feel better. I did not like the look of his bruised and battered body. His opponent definitely looked far worse than he did, however; no one ever seemed to get out of a fight unscathed.
I watched silently from backstage in the locker room as his family went up to him and congratulated him on his fight. I didn't think that it was my place to stand over there with him when he was having time with his family. I didn't want to interrupt, especially with his father there. Everyone was gushing and his mother was fawning all over him about his injuries. Moms were like that; she could still be beaming with pride over her son but the thought of him being hurt in any way probably broke her heart. I giggled as I watched everyone hugging him. Despite their problems, it was obvious they all loved each other. His father patted him on the back, and although he remained straight-faced, he didn't say one bad thing about the experience, and I could see that Jet was beaming with pride. He must have loved that his father made the effort to come.
I headed over and kissed Jet on the cheek, saying hello to his family. They were thrilled that Jet and I were finally together. I knew his dad had been less than impressed with me coming to dinner that one night as just a friend, even though it really should have been obvious to everyone that night that Jet and I were never just friends. When they left, I began trying to massage the soreness out of Jet's body. I kneaded his skin roughly as he groaned with my effort. I pushed my knuckles deep into his muscles, trying to relieve some of the tension that had built up in his body. I could feel knots all over his body, and I almost wished my mother were there to take care of him. She would do a far better job than I could. She was a truly talented massage therapist; she understood the body and she had a gift for creating healing where no one else could. For her it was definitely a calling. I wish I had developed that same talent in order to help my boyfriend more.
“Maybe you should go see my mother tomorrow; she will fix the knots far better than I can. She really i
s the best in town, and to be honest, you need all the help you can get.”
He laughed. “No, your hands are what I need.”
I smiled. Standing behind him, I thought it was the sexiest thing I had ever heard him say. He talked to me in a way that made me feel like a queen, that no girl would ever take my place.
“Oh, is that right?”
“You have no idea. Your hands make me feel amazing in more than one way.”
I blushed as I watched Julie approach. I knew the ways in which he was talking about, and I enjoyed those ways just as much as he did.
“Congrats there, Jet, on the fight. You put on a pretty good show. How are you feeling?”
“Thanks, Julie. I feel pretty roughed up, but that's all part of it. At least I won.”
“Yeah, well, thanks for inviting me. By the way, how well do you know your opponent?”
We all laughed together. She laughed about taking him home for some pity sex, and Jet said the guy would probably be in too much pain to participate. I loved Julie, and couldn't wait for her to find a man. He would be one lucky guy, that was for sure.
“Okay, I'm heading back to the apartment, are you sticking around here for a while?”
I nodded. I wasn't sure what Jet was up to, but I would tag along with whatever he was doing.