by Alexa Davis
Charlie had us meet in the middle and more for Kevin’s sake than mine, he went over the ground rules. When he finished, he stepped back and said, “Okay, boys, go for it.”
Kevin and I started circling around each other. I didn’t really want to hit this kid. He was built like Shrek, but up close, he looked like Shelon Cooper from the Big Bang right in the face. I was about to throw out a punch and aim for the head gear when Charlie sarcastically said,
“You boys gonna dance pretty like that all day?”
With a roll of my eyes, I threw out a right cross. The kid was fast for being so big. He pulled back before I made contact and surprised me. He came back with a quick right jab that connected with the pad on the right side of my face and made my ears ring.
I brought up my left hand in an undercut to his chin. Even with the head gear on, it snapped his head back. He looked like he was seeing stars, and while he was trying to clear his head, I decided to take him down.
I swept out my right foot, but before it caught his legs, he moved and simultaneously threw out a hard left hook. It connected and knocked me sideways. As I stumbled and tried to stay on my feet, I caught Charlie’s eyes. He looked disgusted with me.
Kevin and I circled around each other again and I let him throw out another punch. I dodged it and used his own momentum to shove him forward. He went headfirst into the side of the octagon and down on one knee. I was on him before he could stand up, but he felt like a damned brick wall. We wrestled around a bit, but he was back on his feet faster than I would have given him credit for.
I rolled away from him and got back up on mine. He was ready, and as soon as I stood up, he landed a well-placed punch to my head gear right over my mouth. If this was a real fight with no gear, it would have split my lips wide open. As it was, it brought me down to my knees. Kevin took advantage of that and went down with me. We grappled on the floor for a while, neither of us ever getting into a power position before Charlie broke us up.
We both got some water. I was sweating buckets, but instead of wiping it off, I left it covering my body. It would make it that much harder for the kid to get a hold on me and this time, I meant to take him down to the floor and get him to tap out.
When Charlie said the word, we once again circled around each other. I waited for him to make the first move and was happy when I saw it was a roundhouse kick. I grabbed his leg as it connected with my side. It felt like holding onto a tree trunk and took all my strength to use it to take him to the floor. I got on top of him as soon as he was down and straddled his torso. His legs were so damned long that it was hard to keep a handle on them.
Before I knew it, he’d brought them up and used them to flip me over onto my back. I rolled away from him, but he caught me by my right leg. I heard Charlie scoff, and that encouraged me to move fast and get back to my feet. As soon as I was, Kevin was back on his, too.
I was blown away at how fast this kid moved. He blew toward me like a hurricane this time, and as soon as I was within his reach, he started firing off shots. He seemed to be in some kind of zone and was coming at me over and over with his right hand, hooks, jabs, cross. I dodged most of them, but I was so busy bobbing and weaving that my own shots were coming up short.
I finally crouched down as low as I could get so his punches were missing me and went for his torso. I got in a few good shots before he spun away. I moved back toward him and walked right into a left cross I hadn’t anticipated. It caught me in the side of the head gear and I went down face first into the mat. All I could hear for a second was the blood swishing around in my ears before Charlie’s voice began to penetrate.
“Nick… Hey! Can you hear me?”
I lifted my face up off the mat. I was dizzy, but I managed to nod. “I’m sorry, man. I didn’t mean to hit you so hard.” I was starting to think Kevin was more like Lenny from Of Mice and Men than he was Attila the Hun. He didn’t really want to hurt anyone; he just didn’t know his own strength.
“It’s okay,” I managed. “I’m all right.” I pushed up to my knees as Charlie looked at Kevin and said,
“Go ahead and de-gear. I need to talk to Nick for a minute.” Once Kevin was gone and I’d made it to my feet, he said, “You just got the shit kicked out of you by a nineteen-year-old kid.” He didn’t mention that the kid was a fucking giant, but I also knew that shouldn’t matter. I was shooting for the most coveted title in this business in a matter of weeks. There is no way this kid should have been able to take me down.
I was suddenly too ashamed of myself to speak. I nodded as Charlie said, “If you don’t want to go down in the first round against Chavez and spend your holidays licking your wounds, you are going to have to buckle down and get serious, Nick. That means you need to listen to everything I’m telling you and take it to heart, or you need to find a trainer that you trust. I can’t work with someone that doesn’t trust me.
“You look at me and see a broken-down, old man. I look at you and see a stupid kid with a lot to learn. If we’re going to work together, we are going to have to meet somewhere in the middle. Bottom line is if you want to win, you have to get back in touch with the type of hunger that kid just used to kick your ass.”
He was right, and I knew it. I’d spent the past week and a half whining about how mean Charlie was when instead, I should have been going out of my way to access that world of knowledge he held between his ears. I held out my hand, and Charlie looked at it.
“Can we start over?”
I finally got a genuine smile out of him. He took my hand and said, “I’m not going to coddle you the way that Martin did. I’m not your daddy.”
I laughed. I was glad he wasn’t my daddy, mostly because if that was the case, the thoughts I was having about his daughter would be really, really wrong.
Chapter Six
KARLI
I was still fuming when I got out of the car in front of the Venetian. I’d changed my clothes in the office at the gym before I left, but I still smelled like bleach.
I had stopped dating jocks and gym rats because of their arrogance and narcissism, and I thought I’d seen it all, until I met Nick Storelli. I couldn’t believe he had just stood there in front of me, naked as the day he was born. He didn’t even have the decency to look a little bit embarrassed, or try and use his hands to cover himself.
Against my better judgment, I pictured him again, leaning into that wall, all wet and shiny and hard…everything was hard, and I caught myself thinking that his hands would have to be abnormally large if they could cover that.
I mentally shook my head at myself. It didn’t matter what he looked like. In just a few hours, he convinced me that I’d be much better off just buying a poster of him and putting it up on my wall – anything more than that would be way more trouble than I was sure he was worth.
I left my car with the valet and made my way up to the restaurant where Michaela was already waiting for me. The hostess took us to our table and got our drink orders. Once she was gone, Michaela wrinkled her nose and said, “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I said, suspiciously.
“You stink.”
I laughed. “Thanks, it’s bleach.”
“Why?”
“It’s a long story,” I told her.
“I have time.”
I didn’t answer her; instead, I looked at my menu and then set it aside so the waitress would come and take our order. Michaela looked at hers, too, and after the waitress came and got our orders, I said,
“Nick Storelli.”
“What is panty-melting hot?” she said. “Give me another one.”
I rolled my eyes. “We’re not playing Jeopardy.”
“Oh, okay. Then why the reference to Nick Storelli out of the blue?”
“It wasn’t out of the blue. It was the answer to your question. He’s the reason I smell like bleach.”
She had her glass halfway to her mouth. She slammed it down and sloshed orange juice over the sides of
the glass. “You met him?”
“Unfortunately.”
“What are you talking about? The guy is freaking hot. I might jump him where he stands if I ever get to meet him.”
I didn’t ask the obvious: what about Trent? Instead, I said, “He might be hot, but he’s a narcissistic turd.”
She laughed. “If I looked that good, I’d be a narcissist, too. Hell, the guy’s naked body is all over Vegas and women fill the seats at his fights in droves just to get a look at the real thing. How could he not be full of himself?”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Some women might go for a hard body and a big cock, but I need more.”
She had just taken a drink of her orange juice. She started choking just about the time I realized what I’d just said. “A big cock? Oh my God! You saw him naked?” I felt my face heating up. Michaela was loud and everyone at the surrounding tables was looking at us.
“Shh!”
She leaned in, and in a whisper she said, “You’ve seen him naked?”
“The big ox used the women’s shower at the gym this morning. That’s why I smell like bleach. I walked in to get in the shower and there he was, in all his glory. He didn’t even have the decency to apologize or try and cover himself up.”
Michaela put her hand over her heart. “You’re so fucking lucky.”
“Stop it!” I laughed in spite of myself. “He’s a jerk. Who cares what he looks like? He probably has a head full of rocks, like every other fighter I’ve ever met.”
“What about your dad?”
“He’s the exception.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “Right. Honey, just because a man chooses to make a living with his body doesn’t mean he’s an idiot. Look at Trent; he went to UNLV on an academic scholarship, not a football one.”
“I’m not talking about intelligence. I’m talking about social graces, decency, common sense, respect for women.”
“Okay, my little liberal. I’m just saying that people aren’t always what they present as on the surface, and if they are…you get to live the rest of your life knowing you fucked the hottest guy on the planet.”
I shook my head at her and changed the subject. Michaela and I would never agree about sex. No matter how hot the guy was, I didn’t have sex for the sake of sex. Not that I haven’t ever wanted to. I have to at least admit to myself that I had thought about it as soon as I saw Nick that morning.
But I know me too well and it would come with all kinds of regrets the next day. Nope; I needed to find me a nice, safe, intelligent man to fall in love with me for my brilliant mind.
After brunch, Michaela talked me into going into the Halloween store in the hotel with her. She had another costume party to go to this weekend that she was trying to bully me into going to, but I was standing firm. “Look at this! It’s perfect!” I looked over to see Michaela was holding up a black dress with a corset and long cape.
“A witch?”
“No, Maleficent! She’s an evil fairy. I can pull off evil fairy no problem.”
“I have to agree.” I laughed as she flipped me off.
“I’m going to try it on.” She took off toward the dressing room as I continued to browse the shelves of masques and other Halloween accessories. I love to dress up, but I was not looking to get thrown up on by a bunch of drunken football players.
“Well, hello there.”
I turned at the sound of the voice and my heartrate sped up. It was Ethan Grant, the attorney who gave the lecture to my class a couple of weeks ago. He was dressed the same as he had been that day: in an expensive-looking, Italian suit. This one matched his blue eyes and made them pop. His eyes reminded me of someone, but I couldn’t put my finger on who.
“Hi! Mr. Grant, how nice to see you.”
He smiled and his face dimpled. I suddenly had a vision of Nick and his deep dimples. I forced that out of my head and smiled back.
“Call me Ethan, please. You’re Karli, right?”
Oh my God, he remembers my name. We only had spoken for a few seconds after the lecture. “Yes, thank you for remembering. So, shopping for yourself, or do you have kids?” Way to be obvious, Karli.
“No kids. I’m looking for a masquerade mask. They’re all so…feminine.”
“I was at Circus Circus the other day and I saw some in the gift shop by the midway. They had some nice ones for men.”
“Good, I’ll go look there, thanks. Are you getting your costume?”
“Oh no, I’m here with a friend. She’s trying her costume on.”
“You already have a costume?”
“No. I don’t have any plans to go out for Halloween.”
“Why not? You’re not into the whole All Hallows’ Eve?”
“I actually love Halloween. It’s just…” I hesitated to phrase it the way I had with Michaela. This man was so classy and refined. I felt juvenile just admitting I was invited to a party with a bunch of drunken football players and frat boys.
“It’s just…”
I was a terrible liar, so I just said, “It’s just that the party I did get invited to is being thrown by the football team at UNLV and their way of partying is not my thing.”
“Ahh, I see. You’re too mature and too beautiful to spend your evening with a bunch of drunk jocks pawing all over you.”
All I really heard was Ethan calling me beautiful. I was sure my face was red as I said, “Does that make me sound like a snob?”
“Not at all. Everyone outgrows that at some point.” He looked like he was thinking about something. “Almost everyone, anyways. Karli, this is kind of late notice so feel free to be honest if you’d rather not, or you have other plans…but I have to go to a masquerade ball on the 30th. It’s a benefit and it’s black tie – and masquerade masks, of course. I can promise you that anyone drunk and pawing at beautiful women will be promptly ejected from this event. Would you like to go with me as my date?”
I was shaking inside and out. Ethan was exactly the kind of man I wanted. Again, the vision of Nick popped into my head. Damned lust. I tamped it back down and said, “Yes, I’d actually love that.”
“Great,” he said with a bright smile. Then he handed me his phone. “Can I have your number so I can call and get your address before then? I’d like to pick you up.” Jesus, a real date with a real man…it was almost surreal. I put my number in his phone, and he thanked me and looked at the Rolex on his arm. “I better get back to the office. I’ll call you in a few days. Thank you, Karli.”
I was almost too tongue-tied to respond, but I managed to squeak out a, “No, thank you, Ethan. Have a good day.”
He winked at me and again, I was reminded of Nick. That was ridiculous, though; they’re really nothing alike. “You, too,” he said before I was treated to the sight of him walking away.
He wasn’t that tall. I was used to dating much taller guys, even though I’m only five foot five. Something about the way he carried himself made him look much bigger than he actually was. He was one of those men who exuded power and class. I couldn’t wait to get to know him better.
“Hey! I was calling you to come look at me.” Michaela walked up behind me. When I turned and looked at her, she had a pouty expression on her face. I was still smiling.
“I’m sorry. I was busy…setting up a date.”
“A date? With a man?”
I wasn’t offended. Even I had to admit that it had been a while. “Yes, darling, with a man. A hot, intelligent man, no less. Do you remember that attorney I told you about?”
“Oh yeah, the one that gave the lecture to your class.”
“I just ran into him, and I’m going to a black-tie masquerade ball with him on the 30th.”
“Oh fine, you’re going to miss the party of the century this weekend, but you jump at the chance to go to the ball. Don’t forget to clean out the fireplace first, Cinderella.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
She laughed. “You know I’m happy for you. What are you goin
g to wear?”
“Jeez, I have no idea.”
She hooked her arm through mine and walked me toward the counter so she could pay for her costume. “Antoinette’s next?” she said. Antoinette was a dress shop that Michaela loved. Michaela also had a lot more money than me and Dad’s credit card. It reminded me that I needed to get back to work or Dad might not pay me enough this week to buy a formal gown.
“This weekend,” I promised her before heading back to the gym much happier than I had left it a couple of hours before.
Chapter Seven
NICK
After Charlie’s heart to heart with me, I hit the weights with Shrek for another hour or so and took him through some basic jujitsu moves. He had the beating-a-man-to-a-pulp thing down pat, but his moves were a little primitive. I was completely beat and done for the day after that.
I went into the men’s locker room and took a shower before heading home. It was getting late in the afternoon and most everyone had left. Charlie was working with Shrek on the bag in the back room. I hadn’t seen Karli since the incident earlier, and I was actually starting to feel badly about being such a dick. I was making up my mind to apologize the next time I saw her and maybe get a do-over when I passed the office.
The door was cracked open slightly and I could see a pair of black and white Chucks sticking out from underneath the desk. I stopped and debated on giving her more time to cool down. I decided that it was better to just take the plunge where apologies were concerned. I wasn’t very good at them.
I knocked softly on the door, and Karli’s sweet voice said, “Yes?”
I pushed the door open more and saw the smile she had on her face drop off. It was slightly wounding. “Can I come in, Karli?” She looked like she was about to say no and I said, “Just for a minute?”