Break Away

by Robin Edwards

  Martial arts was like a religion. You were taught virtues to embody, how to treat others and how to develop confidence in yourself. Sure we were also taught how to defend ourselves and to take a hit, but it was so much more than that. It was about spirituality.

  I had trained at different martial arts dojos but my current one, Animus Training Center, was my favorite. In the past few months, I felt a strong sense of family and support. I felt it almost instantly. The owner, “Professor” Felix was a kind, easy going and gregarious man. He didn’t condemn you if you didn’t pass your belt tests, mess up on a technique or took a break from training for a period of time. He embodied the word ‘family,' a word he regularly preached about at every training session, and I admired him wholeheartedly.

  I arrived at the dojo several minutes later and could see a few of the students that I ran into from time to time on the heavy bags and Professor Felix wrapped up a private training session in the back of the open room.

  “As I live and breathe, Wily is here! In the morning, no less!” Professor Felix shouted as I walked in.

  Wily was the Professor’s nickname for me, according to him I was cunning in the way I executed the strategies I used when sparring with other students. For a while, he joked about calling me ‘possum’ because of the modest way I went about things. I felt that it wasn’t a very attractive name for me, so he thought better of it. He liked ‘Wily’ because it sounded more badass to him.

  “What do we owe the pleasure of your visit, Wily?” Professor Felix teased as I took my shoes off and bowed to him and the dojo before stepping onto the mat. It was widely known in the martial arts community that you had to take off your shoes and bow when coming or going as a sign of respect.

  “I’m here to train, Professor.” I laughed at his good natured ribbing.

  “The next training session isn’t until this evening, you know that.”

  “I know, but I figured I’d come here to train a little since I might have to skip out tonight.”

  “Why, what’s going on?”

  “Oh, it’s nothing. I have a lot of work to do. I’m in the middle of applying for other jobs, and I want to use every free moment I have to fill out applications. I’m so ready to move onto something else.”

  “That bad huh?”

  “It’s time, I think. I’ve outgrown the organization, and I’m ready to do something a little more fulfilling, something a little more me.”

  “I guess I can’t complain. If you need any help, let me know okay?” Professor Felix laughed.

  “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

  “Just stay out of the center mat in the front, I am going to need it soon for a training session. We are going over more advanced high guard techniques, counters and the escapes to them.”

  The high guard position was a strategy in martial arts where I would trap at least one of my opponent’s arms and head using my legs locked at the ankles. The tighter I locked my legs, the harder it would be for my opponent to get out. Once trapped in a high guard, there were any number of attacks I could use to get them to tap out or submit.

  “Sounds fun.” I cooed. “If it’s alright, I’m going to work on the heavy bag and do some calisthenics.”

  Professor Felix waved me off, “Be my guest.”

  If you didn’t know him, you would be intimidated by the way he looked. Professor Felix was a burly and muscular man with a wooden expression. His shaved head in addition to the menacing tattoos he had all over his body made him look that much more frightening. I knew better, and despite his appearance, he was a generous soul. The one thing you did not do, however, is taking his kindness for weakness. He wasn’t intimidating all the time, he was intimidating when it mattered.

  It had been a long time since I had such an intense work out as I did that morning. The sessions I attended more recently were jiu-jitsu based which hardly required effort on my part. It was the one area I was one of the best at in the dojo, but when it came to workouts that were more traditional in cardio, I wasn’t as fortunate. I desperately needed to work on my stamina and endurance. Training on the heavy bag in the back corner of the dojo, I was dripping with sweat. It felt good to let off some steam.

  “Hey Sam, long time no see brother.” Professor Felix said around the corner from where I had been training.

  Sam. Now that was a name I hadn’t heard in a while. Tall, dark and sexy - still the object of my current obsession. Unable to listen to the rest of the conversation that was in a more hushed tone, they must have walked into Professor Felix’s office. I tipped toed and peeked around the corner to look through the glass window of his office.

  There he stood, I bit my lip at the mere sight of him standing there. They had their backs toward me, and I couldn’t help but think that it wasn’t a bad view. Sam wore his dark curly hair a little longer than the last time I saw him, and it was accompanied by the appearance of thick, gray strands on the sides.

  He wore a black compression top that was form fitting enough to outline the muscles on his back. Sam stood there laughing at something Professor Felix said, and I gripped the corner of the wall and leaned in further standing on one leg to hear more of the muffled conversation. I strained too far forward, desperately trying to find out what they talked about. I quickly lost my balance and fell into an awkward heap on the mat.

  “Oof.” I exhaled as I landed face-first, the wind knocked out of me.

  “What are you doing?” Professor Felix peeked his head out the office door.

  Feeling slightly humiliated, I stood up and brushed the dirt off of my gray yoga pants.

  “Nothing, I just slipped is all. I was…uh…working on a tornado kick and I-I-I…” my voice cracked, and I lost my train of thought when Sam walked out of the office to join the conversation.

  Feeling very self-conscious, I nervously tugged at the hem of my t-shirt and brushed the bangs out of my face. I felt the sudden urge to check my appearance in a mirror, “I…uh…”

  Stop it. Keep yourself in check, Jamie. God, he’s gorgeous. I’d give anything for a mirror right now.

  He looked at me with those vibrant and mesmerizing blue eyes, and for a brief moment, I lost my breath at how incredibly hot he was standing there. Add in his charming smile and the faint whiff of his aftershave, I was doomed.

  “What was that?” Professor Felix questioned.

  “I, uh...” I panicked again.

  “Yes?” he asked again.

  God, why was Sam staring at me?

  This was not even remotely close to how I always imagined this would go. I’ve always believed that if I got the chance to run into him again, I’d wearing something a little more flattering and I’d walk up to him, introduce myself and say something witty to catch his attention. I’d tell a joke or two, make him laugh, and I’d reel him in.

  This situation I was now in was nothing like that. Frankly, I’m not put together enough to be witty and grandiose. I was far too clumsy and ordinary to be impressive or at least impressive enough to win him over. My friend, Lisa and my other friends believed otherwise. They looked at me and told me often that I was beautiful and had the ability to catch any man’s attention, and if I didn’t, then it was their loss.

  Maybe they’re right, it wasn’t as if I lacked dating experience and I have had several relationships, but they weren’t Sam. There was something magnetic about the way he stood and looked that tugged at my heart strings and made me a giant mess. I was usually coordinated and self-assured in most circumstances, and I knew it was silly to have these sort of thoughts about someone I’ve had a couple of brief interactions with and hardly knew but there it was - my extravagant romanticism.

  “Uh, nothing.” I finally managed to peep and scurried back as quickly as possible to the heavy bag I had been using.

  Professor Felix shrugged and much to my relief, they moved onto their scheduled training session while I continued working on my strikes and kicks on the heavy bags. Sam had an excellent physique for hi
s age and looked fitter than I last remembered. He was wearing a suit then so it didn’t accurately show the definition in his muscles that the form fitting attire he wore today did.

  I was curious to find out more about who he was and what he was about besides his first name. As the two men walked over to the center mat in the front of the room, they were in my direct line of sight so I could catch glimpses of them while I trained. Sam glanced over once or twice in my direction while in passing, but it did not seem like it was enough for it to look like something akin to recognition or awareness. Nonetheless, I kept to myself and continued my training but kept a partial focus on what they were doing.

  I really wanted to know more about him, and if I didn’t find out, I would more than likely not see Sam for a long time or never see him again. I definitely could not interrupt their training, that would be disrespectful, but I had to do something. Was I desperate enough to leave the building at the same time and force small talk? I couldn’t manage that, he already had me weak in the knees and in other places.

  “Hey Wily, could you come over here for a second. We could use your help.” Felix called from the other room.

  The Gods were in my favor.

  “Yes, Professor?” I asked as I walked to the center mat, anxious at the circumstances I was now in.

  “Wily, this is Sam and Sam, this is Wily. She is one of our most talented students here.” Professor Felix boasted, placing a proud hand on her shoulder.

  Yes! An introduction. Wow, my heart is beating so fast.

  “I wouldn’t say all that, Professor.” I blushed as I shook Sam’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise.” He said with a slight smile.

  Looking at him closer, he looked older than I previously saw from afar. He looked to be in his late 30’s or early 40’s, probably about twelve years her junior.

  Looking at him closer, he looked older than she previously saw from afar. He looked to be late 30’s or early 40’s, about twelve years my senior. Damn it. I’m too young for him.

  “It’s true, isn’t it?” Felix stated before turning back to Sam. “In the past few months she’s been here, Wily’s already working towards her purple belt.”

  “Wow, purple already? Quite an accomplishment. Congratulations!” Sam exclaimed.

  The purple belt in the Brazilian Ji Jitsu system is the 3rd belt a practitioner would receive unless the individual school decided to implement other colors and/or stripes into their ranking system. The average student testing for purple belt typically had at least 2-3 years of training knowledge before they were invited to test for a purple belt.

  I, on the other hand, knew enough to zoom past the white and blue belt in 1/3 of the time. Knowledge alone didn’t guarantee anything but to be able to execute that in sparring sessions consistently, especially against higher ranked students was what enabled me to move past the rankings quicker than generally permitted.

  “Thank you.” I smiled.

  “Sam here is getting ready to test for his purple belt as well.”

  “That’s great! Congrats to you as well.” I congratulated Sam.

  “Thank you. Took me a few years, but I’m here at least.”

  “That’s because you are incredibly busy, Sam. You don’t always have time to prepare, but under different circumstances, you’d be training for your brown belt by now,” Professor Felix explained.

  “You’re probably right, but I have no regrets,” Sam said.

  “Speaking of which, if it’s alright with you Sam, I wanted you to practice some ground work with Wily here since both of you are on the same level but have vastly different strategies. It would be interesting to see, and I think it would also help you to practice against someone other than myself. Plus I don’t want to risk injuring myself since I have a match in a couple of weeks.”

  “I have no problem with it, how about you? Any reservations against an old man?” Sam asked me.

  Say what? I had always taken martial arts and my training seriously but the second Professor Felix invited me to practically wrestle with an attractive man, I got nervous and maybe a little too excited.

  “Uh…okay. I wouldn’t call you old, though. You’re still young, I-I think.” I stuttered quietly. That made him chuckle. “Go easy on me.”

  “I won’t.” he chuckled again.

  “Alright, Wily. You can take him.” Professor Felix patted me on the back.

  “That’s not exactly fair, Felix.” Sam teased.

  After Professor Felix had both Sam and I warm up and perform a few precautionary stretches, we began sparring. Sam was not a small guy by any means and probably outweighed me by at least fifty pounds, and even if he used more of his strength, I was confident that I still stood a chance. Sam seemed to be holding back, however. He wasn’t trying to dominate the situation with brute strength and was using more technique instead. Thankfully, I caught on to his strategy early.

  Like Sam, I was in great shape. My strong, curvy legs were long and sleek. I had a flat stomach that showed a hint of muscle underneath. I also had power and strength that I knew how to use which made me a cunning opponent. Being in the dojo especially when sparring was one of the few places I was confident. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the sexy kind of confident. Here, I was just one of the guys.

  It had been too long since I was touched by a man and this jiu-jitsu session had started to become like foreplay. I enjoyed it much more than I should have. He wasn’t too bad to look at with his muscles evident through his clothes, he had a broad chest and very muscular arms – two areas I tended to favor on a man. He also had a small gut, but that made him much more perfect to me.

  While rolling around on the mat with Sam, I was sweaty, and frankly, a little bit turned on. Sam’s superior strength gave him a slight edge, and he ended up on top pinning me to the mat with my legs locked at the ankles around his waist. Not wanting to get myself into a vulnerable position, I wrapped my arms neck pulling him tight towards my body which made it tough for him to put me in a choke submission.

  I was trying to take the sparring seriously, but considering the position we were lying in on top of the mat, I couldn’t help but image how erotic and sensual it was. I don’t know what it was – maybe the sweat, the heavy breathing, his woodsy scented aftershave, the body heat the closeness created but I was turned on, and I wanted more.

  I wondered if he was too, but God forbid I peek. Maybe just a little? How can a serious situation turn into something so sexual for me? I’ve sparred against some of the other males in the dojo, and I have never had impure thoughts about them at any point during our sparring sessions. Not once. What was it about Sam that had me hot and bothered and how could just one look from him leave me breathless. I hardly knew the man.

  “Come on, Wily. Get your head on straight. The longer you pause and rest, the longer he rests too. It also gives him ample opportunity to strategize. You have to react quickly and methodically, remember?” Professor Felix shouted.

  I know,” I grunted, but Sam was like my kryptonite.

  “If you know, then do something!” he shouted again.

  “I’m starting to think this is personal, Felix.” Sam laughed and then grunted when he tried to pull out of my grip and sit up. I had to think fast before he trapped my arm and head in his grip. Once he did that, I was beat. There was no way I could battle with my strength against his and pull out of his grip.

  When Sam pulled out of my grip and sat up, I knew I had to act fast. I unlocked my legs quickly and kicked at his thighs so he would fall on his stomach while I slid on my side and scooted out from underneath him. After he had landed on his belly, I quickly got on his back and wrapped my right arm around his neck and locked it in with my other arm, putting him into a choke from behind. I squeezed tighter as I locked my ankles around his stomach so he couldn’t throw me off. Sam tapped out quickly, and I let go.

  “Alright!” Felix cheered. “There’s the win! I knew you could do it.”


  “Thank you, Professor,” I said out of breath and got off of him. I was completely exhausted. I had to sit down.

  “Whew! You are good. I thought I had you, it was only a matter of time.” Sam exhaled.

  “Thank you. You almost had me, no one’s ever been that close to getting me to submit.” I blushed at the compliment.

  “Ooh, someone’s sure of herself.” Sam laughed as he patted my arm. His touch felt electric and gave me goosebumps. “So you’ve never lost?”

  “No, not yet.” I breathed slowly.

  “That’s why I keep telling, Wily to let us sign her up for a tournament. She’d do great in it, but she keeps refusing.”

  “Why don’t you want to compete?” Sam asked.

  “I don’t know, I just like coming here for fun. I feel like once you participate in an actual tournament or match, then it becomes competitive and I don’t really care for that kind of stress.” I shrug.

  “Yeah, it seems it can be that way. I can understand why you don’t want to. It’s not my cup of tea either.” Sam smiled. “But, I gotta say you are really good.”

  “Thank you, but so are you.” I blushed again, and I felt self-conscious at the fact that I noticed he hadn’t removed his hand from my arm. Sam must have become aware of the fact that he still had his hand there and cleared his throat and pulled his hand away.

  “I tried using everything – strength, speed, technique and you still got me.”

  “Thank you.” I brushed hair out of my face.

  “That’s why we call her Wily, she’s very tricky. Just when you think you have her close to submitting, she pulls out the win with random escapes and counters and then suddenly, it’s over. The most surprising part of it is that she sometimes she does it with beginner level movements.” Professor Felix gloated.

  “I see what you mean now.” Sam laughed.

  “Thanks, guys,” I said coyly.

  “Do you guys want some water? We have plenty in the office.”

  “That would be great, thank you,” Sam said.

  “Sure.” I managed to agree. I was breathing heavily before I stood up to walk to my gym bag to dry off with my towel. Sam followed and picked up his own towel that was on top of the gym bag placed near mine.