by Renea Porter
“I heard a big wig is here to see you and Vanita,” she says.
“What? Me?” I’m confused.
“Yes. Seems you and Vanita might be on a flight to the big league babes.”
“I think you might be mistaken,” I tell her, not believing someone would be there for little ole’ me.
“You’ll see,” she says. “Alright you’re done.”
My hair is now tightly braided in small braids. Smaller braids hold better than just one big fat braid. When my name is announced, I lightly jog to my place to get my blood pumping and my body warm.
I size up my opponent, looking at her up and down; she isn’t much bigger than me. She’s about my height, average build, and looks kind of mean. I scan the crowd as Cash is close by talking with another guy I haven’t seen before. He’s wearing a suit and he looks important.
Brushing that out of my thoughts, I focus on the task at hand, my opponent. I don’t show fear, instead I stalk. I work best from the inside than the outside. Being on the inside, which is basically the middle of the cage, you can pretty much dominate the fight as long as you play the cards right.
The first round is pretty much a cat and mouse game; who’s going to take who or make the first move. Round one is over and during the two minute recess Cash gives me his usual pep talk. There is always a game plan and it varies, tailoring it to fighting a specific fighter. Every fighter has their own style.
I press her hard and work her on the ground, gaining the momentum on top of her. She squirms a lot and makes me work for my submission, but eventually I lock her arm in an arm bar and she taps. If she hadn’t tapped, I would have broken her arm. That is how brutal that is, it hurts like a son of a bitch. And I submitted her the last second of the second round, and the bell rings. The referee holds my arm up, naming me the victor.
After s quick glance at my mom, I see her smiling and clapping. Taking the towel that Cash hands me, I wipe the sweat from my forehead and exit the cage.
“You did so good Honey,” she says.
“Congrats, once again,” Cash says. “I want you to meet someone,” he yells over the crowd. The cleaners step inside the cage and clean it up before the next fight, which is Vanita. My opponent comes and shakes my hand on the win, while she holds her arm in place.
She’s lucky she tapped when she did. “Come here,” Cash brings me out of my thoughts. “I want you to meet Les Carmichael; he runs the pro circuit out of Las Vegas,” he introduces us.
I know who he is now, I’ve seen him on T.V. “Wow, so nice to meet you,” I stutter.
Cash turns and releases my hands from my gloves and the wrap underneath.
“As I was saying to Mr. Anderson here, you have great potential. I’ve seen videos of your other fights and I’d really like to introduce you to the pro circuit. You’d have a contract and you would have to stay out in Las Vegas of course.”
“That is amazing. Thank you so much for the offer.” I’m completely dumbfounded about what just happened.
“I believe you could dominate the women in your weight class. I don’t need an answer now. I gave the contract to Cash for him to look over. Then you can let me know.”
“It was really nice meeting you,” I say before walking away.
“He’s here for Vanita, too,” Cash says as I wipe the excess sweat from my forehead. “It’s a great offer and it’s something you should really think about before you jump in and say anything,” he offers.
I sit off to the side and watch Vanita’s fight as I undo my braids.
“You were so amazing in there,” my mom states.
“Thanks Mom. It means a lot that you’re here.”
“I’m glad.”
She smiles as we continue watching the fight and it’s vicious. I even wince a few times at the punches Van throws. Oh my, I’m glad we are not in the same weight class. She is one above me. Finally, in the middle of the third and final round Van wins from doing a rear naked choke on her opponent. She exits the cage and I congratulate her.
“That was one hell of a fight,” I say, excided for her. She has no idea what is about to be offered to her. Cash hands her a towel and takes her to meet Les.
“Who was that guy in the suit you were talking to?” Mom asks as we walk through the gym.
“That guy is from the pro league, and he offered me a contract. He’s talking to Vanita now. It’s in Las Vegas,” I add.
“I’m sorry, did you say Las Vegas?”
I grin. “I did.”
“Cheyanne, do you know how big that is? You could be a household name,” she squeals.
“Okay, I wouldn’t go that far,” I say. “I’ll be back. I’m just going to go grab my stuff. Meet you out front.”
She nods, following the crowd outside.
Gathering my stuff, I take a moment, sitting on the bench and take a breather for myself. Tonight was filled with excitement and new opportunities I wasn’t sure I was going to take. However, Cash seemed to think it was a great offer. But what would happen with us? Would he come along, or wait for me? Would I expect that of him? I couldn’t answer those questions that nagged at me. Les Carmichael wanted me to join the pro league and that is freaking huge. I have no idea what to do.
“All set?” I ask, meeting Mom out front as she is talking to Cash. The crowd is nonexistent now.
She smiles. “Yep.”
“Want me to come to your apartment?” I ask Cash.
“Yeah, I’ll see you there.” He kisses me and we go our separate ways on the ride home.
In the car, I’m quiet as I try to think.
“Are you going to Las Vegas?” Mom asks.
“I honestly don’t know. Part of me doesn’t want too. I just don’t know. I’m going to talk to Cash tonight.”
“I support whatever you want to do,” she confirms.
“Thanks Mom.”
***
I knock three times on Cash’s door. He answers pulling me into him kissing me. “I’m not going,” I blurt out.
“Yes you are,” he states.
“Last time I checked, I can make my own decisions. And I made mine.”
“I don’t think you are thinking rationally, Cheyanne. It’s a great opportunity and you will regret it if you don’t do it. And I won’t be the one holding you back and then you hate me in the process.”
“I would never hate you; that would be nearly impossible,” I say as we sit in the living room.
“What’s Vanita saying about all this?”
“She’s doing it,” he says.
“Wow.”
“Cheyanne, you are eighteen and have your whole life ahead of you. You don’t need to make any rash decisions and then end up regretting it if you didn’t go. Trust me, I like having you here and you being my girl and all. But sometimes there are things bigger than us. And sometimes you just have to take that leap of faith.”
I stand and start pacing the floor. Is he breaking up with me?
“What about us then?”
“I looked over your contract and you basically can walk away at any time,” he tells me.
“That sounds too good to be true,” I state.
“If you walk away, it has to be within the first year, or you’re locked in for three years. Cheyanne, I’ll be here if you want to come back. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here. I got to get this DNA test and try to hold onto the gym since I took over.”
Cash steps up to me and pushes my hair behind my ear, and then looks down at me. “You, oh Cheyanne, there is just no replacement for you. You made me fall in love with you and I love you enough to let you go. You need to do you, and figure that out.”
The tears start to fall, because I love this man and I am about to move clear across the country. I take a few deep breaths before I start hyperventilating.
“I don’t know. I don’t know Cash. This could push us farther apart and then what then?”
“Listen to me. I love you, Cheyanne, and that’s not somethi
ng I plan on quitting the moment you leave. You can come visit on holidays or I can come there depending on the circumstances. We can talk on the phone or Skype. It’s not the end of the world.”
I wrap my arms around his waist and rest my head against his chest. I can hear and feel his heart beating wildly in his chest. It may not be the end of the world, but it feels like the end of my world.
Chapter Eighteen
CASH
Can I really let her go? As much as I hate the idea, I will do my best to make her see she had to take the opportunity and see where it takes her. She could become a huge success and then my job is complete. Granted, she’d have a lot of training ahead of her, but I know she is capable of accomplishing her dreams, if she just reaches for it.
I wrap my arms around her and rest my chin on the top of her head. I love her with everything I have; she will take half my heart with her if she leaves. I’m not sure I’ll be able to watch it happen perhaps it already has. Hopefully, I can handle it, her being gone. She deserves this. She’s still young and has her whole life ahead of her and I’ll be damned if I hold her back.
“When?” she looks at me and asks.
“Hmm?” I ask as she interrupts my thoughts.
“When do I leave?”
I hesitate answering her. “Day after tomorrow.”
“That soon?”
“Yeah.”
It’s hard to process that she’s leaving my life just as quick as she entered it. But she is starting a new adventure in a new state and I would be a distant memory. Some other man may sweep her off her feet and I might lose her forever. But it is a chance she has to take. Isn’t there a saying if you love someone let them go and if they come back it’s meant to be? This may be the ultimate test.
I tilt her chin up. “I don’t want to lose you. But if you find that you love it there, we’ll figure something out when it comes.”
“I don’t want to lose you and that is my greatest fear. I just got you and now I’m going to chance it and possibly lose you.”
“Shhh, I got you. I want to savor the last two days we have together.”
Wiping her tears, I cup her face and kiss her with all my might, needing her, as I savored her scent and her taste, burying it deep in my brain.
“No more tears. Okay?”
She nods.
***
Cheyanne
Promising no more tears, I let Cash’s mouth devour mine. I feel the desire in his kiss, the need that longs deep down. His hands roam my body, caressing it and not leaving anywhere untouched. I moan. He starts to walk me backward and I need to feel all of him on all of me. We land on the bed with my legs dangling off the bed.
“I want to take my time.” He leans down, kissing my bare belly as I run my hands through this thick unruly hair. He slowly lowers my yoga pants as I lift my ass wiggling out of them.
His eyes grow hungry with desire when he sees the see through panties I am wearing. I smile, as his green eyes hooded. He teases me by planting kisses on my inner thighs; I feel the heat building in my panties as a low growl rumbles through his throat. His kisses travel down all the way to my feet, as he kisses my toes, making me giggle.
“You own my body, Cash; do what you want,” I admit in a soft voice.
His eyes flash to mine as he comes up and devours my mouth. My hands work on his jeans and I push them down, using my feet to help lower them. I need to feel him, skin to skin as it heats to his touch.
He plants kissed from my neck to my chest to my breast, sucking on each already hardened nipple, the sensation rolling through me. “Oh god, Cash.” I wrap my legs around his waist and can feel his erection against me. I lick my lips at the thought of it. He kisses his way back down, slowing lowering my panties as I pull each leg through.
“So perfect,” he says.
My blonde hair is splayed all over the bed and I grip the sheets once his mouth covers my clit. He reaches his hand up to caress my breast at the same time and the sensation is so overwhelming, I arch my back, spreading wider for him.
“Go ahead and let it out, Cheyanne. I want to watch you cum with my tongue on you.”
That comment sends me over the edge. And I release the best orgasm I’ve had. My body shudders against his mouth. I pant, coming back down from my high. “I can’t wait much longer myself,” he says, grabbing a condom. He stands gripping my waist firmly with both hands as he pumps inside me. We lock eyes, neither one looking away. His green eyes are intense as they fill with heat and lust as he thrusts inside me and the sweat forms on his chest.
“Oh god, shit, fuck,” he says, submitting to the ecstasy that’s taken over.
He bends down and rests his head on my chest as I take deep breaths. I felt sweaty and exhausted and need to wash the grime off.
“Up you go.” Cash grabs my arms and helps lift me up as we head to the shower.
***
My mom is apprehensive about joining me in Las Vegas, but there was no way I would do it without her. I managed to convince her it was a fresh start for us and she could really focus on getting better without any interruptions from the people in her past. Eventually she caved and was excited about the new adventure. I expressed my concern leaving here and Cash and she was supportive, even saying we could come back if it was too much.
Today is the big day. I wake super early, enjoying a coffee and watching the sun rise. The flight is scheduled for ten a.m. and I am nervous, I’ve never flown before and I am leaving the love of my life, the one person that means the most to me; the one that treats me like a human being.
Walking out the door with my suitcase in hand and my mom trailing behind me, I head down the elevator. Once I spot Cash, leaning up against his Camaro, my breath catches. His ankles are crossed over one another and his arms cross over his chest. I have to remind myself to breathe. He looks gorgeous as ever and a lump forms in my throat as I fight back the tears. Was I really leaving this man behind, this man that owned half my heart, this stunningly gorgeous man? I must really be off my rocker. My stomach clenches at the thought of possibly losing him, especially since I just got him.
He removes his sunglasses as soon as he spots me.
“Hey,” he says.
“Hey. I don’t want to say goodbye.”
“Then don’t; just say see you later.” He smirks. That sexy ass smirk that makes me melt.
Cash takes our luggage and hauls it into the trunk. “I thought I said I was going to take a cab?”
“I’m going to take you. I wanted to take you both and Vanita is meeting you at the airport. At least you’ll have her, too.”
“I wish it was you instead,” I confess.
I watch Mom as she got in the back of Cash’s car, which isn’t very roomy in the back. She is giving us a moment to talk. My tears are on the verge of spilling out and Cash notices.
“No tears okay beautiful girl,” he cups my face and I am forced to look into his green eyes. I love him with all I have and I don’t know what to do. He kisses me with so much passion it takes my breath away.
Pulling away he looked into my eyes. “Just remember I’m always here if you ever need me.”
“I’ll always need you,” I whisper against his lips before giving into another kiss.
“We better go before I don’t let you leave at all,” he smiles.
In the car, Cash holds my hand in his lap after kissing the back of my palm. On the drive to the airport a million thoughts run through my head. Was I doing the right thing? Was this truly what I wanted or was I only appeasing Cash? Was Cash only setting me free because he loved me and as the saying goes, if it was meant to be we would find each other again?
Only being eighteen, I feel older and more mature than most people in their twenties. No one speaks as we continue the drive. I watch Cash drive and he flashes a wink at me. What is there to say that hasn’t already been said? My heart sinks when he pulls along the drop off point of the airport. He rushes getting our luggage out of the trun
k since he can’t linger for long. That’s it. I am really leaving, and this is no longer a dream. My mom reaches and gives Cash a big hug and he kisses her head as his eyes never leave mine. I am burning him into my brain. Mom heads toward the entrance of the terminal and waits for me as I say goodbye to Cash. She knows what he means to me and what we mean to each other. I place my luggage by my feet and reach up and kiss him once more and hugging him tight as my arms wrap around his neck. He wraps his strong arms tight around my waist.
“Take care of yourself,” is all I can muster to whisper.
“See you later,” he replies.
I turn to walk away before I completely lose it. He yells my name and I contemplate turning back but he is fast and comes upon me with force. He cups my face and kisses me hard on the lips, letting the kiss linger. Nothing else exists in that moment. He pulls away and gives me a few pecks before he walks back to his car. I wave and walk inside the terminal.
He is no longer in sight as I try to look back; my mom wraps her arm around my shoulder and squeezes.
“You’ll be okay, kiddo,” she says.
I flash a weak smile and beg the tears not to fall. I am not so sure I’d be okay, but as long as she thinks so, then I have hope.
Once we get situated with our boarding pass and luggage, we make our way to the boarding area where we find Vanita looking out the large window. She immediately comes over and hugs me.
“Are you okay?”
“No. What am I doing here?” I cry, finally letting the tears flow.
She grips both my shoulders and leans down to my eye level. “Babe, you and I are meant for big things. And taking advantage of an awesome opportunity that we were lucky enough to be given. You can come back, but you need to do this; we need to do this. We can see if this is what we really want.”
“You’re right. This is an amazing opportunity and I had to give it a chance,” I say. Vanita always has a way of putting things into perspective and I appreciate her for that.
A speaker comes over the intercom announcing we are now boarding to Las Vegas.
“Oh my god, we’re going to Las Vegas,” Vanita squeals excitedly, making my mom and I laugh.