by LK Collins
“Anything for you,” I tell her.
Check in is a breeze and come to find out I went to school with the guy that works the counter. As we enter the hotel room, I can see that he hooked it up for us tonight. This place is massive, everything is open and lit up. There is an expansive wall of windows that overlooks Central Park. Flipping on the fireplace as I enter the bedroom, Ivy says, “Did you book this room? I thought you told the guy at the counter you wanted a king room?”
I flop back on the bed, looking at the ceiling and respond, “This is a king’s room.” She lies on top of me nuzzling close, and even though today was unbearable at times, we did it. “Thank you for everything,” I tell her, kissing the top of her shoulder.
“I can’t believe we got it all done.”
Going though the apartment and leaving it empty was a lot of work, especially to do it all in one day. But it also let me release a part of my past. Looking down at Ivy resting so peacefully across my body, it’s all worth it. Her breathing is even and I hate to get up, but we need to shower.
“Stay here,” I tell her and slip away. Walking into the bathroom, which is mainly made up of granite, I turn the water on to the huge soaking tub, knowing she’ll love to relax for a bit. Going back out, I lift her off of the bed. “Come on, baby, up you go.”
The endearment slips out of my mouth and we both look at each other. I’ve never said it before, and she grins as I cradle her tired body against my chest. Walking her into the bathroom, I set her next to the tub. The room is starting to fill with steam and I adjust the water before I remove her clothes, taking extra time to pay attention to all her sensitive places.
“Aren’t we going to rinse off first?” she asks.
“Probably smart,” I respond and turn the shower water on before I undress. Quickly we wash off and then as I hold her hand, we carefully walk on the slippery floor and she asks, “Will you just hold me?”
We both step foot into the tub and I slide down first, sitting in the hot water, which stings my skin. She stands in front of me and leans down cupping a handful of water that she picks up and runs down her body. As she bends forward, her ass and pussy are spread directly in front of my face.
“Do that again and you’ll be riding my cock in here.”
She looks back at me, bracing her weight on the sides of the high walls of the tub and sits in front of me. My cock is stiff and wants her, but I respect her wishes and fold my arms around her, pulling her close to me.
“Do you think you’ll ever tell your mom about us?” I ask, thinking about our conversation from earlier.
“Sure, when the time’s right.”
“You should give your mom the picture Zoë painted of Long Beach.”
She turns in my hold and blinks a few times before turning back around.
“Why?”
“Because it would make her happy.”
I cannot change the animosity that Brenda has for me, or make her understand what Zoë meant to me, especially once she finds out about Ivy and I, but what I can do is follow my gut and do what I think would make Zoë happy. I remember hearing her on the phone with her mom after she painted it, she was so excited and proud. She couldn’t wait to share it with her. It might be a small gesture, but right now, I’ll take it. Anything I can do to show the woman who hates me most that I am not a monster after all.
Chapter 19
Looking out at the view of Central Park while I sip my coffee, the noises of honking and sirens in the distance are familiar. This moment takes me back to when I first moved here. I loved New York City, still do honestly. But being here is hard; my mind can’t rest because the noises in my head are loud.
My phone rings pulling me back to the present. It’s Logan. “What’s up, brother?” I answer, leaning back in my chair.
“Not much, buddy, just getting into the gym and I’ve got a bit of a dilemma.”
I take a sip of my coffee and respond, “And you’re calling me? I’m probably the last person that can help anyone.”
“Oh, but I think you can. Plus, you owe me one for yesterday.”
“You’re right. What’s up?”
“Cam cracked three ribs sparring last night.”
“Who the fuck was he sparring with?”
“Brock.”
“You need to get rid of that guy; he’s bad fuckin’ news.” My voice rises and I don’t want to wake Ivy. Looking inside, I see her ass peeking out from underneath the sheets. She’s sleeping so comfortably.
Christ, she’s gorgeous.
“I know, but that’s Ethan’s problem.”
“So what do Cam’s ribs have to do with me?”
“He was scheduled to fight tonight against Ronnie Shone, for ACM. Now we have to find a replacement fighter, and Ethan and I want that to be you.”
“No way, I’m down on my training and am not ready to get back out there, especially with ACM.” The American Cage Maniacs is one of the top fighting companies in the US. If I were to fight for them unprepared and lose, I’d ruin any chance at a real career. “I’m sorry, but for now I’m going to have to pass.”
“Come on, dude. It pays five grand, and if you win fight of the night it’s an extra 2K.” Fuck, I could use that kind of money. The thousand dollars here and there are nice, but it’s just not enough sometimes and Ling hasn’t called me for a while. Makes me worried that he got busted or something. “Please, man, Ethan and I will have your back. We wouldn’t ask if we didn’t think you could beat this guy. We saw you in the ring with Brock. You haven’t lost one bit of your skills. I know it’s short notice, but I’ll have everything there for you, all you need to do is show up and fight. It’s in your weight class so no cutting or anything like that. Will you at least think about it?” he asks, practically begging me.
“When do you need an answer?”
“Soon. Can you decide in the next thirty minutes?”
“Yeah, let me talk it over with Ivy, then I’ll let you know.”
“Great, thank you, man.”
I hang up and glance inside. Ivy’s lazy ass is still asleep, so I take this time to Google Ronnie Shone and see what kind of fighter he is and what his record is. He’s undefeated in his last ten fights and has lost only one fight for his overall ‘Big 20’ Record. Pound for pound, we match up well. Going back to Google, I click on another link and read an article regarding this fight that was supposed to be against him and Cam. He’s a shit talker. A mental player, like I am. Fighting him could get me back into the spotlight, and if I win, it could jumpstart my professional career, but on the other hand if I lose, it could end it all right away.
Looking in at Ivy, I contemplate what to do. I can’t decide without talking to her, so I get up and go in, setting my empty cup of coffee on the table before gently lying down next to her. As I brush her hair off of her back and strum my fingers over her skin, she whimpers and says, “Just five more minutes.”
“It’s almost eleven, baby.”
She opens her sleepy eyes and looks at me with the cutest expression. “I like when you call me that.”
“I know.”
I keep moving my fingers over her back again and again and she closes her eyes. “Come on. Wake up, sleepyhead,” I tell her and stop moving my hand.
She moans in protest, looking at me. “Why?”
“Because we have to check out soon and I need to talk to you about something.”
Her eyes open and she rolls over running her hands over her face. Her tit pops out and I grab it, massaging it. “What’s up?”
“Logan called.”
“Yeah, what did he have to say?”
“He wants me to step in and fight tonight for Cam from their gym against a guy in the ACM.”
“Why you?”
I fill her in on all of the details. “Am I crazy to even consider this?”
“No, this could be huge for your career.”
“But I’m not even sure that I want a career, some days.”
&nbs
p; “But there are days that you are sure.”
Ivy and I continue this back and forth weighing the pros and cons and after watching some of his YouTube clips I still can’t make up my mind.
“It’s such a risk.”
“I think you should take the chance and do it,” she decides.
“Why?”
“Because I know you can beat this guy. Something’s just telling me you should do it.”
Looking into her eyes, I can see the certainty I need. “You sure?” I ask.
She nods her head and her certainty is contagious – I can feel it too. “Okay, let me text Logan.” Taking my phone from my pocket I send a message giving him a green light. Then a rush of adrenaline that I haven’t felt for a long time hits me, knowing that I’m about to step back into the world of legit fighting that I left behind.
Ivy hops off the bed and struts into the bathroom, naked and sexy. I sprawl out on the comforter waiting for her to get back, thinking about her pussy, but knowing that I can’t have it, now that I am slotted to fight tonight. “The laundry’s back if you wanna get dressed.”
“No, thanks,” she says and runs out of the bathroom, jumping on top of me. I laugh out loud as her naked body covers mine. She drenches me with kisses, grinding that delectable cunt so hard against my cock, but I have to put a stop to this. Flipping her over, I pin her beneath me and sit up. She looks puzzled and reaches inside my underwear. Taking both her hands, I hold them above her head and rub my nose against hers. “No.”
“What? Why?”
“Because you made me agree to a fight tonight.”
“I don’t give a shit,” she shouts and wiggles underneath me.
Tightening my grip on her wrists to show her that I am serious, I repeat myself again, “Not happening.”
“Why not?”
“Do you know how much energy fucking you and coming exerts? I need to save it for tonight, especially with my training being how it’s been.”
“So no sex?” she asks with the saddest look on her face.
“No, not until after I win, baby.”
I release my grip, hating that I can’t give her what she wants. I wish I could, but the ramifications if we fuck could be dire, and now she knows it too. She wants me to win just as much as I do. But I can still please her. Lifting her ass up, I scoot her up the bed and spread her legs. Her pink cunt glistens, wet for me, and I run my tongue over it, wishing that I could just slide my cock inside. To feel the walls of her surrounding me, how they tighten and expand from what I do to her. But I can’t, so I settle my mouth around her clit, flicking and sucking on one of my favorite parts of her body.
She writhes and moans from my actions and I get lost pleasing her, pushing her to the edge. I realize in this instance, how from today going forward that this is truly a fresh start for us. With making the money I could tonight, I can cover the rent at both of our places for a while. I don’t want her to stress about finding another job. I just want us to be together, every day.
“Oh my God, Krane!” she screams and grabs both of her tits, pinching her nipples. I close my eyes, pushing her into an intense orgasm that has her body red from working her.
I look up at her as her eyes finally open and keep sucking her clit. She moans from the pleasure and presses herself hard against me. “Are you sure you can’t fuck me?”
As I pull away, I blow a cool breath of air on her and she giggles. “Trust me, I want to…but I’m sure. Get dressed, I want to take you somewhere.” She smiles and rolls over, running into the bathroom, excited in a way that I haven’t seen from her in a long time. Too long.
Chapter 20
“I’ve always loved Central Park,” Ivy says as we walk around and sip on our coffees after leaving the hotel and exploring this place. We’ve walked through so much of the park this morning, which has been a nice way to start the day.
“Would you ever want to live in the city?” I ask her.
She thinks about my question before responding. “Maybe if I got a job here. But I like the ocean too much. You remember that place in Long Beach I showed you the other day?”
“I remember,” I tell her, recalling how she gushed about these condos last week when we went for a run.
“If I could pick anywhere, that’d be it. What about you?”
“I don’t think I’d ever want to live here again. But, speaking of a job…this fight pays a good amount of money and since I no longer have the extra payment for the apartment here, I don’t want you to stress about work or money or anything like that for a while, okay?”
She scrunches her eyebrows at me. “I can’t let you pay for my things. I’ve got savings to last a while.”
“You can and you will. Ivy, you’re my girlfriend now and I will take care of you.”
“Girlfriend?” she asks like it’s a shock placing her hand over her chest. “Were you gonna run that by me first?”
“No, I wasn’t ‘cause you already know where we stand and when we talk about things, it just complicates the whole situation.”
“Girlfriend…” she says in a quiet tone.
“Yes, accept it! Now help me clear my head for tonight. I’m starting to get anxious.”
“Don’t get anxious.”
“Ha, that’s helpful,” I blurt out. “Have you looked at social media in…I don’t know…the last ten minutes?”
“No, I haven’t and you shouldn’t either. Give me your phone.” She outstretches her hand to me and reluctantly I hand it to her. However, knowing myself, it’s the best decision. I need to keep focused. She slides it into her back pocket and I say, “If Logan calls, you better give it to me.”
“I will, you freak.”
I bust out laughing. Ivy grins, wrapping her arm around my waist and we leave the park, heading to see Logan at the gym and make a game plan for tonight. On the drive, Ivy’s phone rings. “Shit, it’s my mom.”
“Then answer it.”
She rolls her eyes at me. “Hey, Mom,” she says in a chipper tone.
I can hear Brenda yelling right away and it makes me fume. How could any mother treat their daughter the way that she does, especially when she just lost one?
“I don’t know,” she argues back.
Brenda is yelling again and I swear I hear my name. “I’ll ask him. Don’t take this shit out on me.”
A couple of beats of silence on Ivy’s end. “No,” Ivy shrieks.
Brenda yells again and I hear her say my name loud and clear. Pulling over. I snatch the phone from Ivy. She looks at me with huge eyes and I pause giving her a minute to stop me, but she doesn’t. “Brenda, it’s Krane,” I cut her off and shut her right up. “Can you tell me why your daughter is crying?”
“Oh, you have some fucking nerve, young man. After what you did to Zoë, now you’re with—”
“I didn’t do anything to Zoë but try and save her, don’t you fucking forget that.”
“That’s the last thing you did, if she hadn’t been with you, she’d be alive.”
“What happened to Zoë was out of our control. She died of SUDEP in my fucking arms and now I have to live with those images every day. Brenda, I get that you’re in pain, but please don’t take it out on Ivy.”
“You can call it whatever you want, young man, or convince yourself of anything to make yourself feel better. But she was intoxicated in the middle of the night on a desolate New York City subway, alone, with you and no one else. So it’s hard to not put the blame in your lap.”
“Why don’t you stop trying to pit the blame because nothing’s ever going to bring Zoë back.” My hands are shaking being forced to go back to that night. It was horrible the way her body rocked uncontrollably, the blood, the noises…everything. Then counting her final three breaths and I’m back there. Ivy wraps one of her hands around mine, pulling me back to reality and it calms me. “Do you ever try and understand who your daughter was?”
“I know who she was goddammit,” Brenda screams through a so
b. “Stay away from Ivy, Krane, I mean it.”
“I’m sorry…but I can’t.”
Chapter 21
“One eighty-one and a half,” Logan says and I hop off the scale.
“So you never have to cut weight?” Ivy asks me.
“Nope, not usually.” I adjust the waist of my shorts and take a drink of water.
“Oh, he has before and you better watch out ‘cause it’s scary,” Logan warns.
“What’s that mean?” I ask offended.
“Uhh, that you act crazy, all agitated and moody, like a bitch.”
I laugh remembering a time when I did cut weight. “That was when you made me take a welterweight fight when I’m a middleweight.”
“No,” he shakes his head laughing, “I didn’t make you do anything. You wanted to fight that douche, remember?”
“Same difference, you encouraged me and then let me agree to it, before I knew the ramifications.”
“Whatever, you kicked his ass.”
Logan puts on the sparring gloves and I hop up, punching every time he raises a hand to me. My heart is pumping strong. Even though this is the shortest notice I’ve ever taken a serious fight on, I cannot wait to get into the ring. As I stand toe to toe with Logan, repeatedly hitting again and again, Ivy’s eyes are on me. I can’t help but look at her, and Logan hits me over the back of the head. “What the fuck, man?” I yell, dropping my arms.
“You got distracted, by whatever this is.” He points between the two of us. “It can’t interfere with your mind tonight.”
“It won’t, punk.” I nod, grabbing a towel and wipe the sweat off of my face. There is a light knock on the door and Logan answers it. His wife, Victoria, and Ethan enter. The girls met at Logan’s birthday and seemed to thankfully connect. I mean, she hugs Ivy before me. “What am I chopped liver?” I tease her.
She smiles and hugs me. “No way, how are you feeling?”
“Really good.”
Ethan and I fist bump. “You ready?” he asks.
“Hell yeah.”
“Good, it’s fucking nuts out there,” Ethan says.