In the Ring: A Dario Caivano Novel

by Perri Forrest

  But damn it felt so good!

  “What are y’all doing?” Rai asked, as he and Freddie approached where we sat. Lennox had already made his way over, and was posted at Dario’s foot.

  “Duhh,” Freddie said, before bursting into laughter. “Clearly, they were kissing.”

  Mortified!

  I couldn’t find my voice. There was nothing I could say. It was as though the roles were reversed and I was the child and Rai was the parent, catching me in the act. I didn’t know how to behave, and while I was trying to figure it out, the only thing that I could really do was think back to just how much passion was sealed in that kiss.

  “Duhh, I know that!” Rai retorted, but I was talking to my mother. “Ma, what’s going on with you and Dario?” he probed in what sounded like an authoritative tone. “Is that your boyfriend now?”

  The whole room, Lennox included, fell into stillness, presumably awaiting a response from me.

  “Yeah . . .” Dario joined in. “Am I your boyfriend now?”

  CHAPTER 20

  Chanel

  “Mommm!” Rai pushed out in frustration. He’d been in my face since we got back home. He should’ve had his butt in bed by now since it was close to two in the morning. But no, there he was, being his persistent, pre-teen self. I didn’t have the strength to yell at him because I was still stuck back there at Dario’s on his lap and being busted by my child; not to mention his cousin! But judging by my kid’s line of questioning, I was the only one tripping off of the awkward moment. “Why did you wanna rush home?! I was having fun kicking it with Freddie and Lennox.”

  He wanted answers and wasn’t letting up anytime soon.

  “Rai . . .” I said, lightly massaging my temples with my forefingers. “It’s too late at night for this and you should be getting ready for bed.”

  “Ma, is it because I saw you kissing Dario?”

  As soon as he said the words, I felt like I was being punched in the chest and the impact caused me to release a cough as though it happened for real.

  I couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “Yes, I just . . . I don’t know, baby. I just don’t want you to think badly of me.”

  “Mama, you kissed a man. Soooo what?” he emphasized, his palms up to the air like he was agitated for having to deliver me a lesson. I watched him in amazement, fighting the urge to laugh at his delivery. “You’re human. You’re pretty. You don’t have a boyfriend. I just don’t see why you think I would think that you kissing him—”

  “Stop saying that, Rai!” I said, covering my face in shame.

  When Rai began to laugh at my juvenile reaction, and then pulled my hands from my face, I started to laugh too.

  “Ma, stop it. For real. Let’s talk,” he said in his mature stance, making it sound as though I was about to enter a lecture with an elder.

  “Okay, okay. I guess you’re not gonna let me live this down.” I threw my arms up in surrender before folding them across my chest. “Let’s go. I’m listening—not that I have a choice.”

  “Dario is a good dude. You’re a good girl and you deserve somebody that’s gonna be nice to you and treat you right. You seemed happy and comfortable with him when I came in there. I never saw you like that. Not even with you know who? I just think you should just let yourself be happy.”

  I relaxed my arms and patted a spot on my bed for him to take. “You make me happy,” I told him as I looked into his beautiful eyes.

  “You make me happy too. I love you, Ma. I want you to date and to not feel bad about it. And even if you make him your boyfriend, that’s fine too.”

  “And so you feel like that even though I just met Dario? We only went on one date and then the next thing you know I’m sitting on his lap. And then you remember . . . what happened with Tyler.”

  “I remember that Tyler’s a jerk and that you deserve better than him. I know that Dario is a better person than him and I just met him. Don’t you think it was cool that he came and picked us up and took us to his house and let us meet somebody from his family? I think it is. We don’t even know anybody in Tyler’s family. Not that I want to, but yeah.”

  And my baby was right too. We never did the family thing with Tyler. His excuse was always that he just wasn’t that close with them and that Rai and I were his family. I never really bought it, but I didn’t really press the issue because I didn’t see marriage in our future so the whole relationship was taken at face value . . . and toward the end, with a grain of salt.

  “Okay, so when did you become such the grownup?”

  Rai did a slight hunch of his shoulders and flashed me a huge smile. “I don’t know.”

  “Oh, you don’t, huh? Maybe because said person just happens to be one of your favorite boxers?”

  “Nooo, that’s not it!” he shouted, still smiling. “Just be the guy’s girlfriend, already, Mom.”

  I shook my head, still surprised by the conversation. Then after my son finally took off to his room, I sat staring at the television screen wondering whether or not Dario would even want to entertain the thought of me after I just abruptly left his home and barely said two words all the way here.

  ~*~*~

  “Dang, Dario, what happened? Me and Rai were just coming to see if he could spend the night. Why was his mom ready to go?”

  “I’m not sure,” I answered Freddie. In truth, I knew exactly why and I couldn’t help but smile. I could still feel the pressure in my penis from when Chanel graced my lap with her tender presence.

  “Yeah, right,” Freddie challenged, causing me to turn from the television in his direction.

  I laughed at his meddling. “Shouldn’t you be in bed right now?”

  “I’m not sleepy. And it’s still the weekend, so, yeah.”

  “Tomorrow’s Sunday and the day after that is school. You go to bed now, you can be the most rested kid that the world has ever seen,” I said, clowning around.

  “Yeah, that’s gonna happen! Not!” He broke out in hysterical laughter. “You just don’t wanna talk about how you and Rai’s mom were kissing.”

  “Okay, that’s it!” I yelled as I playfully snatched Freddie off the sofa and began to play-fight with him.

  Before long Lennox jumped in on the fun and the three of us were acting like little kids in the floor laughing and tussling, alongside Lennox’s loud, playful barks.

  An hour or so later, I was exiting the shower and preparing to get into bed when I saw my phone illuminating on the nightstand. I walked over to the device and when I saw that it was Chanel calling, I plopped down onto the bed and accepted the call.

  “So, sexy woman, are you calling me to tell me that you’re gonna let me be your boyfriend?”

  CHAPTER 21

  Chanel

  Today was special. Very special. I drove along 880-South with Jagged Edge’s “Lucky Charm” blaring and singing along with the lyrics. I was obsessed with R&B, particularly ballads. They just gave me so much life. Music for me was more like a mood than anything else and today’s mood is giddy.

  I cursed traffic as I made my way past the stop-and-go traffic weaving in and out in places that I could to get past what I already knew were rubberneckers. Bay Area traffic was a huge fraud. Although it was known as some of the worst in the country, it could all be alleviated if Highway Patrol got on patrol and made the losers with huge gaps of space in front of them, move their asses over to the right lane with all the other slow drivers.

  I had somewhere important to be and judging by where I was, I still had another fifteen or so, minutes to go. So, I turned up the volume, leaned back in my seat and made the best of my travels. By the time I was taking my exit, me, Usher, and Nicki Minaj were singing Lil’ Freak. I found myself doing the most as I sang along to the lyrics. I was all into it. However, the closer I got to my destination, the more my courage began to dissipate. I didn’t even know if I was still singing the right words—or on key! I was not as ready as I thought I was. A shot of the best Tequila would be great
right about now, but since I was driving, that was just not an option.

  Getting from my car and to Dario’s front door was a blur. However, what happened when he greeted me at the door was not. This man came to the door with sweats and a tank looking like he was ready for a workout and picked me up as soon as I made it through the door. My purse fell to the floor and my arms snaked around his neck as he carried me to a nearby wall and licked across my lips before sliding his tongue into my mouth. The long, hungry kisses were nothing short of breathtaking. They literally took my breath away, and had my body fluctuating between hot and cold. I was wet with readiness and couldn’t wait to see where this would lead. We had hours to take our new relationship to the next level and the start to it all was feeling amazing already.

  When my shorts began to moisten from the inside, I kissed Dario harder than ever. The longing made me do it. Kissing was good, but I wanted to feel this man in the worst way, as long and as deep as he could give it to me. I wanted him inside, swimming, living, giving.

  Dario released me from his grasp and lowered me to the floor. I didn’t know what to expect, but when he got me down to nothing, and within seconds was nude himself, my first glimpse of his dick sent me into Stan mode. I wasn’t Stanning off of the Boxer, but the damn meat that resided in the boxers! Fuck if that damn thing wasn’t impressive—in both length and width.

  “You know I’ve been waiting for this, right?” he asked, leaning down to kiss me. “Since the first night I met you . . . I wanted this, wanted you.” I would’ve answered with a response that matched his, but when he slid a digit across my pearl, there were no words needed. “Wet . . . Damn, Chanel . . . I like this.”

  I wanted to suck his finger all the way inside and ride it until he was ready to give me his prize. It felt that good. But wishes do come true, I found, when Dario lifted me into his arms and slid inside of me. With three short strokes, he was in and the show had begun. I held onto him for dear life—this one and the next—as my body slid up and down against the wall and up and down on top of Dario’s goodness. It was good and a long time coming! I moaned louder and louder when the strokes became longer and quicker.

  “Oh my God! This is sooo good, Dario! It’s . . . fuck . . . so good!”

  When he pulled me away from the wall and carried me to the stairs, I didn’t think it could get any better, but I was wrong as hell. As he did push-ups in and out of my cove, I think I hollered. No, I know I hollered. Wait . . . I’m really not sure. I only knew that I was giving him all of what I had to offer, no restrictions in place. The staircase was too wide for me to grasp both sides, but with what I was able to grab, I gained extra leverage. My hips gained new strength as I met his thrusts with fevered ones of my own. I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t want to help myself. I was all the way lost in lust, and I loved it. My orgasm was nearing with a fury that I was unfamiliar with, as it shot up from the bottom of my curled toes to my hot center. It circled in the area for a while giving me more time with the pleasure, hovering like a plane waiting for its turn to descend onto the runway. But when it was time, I came. I came hard, all my love exploding around him.

  Hours later, I lay comfortably next to Dario in his bed. I didn’t remember exactly when we made it there, but after our workout, the bed was the appropriate place. I was tired—satiated, my kitty purred with contentment, and I had sore muscles in places, but it was well-worth forfeiting my morning run for. Lying in his arms was so comfortable. Listening to his heartbeat and feeling the warmth of his body all felt right. I know at a point I had reservations, but I’m so glad that I moved past those because Dario, so far, seemed like a chance worth taking.

  “You good?” he asked, softly twirling strands of my hair around his fingers.

  “I’m good. What about you? You good?”

  “I’m great.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.”

  “You know, Chanel, I’m not sure what it is about you that drew me in . . . but it was immediate. You don’t know how glad I am that I let Wayne talk me into going out that night.”

  “I know what you mean. I’m glad you were there—for more reasons than one.”

  “Speaking of which; have you had any issues with that guy since then?”

  “No, I haven’t. I don’t think I will, either.”

  “Well, make sure to let me know if you do so that I can pay him a personal visit.”

  “I don’t think it’ll come to that, but I will for sure let you know if that happens,” I promised.

  Dario and I bonded as we talked for hours on end. We ate a late breakfast and went right back to our comforting spot. When lunch rolled around, we had each other again and again . . . and some more. I didn’t want to let go, but our playdate needed to come to an end so that I could pick up Rai from school and get him home.

  When we parted, it was with long, slow kisses with touches that matched. They were exchanges that could’ve easily led us back to unapologetic lovemaking, had I not had somewhere to be.

  On the entire ride to Rai’s school, I was on cloud nine reminiscing on my day with this new guy that I found myself strongly drawn to. It was such a fresh feeling to be with somebody that was protective and showed their emotions without caring what that looked like or how vulnerable it made them appear. Those were the things that I was finding with Dario. It was new and I liked it. As I pulled in front of my baby’s school, I smiled at the thought of he and I finally having someone in our lives that would do right by us.

  Here’s to new beginnings, Chanel.

  CHAPTER 22

  Dario

  Saturday, March 7, 2015

  Las Vegas, NV

  There were plenty of times during the course of my boxing career when I climbed into the ring, knowing that I would pummel my opponent longer than usual. It was on those occasions that my cousin lying in my arms, dying from gunshot wounds entered my mental space and I couldn’t shut out the vision. It was during those times that I wanted somebody . . . anybody to suffer for the pain that I still lived with even years later.

  I flexed my shoulders and rolled my head from side to side while I sat in my corner of the ring. We were about thirty seconds into the minute-long break, and while I could hear Darrius, my trainer, and some of the other staff, yelling and overly excited, all I really wanted was for the bell to sound. I had too much energy to be sitting, but looking across at my opponent, I could clearly see that he didn’t feel the same way. Jaime Botelho was close to the end. I smiled a thin smile, more eager than ever to get to him.

  When I got up from my seat, I jumped up and down in place, my hands at my side, before I got into stance and went back in for more. The crowd cheered wildly with roars that could be heard for miles and miles. I heard chants from all sides of the massive arena as the match headed into the ninth round of what I had anticipated would be a six-round bout. I didn’t mind though. It was my tactic. Tonight I wanted to play with my prey a little bit longer. It was necessary to do so.

  Botelho and I were fighting our third bout in three years. I had no idea what he was trying to prove to himself, his family, or his friends, but this would be the third time that I beat his ass. His camp talked a lot in the streets and on social media about how all of our fights were supposedly rigged. According to them, I’d won the fight by the judge’s popular vote, instead of thrashing his ass fair and square; those accusations only helped to fuel my desire to humiliate him even more. That desire was what drove me to draw out his defeat. I wanted to give all the naysayers a proper viewing where they could see play by play just how much he wasn’t in my league, and that the only reason for his losses was his inability to beat me. Period.

  When I saw his left eye starting to shut and his focus appearing as though he was confused about where the fuck he was, I decided to put him out of his misery. As the end of the round neared, Jaime succumbed to throwing wild punches, in a desperate attempt to land just one. But luck wasn’t on his side, and he sure as hell wasn’t quick enough. Wi
th seconds left in the tenth round, I mouthed to him, “You’re fucked . . .” then proceeded to drill him with a succession of right hooks, each one connecting to the left side of his face. They came with such vigor that he couldn’t do anything but accept his fate. All six-foot-two, two-hundred pounds of him went tumbling forward onto the canvas, as the referee ran to his resting place and began a countdown of defeat over his tired-ass body.

  As I watched Botelho frantically attempt yet fail at reclaiming his composure, the sounds in the stadium suddenly went silent in my head. My adrenaline skyrocketed and all I could do was jump up and down as the rush hit me in waves. When I did bring myself back down to a calmer state, the silence was replaced by my own thoughts—of that night. I shook my head to chase them away and like Botelho, fought to reclaim my composure. “Another one for you, Luke . . .” I kneeled, bowed my head and spoke to my cousin. “I wish you could be here to witness it all.” It was as though each and every fight was in Lucas’s honor. “But I know you’re watching, Bro.”

  No sooner than I’d concluded my conversation with Luke, and lifted my head, the faces of my support team swarmed the floor of the octagon as the announcer proclaimed, “Winner, and still the heavyweight champion, Dariooo “DC” Caiiivano!”

  CHAPTER 23

  Chanel

  “Awww man! That was amayyzing! I wanna learn how to fight just like that!”

  “Rai!” I yelled out as I came rushing back into the living room to finish watching Dario’s fight on Pay-per-view.

  “You missed it, Mom! You missed it! Dario just floored that fool!”