They danced around each other for a few seconds and then Ralph was all of a sudden on Ian in a flurry of punches and then a kick. Ian managed to dodge most of them and then I saw him go in for a couple of jabs. One of them caught Ralph on the bottom side of his jaw. It looked like it hurt as he stumbled back. Ian didn’t give him any time to recover before throwing what Buster told me was a “hell of a right cross”. That connected with Ralph’s crooked nose and blood flew out, spattering them both. I think that must have pissed Ralph off a little because he came back with a direct hit to Ian’s chest. Ian was knocked back into the mesh and Ralph continued coming at him, throwing punches. Ian ducked out of most of them and came back at him with a swing kick (according to Buster) that caught him in the upper chest and knocked him over to Ian’s left side. Ian didn’t miss a beat, punching out with his left hand and finishing up with a round kick and an elbow to the back of the guy’s neck, knocking him face first to the mat. Buster let out a litany of cuss words that Rose elbowed him in the side for. Ian was on the guy’s back, trying to get an arm around his massive neck. Ralph was resisting and he’d gotten his legs up and around Ian’s waist. He’d just managed to throw Ian off as the bell rang, signifying the end of round one.
Chapter Six
Alexa
Both fighters looked tired as the bell rang for the second round. Ralph’s poor crooked nose was bandaged now and Ian looked like he was limping a little bit. Ralph was quick to strike this time and he threw out a fast upper cut. Ian dodged part of it. The blow landed, but not squarely so hopefully it didn’t hurt as much. It still made me wince. Ian threw a punch that caught Ralph square on the jaw and actually knocked him to the ground. Ralph scrambled to his feet before Ian could pounce on him and he came up fighting. He swung his leg out and hit Ian hard in the obliques. I watched him double over and Ralph kept coming at him. Ian stood up to move out of the way of another kick and when he did, Ralph landed a punch that hit him directly in the middle of his chest.
Ian fell to the mat on his back and I could tell that he was having trouble breathing. The big, crooked-nosed son-of-a-bitch didn’t let up, throwing another kick at him while he was trying to struggle to his feet. That one caught him in the side and tossed him over into the mesh of the octagon. I was getting nervous as I watched Ralph grab Ian around his chest and push him so that he was face down on the mat. Ian was struggling and I was trying to see his face because I was so worried about him getting air. I didn’t notice that he was using his legs. He got ahold of Ralph’s legs and in one swift move he had him in a scissor hold. Ralph was using his elbows on the back of Ian’s face and the side of his head. At this point, I just wanted it to stop. The bell blessedly, finally rang. Ralph got up off of Ian and then I watched Ian struggle to his feet. He wiped his arm across his nose…it was bleeding.
His trainer gave him water and stuck gauze in his nose and did his best to help him relax. Ian looked spent. I looked over on Ralph’s side of the octagon and realized that he did too. He was still bleeding from his nose and he was sweating profusely. His wide chest was heaving, gulping in air like he couldn’t get it fast enough. I thought, and Buster did too, that it was safe to say it was still anybody’s fight.
The third bell rang and I wondered if Ian was as glad to know it was the last round as I was. I couldn’t imagine putting my body through all of that…over and over. Ian rushed towards Ralph immediately, throwing punches. Ralph was in defensive mode. Ian forced the other man back against the mesh and that was when Ralph had had enough. He used both of his big hands to push Ian back off of him. Ian went back about two feet, stumbled and regained his footing quickly. Ralph took advantage of Ian’s momentary loss of composure with a round kick to his side. That knocked Ian further back and this time he went down on one knee, but managed to get back up before Ralph was on him. Ralph hadn’t expected Ian to get up so quickly and completely missed dodging the right hook Ian threw out that landed hard on the side of his head. It knocked him to the floor. He rolled and began to struggle up as Ian pounced from behind.
Ralph wasn’t ready to be taken down however and continued to struggle to his feet, almost carrying Ian up piggyback with him. Before he was all the way to his feet, Ian let go and was ready to land a kick to the center of the other man’s chest. That sent Ralph stumbling back, but he didn’t go down. He used the momentum of his back against the octagon to propel him forward into Ian. The problem for Ralph was that it propelled him right into Ian’s fist and the hardest punch I’d seen him throw yet. Ralph hit the mat with a bounce. He didn’t get back up. The referee took a pulse and then announced Ian the winner. I looked at Buster and said, “I’m sorry about your money, but now you know not to bet against Ian next time.”
Buster grinned and winked. “You got it little missy. Hang on to that one, he’s gonna be wearing one of them big belts someday.”
I took one last look at Ian as he went by. He was still bleeding a little bit from his nose, but he was smiling from ear to ear. I wanted to tell him I was proud of him, but I stuck to my guns. This wasn’t the time or place for that serious conversation. I’d let him enjoy his victory tonight and then in a day or two when I can work up my nerve, I’ll call him…maybe.
Chapter Seven
Ian
I wish that I could hold onto the feeling I have after a few good rounds forever. When I walk out of that octagon, victorious, I feel pumped and excited and more alive than ever. Mundane worries are muted and all that matters is that single moment. That’s not to say I forget about my little sister. She’s always with me. It’s just at that moment I allow myself no worries. I want to run and yelp like I did when I was a kid. I was still grinning ear to ear after I showered and changed and went back out front to meet Kristie. As soon as I saw her face, very pretty, also smiling, some of my adrenaline seemed to ebb and some of my worries came slipping back through the cracks. What was I doing?
“Hi baby, you were amazing,” she said, and then suddenly she was all over me. I know most guys would have an instant hard on. Kristie used to have that effect on me too, but tonight I just wanted to peel her off of me and let her know that wasn’t what tonight was about.
“Thanks, are you ready to go eat?” Her long black hair was smooth and shiny and her make-up was just so. Her giant silicone boobs were showing just enough cleavage to make a man who hadn’t already seen them in every position possible, want to see more. Her jeans fit like they were made for her and her nails were long and red and as glossy as her pouty lips. She was a wet dream and I felt nothing.
“Sure, or we could skip dinner and go straight to your place.” She let one of those long fingers slide down the side of my face, stopping just underneath my chin. I shivered and said, “I’m really hungry. That fight took a lot out of me.”
“Okay then, wherever you want to eat. I have to lose those five pounds.”
I looked at her perfect body and wondered if the five pounds was in her head. Maybe it was five pounds of crazy, or maybe I was the crazy one…
“Arnold’s?” I asked.
She made a face and said, “Really? That place is pure grease. It’s not good for your body or your skin.”
I rolled my eyes and said, “Then you pick.”
“Sweet Tomatoes?” she said.
“A salad, really? Did you just watch that fight?”
“Okay then, you pick.” I sighed and took her arm.
“We’ll decide on the way,” I told her.
We got in the car and I headed for a place called Cattle Baron. I could get a steak there and she could have her rabbit food. I remember now why I’d stopped taking her out to eat when we were together. Eating out with a person who either never ate anything or complained the whole time was never any fun. When we got inside the restaurant we had to wait to be seated. While we were sitting on the bench waiting, a young woman walked by. She was maybe twenty or twenty-one and she was really pretty. She had that wholesome country girl look to her. She had on a jean skir
t and cowboy boots and the outfit reminded me of the one Alexa wore the last night we were together. She had looked so hot in that. Kristie looked her up and down distastefully as she walked by and when the girl was out of earshot she said, “That one looks like she just rolled off the hay truck. Doesn’t she know this isn’t Oklahoma?”
I raised an eyebrow. It was at Kristie’s judgment, not the beautiful girl. Then she had to talk about the lady next to us that she found, “grossly fat” and the man who was holding a toddler and struggling with twins while his pregnant wife took the only available seat, “needed to trim his nose hairs”. There was no end to it with Kristie. I thought about how upset I’d been about Alexa judging my past and I had to admit that it was at least nice she was worried about morals rather than obsessed with looks like Kristie was.
After we were seated I ordered a beer and she asked for an ice water with lemon. The water came with no lemon. With a sour look on her face she said, “Um, I asked for lemon.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” the middle-aged waitress who looked like she was probably on her second shift said. “I’ll grab that for you right now.”
“No.” Kristie said.
“Excuse me? You don’t want the lemon after all?”
“Oh yes, I want the lemon. I want it in my water the way I ordered it. I’m paying you for a service; I don’t expect to have to do it myself.”
I sighed, loudly. I wanted the server to know that I didn’t approve of my date’s rudeness. The server looked embarrassed and took the glass of water. I still hadn’t gotten to order my steak.
“Kristie, maybe if you were nicer to people…”
“I’m nice. I’m nice when some minimum-wage, middle-aged ginger isn’t screwing up my order.”
Kristie didn’t work. She called herself a model but the last job I know that she had was posing half-naked for the Harley dealership here in town. She was twenty one and still lived off of her Daddy’s money. She paid for her boob job last year with her “allowance”. I looked up and saw the server on her way back. Looking at Kristie I said, “Please be nice.” She rolled her eyes but when the woman sat the water down in front of her, Kristie gave her a fake, too-white smile and said, “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” the waitress said. “Are y’all ready to order?”
I could see by Kristie’s face she was working up a comment about the “Y’all” as soon as the server walked away. This was such a mistake. We ordered and as Kristie talked about God knows what; I let my eyes roam the restaurant. There were a lot of couples there and most of them looked happy. I thought about the night that Alexa and I went out to dinner and how it had just been fun and relaxed. Tonight was tense and annoying and we didn’t even have our food yet.
“Oh look, it’s Travis Scott,” she said suddenly. I looked up and sure enough the homecoming king himself had just walked in. Travis Scott’s father owned most of the real estate in our town. Before my parents bought the house I grew up in, they had rented it from the Scotts. Travis was good-looking, rich and athletic. He was also one of the most arrogant assholes I’d ever met. Kristie didn’t go to high school with us. She had moved here with her dad just two years ago. I made the mistake of pointing Travis out one night when she and I first started going out. I don’t know if she ever actually slept with him, but there were times at some parties we went to that I thought she was about to give him head right there in front of me. “Hi Travis!” she said, waving her gold-bangled arm in the air. Travis was as fake as she was. As soon as he saw us, he pasted a big, fake smile on his face. In middle school he used to bully me.
“Kristie, Ian, how good to see you.” Kristie was practically gushing as she said, “Oh you too, Travis. It’s been too long. What have you been up to?” I mumbled a hello, but I don’t think anyone noticed. That was okay though because as long as Travis was talking to her, I didn’t have to.
“I’ve been out of state opening up another branch of the real estate firm for my father,” he said. “I travel extensively with this job.”
“Oh I’m so jealous,” she said. “That’s the kind of job I want.”
Travis smiled and said, “I thought you were a model.”
“I am,” she said with a pouty lip, “but it’s a tough business to break into.”
Travis ran his hand down her arm like I wasn’t even there as he said, “I’m sure you’ll find something soon. You look like you should be on the cover of SI.”
Jeez…"“SI”…he was too cool to even say Sports Illustrated. Thankfully, the server brought our food then and Travis went away. I wished he would have taken Kristie with him when I heard her say, “What is this?”
“Your salad ma’am…”
“I specifically said, ‘dressing on the side.’ Ian, didn’t you hear me say it?” I had heard her say it, but I was in no mood to agree with her.
“No, I don’t think you did,” I told her. She was looking at me when she was crazy. When she turned back to the waitress I gave the poor woman a wink and popped a bite of steak in my mouth.
“I can’t eat this.”
“I’m sorry; do you want a new one?”
“Of course! And don’t think it will be okay just to scrape the dressing off the top either. If I taste one drop of oil or vinegar…”
“Kristie! That’s enough. Just let her take back the damned salad and give it a rest.” She looked shocked. The waitress gave me an appreciative look and took the salad. When she was gone, Kristie said, “Honey, I know that you had a long day with your fight and all, but I would appreciate it if you didn’t talk to me that way, especially in front of people.”
That was how she fought. She never raised her voice. The whole time we were together I would have given anything to have one good knock-down drag out fight where everyone said what they were really thinking…like the one I had with Alexa. “Then stop talking to people like they’re dirt,” I told her and I popped another piece of steak in my mouth. It was the only good thing about the evening. When dinner was over, I dropped Kristie back at her car.
“You want me to drive my own car to your place?” she asked.
“No Kristie, I’m going to go home and get some sleep. I’m exhausted.”
“I don’t mind if we don’t have sex. I’ll just hold you…if you can stand it,” she said with what she thought was a seductive smile. I had a headache.
“Not tonight, Kristie.”
Not ever. Tonight had been a giant mistake. I wasn’t going to let it go any further. “Drive safe,” I told her. “See you around.” I drove away while she was still standing there gaping at me. I didn’t care. Hopefully she won’t start calling me again. There was only one person I wanted to talk to and only one woman I wanted in my bed. She was a ginger, as Kristie would say, and I missed the hell out of her.
Chapter Eight
Ian
I went home after I dropped Kristie off, feeling bad all over again. I felt bad for asking her out when I was desperate for company. I never really wanted to see her. I wanted an escape and what I got was the same old miserable deal as I had gotten in the past. Only now, I had led her to believe that I wanted to pursue something with her again. The fact was I couldn’t imagine now why I had ever been with her in the first place, or why I had stayed with her so long. She was so superficial and vain and bitchy. If I was the waitress I would have dumped the salad on her head. I left the poor woman a fifty dollar tip. I hoped that made her night a little better.
What I needed was to clear my head and decide what I really want. All I can think about is Alexa. Part of me is still pissed about how judgmental she was and part of me wants to call her and talk to her about it so she can see that I’m not that guy any longer. I wouldn’t even mind arguing with her a little bit. I like her spunk even though it pisses me off when it’s directed at me. It’s a lot better than that fake shit Kristie gives me. I loved just hanging out with her. We didn’t have to go anywhere or do anything. I loved when it was just her and me
. The sex is…unbelievable, but it’s not even about that. I’ve never experienced before, missing someone the way I miss Alexa.
I wonder sometimes if maybe the feeling is intensified because I’m missing my little sister so badly at the same time. Maybe I have my emotions all tangled up and being with Alexa seems so right because she’s such a strong connection to Emma. I’m not sure, but I do know that I need to figure it out because it was making me crazy. Did I actually want to be with someone who was holding things I did years ago against me? If I decided that I did, would she want to be with me? We’d only known each other a little over a month and we’d already had two fights. Those odds weren’t great either. The fact that we got together just after my sister and her best friend died caused a lot more stress than an ordinary new relationship would have, so I had to factor that in too. I fell asleep that night with all of this on my mind and woke up the next day with a whopper of a headache. I suppose it could have come from Wreckin’ Ralph’s well-placed right cross to my temple…but I think it was more likely the other stuff.
I forced myself out of bed and shook several Tylenol out into my hand. I washed it down with a protein drink and then after a quick shower, I headed to the gym. Maybe some exercise would clear my head. If it didn’t, maybe it would make me look like Wreckin’ Ralph when I grow up.
I did my day one workout. Usually the day after a fight I rest and start my day one the next day but if I stayed home this morning there was going to be no rest. I started with the bench press and I did fifteen reps times two. I had a guy named Leonard spotting for me and he was chatty. Sometimes that annoyed the hell out of me, but today it was a nice distraction.
Dirty Maverick (The Maxwell Family) Page 37