Yanna

“You did well today, Yanna, you really did,” Vlad tells me as he opens the door to my changing room.

He’s been saying pretty much that same thing all the way from the cage to here, and he’s starting to sound like he can’t quite believe that I’ve actually won. But that’s just how he is. He’s been my rock, the best trainer anyone could ever hope for, but he’s not a cheerleader, so this enthusiasm of his sounds a little out of place.

“Thanks,” I tell him. “Now I just want to change and go home.”

I’ll make a video and post it first though, since my fans have been begging me not to go silent during this tournament, saying how much they all want to be part of this journey. And I want that too.

“Do you need anything? Should I get the doctor to look you over?” he asks.

I shake my head. “No, I’m good. I’ll have a couple bruises tomorrow, but nothing’s hurting too bad.”

He’d have to get the venue’s doctor for this, since I don’t have one on my team. Other fighters have huge teams, consisting of medics, nutritionists, conditioning trainers, but I neither need all that, or want it. I like flying solo. And between the three of us on my team, we have all our bases covered anyway, since we’re all jacks-of-all-trades. I know perfectly well that I don’t need medical attention, especially now that the adrenaline has worn off completely, and I feel every ache and bruise clearly. I’ve already gone over them all, and I’m certain nothing’s broken or damaged beyond what a couple of days’ rest will fix.

“Alright, that’s good to hear,” Vlad says with the widest smile I’ve ever seen him wear, and it’s bright enough to make me crack a little one too.

I take out my camera as soon as Vlad’s gone and set it up to say a few words to my fans. It’s impossible to recreate the moments just after a fight later, when I’m showered and changed and relaxing at home, and I know they want to hear my first impressions.

“I did it, you guys! I beat Lina,” I tell them as soon as the camera is recording. “I won!”

And it’s only now as I’m telling it to my fans that I truly believe it, that it truly slams home. That feeling will probably be even more pronounced later, when I’m editing this to post it online.

“I’m one step closer to achieving my biggest dream!” I add. “And you know how I rarely get very emotional with you guys, but I couldn’t do it without you. I wouldn’t be here, recording this, if it weren’t for your support and encouragement.”

I mean that with my heart and soul, but it was no exaggeration that I never get very emotional, not in the videos, not in real life, so after I get that off my chest, I just settle into explaining the fight as I unravel the braids in my hair, and start tending to the bruises and cuts on my face. I’m just talking to them as I would if they were sitting here with me, my excitement rising as I recap the fight, the aches and pains once again receding as my adrenaline starts flowing through my veins again.

A loud knock on the door startles me mid-sentence.

“Yeah?” I yell, without turning off the camera, since it’s probably Vlad and I’ll just tell him to give me a few more minutes then go back to finishing up the video.

“Are you decent?” Vlad asks. “There’s a man here who wants to meet you. A fan.”

None of my fans ever come to meet me after a fight, because Vlad knows I don’t like that and prevents it. He sends everyone away without even clearing it with me first. That’s our deal. What’s different about this guy? Vlad’s voice sounded kinda strangled as he asked me that question and I’m seeing flashes of that guy in the audience, of his cold eyes as they followed me out of the cage and out of the arena. Vlad has to have a reason for leading this guy to me, a reason he can’t voice in front of him, and that’s just making my apprehension even worse.

“I’m…I…,” but I can’t find an excuse.

“He’s insisting,” Vlad adds and from his tone alone I can tell I have no choice in the matter.

“Alright, let him come in,” I say and stand, wincing as I pull on the last braid in my hair to untangle it faster

The guy who walks in isn’t the cold-eyed suit from the crowd and for some reason warm relief like a particularly pleasant shower washes all over me at realizing that. Or maybe that’s just because this guy is smoking hot. He’s about my age, I think, and I wouldn’t mind him standing a lot closer to me. I may not be looking for a steady lover, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a good looking guy when I see one.

There’s nothing cold about this guy. Not his piercing blue eyes that remind me of the vast sky above the open road, or the smirk on his full lips that suggests we’ve met before. I bet there’s nothing cold about those defined biceps that even the leather jacket he’s wearing can’t hide, nor about the hand he’s holding out for me to shake.

“Hello, Yanna, it’s nice to meet you,” he says and even his voice is kinda warm. “I’m Hawk.”

Something in his eyes ripples as his gaze takes in all of me, which is practically everything since I’m still wearing just the shorts and sports bra I fought in. Now it’s like the sun came out in that vast sky of his eyes and it’s very warm too, searing actually, and making me hot.

“Hello,” I mumble since my voice seems to have melted in all that heat too.

Vlad slips back out and closes the door before I can ask him to stay. Some voice in my mind is screaming for him to stay, not to leave me alone with this guy, but another voice, a much friendlier one is saying I’d like nothing more than to be alone in a room with this guy. That second voice sounds kindly like my grandma’s and I only ever hear it when I’m in a tough spot of some kind. But right now, it’s telling me this is exactly where I should be.

I haven’t had much time for men in the last nine years, or before for that matter. I haven’t made the time. Falling in love is distracting, every fighter knows that, not that I’ve ever even come close to falling in love with any of the guys I’ve known. But I’ve also never been this close to lust when meeting a guy either.

“You have a good, firm handshake,” he says. “But I expected that.”

“Do we know each other?” I ask as I give him a tiny smile, which is odd enough in itself, since I don’t smile much, but there’s also the deep, playful way that whole sentence came out. I’m known for my resting bitch face, which completes the look of a cat about to fight that I’m named after. So what the hell is happening to me?

“You don’t know me, but I’d like to change that,” he says, the smirk on his lips turning into a grin. “And I’ve been following you for awhile, so I know lots about you.”

Great, he’s an online stalker. Having such a huge online presence is the main reason I won’t meet with fans in person. I can never know who is lurking, so I can’t trust anyone. But I’m not actually afraid of this guy being a crazed fan right now, which is odd.

“You mean you watch my videos?” I say and take a step away from him, since we’re standing much too close.

“Yeah,” he says. “And your fights. But this is the first time I’ve seen you fight live.”

“Then you also know I discourage my fans from seeking me out in real life,” I say, finally regaining my common sense and my usual stone hard tone of voice. “I’ll have a meet-and-greet in a couple of days. I’d love to see you there.”

Love? What a word to use! There’s something wrong with me tonight. Maybe that blow to the head Lina gave me wasn’t entirely innocent.

“I’m not the meet-and-greet type,” he says and chuckles, which makes me sure he heard that word loud and clear too. “And I’d rather have your full attention.”

All sorts of warnings are firing off in my mind, and they’re finally getting loud enough to be impossible to ignore.

“How come Vlad brought you to meet me?” I ask, since I know he wouldn’t do that for just anyone, yet he brought this guy without even asking me first.

“I didn’t give him much of a choice,” he tells me and that makes no sense either, since Vlad didn’t exactly look like he was forced into leading him here, and he’s also the type of guy who always has a choice. About three feet are separating us now, but we’re both standing completely still, just looking at each other. I don’t know if it’s that inviting light in his eyes or fear rooting me to the spot, but I am rooted.

“I’m tight with the guys running security for this event,” he says and chuckles. “And I have to tell you something.”

“Something you better learn sooner rather than later,” he adds after a pause during which my heart started racing in fear the way it never does.

I narrow my eyes at him and he grins wider, his eyes soft and velvety, darkening the way the open sky darkens in sunset. “That look, Yanna, wow. The camera really doesn’t do it justice.”

“How can I take anything you say seriously if it’s so plain you just want to fuck me?” I ask, the words leaving my mouth a split second before I realize he didn’t actually say anything of the kind, that I just felt the real intention behind his words from the look he gave me which sent a shock right through my stomach and pussy.

“You really are just a straight shooter with no inhibitions, I like that,” he says and grins some more. “But “fuck” is a bad way to describe all the things I want to do to you.”

Guess he’s one of those straight shooters too, and I’m grateful he didn’t make what I said more awkward than it already was.

He’s still being playful, his look is still undressing what little I’m wearing, but I finally have my head back on straight. He came here to try and have sex with me, but I don’t need or want that kind of distraction.

“It was nice of you to come say hello, but I must go home and rest now. It’s always nice to meet a fan though.” I smile after I say it, then turn away hoping that’ll be the end of that conversation. Meeting him was an exciting little event, something new and unusual, but what I need is just same old, same old with as few distractions as possible.”

“I’m not the only one who wants to meet you now that you’re here,” he says. ”There’s a bunch of Russians who’ll want to greet their countrywoman too, and I doubt they’ll be doing it just because they’re your fans.”

I turn so fast my neck cramps up, but that pain has nothing on the panic choking me now.

“What are you saying?” I ask, since he didn’t actually come out and say anything concrete enough to cause this panic in me. Somehow, I already know he came here to deliver a serious warning, despite all that lust in his eyes while we chatted, which made me think having to tell me something was just a pretext to get him into my changing room.

“These are Russian mobsters and they came here all the way from Moscow. They’re new in town, and they’ll be looking to fix your tournament,” he says. “At least I’m pretty sure they will, and I’d like to offer you my protection so that doesn’t happen.”

He’s completely sure of everything he just said. It’s all over his face and in his stance, in the way his eyes are fixed on me like he knows he can’t lose and like he already knows I won’t say no. I’m not used to seeing that kind of raw confidence in others, but I recognize it, because it’s always there when I look in the mirror.

“Why should I trust you?” I ask, since that’s the only coherent response to all the things whooshing through my brain right now.

“Because I’m telling you the truth, and I want to help you,” he says and I know he knows just what a bullshit answer that is, but I also know he means it. And that second part makes no sense. So I should ignore it. I will ignore it.

“You know what, Hawk, I can take care of myself,” I tell him. “I’ve been doing it for a long time, and I certainly don’t need the help of some stranger who’s starting to sound more and more like a deranged stalker the longer he speaks to me.”

His grin fades and maybe calling him a deranged stalker was a step too far. But then he regroups before I can say anything else, and smiles wider. “Fair enough. You’re a smart and strong woman, I already knew that. But I meant every word I said. Do your homework, find out about the Russians for yourself, and I’ll be around, so you can let me know when you change your mind about wanting my protection.”

Then he turns and leaves. My mouth stays gaping open for a full minute after the door is already shut behind him. I’m not entirely sure any of that even happened. But the camera was rolling the whole time we spoke, so I’ll be able to go over it and listen to our exchange again. I should be worried about what he told me and not just happily excited at the idea of watching him on video like I am. Nothing makes any sense right now.

Except that guy with the cold eyes staring at me after the fight. That makes more sense now. He looked familiar, and that’s because he had a classic Russian face. So maybe this guy, Hawk, wasn’t just making it all up. Or maybe he’s working for them. That’s a possibility too. But I doubt it. Why? I have no idea. Maybe it’s because despite him being a total stranger, I still got the feeling he’s completely on my side. And I’ve always trusted my intuition. You have to, after you’ve been left alone in the world as a child. My intuition has steered me right so far.

I have to sleep on this. I have to go over this conversation and his warning in the cold light of day, not in the aftermath of winning a fight when adrenaline is high and emotions are all over the place.

* * *

Hawk

I expected Yanna to be more beautiful in person than in photos and videos, and she was. But that part I already got over while watching her fight. What I didn’t expect was my dick getting rock hard the moment we were alone in a room. By the end of our conversation, it was talking more than me, or more like screaming for her to say, “yes” right then and there. And it’s not any better now that I’m alone in the dark parking lot waiting for her to come out so I can make sure she gets home alright.

My dick’s trying to convince me to follow her right to her bed, that she wants me just as bad as I want her, and I think it’s true, but there’s no need to fuck this up by screwing her right away. Nah, I’m gonna take this one nice and slow, the way it’s meant to be. Back home, there’s plenty of women I can fuck without even knowing their names, and that’s fun, but not as exciting as it used to be. I want Yanna, but I want her to give herself to me completely, and for that I’ll have to wait.

I came on strong, but I didn’t expect her to say yes to me protecting her right then and there. What woman in her right mind would? Well, most of the girls my brothers seem to prefer probably would, but I never expected a fighter like Yanna to do that. So it’s no surprise she sent me packing.

But I meant every word I told her. I’m gonna make sure the Russians don’t get anywhere near her. And we’re gonna get to know each other a lot better while I do.

Viper’s Bite MC, the outlaws who went legit and gave us their entire weapons trafficking operation for helping them out of a tight spot about two years ago, are in charge of security for this tournament. They let me in to watch the fight, and they put in a good word with Yanna’s trainer, so he didn’t ask too many questions before letting me see her. Though the old man did take some convincing. The Vipers also told me the fighters will be leaving through the back only. So that’s where I parked and that’s where I’m waiting for her to come out.

Whoever’s sitting in that Beemer SUV with the black tinted windows across the lot probably has the same idea. It could even be the Russians, since all they seem to drive here in Vegas are BMWs. I’m kinda hoping it is, so she’ll see the truth of what I told her earlier when I chase them away, but then again, I also don’t want her to be scared.

I’ll follow her home, become more of a stalker than I already am that way, but hell, I was born to walk in the shadows and she’s too fucking gorgeous and pure to let her end up in Yuri’s clutches. She’s also too good a fighter to let that guy bend her, and I know from her videos how much fighting in legit tournaments means to her.

Man, I can’t wait to tame those sleek, powerful muscles of hers, can’t wait to soften all that strength. She liked me looking at her that way, seemed to like that prospect too, and I’m very glad I wasn’t wrong about that part of things either. No matter what Tank and the rest of them think, my dick won’t get in the way of anything with Yanna.