Chapter two
He was bigger than I was, but his movements were clumsy like that of an ape in a cage. He swung wildly. If I had allowed him to make contact, I would’ve been flattened before I even began.
I was dressed in my customary black workout pants and sports bra. My hair was pulled back into a ponytail and I had added red streaks to give myself the fierce makeover. I saw somebody watching me more intently than everyone else. He didn’t seem like he belonged and was totally out of place within the blood lust of those screaming for somebody’s head. I couldn’t get a good look past his blue blood.
This behemoth was telegraphing his moves and I easily evaded which only seemed to make him feel like he had something to prove. “Stay still and it will be over quickly. I’ve heard the rumors, but I haven’t seen anything to impress me. I think you have only been lucky and you’ve never faced anyone like me.” He was right. His size did give him an advantage, but only if somebody didn’t know how to use that against him.
“I hear a lot of talking, but I don’t see any marks on my body. It must be galling to be out of breath and literally ready to collapse from the effort.” I hit quickly, striking a bundle of nerves underneath his arm that made his left arm fall uselessly by his side. “You should’ve taken heed of everything you heard about me. None of it has been exaggerated. They threw you into the lion’s den because they really did think you stood a chance. They were under the mistaken impression size matters. I am used to typical male thinking. It’s what you have and can use properly that gives the bigger punch.”
He made this growl of an animal and I sidestepped him long enough to bring my leg down on the back of his right knee. He screamed, falling to a subservient role of looking up at me. He tried to reach out, but I was too quick for his clumsy maneuver. I was meticulous with how I had incapacitated him. My elbow came down on his wrist and I put him into a triangle hold.
I gave him credit for staying awake and most in this position faded quickly. The color of his face was a deep maroon. There was no tapping out in the cage. The only way to end this was to incapacitate the opponent enough that they wouldn’t be able to fight back. It was a broad term with many taking it to heart. Punishment didn’t mean a blood sport and my position had always been that intellect would always win out in the end.
“I’m going to hurt you so badly that you won’t be able to stand afterward.” It was false bravado, but I gave him his due for trying to stand with me holding firmly to my position. “I won’t let some little girl do this to me. I won’t hear the end of it.” He was a mountain of a man. It would’ve been interesting to translate his rage in between the sheets. I could see myself making him submit, riding him to completion and letting his seed wash away any of my doubts.
“The only thing you’re going to do is go to sleep.” I was a woman of few words, but what I said had the kind of impact of a sledgehammer between the eyes.
“I won’t give you the satisfaction.” If I had a dollar for every time somebody said that I would be able to afford some of the high rises in the metropolitan area.
I turned quickly, keeping him off his guard long enough to apply the chokehold. He was on his stomach and I was hanging off his back like an albatross around his neck. I knew just what kind of pressure to bring an end to his fight. He tried to break free of my grasp and I knew the bruises in the morning were going to be fresh.
The pounding of his fist became more like a small child reaching for his mother’s skirt. I felt his body go slack in my hands and I continued to apply pressure until I knew he wasn’t getting up.
The promoter of this fight club was not opposed to pitting a woman against a man. It made for some great entertainment. I’d always followed through with giving them a fight to remember. Rick Kirkland was going to make a mint and I was going to receive 20% of the take from tonight’s festivities.
I stood up to a multitude of boos, but there were some loyal followers that gave me my just desserts. It felt good to make this man knuckle under. He was one of those muscle-bound freaks, but he could’ve been more of a challenge had he taken classes in hand to hand combat. Once he learned that, he would be a better fit to go toe to toe with me again.
I stepped out of the cage without a hair out of place. There were no marks on my body except for the bruises that would show up later on my forearms. They were going to be painful and it wasn’t like I was a stranger to having injuries.
Rick was amassing his fortune one fight at a time. He was collecting his bounty and counting the $100 bills without the concern of somebody mugging him. It was an unwritten rule and one the fighters and spectators followed without hesitation. Nobody was to touch him or they would be banned for life from fighting or watching their favorite pastime. His security consisted of a couple of disgraced fighters. They didn’t have any place to go and he scooped them up when they didn’t have anything left.
He motioned for me to follow him into the back room. There was no doubt the black leather couch was used for extracurricular activities. I didn’t even want to begin to imagine what a black light would reveal.
“Payton, you always go above and beyond the call of duty. Tonight was no different. We made out like bandits. I’ve always been a man of my word. Here is your take and you have been missed greatly around here. I was beginning to think you weren’t going to have to slum it anymore. I should have known better. You have this need to get violent. You made it look so easy, but you know what they say about it only taking one.” He handed me $20,000 in cold hard cash. Unfortunately, I was going to have to spend 99% of that getting a particular loan shark off my back.
“The one thing nobody can take from me is my will to fight. I may not like this little enterprise of yours, but it does help me in ways you can never imagine. I would thank you, but it’s not like you haven’t profited yourself.” I was about to leave with him counting his ill-gotten gains all over again, but he stopped me by putting his hand on my shoulder.
He was sleazy, but he had good bone structure and the kind of reputation for being a beast in the sack. I was tempted to mix business with pleasure, but it was a slippery slope.
I looked at the way that he was touching me; giving him a cold hard stare of disapproval which made him take his hand back like somebody had burned his fingertips.
“I’m sorry, I forgot about your rule of no touching. I wish one day you would allow me to show you what you have been missing.” He fondled himself, showing the real estate slinking down the left side of his leg. It was appalling, but also a very telling sign of his virility. Those that had spent the night took the walk of shame with a smile on their face. He was different from other guys. His advances were not strictly given to the female persuasion. He was an equal opportunity kind of lover.
“One of these days, I might just take you up on your offer and we’ll see who can go the distance.” I held his stare and he was fanning himself with the money made on the backs of others.
“I have a bonus for you in the amount of $5000. There’s a man who wants to meet you. He has given me the incentive to make it happen.” If I had gotten 5000, then I could only imagine what his take from that was. He always did have greedy pockets and took every opportunity to supplement his income.
“I’m not opposed to talking to anyone, but it has to be on my terms. Give him this number and I’ll make arrangements to see him in a public place. I have to say, you surprised me by how much money you gave me tonight. I’m going to let it slide this one time, but let’s not forget who’s the moneymaker. It’s not 10% and we both know it. We will return to the standing arrangement of 20% next week.” He was always trying to undercut me, but it was a game to see if I was a woman enough to catch him.
“I was only screwing with you.” He handed me the rest of the cash he owed and tonight I was going to live high on the hog eating lobster and spending my time in the presidential suite of a high-end hotel. I would be able to stay there for at least a week. I should have invested wisely in an apartment, but I was never one to put down roots. This city was the bane of my existence growing up, but I’d always found myself thinking of it as home.
“You’ve always been a bit sleazy, but I do find myself curious about the rumors.” He didn’t even hesitate, unzipping his fly and pulling out something that would give size queens a run for their money. “My god; is there no end to your shame. I didn’t ask to see it. If I wanted to, I could easily seduce you out of your pants.” He was smiling the entire time with that one gold tooth shining in the light. His hand was wrapped around his manhood. I could only describe it as a growing snake in the grass.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with showing it off. I figure, if you like it then I won’t have to work hard to get you into bed.” I didn’t know what there wasn’t to like, but I had no idea how to wrap my lips around his appendage. It would’ve been interesting to try. I would gladly show some real enthusiasm.
“I do admire a guy that puts it out there for everybody to see.” He wasn’t even hard and it was still growing. There was nothing more revolting to women than a guy with a big ego. It was where we differed. I liked to think of those guys as being my perfect man. They never ceased to amaze me with their blatant disregard for good taste.
“All you need to do is say so and it can be yours for one night only. We can have a lot of fun if only you can get out of your head long enough to enjoy yourself. I don’t have any problem putting you at the top of the list. Your constant denial is really getting on my last nerve. You’re the only one who was never given in willingly. I’m not the kind of guy to force anything on anyone. This is only a brief peak and if you want to see anything more, then you know where I am. I’ve never had any problem with finding female companionship, but you are my white whale.” He put it back in and I had to stifle a sigh of regret for not seeing it in all its glory.
“I don’t know where that thing has been and I do hope the term no love without the glove comes to mind. You do drive a hard bargain, Rick, but I think tonight is not your lucky night. It’s only a matter of time. It’s possible your patience will be rewarded 10 times over. I don’t mean to brag, but I’m very good at draining a guy of his bodily fluids. I am very thorough and those that have been fortunate to be with me understand rising from the ashes takes on a whole new meaning.” I let him ponder those comments and left there pretty damn sure that I wasn’t going to get the phone call. I was about to find out how wrong I was.