Chapter 18
Xander
It’s been five days since my parent’s intrusion and life couldn’t be better, or at least, it will be the second I get out of that house.
Though I have to admit, it still pisses me off the way they barged into my home and spoke to my girl. I can handle the shit they gave me, after all, I’ve gotten it from them my whole life but for them to turn that bullshit on Charli. That was uncalled for and completely sealed the deal for me. From that moment, I swore to myself that I will never put myself or Charli through the ugliness of having anything to do with my parents. They will never intrude on our future again.
Though I have no doubt I will make it in the professional circuit and I know the moment my name starts spreading around, my parents will be right back, begging for a piece of the attention but they have burned their bridges and I will never go back on my word. I am done with them.
The moment the decision was made, I felt like I was free like my chains had finally been broken away and I could be who I truly am. The feeling was like flying and I will never put myself back in that position again.
Cole and the boys at Rebels Advocate were thrilled when I walked in on Monday morning as a free agent. They always hated the hockey thing, not the actual sport but knowing it wasn’t truly me and that it was wasting good energy that I could have been spending on training for upcoming fights.
So the next few days pretty much went as waking up with Charli, screwing her brains out, she would go to the salon and I would go to Rebels, we’d each spend our days doing what we did best and loved before heading home, cooking dinner and making sweet, sweet love.
Though, now that’s all ruined because Micky called yesterday to tell Charli the bar has been reopened and her shifts are starting up again. Charli was thrilled and of course, I was thrilled for her but only because she loves the place so damn much. Otherwise, I would have been much happier having her all to myself each night, rather than sharing her with the ogling eyes of her customers.
So here I am, Thursday after training all day. I have decided to wait to get a new truck until the end of the competition, that way, I’ll know exactly how many extras I can afford to put on the big bastard. Which means, I’ve been running to and from training, which isn’t too bad in the mornings but after a day of vigorous training, it really sucks.
A slight rain starts coming down which refreshes me and makes me feel brand new, so I push myself a little harder. I run through the streets, rather than sticking to the main roads. My iPod blares through the little speakers in my ears and I get lost in my own world.
I stop after a while and quickly reach into my bag for a drink of water. As I bend down to find my bottle I have a quick look at where I am, which honestly I actually have no fucking idea but one thing I do know is the house I stand directly in front of has a big ‘for-sale’ sign and I absolutely love it.
I work out the address and save it to the notepad in my phone before taking a quick picture of the house and the agent’s details on the front of the sign. I glance back at the house and I know this is it. I can picture myself here with Charli, having kids and growing old. Nothing screams more perfect than this.
I get myself back home and clean myself up before heading down to Micky’s. I know she is working but I can’t find the will to wait till she gets home to show her this place. I was going to head down just to walk home with her later, so what if it’s a few hours early?
The place is packed and I have to boot some drunken idiot off my favourite stool before I can sit down and enjoy a beer. Charli’s face lights up the second she sees me and I can’t wait. I pull my phone out immediately and show her.
Her eyes light up and I know she is seeing what I saw. “Are you sure about this?” she asks.
“I’ve never been so sure in my life,” I tell her.
Her eyes flick back to the picture on my screen one more time before she leans across the bar and kisses me. “Ok,” she says. “Call the agent.”
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We’ve been living in our new home for just over a week now and it honestly is amazing. You know, a part from having a mortgage but I’m hoping, once I win this competition, I’ll be able to pay a shit load off it.
I stand in my lounge room with Aaron as we wait for Charli and Zara to hurry up and get ready. I swear, the moment Charli discovered makeup, she has gone crazy about the shit. Well, not super crazy like those chicks you see on MTV with the orange skin and raccoon eyes, more like everywhere we go she has to try a new colour on her lips then match it with her outfit.
Apparently, she has fallen in love with the stuff so much that she wants to study make-up too and have that as a service her salon will provide, you know, when she gets one of course but if that makes her happy, then I’ll make my way through the darkest pits of hell to make it happen.
Aaron ducks into the kitchen and grabs two beers from the fridge and offers me one as he takes a seat. “Nah man,” I say. “Not with the fight tonight. I need a clear head.”
“Yeah, sorry man,” he says as he retracts his outstretched arm. “I should have known.”
“No drama’s,” I say, flopping down on the couch, realising the girls could be a lot longer.
“Who are you up against tonight?” he asks, already halfway through his beer.
“Some kid called ‘The Dark Shadow’. He’s pretty good,” I tell him.
“Oh yeah, I caught him last week. The kid is fast.”
“I know,” I laugh. “Hence why I need a clear head tonight. The guys I’m up against are getting better and better.”
“Yeah, but they still don’t have anything against you,” he says, ever my number one fan, right after Charli, of course.
“True,” I scoff, adding to the ever-growing giant which is better known as my ego. “But all it takes is one punch. If I miss even the smallest little move, they could take me out.”
“I guess,” he agrees, putting the empty beer down and reaching for the second. “I still got bets on you so you better not fuck up,” he warns me.
“Really?” I question, “That might just be incentive enough to throw the match,” I joke.
“Get fucked,” he laughs as the girls finally emerge from the bathroom.
Charli comes out in a gold sequined dress that hugs her perfect body just right. I get up off the couch and go straight for her. I grab her wrists and hold them up over her head as I slam her up against the wall.
My lips come down on her neck as I press my body against hers. She lifts her legs around my waist and I grind myself into her. She lets out a moan and I release her wrists so I can explore the feel of her body.
A throat clears behind us and I groan into her neck. “Do you think they’ll go away if we pretend they aren’t here?” I murmur.
“It’s worth a try,” Charli giggles.
“Seriously, dude? I know you love your girl and all but I’m sure tonight’s forty grand will look pretty good in your bank account,” Aaron comments.
“Are you kidding me?” Zara scolds Aaron. “This shit is hot, please continue.”
I let out a sigh as I grind myself against her one more time. “This isn’t over,” I warn her.
“I’m counting on it,” she says as she untwines her legs from my waist.
We lock up and head for Aarons truck. He pulls the keys from his pocket and I snatch them from his hand while making my way to the driver’s seat. “What gives?” he demands.
“You just had two beers in the space of five minutes. I’m not letting you drive, especially with my girl in the truck,” I tell him.
“Fine,” he sulks as he climbs up into the passenger’s seat. The girls get in the back and before we know it, I’m pulling up at tonight’s location.
We make our way in and just like the few times before, they come in through the back with me until it’s time for the fight to begin.
Cole wraps my hands and I’m pleased to find my match is second in line, which means I’ll be in and out in no time and back home, buried deep inside my girl, making her scream my name over and over again.
Half-an-hour later, I stand in the middle of the ring with the crowd cheering my name, waiting for my opponent to emerge.
The kid who is better known as ‘The Dark Shadow’ comes strutting out into the ring, he is roughly the same size as me and from watching him the week before, he is just as quick which means tonight comes down to pure skill.
Luke had blurted out all the facts of the guy before the match and apparently, while he is fast with his punches, his footwork is lacking, he apparently also favours his right side which is just enough information to give me a good boost into the match.
The fight gets started and just as I expected, we are pretty equally matched. As I land a blow, he also lands one. I know watching this must be killing Charli’s nerves so I do my best I get the job done without getting touched.
Just as I had told Aaron, I certainly do need a clear mind with this one. I keep my eyes trained on the guy, watching and waiting for every little movement he makes and I quickly realise that I’m so deep in concentration, I am almost his mirror image. When he moves, I move.
The fight continues on and the crowd screams for an ending. Comments like ‘finish him,” are thrown around and I have to admit, the crass nature sort of spurs me on.
I could go on forever but at the same time, I want to get back to my girl and enjoy the night so I push myself a little harder. My punches come out stronger and faster and my reflexes sharpen up.
I get the guy down to his knees with a kick and I take the opportunity. I hear him gasping for breath and realise I could have just kept going, exhaustion would have taken him soon. I get him completely down but he isn’t ready to give in yet.
He punches and kicks up at me so I drop down on top of him, locking his arms at his side, He squirms desperately, realising its nearly over. I put the guy out of his misery and bring my fist down to the side of his head.
His eyes roll back in his head and it’s lights out.
I hate winning by KO but apparently, it’s the ‘in’ thing, I’ve always felt it was a way of cheating but in the underground, you do what you got to do.
I’m declared the winner and I make my way back to the fighter’s area with Cole who scolds me on each mistake and error I made. I get myself dressed as Cole grabs a first aid kit to clean up all the little cuts my opponent managed to make.
I head back out to the ring and find Charli in her sexy little dress. It doesn’t take me long to realise she isn’t alone though, in fact, she has quite the little crowd surrounding her.
Every single player from the Dragons stand with my girl and I wonder how the hell I didn’t notice them before, even Coach Harris stands among them and man, am I’m happy I didn’t fuck up that fight, otherwise I’d never live it down.
Charli throws herself into my arms and kisses me with pride. “Do you have any idea how turned on I get watching you fight?” she murmurs into my ear.
I grin down at the little minx. “Don’t you forget it,” I tell her.
“Fuck,” Jaxon says as I make my way over to the guys. “You’ve got skill,” he admits as he pulls me in and claps me on the back. “I’m not even pissed you kept it from me anymore.”
“Thanks,” I say with a grin. “And sorry, I wanted to tell you but I couldn’t.”
“Nah,” he says shaking it off. “Don’t worry about it. I get it.”
Relief washes over me. I hated the feeling that I was betraying the boys, especially Jaxon as I had really come to respect him over the time I’ve known him but to hear we’re all cool, makes everything feel right again.
One by one, the boys come around and chew me out while also offering their compliments on the fight. I introduce Charli to the guys properly even though, she apparently has already done it.
The next fight gets started and it appears we’re all making a night of it. Drinks get bought and the boys get wasted, apparently, they are here for a night of celebrations as well after winning another game, keeping them undefeated.
A slight jealousy tears through me, feeling like I’ve missed out but at the same time, I know I’ve made the right decision. Fighting is what I want to do. It’s not long before Coach starts looking like he’d rather be anywhere else and takes off, a few of the ‘good’ boys follow his lead and get going and before we know it, there is just a small group of us left.
We all move in to watch the last fight when someone comes barging past me and knocks me in the shoulder, spilling my drink all over Charli. She gasps as the cold liquid splashes all over her body.
I grab the culprit and instantly recognise ‘Pitt Bull’ wearing a smirk. I realise pretty damn quickly that he had done it on purpose and rage flies through me. “I think you owe my girl an apology,” I demand as Charli stares at him with her arms crossed over her chest and narrowed eyes.
‘Pitt Bull’ looks Charli up and down with a sick kind of interest that has me right on edge. “I’ll give your girl all sorts of things but an apology isn’t one,” he says with a smirk.
I know I shouldn’t but the alcohol in my system is urging me on. I grab the fucker by the collar and pull him to me. “You better fucking watch it, asshole,” I warn.
“Or what?” he laughs. “You’ve got no fucking chance against me. You’re nothing, just some scum standing in between me and my two hundred grand. You better watch your fucking back because I’m coming for you.”
I smirk back at the loser, knowing he is talking shit. He wouldn’t have said a word if he wasn’t worried I could beat his ass. “Bring it, fucker. The only place you’re coming is in second after I wipe the floor with you.”
He lets out a growl and gives me a shove, right into the rest of my group. I can’t help it, no one disrespects my girl and then my boys. I push him back and suddenly it’s on. With the crowd around us and the tables and chairs, I take him straight down.
My fist pummels into his face and I grin at the satisfaction it gives me.
Cole is on me in seconds, desperately trying to pull me off him. Luke and Jace join in and eventually get us separated. “Deal with it in the ring,” Cold scolds us both. “It’s only a fucking week away. I’m sure you dickheads can reign it in until then.”
‘Pitt Bull’ gives out a scoff before spitting blood from his mouth. He turns his back and disappears.
“You,” Cole says, pointing an angry finger at me. “Get your ass home,” he demands before turning and disappearing through the side door.
Shit. I’m going to pay for that.