WHEN TERRY TOOK SHELBY AWAY I had a feeling I knew exactly what they wanted her to do. Twenty minutes later, my suspicion was confirmed when she waltzed out into the arena dressed like a UFC ring girl. Several of the other fighters whistled at her as she approached, and when she came up to me she had her lips pursed and hands on her hips. The tiny black and red top she wore pushed her tits together so tightly that if I reached out and touched them they’d spill out.
Dammit to hell, I wanted her.
“Let me loose in a den of wolves, huh? Little does Ryan know I’m not a little lamb,” she thundered. “I’m also not a model. What if I suck?”
As much as I hated her having to be touched by every hard cocked motherfucker in the room, I knew she would be good at it. She was strikingly beautiful, and if I was going to have any pictures taken with a ring girl in my arms I couldn’t have asked for a better one. The only problem was that all of the other guys were going to have her, too.
“You’ve never sucked at anything, Shelby. Just don’t get too comfortable with the guys, okay? I’m sure once we leave here word will spread they got to put their hands on what’s mine without getting their heads smashed in.”
“And who says I’m yours? I don’t think I gave you an answer yet,” she teased. “However, you did ask me to come here with you, so if I get excited being touched by your fellow fighters then it’s all your fault. I’m starting to think I might enjoy it.”
Before joining Ryan and two other fighters in the ring, she winked and kissed me on the lips. All too quickly she walked away; her gorgeous, perky ass only half covered by the black shorts Ryan’s assistant put her in.
Tyler whistled and patted me on the back. “Dude, I’d be pissed as hell if my girl had to rub up on these guys. I promise I’ll keep my hands off her tits, but I can’t promise I’ll keep them off her ass.”
“Wow, thanks, man. I feel so much better,” I remarked sarcastically, keeping my eyes on Shelby.
Tyler chuckled, elbowing me in the side, and it was hard not to smile when he was around. Shelby was a natural at anything she did, so watching her in front of the camera with her pouty lips and tight body was a fucking turn on. Most of the time, the other fighters I’d encountered were pretty respectful men, but every once in a while you’d get ones that really needed their asses kicked. Hopefully, that wasn’t the case today.
“All right, it looks like it’s about my turn,” Tyler pointed out. “You know I was kidding about touching her ass, right?”
I scoffed. “Well, I hoped you were kidding, if not, I was going to knock you out in the first round tonight. Thankfully, the guys here aren’t that bad. Now if Kyle was here that’d be a different story. I don’t want that prick anywhere near her.”
“Yeah, I don’t blame you. Having to wait until the end of the tour to fight him sucks,” he noted.
“Yeah, he’s my last fight for the month, and I can’t wait to kick his ass.”
Kyle Andrews was known for his cheap shots and shady fighting. He was underhanded in everything he did and he had no qualms about going to great lengths to fuck people up. Even though it wasn’t proven he played a part in my friend, Nate Jacobson’s suspension from the UFC, we were almost positive it was him that laced Nate’s drink with a heaping dose of steroids right before our drug test. He was suspended for two years, except those two years ended last year and he still hadn’t made it back to the sport.
This all happened right before we all realized how much of a worthless prick Kyle was. One thing that always pissed me off was he never got called out for anything. I had fought him now for three years in a row, the first time being when I won the Heavyweight title from him. He was a ruthless fighter and he deserved to be put in his place. It was a shame I only got to fight him once a season because I’d love nothing more than to kick his ass and remind him that I would always be better than him.
“Tyler, you’re up,” Ryan shouted.
Once Tyler got in the ring, Shelby’s whole mood shifted and she lit up, smiling and laughing at whatever Tyler was saying to her. Their pictures were playful and fun, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Tyler was a good guy and he worked hard. Hopefully, he would get the break he needed to get his name out there.
“Matt, come on up,” Ryan called out.
When I got in the ring, Shelby strolled up to me, her demeanor changing from playful to sinful as she turned around and rested her back against my chest. Taking my arms, she wrapped one around her stomach and the other to where my hand rested low on the dip between her hip and thigh.
“Hold me tight,” she whispered huskily. “We’re going to spice things up a bit.” That was one thing she didn’t have to tell me twice.
My grip tightened and she moaned when I pushed my rock hard cock against her ass. “Like that,” I growled low in her ear.
“Yes,” she breathed. “Just like that.”
Then the camera lights flashed.
AFTER THE PHOTO SHOOT WAS over, Ryan asked Shelby if she wanted to model with the guys again when the time came. I stood there silently repeating, Please say no, please say no. Politely, Shelby refused, but said she’d had a wonderful time. I was thankful for that because it was hard enough watching her do it the first time, much less a second.
After the photo shoot, we came back to my prepping room and she watched me warm up and tape my hands. Usually, I’d listen to music and shut everyone out, but I couldn’t do that with her around. I didn’t want to.
“Is this what you normally do when you get ready for a fight?” Shelby asked, making a few notes in her notebook. “I know you as a person, but as far as your training and fighting I don’t have a clue. It’s actually pretty interesting.”
“Yeah, this is mostly what I do,” I told her, “but I also listen to music when I warm up to get me pumped. I’m naturally driven and ready to fight, so it doesn’t take much to get me ready to go.”
“What sorts of music do you like to listen to beforehand?” she asked. “I know ten years ago your favorites were Usher and OutKast. Surely, things have changed since then.”
“Hey, I still listen to their CD’s every once in a while, but before fights I like to listen to Avenged Sevenfold or Five Finger Death Punch. We should go to one of their concerts sometime. I think you’d like them.” We had a rule when we were in high school that whoever drove had control of the radio. Needless to say, I mainly drove because I hated having to listen to her music; she loved boy bands.
“You have five minutes before you need to walk,” Garrett announced, poking his head in through the door. “You also have someone out here who wants to see you.”
Shelby pursed her lips but kept her eyes downcast and hand flying across the page as she wrote. I knew what she was thinking because it was the same thought going through my mind. Girls would come to my room before and after the fights offering to do anything I wanted. It was fun for a time, but for the past few months I hadn’t let anyone in my room at all.
“Who is it?” I questioned skeptically.
Garrett smiled, opening the door wide. The last person I expected to walk through that door was the one who did … Mason Bradley, the one fighter during my training that I looked up to. He was honorable and one of the toughest men I knew. He was also a good friend, and one to Tyler as well, so it shouldn’t have shocked me that he’d come watch us fight each other. If he hadn’t taken this coming season off, he’d be the one I had to defend my Heavyweight title against.
“Holy shit,” I announced, “if it isn’t Mason ‘The Eagle’ Bradley. I didn’t know you were coming.” Holding out my hand, he grasped it tight and chuckled.
“Hey, I didn’t want to miss this fight. I’m all for any chance I get to see Tyler’s ass get kicked. He used to fuck with me all the time about Claire. You’re lucky you don’t have to deal with that.”
Claire was his wife and I even gave him shit about her from time to time, flirting with her and such just for fun. Tyler, however, took things to a much different level. Shelby closed her notebook and got to her feet with a smile on her face; she was what I needed.
“Actually,” Shelby began, extending her hand to Mason, “I think Matt’s a victim of Tyler’s antics as well. I’m Shelby, an old friend of Matt’s.”
Shaking her hand, Mason lifted a brow, smirking. “An old friend, huh? I think I need to hear more.”
“She’s also Paige Monroe,” I told him. “She writes for Physique magazine. She was supposed to write an article either on me or you, but since your lame ass isn’t fighting this season I was picked. So, I guess I owe you a thanks.”
Mason grinned. “Well, you’re welcome. You deserve the spot anyway.” He then turned to Shelby. “I’ve actually read all of your articles. My wife, Claire, loves the magazine, so we get it every month. She’s going to be pissed when I tell her I met you. I guess next month I’ll be seeing this ugly guy’s face in it,” he said, pointing over at me.
The door to the room opened again and Garrett stuck his head back in. “It’s time to go,” he warned.
Shelby rushed and packed up her things before smiling over at me from across the room. “Good luck tonight, Matt. Make sure you win,” she chimed, winking one of her golden brown eyes at me. Before she could walk past me and out the door, I grabbed her arm and pulled her to me. Cutting off her gasp, I kissed her long and hard, tasting the sweetness of her lips that always reminded me of strawberries. She ate them constantly; chocolate covered ones being her favorite.
When I let her go, her eyes slowly opened and she moaned. “That was my good luck kiss,” I told her. “I couldn’t let you leave without giving me one.”
Her lips tilted up into a lazy grin. “It was my pleasure.”
Mason chuckled and slapped me on the arm. “Do you want me to walk her out there? It’s the least I can do since you always sit with Claire. Besides, I’m starting to think I need to bow down to her for taming the wild beast. It’s like you’re a whole new you.”
That’s how I felt when Shelby was around … different.
After they left, I followed Garrett down the corridor to the entrance where I’d walk out to the ring. Ever since Shelby came back into my life, I wanted to be a better person. If Mason could see that I was changing I could only hope she could see it, too.