by LK Collins
“Use your legs,” Logan reminds me and I start to mix in leg shots in between my jabs. He’s a shit talker too, but I don’t listen to his words. Logan’s voice is the only one that I hear. I land a solid body shot, but he gets me hard in the cheek. We continue working each other over and over again, and before I know it the ten-second bell dings and then I’m in the corner with Logan and Ethan. Logan rests a bag of ice on my shoulders while Ethan cleans my face up. “You have to get him to the ground. You don’t want this to go the full three rounds standing up.” I nod, taking a drink of water that I spit out.
Even if I give it my all standing up, he’s just as good as I am, if not a little better. “Use your leg, that’s your weapon, man.”
The break is over and as much as my head is in this fight, I still can’t wait for it to be over so I can be alone with Ivy. I can’t help the smile that’s spread across my face thinking of her. Round two begins and I focus more on my kicks to try and take him to the mat. He’s relentless though and in a last ditch effort, I press him against the cage, tiring him out with as many body shots as I can throw, doing my best to take him off his feet. The round ends and I’m pissed with myself.
Fuck!
“Don’t get frustrated, man. This is your round – now go end this shit.”
Beginning round three, I can see the exhaustion starting to sink in for Ronnie; his hands are lower than they have been the entire fight. Maybe he’s not that well trained in endurance. Either that, or he’s being cocky.
Hitting him backwards, I guide him to the cage. Then holding my forearm tightly to his neck, I reach down and grab between his legs instead of taking his feet from underneath him.
This is do or die. With all of my strength, I grip hard, lifting him as high as I can. The room goes silent as I prepare to drop him, Logan and Ethan are yelling encouragement. As I throw him down, following his body to make sure that I get on top, he lands in the most awkward way on his neck, clearly stunned but not knocked out. Taking side control, I lay elbow after elbow, watching him curl up and become defenseless. The crowd roars, urging him to get up, and it’s not but another ten seconds of this before the ref calls it. I hop off of Ronnie, screaming like a fucking animal with every muscle in my body flexing. Jumping on the side of the cage, I hug Logan and Ethan. Looking out at the crowd, they are all pissed. Egging them on would be a real asshole move, and stupid as fuck, so I get off the fence. As I look for Ivy, she has the biggest grin on her face and it makes me so happy I fulfilled my promise to her.
I keep my interview short and then jog down the stairs to the chorus of booing. But I’m not affected by it one bit. The guys are behind me and Ivy is in my sight, but right before I make it to her, some chick throws herself at me, pulling me to her like she knows me and grabs my face planting her lips on mine. I push her away, anger burning inside of me. “What the fuck?”
“You kicked ass!” Shannon from my sister’s wedding screams, drunk and stumbling.
I keep my arm held out, holding her back, but don’t need to as Ivy pulls her by the back of her hair and slaps her in the face, cursing at her. I stand stunned, not sure how to intervene. Ethan lunges forward to break them up, and I put an arm up stopping him. I can’t lie, I like this side of Ivy.
“I don’t know who the fuck you are, you drunk skank, but Krane is mine.”
Shannon cackles and sways, resting her drunk ass against the wall. The crowd is brewing behind us. “You sure about that? He was happy to fuck me at his sister’s wedding.”
“I’m sure he wasn’t!” Ivy grabs Shannon’s face as her drunk head hangs laughing. “Why don’t you shut the fuck up, while I make myself clear? Stay the fuck away.”
“Or what?”
Ivy punches Shannon hard in the stomach, dropping her to her knees.
“Enough,” Ethan yells, “You guys go. I got this.”
Taking my arm, I sling it over Ivy’s shoulder and walk off. “Please tell me you didn’t sleep with her.”
I usher her into the dressing room and nod my head, not able to confirm the words out loud. “I’m sorry, I was drunk and you and I weren’t talking and I thought that was it, we were over, and I just wanted to forget about everything for a while. I was in a fucked up place without you.”
Ivy puts her hand up. “Just stop. I really don’t care about what you did before we became this. But let it be known that I don’t have a problem standing up for what’s mine.”
“I can see that, and you looked so hot doing it.” Leaning down, I claim her mouth. Christ, she tastes so amazing.
“I wanna fuck you bad.”
“Mmmm, me too.”
Reaching behind her, I cup her ass just as Ethan barges in, and I look over Ivy’s shoulder at him. “Fuck, I’m sorry, but you gotta get out of here.”
“Why?” I ask confused.
“The paramedics just took Ronnie out of here on a stretcher.”
“What?”
“Yeah, he was complaining of numbness in his legs or some shit like that. Just leave your stuff here, I’ll get it all for you. The crowd is fucking pissed.”
Logan pops his head in. “Sorry, I had to get Victoria out of here. You guys ready? Shit’s getting stupid really fast out there.”
“Yeah.”
“Give me your keys and I’ll pull your truck around.” Ivy takes them out of her purse and gives them to Logan, in a hurry he jogs off. I remove the thin gloves that cover my hands and take Ivy’s, holding it tightly with the tape still covering my knuckles. She lets out a loud breath of air stressing about the belligerent crowd. “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine. We just need to move fast.”
I grab a towel, pressing it against my face as we exit the room. The hallway is clear and I notice when we round the corner heading towards the back door there is a large group of people shouting profanities. Security is just barely holding them back, and I pick up our pace.
“Let’s just say that kicking ass in North Rutherford doesn’t sit well with the fans,” Ethan says opening the back door. I don’t look back, but it sounds like the mob is getting closer, and these fuckers sound like they’re out for blood. Logan screeches up and puts my truck in park. I usher Ivy inside and then quickly hop into the driver’s seat myself.
“We’ll talk later,” Logan says. “Ethan or I will get your money. Just get out of here.”
“Thanks for everything, guys. Be safe!”
I roll my window up and speed off, seeing the first angry fans pouring out of the building, and a beer bottle comes flying at us, fortunately with shitty aim. “You okay?” I ask Ivy, sensing that she is a little shaken.
“Yeah, that was all just a lot to handle.”
“It’s not normally like that, but fighting in someone else’s hometown can always set the tone for madness. But it’s over now.”
“I don’t mean that.”
Shit, I was hoping she’d drop the Shannon thing.
I guess my persuasion to distract her sexually only worked for a brief moment. “You have to know that sleeping with that girl meant nothing. It was a one-time thing. I was drunk and angry that we weren’t talking. Trust me, I regret it. I should have made things right with you and taken you to Mia’s wedding.”
“You can’t change the past. Who knows, had you done that, then maybe we would have slept together back then and then both would have regretted it happening so soon.”
“I’ll never regret being with you. I know that for a fact.”
Ivy rests her head back and wraps her hand around mine. “Do you want me to take your tape off?”
“When we get home; for now, just hold my hand.”
Sitting back, I let Ivy clean my face up. She is so gentle and I love the way her eyes squint as she meticulously takes care of me. Zoë and I always had a dream that I’d make it big one day, but she’d never help me clean up after a fight; blood and shit like that creeped her out. But Ivy, she’s very attentive.
We are sitting on the couch and as she kneels n
ext to me, her tits are popping out of the thin white t-shirt. My cock is thinking very bad things, but I don’t make a move, seeing how much she is enjoying taking care of me. My eyes do however scan her body, moving up and down, all over her contours. Her legs, panties, tits, everything, imagining my hands all over her.
Her phone vibrates on the table for the fourth time tonight and I ask, “Are you gonna check that?”
“It’s just my mom.”
“I’m sorry that I went off on her earlier.”
“Don’t be, she needed to hear what you said.”
“I don’t know about that, but I couldn’t let her upset you like that.”
She puts a coating of Neosporin on my cuts and then straddles my lap, resting her arms on my shoulders. “She did; she’s angry and has to let go of the pain that is festering inside of her. It’s not a healthy way to live. I did a while ago and that’s what has got me through all of this.”
“You’re strong.”
“I am because I have to be; that’s what Zoë would want for me. I can’t break down and give up, that’d be the last thing that she’d want. There have been plenty of times that I’ve wanted to, but I’m a survivor. I mean, we all are really, there are just different ways of showing it.”
Lifting my hands I cradle her face. She blows me away every day, her strength is truly something special. “Spoken very well. Ivy…” I trail off, holding on to her as she looks back at me. She’s patiently waiting for my response. I want to tell her so many things, but none of them will come out right now, so I press our lips together and move my hands down her body until I am gripping her thighs. Lifting her up, I carry her out of the living room. She laughs against my mouth as we move, and once we are in my room, I toss her on the bed.
“Get naked,” I order her.
“You first,” she challenges back. I drop my sweats, letting them stay bunched at my ankles and grab my dick. “Why? You want this?”
She nods, putting her hands under the sides of her panties and slowly slides them off. I watch her every move, stroking my dick as I do. “Touch yourself.”
“Like this?” she asks placing her hand over her sex and slowly rubs two fingers back and forth.
Watching her play with herself turns me on like nothing else. With my hand wrapped tightly around my shaft, I stroke myself and scoot on the bed kneeling next to her mouth.
She looks at my cock and smiles. Then drops her head back and moans loudly. Reaching down with my free hand, I lift her head and guide her mouth to the tip of my dick. She’s as eager as ever, pleasing herself and molding her tight lips around me. I hold on to the back of her head sliding myself in and out of her.
In the distance, my phone rings, but nothing could stop me right now. Letting go of my cock, I reach down and move her hand aside, sliding my two fingers inside her pussy. “Mmm, you’re wet like a good girl.”
I begin to finger her and my phone rings again. She pulls away and asks, “Do you wanna get that?”
“Fuck no!” I take her head and guide those perfect lips back around me. Her mouth is a fucking goldmine, pleasing me in the most indescribable way.
With every pull and push of my fingers, she matches it with her lips and it about makes me come. But I control myself and then pull out as she comes herself. I shake my head smiling as her body rattles under my control.
My hand moves viciously enjoying her coming and then her body slows. I roll her body to her side, backing her ass up to me. Looking down, I can see a bit of her delectable cunt and move, nudging my cock against her, then she asks, “Can I fuck you?”
She doesn’t have to ask me that twice.
Lying back, I put my hands behind my head and let her take control. She straddles me removing her shirt and exposes her perky tits. I gesture that she leans down and gives them to me, but she doesn’t. She clenches my cock, burying me deep inside of her.
“Fuck,” I mumble, enjoying her warmth and tightness.
She reaches up, placing her hands behind her head, holding her hair in a mound on top of her head. She makes the sexiest noises sliding up and down my cock. Everything she is doing brings me so close to coming, but I don’t want to let go, so I take both of my hands and brace them on her hips, stopping her from moving. She looks at me confused. “Tits in my mouth, NOW!”
“But I like riding your cock.”
“And I love your pussy.” I pull her down to me, my eyes on her hard nipples. “But I don’t want to come yet.” I wrap my lips around her soft skin, sucking and flicking, causing her to whine in pleasure and she begins to bounce her ass, grinding her pussy on me.
The friction is so hard. Our hot and sweaty bodies are a perfect melody together and as I move to her other nipple, she slips away, sitting all the way up and fucking me hard. I watch her body and how the impact of my cock bounces her boobs.
“Fuck me, baby,” I order her, feeling my orgasm starting. She moves faster and I watch her for as long as I can. The flawlessness that is her body on top of mine pushes me over and I let go, shutting my eyes tight and pumping my hips upward. She bounces downward, working against me, and I come hard, so intense and so fucking delicious that I have to flip her over, pummeling myself inside of her.
“You like it rough, don’t you?” I ask, fucking her vigorously.
“Yes,” she says through a labored breath, wrapping one leg around me. Leaning up, I brace my weight on one side of her, and grip her thigh with my other hand getting lost in this moment, in this desire, with Ivy. Holding on to her tightly as we fuck, nothing else matters as I am inside of her, all of the pain of our past vanishes.
“Krane,” Ivy mumbles into the pillow and nudges me awake.
“What?”
“Your phone.”
In the distance, I can hear the ringing, but the warmth and solace of this bed are too great to get me out of it right now. “Fuck it.”
The ringing stops and I pull Ivy’s naked body close to mine, cuddling her. She whimpers a little and I nuzzle her neck breathing her in. She smells fucking amazing. The completeness of the moment drifts me back to sleep…
Suddenly, she shakes me awake. The goddamn ringing has started again and I rip the covers off. It’s been going off since last night. “What?” I answer yelling into the phone.
“I’m sorry to call so early Krane,” Logan says.
“You better fucking be, bitch.” I glance at the clock, it’s 6:46 in the morning.
“I am, I tried you a few times last night and didn’t hear back. After you guys left last night, shit hit the fan.”
“What the fuck happened?”
“Shut up,” Ivy yells from the bedroom and I close the door so her lazy ass can sleep some more.
“A lot, man – the prognosis for Ronnie isn’t good at all and the fans went nuts. And that wasn’t even the big thing. So Ethan and I decided to get the fuck out of there, and on the way out one of the scouts for ACM approached us. They are interested in discussing your options for fighting under them. But it’s gonna come with a price.”
“What the fuck? I don’t even know how to take all that. So first, what’s up with Ronnie?”
“He can’t move from the waist down.”
“Shit, you’re not fucking serious?” I ask, feeling terrible. I’ve seen shit like this go down before. It’s a risk we all take, but it’s always horrible.
“Yeah, it’s pretty bad. I’m not sure if it’s temporary or what, but it’s not something anyone ever wants.”
Fuck, knowing that I did this to him has my head spinning. “So what, does ACM just want me as Ronnie’s replacement?”
“I don’t think so, they seemed sincere in their interest. There’s so much that goes into all this and beating Ronnie, with your prior record, put you in the top twenty of your weight class,” he pauses and I can’t imagine ranking that high.
“Regardless of where I rank, I don’t want beating Ronnie until he can’t fucking walk to be the launch of my career. That’s fucked up.�
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“Come on, man, you won fair and square. He knew just as much as you did the ramifications for fighting. You always know before stepping foot in the octagon that something could go wrong.”
“So what? I win the one fight that can set me up for the future, but it comes with a shit ton of guilt? I ride his tragedy to the top?”
“Don’t think of it like that. Let’s keep hope he’ll get better. And who knows, you could have a re-match with Ronnie one day. I think that ACM is really serious about you, so what do you think about me representing you?”
“You think this is all legit?” I ask.
“Absolutely.”
“You’re one of the only guys in this world that I trust, so of course.”
“Good, thank you, man. I’ll be in touch in a bit and please don’t beat yourself up. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I have your check for last night. You won fight of the night so you should have an extra two grand on it.”
“All right, man, thanks.”
Hanging up with Logan, my mind begins to process everything. I’m not sure that a career in fighting is something that I want. Especially, if I have the capability to injure someone permanently and it keeps adding to my karmic shitstorm, then fighting might not be for me after all. But there is so much possibility, if I can make a career out of it.
Fuck, I’m starting to sweat, my throat feels tight, and I cough to clear it. Me and Ronnie’s hometowns aren’t that far apart, and if he doesn’t get better, then some dumb shit could do something and possibly hurt the ones I love and I won’t risk that…I can’t.
I start a pot of coffee and Google Ronnie’s name to see if I can get any information on his condition. I just need a sliver of hope right now to help get my head right, but there’s nothing. I don’t want to wake Ivy, and as she crosses my mind, I can feel Zoë jumping into the forefront of my thoughts.
It’s a hard pill to swallow imagining doing any of this without her. This was just as much her dream as mine.
Writing a note to Ivy, I leave it on the counter.
Went to Long Beach to clear my head. –K
