Tap Out (Fight It Out MMA Series Book 2)

by Terra Kelly

  “We’ll see about that.”

  One

  “Need a lift home?” Brooks said and held the door open for me to exit the arena.

  “Um, sure,” I said and patted his chest. “Such a gentleman.”

  I still couldn’t believe my best friend was bantamweight champion. We had talked about wearing matching belts for as long as I could remember. It was my turn to win the flyweight division and I would.

  “Earth to Charlie.” Brooks waved his hand in front of my face. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, I was just thinking about Lily. I’m so damn proud of her.”

  “The memorial fund in memory of her father was an amazing idea. There are so many fighters that need just a little bit of help.”

  I turned in my seat and watched as Brooks continued talking. When I met him, he seemed cocky and so sure of himself. He was all that, but he also ended up being much more than I ever imagined. When Lily moved in with Julian, Brooks became my go-to friend to bounce ideas and moves off of. Lily never left me high-and-dry; she was just wrapped up in a new relationship.

  As Brooks and I continued to spend more time together, I noticed something change between us. I was too afraid to say anything because what if he didn’t feel the way I did? He was my friend, but was I willing to lose that friendship by admitting my own feelings.

  “I’ll see you at the gym tomorrow,” Brooks said as he pulled into my driveway.

  I looked around and realized I was home. “Oh, um, want to come in for a bit?” The words fell out before I had a chance to take them back.

  “You sure? I know it’s late, and we have a big day of training tomorrow.”

  “We can handle one drink.” I winked and opened the car door. “We might be able to handle two drinks even.”

  “Now that’s just crazy talk,” he teased and locked his car.

  As my fingers fumbled to unlock the front door, I felt his body only inches away from mine. I glanced up and smiled before pushing through the entrance. “Wine or something stronger?”

  “Stronger.” He stayed close as I made my way into the kitchen to grab a couple glasses and some bourbon.

  “Ice or no ice? I can’t remember how you like it.” I held up his glass which was half-full of bourbon.

  He surprised me by stepping into my personal space. “How could you forget?”

  I looked down at the distance between our bodies and sucked in a breath. “Forgetful.” I shrugged my shoulders. He reached out his hand to grab the glass but took my hand too. “How am I supposed to drink mine?”

  “You’re not.” He sighed and set the glass on the counter.

  “Oh, not in the mood for a drink now?”

  “No.” He brushed a strand of hair away from my face and tucked it behind my ear. His touch caused my body to come alive. With each contact he made on my skin, I felt a shiver run down my spine. “Charlie,” he whispered.

  “It’s not just me?”

  “No, it’s not, sunshine.”

  “Sunshine? Is that my new nickname?” I placed my hand over his. “Why that name?”

  “Well, everyone calls me Hollywood, so I thought it would be a perfect name that would go with mine.”

  “Oh, so you feel pretty confident about this thing that is happening between us?”

  He circled his hand around the back of my neck. “More than confident.” Then he dropped his head and captured my lips.

  Eight months later…

  “Can we stay here all day?” I said, wrapping my legs tighter around Brooks’s body.

  “Nope, you have training to do.” He tried to push me away but failed.

  After several months keeping our relationship on the down-low, we’d finally had it and let the world know. I loved starting and ending my day with him right beside me. I knew he had a house, but for some reason, we continued camping out at my little rental. It was more about me; I wasn’t ready to make it that official. His house was a mansion and pretty amazing, and the commitment kind of freaked me out. For so long, I swore off men and had myself convinced they were all just as awful as my father.

  Brooks found a way to prove me wrong.

  I stood and started to head to the shower. He smacked my ass, causing me to jump. “You’re mean,” I whined.

  “Want me to show you mean?” He winked.

  “Personally, I’ll take dirty over mean.”

  “Oh, we can do that,” he said, hopping off the bed and chasing me into the bathroom.

  I squealed the whole way and then turned quickly to face him. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “I think you’d manage.”

  “I beg to differ.”

  He reached down and scooped me up into his arms. “Let’s discuss this over a hot shower.”

  My father would never win now.

  My life was too perfect for him to break me down.

  “Hey, sunshine.” Brooks pulled his leg tighter around my throat. “You paying attention?”

  “Kinda hard when you have a death grip on my vocal chords,” I said and tried to move my arms to the inside of his legs and push out.

  We had been grappling for the last two hours, and my body was finally screaming “defeat.” I had a fight in four days with Spartacus and still couldn’t figure out how to avoid the rear choke submission. Julian Moore and Brooks Moore, the owners of Fight It Out, were working extra with me.

  “Still on the same move,” Lily teased and sat down on the mat. I held my middle finger up in her direction. We had a love-hate friendship after all these years.

  “If Brooks would stop trying to attempt to kill me by suffocation, I could move on.”

  “Not true,” Brooks said, finally letting go of my neck. “You just look cute—”

  “Choking to death,” I teased, finishing his sentence and shoving at his side.

  “You ready for the fight this weekend?” Lily took a drink from my water bottle.

  “As ready as I will ever be.”

  After Lily signed with AFC, Spartacus approached me about five fights over the next year and half. Basically the same deal Lily agreed to. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

  Brooks jumped up and stepped closer to me. “Need some extra help getting ready for the fight?” Then he actually winked at me.

  “Ewww, I’m out.” Lily jumped up and walked away.

  “Help?” I tried not to laugh at his weak pick-up line.

  He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close. “Sure. Maybe let off some unwanted energy in bed.”

  “Oh, talk sexy to me, Hollywood.” I wrapped my arms around his neck. “So are we going to just—”

  “Fuck like bunnies,” he quickly said.

  I shook my head. “Hopefully no bunnies will be harmed during this event.”

  “Sometimes it just happens.”

  His words caused me to start laughing, and then I struggled to stop. I loved how he knew how to make me laugh. After all these months together, and I was still worried about taking our relationship to the next level. I worried I would treat him the way my dad treated my mom.

  “Oh shit,” Brooks said, stepping away. “I forgot, I agreed to help with the self-defense class tonight.” He turned his head in a curious way. “Want to help?”

  “Me? How can I help with self-defense class?”

  “Malik let me know there were ten women who signed up,” Brooks said and kissed my temple. Malik was a middleweight fighter at the end of his fighting career, so it made sense he wanted to help others with self-defense moves. “We could pair up and give more of a one-on-one session for the ladies.”

  “That sounds fun.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Count me in.”

  He pulled me close to his body. “You know what I like most about you?”

  “My irresistible smile.”

  “Well, yes, but something else.” Brooks leaned in and kissed me. “Your willingness to help others.”

  “Oh, is that what you like most about me? An
d here I thought it was our fucking like bunnies sessions.”

  “Those are pretty damn good, too.”

  I swatted at his arm and started to head toward the locker room. “What time is the class?”

  “Seven.”

  “Perfect.”

  The moment I stepped foot into the locker room, my phone rang. Glancing down at the screen, I quickly hit accept. “Hey, bro.” Jackson, my twin brother, lived in Michigan now but called me at least once a week.

  “You sound out of breath?”

  “Just finished a training session with Brooks.”

  “You ready for your fight in four days?”

  He promised me several months ago he wouldn’t miss my fight. I had a feeling that was about to change. “Yup, my weight is right on target, so I’m ready to rock and roll.” The moment I heard him let out a heavy sigh, I knew I was right. “So you can’t make it, eh?”

  “What? No.”

  “Jackson, give me more credit than that. What is it this time?”

  “Work.”

  It was always work. A part of me wondered if he was trying to avoid taking a trip back to this side of the country. I mean, who could blame him really. My parents had six kids, and only two were currently still in the bay area.

  “Whatever.” I pretended someone walked into the locker room. “What? Okay, hold on.” Only a portion of me felt bad lying. “Listen, Lily just yelled for me. I need to go.”

  “Hey,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

  “Okay. Talk to you next week.”

  I hit end and slammed the phone down on the bench. Somehow my father still had this hold over his kids, even the ones who escaped his rules.

  “Hey, sunshine,” Lily said, walking toward me. I shook my head, taking myself away from those memories. She sat down beside me. “Want to practice a little more? Or do you feel ready?”

  I looked up at Lily and reached for her hand. “Thank you.”

  “For?” she said and scowled.

  “Just being you.”

  “Jackson’s not coming, is he?”

  Her question took me by surprise. “How?”

  “You have this look every time he cancels on you.”

  I rested my head on her shoulder. “It’s fine.”

  She turned her body to face me. “Stop saying it’s fine.”

  “What else can I say?”

  “Say you’re pissed. Say you want to punch something. Say you want to yell at him.”

  I knew she was right. Getting mad and letting my emotions out would feel better. “It won’t change a damn thing, Lily Bug.” Leaning forward, I kissed her cheek. “How about I let off some steam while helping Malik with self-defense class tonight?”

  “Brooks convinced you?” She threw her hand over her mouth.

  “Oh that man, he will pay. Why am I really helping?”

  “Jenny, a woman who signed up, needs someone who understands what she’s going through.”

  That basically meant, someone who experienced abuse in some form. I was willing to help this woman if that was what she needed. I patted her arm. “They could have just told me they needed me to work with Jenny, instead of the big run-around.”

  “Tell them that.”

  “I think I will,” I said and stood up. “After my shower.”

  “Miss tough girl,” Lily teased and left the locker room.

  I was tough dammit.

  Two

  “I’m Charlie,” I said, putting my hand out toward Jenny. “Is this your first self-defense class here at Fight It Out?”

  Jenny’s shoulders were slumped forward, and her head was bent. She did shake my hand but just barely. “Yes,” she said in a whisper.

  I knew Malik offered a ten-session class every quarter. Normally the women joined to workout with him. He was a silver fox and could easily forget his T-shirt all day, every day if we had a say in the matter.

  “Is there a reason you joined the class?” We didn’t normally ask that question, but she seemed so timid, I was curious.

  “Um, no.” I could tell by her facial expression she was lying.

  “Okay, well, I’m going to help out and work with you for the ten sessions.”

  “Oh.” Her head whipped up to face me. “I can work with you?”

  “Yeah, is that okay.”

  My words caused her shoulders to straighten and her voice to go a few octaves higher. “Yes.”

  Malik talked for about fifteen minutes before actually having the women step onto the mat. The class was divided between Malik and Brooks. They moved each group to opposite sides of the room.

  Jenny was standing in the center of the mat looking at both groups. She glanced over at me. “Why are we really working together?”

  I sat down and crossed my legs in front of me. “Sit with me.” She followed suit and sat down opposite of me. “When you signed up, you mentioned you needed help because of your husband.”

  “They wrote that down?” She sounded shocked.

  “Well, since it’s a self-defense class, we find it important to be in tune with each person who signs up.” I reached for her hand. “I can’t relate with your situation completely, but I do understand abusive situations.” I paused for a beat. “Are you in an abusive setting at home?”

  Jenny bent her head. “I can’t take it anymore.” Her voice was so low it was hard to hear her.

  “Then let’s stop him.”

  “How?”

  “Tell me what moves we need to work on?”

  She didn’t answer for the longest time. When she started to speak, I noticed a tear fall down her cheek. “How to stop him from strangling me.”

  I’ll be honest, her words caught me. I felt a lump form in my throat, and it took every ounce of strength I had to avoid crying. The next ten weeks were going to be a test on my soul. “Have you ever done any form of mixed martial arts?”

  “Nothing,”

  “That’s okay. We’ll take it slow.”

  We spent the next fifteen minutes talking about the sport and the best ways to strengthen your body for each move.

  “Do you have the ability to workout any other time of the day?”

  She shook her head and quickly said, “No.”

  “Okay, let’s use this time wisely then.”

  There had been many days where I wanted to hit myself for not fighting back with my dad. I knew I should’ve fought back when my dad would hit me. Fear held my hands in place. Something I was sure Jenny could relate to.

  “Hey, Malik,” I yelled. When he jogged our way, I noticed Jenny stiffen. “Can you help me show what a rear naked choke hold looks like?”

  “Sure,” he said, keeping his distance from Jenny.

  I let Malik wrap his legs around my waist from behind. He slid his arm around my neck and pulled back carefully. Since we were showing the move, I didn’t fight against him.

  “You can see how he has my neck locked in place with his arm.” I tapped twice on his arm around my neck. “Before he can complete the choke hold, I want to stop his other arm from going behind my head.” I demonstrated reaching for his arm but missing my opportunity. “It happens fast, and if you can’t stop him, he will have his other arm in place before you know it.” I tapped twice for him to let go. “With that hold he has the ability to stop blood flow in my two arteries on my neck and also the back of my neck. I could pass out quickly.”

  Jenny cleared her throat. “How do you avoid that hold?”

  I leaned up. “Well, number one, avoid him mounting you from behind. If he is behind you”—I placed my body in front of Malik again—“when he reaches around, you quickly lock his one arm under your armpit, and the other you stop with your hand.”

  “But what if I’m not strong enough?”

  “Fair enough. Then the moment he is behind you and about to wrap his arms around your neck, lift your shoulders up to your ears.” I showed her what I meant. “Having your shoulders up prevents him from wrapping his arms around you and fol
lowing through on the hold.” Malik made a few attempts to circle his arm around my neck but failed with my shoulders still up.

  “I don’t know if I could do it.”

  I squeezed Malik’s arm. “Thanks.” It was his cue to leave. “If you let me, Jenny, I want to get you strong enough to be able to follow through on that hold.”

  “Oh, excuse me.” She ran over to her bag sitting at the edge of the mat and pulled out a small cellphone. I had a feeling it was her husband on the other end because her face was turning a new shade of white. As she hit end on the phone, she also reached for her bag. “I need to go.”

  “You okay?”

  “Huh, oh yeah.” I watched her walk quickly toward the door.

  “Will I see you next week?”

  Jenny reached for the handle and turned her head my way. “I’m not sure.” Then she was gone.

  There were ten more minutes left in the class, so Malik and Brooks were busy. I knew I could help them, but I needed a few minutes to myself. As I walked outside, there was a car pulling out of a parking spot. It looked like Jenny behind the wheel. Then a second later, I heard a car skid out of a spot and increase speed down the main drag. Was Jenny in danger?

  I had no way to help, but I wanted to.

  “Wine or sparkling water tonight?” Brooks asked, opening the refrigerator.

  “Just a small amount of wine,” I said, draining the pasta. “Really, I shouldn’t be drinking, but Jenny threw me off tonight, though.”

  He handed me a glass. “Did she share why she was taking the class?”

  “Well, not in so many words, but kinda.” I poured the meat sauce in a pan with the cooked noodles. “She is there because of her husband, for sure. I have a feeling we may not see her again.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  I proceeded to share about the car I saw skidding out of the parking lot. “The husband may have followed her to the gym.”

  “Hey,” he said, reaching for my hand and pulling me toward him. “Maybe you’re reading too much into this.”

  I rested my head on his chest. “Yeah, maybe I am. I don’t know.”