Below the Belt

by Sidney Halston

  Suddenly she was flying through the air, and she let out an involuntary “oof” as her body landed unceremoniously on the bed. She scooted back toward the headboard to allow him room to get in with her, but he grabbed her ankles and pulled her toward the foot of the bed. He wrapped his arm around her waist, flipped her to her stomach, and lifted her ass in the air. He lowered her tight yoga pants, taking her panties down with them, exposing just her ass. In this position she was essentially immobile, because her clothes and his arm holding her in place didn’t allow for much movement.

  —

  Francesca looked over her shoulder to see Tony’s eyes glazed with lust and his eyes fixed on her ass. A moan escaped her when he spread her ass cheeks and licked down to her clit in one long motion. She wanted—no, needed—to spread her knees apart but he wouldn’t allow it. She was definitely not in charge. He pushed her lower onto the bed, bringing her ass higher. He continued to lick and suck, and then he added a finger. Instead of trying to get the upper hand, she pushed against his fingers, needing more. She felt vulnerable in this position but couldn’t deny how turned on she felt. He was relentless with his fingers and tongue. She tried to flip over, trying all her jiu jitsu moves one after another, but the more she fought, the tighter his grip. Her breath was labored, and she was a mixture of pissed off and horny.

  “You ready to play nice?” he asked, taking her to the precipice and then stopping.

  At that moment she would agree to anything. She moaned into the bed.

  “Is that a yes? Can I do whatever I want with this body?” He didn’t move, though. His eyes just roamed her sex in a lascivious way that made her squirm. He then flipped her to her back but held her thighs down with one knee, and with his free hand he reached for her breasts and squeezed and played with her nipple. He bent down slightly and blew a small puff of air at her nipples. Her eyes widened, and he grinned in satisfaction.

  The son of a bitch. She squirmed again and tried to wriggle in order to get the friction she needed to move away or flip him over. But the cocky motherfucker just winked. Now she really wanted to win this little fight.

  “Are you ready to play nice, Francesca?” he repeated. His accent was thick and sultry, and damned if it didn’t make her even wetter.

  “Absolutely fucking not! I am not going to come this way. Let me go.” She pouted, hoping he believed her, because she would pretty much come if he just looked at her. But no way would she ever admit it. “You can’t make me come this way. It won’t work.”

  “I can’t?” He ran his finger up and down her wet slit and then looked at his glistening finger. “I really think I can,” he gloated before licking his finger. “You know a man like me can’t walk away from a challenge. And this, sweetheart, seems like a challenge if ever there was one.”

  Shit, that had not been her intention at all. She had hoped he’d just give up and let them have their normal vanilla sex, where she wasn’t exactly in charge but they were on a somewhat level playing field. If there was something that got a man like Tony going, it was giving him a challenge.

  He didn’t give her a chance to explain that it wasn’t a challenge, because he grabbed her thighs and parted them further. Before she knew it his tongue was flicking her clit again.

  Her hands fisted the pillow above her head as her body automatically arched up. But he was having none of that. Tony held her hips down as he continued his assault with his mouth. He pulled back a little, opened up her lips, and blew. She writhed under him, unable to control herself. He reached up with one hand and pulled and pinched her nipple as his mouth went right back to work. She had never experienced so much sensation. The man was talented, and he was clearly up to the challenge of taking charge and making her orgasm.

  He pulled her pants the rest of the way off. She knew it was happening, but she didn’t see it, because she was unable to open her eyes. All her concentration was currently solely focused on breathing. But she felt movement, and then the cool air hit her overly sensitized body. She was way past modesty, so she didn’t stop him—not that she could even if she’d wanted to.

  He slowly slid over her body. He must have stripped at some point—though she wasn’t sure when it happened—because she felt his muscular ridges against her skin. He brought her hands over her head as he traveled up her body. He used one knee and then the other to part her legs. His eyes never leaving hers, he entered her slowly and gently, the complete opposite of the oral assault he’d just given her. When he was all the way in, he closed his eyes and groaned in pleasure.

  “Fuuuuck,” he drawled. It was clear from his expression that the physical and emotional sensation was overwhelming. When she began to move under him, he shook his head. “Don’t move.” He opened his eyes, and she saw his Adam’s apple bob. “Give me a second.”

  She nodded, because really, what else could she say? She was so full of emotions and sensation, she was speechless.

  She planted one foot on the bed and tried to flip over, but he grabbed her hip and held her down.

  “I can’t believe you’re going to keep fighting me.” He rested his forehead against hers. “Outside this bedroom, you can fight me all you want. But in this bed, you’re fucking mine, and I please my woman. Relax, because it’s going to happen. I’m giving you everything you want. You want to be the boss lady? Fine. Boss me around all you want. I’ll do anything and everything. But here, in our fucking bed, you’ll close your eyes and let go. It’s gonna be good, Francesca.” He pushed forward, a little more roughly. “But if you want to keep fighting me, go ahead. It’s getting me all fucking hard.” He pushed in again, harder this time. “As you can see.” He looked down at the connection between them, then placed his palm on her belly and used his thumb to stroke her clit. She whimpered loudly, and he took the opportunity to make it even better. He grabbed her ass and pulled it up at the same time as he put her legs over his shoulders. He began to move slowly. “Do you want me to stop?”

  “Hell no!” It seemed she wanted to play. She grunted and again tried to flip him over or at the very least get away from him, but he just chuckled.This only maddened her further, and she thrust her pelvis up. He obviously didn’t see that move coming because he lost his balance slightly, just enough that she was able to quickly scoot toward the back of the bed again. He regained his balance and crawled toward her, but she stood up on the bed and avoided his grip, wrestling with him until he was flat on his chest on the bed and she was straddling him. Lot of good this position did for her aching need, but at least she had the upper hand. Or so she thought until he flipped her over so quickly that she thought she was going to fall off the bed.

  He began to pound into her. This time it was hard, and the bed creaked and rattled underneath them. As soon as his finger touched her clit, her eyes closed and a moan escaped her. But the touch was so brief she felt as if she was going to burst if he didn’t do something to alleviate the ache quickly. She kicked his upper back gently with her heel, but he just ignored it.

  “I’m going to win every time. I guarantee you that, Francesca. So just let go and let me make you come.” His voice made her lower abdomen vibrate all the way to her pussy.

  When he began touching her clit again, she finally relaxed, closed her eyes, and allowed the inevitable to happen. Her orgasm ravaged her body with such intensity that she didn’t even recognize her own voice when she yelled out his name. He had total control of her body—and damn it all to hell if it didn’t feel fucking magnificent.

  He looked down at her. She looked sated, her cheeks pink and her face glowing.

  Hell had actually frozen the fuck over. He had taken charge of the one woman no one could control, and he’d made her fucking glow. He felt amazing, and he wanted to make sure he made her feel just as good as she made him feel. He loved her too much to disappoint her, and he vowed at that moment to get his shit together—to train as hard as he possibly could in order to win the fight for her. After that, he was going to have a serious talk
with her about retiring and spending the rest of his life trying to make her happy. And, goddammit, getting her to finally admit she was as head over ass in love with him as he was with her.

  Chapter 12

  The next morning she woke up hot, sweaty, and pinned down against the bed. Tony’s heavy thigh was splayed over the lower half of her body, his strong arm around the other half and his soft snore tickling her neck. Slowly she untwined herself from him and snuck out to the bathroom, careful not to wake him. She stretched her long arms up and looked at herself in the mirror. Her lips were still swollen, her body was sore, and her hair was a mess. She’d never felt better. Quickly she finished up in the bathroom and dressed for an early morning jog on the boardwalk.

  Ten minutes into her jog, she heard a familiar voice calling her name. “Frankie!”

  She stopped moving and saw Rodrigo crossing the street toward her. “Hey, you were going pretty fast there.”

  Slightly breathless, she wiped her forehead with the back of her arm. “Rodrigo? What are you doing here?”

  “I came into town early. You know…to acclimate myself to the city before the match. I’m staying there.” He gestured over his shoulder to the hotel behind him. “It’s close to the stadium and the gym. I thought I’d go for a run on the boardwalk.”

  That made sense. Most fighters did arrive early in the town they were fighting in to get used to their surroundings and finish off their training there. “Coffee?” He pointed toward the hotel area to a small diner on the corner of the block, interrupting her musings about the coincidence of running into him in such a big city. When he noticed her hesitation, he added, “Come on. I won’t bite. It’s just coffee. We need some sort of closure, don’t you think? At least I do. Come on…please.” She considered what he was saying. Every time she took a step forward with Tony, something happened and she ended up at the starting line again. Some of it was Tony’s insecurities—his temper and jealousy—but the bulk of it was her hang-ups. Her inability to trust. Maybe closure was just what she needed. “Okay,” she said, and followed him down the boardwalk and inside.

  Once they were seated at a booth and served coffee, Rodrigo was the first to speak. “So Tony’s already in Miami?”

  “Yep. He’s already here.”

  He took a sip of his coffee. “Training hard?”

  She sat back, crossed her arms, and raised an eyebrow. “You lured me in here to get some intel about Tony’s fighting?”

  He barked out a laugh. “There’s the Frankie I remember.” He reached for her hand and patted the top of it. She could tell it wasn’t anything other than friendship. “I’m just trying to make small talk. We used to be friends, Frankie. I missed you when you left me. Talking with you, even after all these years, shouldn’t be this awkward, should it?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. You’re the only ex-husband I’ve ever had. Aren’t we supposed to hate each other? Isn’t that the protocol for exes?”

  “We don’t have to hate each other. We could be the exception. Tell me, how are you doing?”

  “I’m good. For the first time in a long time, I’m good.” She sipped her coffee, thinking about her statement. Yes…she really was good.

  “I’m glad I ran into you. Since the press conference, I’ve wanted to talk, explain things. Apologize.”

  “You don’t have to apologize. What you said…you were right. We were too young and I was closed off. Actually, I’m still closed off, but I’m working on it. I shouldn’t have gotten so defensive last time. It’s not even like I’m still pining for you or anything.”

  He clutched his chest in mock agony. “Ouch.”

  “Oh, you know what I mean.” She smiled. “I guess I am over you. I just wasn’t ready to get over all the issues.”

  “I loved you, you know. I wish…oh, I don’t know.” He looked over her shoulder, deep in thought, then focused on her again. “I guess I wish that we hadn’t met so young. Maybe if we’d met now, it would’ve been different.”

  “Yeah, but we can’t change the past, and there were too many hurt feelings and ugly words.”

  “I hope you believed me when I said it was just that one woman and that one time. I don’t know if that makes it better or anything but it’s important that you know that. I wasn’t out there cheating on you with every girl. And I regretted it immediately. I never meant to hurt you. Never.”

  “I do believe you. Thank you for telling me.”

  “Can I ask you something?” he asked. “How badly hurt were you?”

  “There’s no point in rehashing that. It would just make you feel bad, and I don’t want to do that to you, at least not any more than I probably already have. I was sad, Rodrigo. If you thought I was closed off before, well, it got even worse.”

  “But now you’re good, right? Tony and you? You’re good?”

  “We will be.”

  “I’m glad. I want you to be happy.”

  “You too, Rodrigo. I want you to be happy. How have you been doing?”

  “I’ve been traveling a lot. I’m ready to find a place and settle down.”

  “You thinkin’ about retiring?”

  “No, not retiring so much as just slowing down a little.” He finished his coffee. “I’m tired of fighting, of traveling, of never being able to relax and…I don’t know…have a donut.” They both laughed. “This fighting business, it takes its toll.”

  “Well, if you ever wanted to settle down in Tarpon Springs, I’m sure Slade wouldn’t mind taking you on as a trainer or something.”

  Rodrigo laughed. “I don’t think your boyfriend would like me hanging around your gym.”

  He was right. Tony would have a fit.

  Out of nowhere Rodrigo blurted out, “The passion was always missing from our relationship, don’t you think? Maybe ’cause we were so young and innocent.”

  They’d had first-love tingles. Sweet sex. Beautiful tender moments. But passion? No, definitely not.

  “I hope you find that passion with someone, Frankie. I think that you are full of passion and intensity, and any man who can bring that out in you is a lucky son of a bitch.” He lifted her hand from the table gently and kissed her palm.

  “You too, Rodrigo. I’m really glad you made me have coffee with you.”

  He smiled fondly at her, then stood up and dropped some money on the table.

  “I gotta go. I have to get ready to kick your boyfriend’s ass next month.” He winked. “I’m glad we chatted.”

  “No hard feelings?” she asked.

  “None.” He brought her in for a long tight hug.

  “Rodrigo, thank you.” And she meant it. She had needed that closure. She had needed to hear that she wasn’t the only one who’d felt sad back then; he had too. She had needed to hear apologies and truths. And just like that, she was completely certain that she was over Rodrigo, over her anger, over her resentment. All those poisonous feelings just melted away.

  He let her go and smiled. “Okay, now I really gotta go.”

  —

  Tony stretched his arms and felt around the bed. He opened an eye to see it was empty. The clock next to the bed said it was still early. He looked around the room. It seemed like her stuff was still there. He stood up and immediately felt a crick in his neck and the dull pain in his knees. He bent down and rubbed his knee.

  “Looking good, old man.”

  “Were you checking out my ass?” He smirked and turned around. Francesca was leaning against the frame of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body.

  “Maybe.” She smiled. “You always walk around totally naked?”

  “It’s my house. I’m with my woman.” He moved forward, pulled off her towel, and threw it aside, making her yelp. “I’m invoking the naked-before-nine-in-the-morning rule.”

  She looked up to the ceiling as if she was thinking. “You know, that’s a pretty good rule. Good idea.”

  “And you thought it was all looks with me?” He smiled and pulled her in
to his arms.

  She gazed up at him with a serious and concerned face. “What’s wrong with your knee?”

  “It’s nothing. My body and my mind aren’t on the same wavelength in the mornings. I’ll feel better after a hot shower. You’re up early. Why didn’t you wake me?”

  “I thought you could use some sleep. I woke early and went for a jog.”

  “Already?”

  “Yep.” She reached up and kissed him. “I saw Rodrigo.”

  It caught him so off guard that his body straightened and he took a step back. “You went jogging with your ex-husband?”

  “You need to stop referring to him as my ex-husband. You make it sound like there’s something between him and me. It’s not like that.”

  “Anymore. It’s not like that anymore.”

  She picked up her towel, wrapped herself in it, and sat on the bed. She was tired of fighting with him. Someone needed to be the one to make the change. She normally got defensive and then the argument would escalate. She reached down, grabbed a pair of shorts, tossed them to him, and then tapped the space next to her. He let out a breath and reluctantly complied, putting on his shorts and sitting down. She couldn’t have a conversation with him naked. It would undoubtedly lead to other things, and then this would never be discussed.