by K. D. Jones
“No, of course not. However, the things most of us have had to deal with growing up were not pleasant. So if you are a little standoffish, who gives a crap.”
“Thanks, Gypsy, you’ve been a great friend.”
“No problem. If things don’t work out with the other female, give me a call. We’ll get the meds from the healer and I’ll take care of your needs.” She went to the door to leave.
He walked her to the door and opened it for her. “Thanks again, Gypsy.”
She kissed his cheek. “Go get your female and be happy.”
He wasn’t sure it would be that easy. He left Maya at the photo shoot just as aroused as he had been and still just left without saying a word. What must she think of him?
*****
“What an asshole!” Maya yelled the next morning, after a sleepless night. She tossed and turned. Her head was filled with images of Taurus and the Venetian having sex in different positions. She felt sick inside at the images and the thoughts she was bombarded with. She actually wanted to do physical harm to the other female.
She threw the covers off and headed to her shower. She was grateful that each bedroom had its own bathroom. She didn’t want Coco to see the way she looked right now. She had bags under her eyes and they were red from all the stupid tears she had shed.
The water was cold, which was not what she wanted but what she needed. Cold water to clear all her thoughts of Taurus. In between the bouts of crying, she realized some things about herself.
She needed to grow up. Her youthful fantasy about Taurus was just that, a fantasy now shattered. That didn’t mean the world was going to end. She needed to decide first whether she wanted to stay or go.
On the plus side—she was being paid really good credits for her job. She would get to travel the galaxies and meet new and different species. During the off-time from the circuit she could go back home to spend with her grandparents. There weren’t very many jobs like that. It was very appealing.
On the downside—she would be around Taurus all the time. She would have to deal with him dating other females. It wasn’t pleasant, but she thought she might be able to get through it and maybe even past it if she would let go of her fantasy of them being a couple. It wasn’t going to happen and holding on to that was only messing up her life. By the time she showered and dressed, she had made up her mind to move past her fantasy of Taurus and keep her job with the GCFA—for a little while anyway. If it got too weird, she could always quit. With the decision now made, she went out into the suite to wait on Coco before going to breakfast.
*****
Taurus slept late. He had tried to drown his misery with alcohol but all he ended up with was an enormous hangover. He called Rage for one of his remedies. It was the nastiest stuff he had ever tasted, but it worked like nothing else did. When he was finally showered and dressed, he hurried down to the banquet room in hopes of finding Maya. But he had already missed her. He was determined to search her out as soon as practice was over.
Hammer was his practice partner for the day. He wished now that he hadn’t drank so much. He needed his quick reflexes to help avoid Hammer’s hard hits. It felt like getting hit by a fast-paced shuttle.
“What happened to you?” Gana asked as she walked with him to the training center. She looked him up and down but didn’t seem to be too happy with what she saw.
“Drank too much,” he told her without looking her way. Taurus had a feeling that Gana liked him. He didn’t want to give her hope that something would come out of their friendship. He thought Gana was beautiful and many halfsie Primans or even a full species Priman would lucky to have her as their female. She just didn’t do anything for him physically.
“Do you want to do something tonight after the after-party?” Gana gave him a hopeful look.
He shook his head. “No, I have plans.”
Gana looked at him angrily. “Who is she? Another Venetian like last night?”
Taurus stopped walking, forcing her to stop and look back at him. “Gana, it’s my business if I am with a Venetian or with someone else of my choosing.”
“Why not me then? We’re both Priman halfsies, both GCFA fighters, and both attractive people.”
“I don’t know why, but I just don’t feel that way toward you. I’m sorry.”
“You haven’t given us a chance. I know you would feel differently if we could spend more time together.”
“That’s not going to happen, Gana. Not the way you want it to.”
She tried to push herself up against him. He held her shoulders to keep space between their bodies. “Just give us a chance, you’ll see how right we are for each other.”
Taurus shook his head. “I would be honored to have you as my female, but I don’t feel that way about you. You deserve a male who wants you and only you.”
Gana turned a bright shade of red. Embarrassed for having put herself out there only to be rejected. She pushed away from him hurt and angry.
“Fine, but you’re making a huge mistake!” She turned and stomped off.
Taurus just stared after her feeling bad for having hurt her. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but he didn’t want her to be delusional about them being together. It wasn’t going to happen. He only had thoughts of one female, with light green eyes.
* * *
Chapter Seven
He continued to make his way to the training facility. After what Zen and Gypsy said to him regarding his interactions with people, he made every effort to say hello to everyone he passed. Unfortunately, they all gave him strange and slightly terrified looks. He had to finally admit it, he didn’t know how to interact with others. It had always been much easier to just ignore them.
Once he got to the training facility, he found Hammer standing a few feet away from the cage. It wasn’t hard to spot Hammer, he was the largest male on the GCFA ship.
“What are you doing standing here outside of the cage?” he asked Hammer, stopping to stand beside him.
Hammer pointed to the cage. “Waiting for the ring girls’ practice to finish.”
Taurus looked up and watched as Maya walked across the ring in the tallest heels he had ever seen. It made her cute short legs appear longer than they were. She was wearing boy shorts and a sports bra. Her brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail. She was damn sexy.
“The new girl is hot,” Hammer commented, giving Maya a long, lingering look. When Taurus didn’t say anything, Hammer asked again, “Don’t you think she’s hot?”
Taurus was a private person and didn’t discuss females or his feelings. It wasn’t natural for him. “I guess so.”
“As your friend, I can tell that you find her attractive. I can smell your arousal. So if you’re interested in that female, you might want to stake your claim before someone else does.”
He glared at Hammer. “Are you saying that you’re interested?”
Hammer looked at him with surprise. It was the most heated tone Taurus had ever used with him or with anyone that wasn’t an opponent. “I could be, but not if I am treading on your territory.”
“She’s not my territory,” he denied. Even he knew that sounded insincere.
“Whatever you say,” Hammer told him.
“Get your asses out of the cage so the fighters can practice!” Zara stormed over to the cage glaring at the ring girls.
Coco held up her hands. “Okay, okay, gargantuan. Hold your horses, we’re done here.” She opened the cage door and stepped out.
Maya followed her the best she could in the heels. She had only tripped twice and caught herself before falling flat on her face. Coco was right. The more she walked in the heels the easier it became. However, to be on the safe side, she asked wardrobe for wider or shorter heels for tonight’s event.
Once on the floor of the training facility, she reached for her robe. She still wasn’t a fan of walking around in barely anything. She moved out of the way so the fighters could enter the cage. She watched as Hammer,
the largest and tallest fighter on the GCFA team, passed by her. He looked down at her and smiled. Wow, he had pretty eyes.
A growling noise made her turn head to the right and she froze in place as Taurus approached. He wasn’t wearing a shirt. His skin was golden and unlike many of the other fighters, he had a small trail of hair that went down from his navel and disappeared down inside his tight wrestling shorts. Oh man, she wanted to follow that trail to where it ended. She licked her lips without thinking. Another growl brought her attention back to the fact that she was ogling the male’s groin. She blushed and looked away quickly.
Taurus approached Maya. The female looked at him like she wanted to gobble him up. He would have no problems with that. His body instantly responded to her perusal. He ran his hand through his short brown hair. “Hi.”
She didn’t quite meet his eyes. She stared at his chin. “Hello.”
He frowned. That did not sound very welcoming. “How is your day going so far?”
“Fine.” She shrugged and looked over to where Coco was teasing Esan. The male did not look happy with Coco at all. Coco was paying no attention to Maya. She tried to move around Taurus, but he blocked her escape.
“Are you going to the after-party tonight?” He was beginning to sweat. He had never felt more nervous.
“Yeah, for a little while.”
“Good. I guess I’ll see you tonight.” He smiled at her.
“Okay,” she replied noncommittally. She released the breath that she had been holding when he moved forward to enter the cage. She could finally make her escape. She didn’t get far before Zara the Amazon stopped her.
“New girl, what’s going on between you and Taurus?”
She was getting tired of people referring to her as ‘new girl’. Couldn’t they take the time to learn her name and use it?
“Nothing. What’s it to you?” She regretted the attitude immediately. Her grandparents taught her better than that.
Zara glared down at her sniffing. “Watch how you talk to me newbie. You’re barely Arian. Practically human.”
Now Maya was offended. “You watch it yourself. My grandmother is a full human and she is the best person I know. If I am more human, then I am grateful to be like my grandmother in that way. My name is Maya—learn it.” She walked off leaving Zara stunned silent.
Oh shit! Did she really just say that to a female that could crush her with one hand? She felt a little sick inside. She had never been much for confrontation. She wasn’t a match for a halfsie physically. Truth was, she was barely stronger than a human. That was why she learned the art of talking her way out of trouble and avoiding any possible dangerous situations. It worked for most of her life. The downside was that she led a safe but sheltered life with no surprises or intrigue. She wasn’t going to be able to avoid confrontations here. She would be challenged regularly regarding her DNA. She pulled her shoulders back and walked away with confidence that she didn’t totally feel.
*****
Taurus watched Maya as she had words with Zara. He was ready to run interference, but it looked like Maya held her own with the Amazon. What was that all about? He would find out after practice.
“You ready or do you want to follow her around for a while?” Hammer asked him, punching him on the arm.
He turned to Hammer, shrugging his shoulders. “Don’t know what you mean.”
Hammer smirked. “Whatever you say. Let’s hit it.”
They circled one another. Taurus opened southpaw. It rolled off Hammer. Taurus had then let out a leg kick, but Hammer landed a jab and an inside kick of his own. Taurus’s left hand snapped Hammer’s head back. However, the big guy was not going down that easily. Taurus tried for a hard kick, but Hammer caught it easily. Taurus avoided the takedown and pressed Hammer into the cage. The two separated. More kicks were exchanged back forth between both of them. Taurus quickly caught a kick and threw Hammer to the mat. Hammer wasn’t going to let him pin him and managed to kick out.
Their practice matches went on for a couple of hours. They each practiced getting out of holds. Surprisingly, Taurus was almost a perfect match against Hammer. Even though Hammer was much larger, Taurus had more agility, flexibility, and hidden strength. By the time their practice was over, they were both drenched from sweat.
“Good match,” Hammer told him.
“Thanks. I’m going to go take a shower, maybe rest, and order something light to eat. I’ll see you at the match tonight,” Taurus told him.
“Yep, see you later.”
*****
GCFA Evening Event
Maya had watched many televised GCFA fights before, but she wasn’t prepared for what it would really be like live. There were huge crowds of people, all different species. She didn’t realize there would be just as many female fans coming as there were males. She watched from a distance fascinated by the different types of fans that she saw.
She noted there were at least three different types of fans in general. The first was the casual fan that came to watch with friends but did not seem to have a particular favorite fighter. The second was a fair-weather fan who was easily swayed to like whatever fighter was most popular. The third was a diehard fan, which would come to see their favorite fighters and cheer for them even if they were losing.
Within the women fans, a different type of fan arose. She, Coco, and some of the other female fighters began calling them the roadie fans. These particular women didn’t care as much for the sport as they did about getting laid by a popular fighter. It pissed Coco off that these women were pulled, then taken to the VIP section, and later allowed to attend the after-party. Maya didn’t like it either, but she didn’t see much difference in that and the GCFA hiring Venetians to work the circuit. Except the roadie fans didn’t get paid for the fucking and the Venetians did.
“You excited about tonight?” Coco asked her.
“Sure.”
Coco frowned at her. “What happened to all your enthusiasm?”
“I’m enthused, really,” she sounded strained even to her own ears.
“What did that asshole do now?”
“What?”
“What did Taurus do to bring you down?” Coco sounded pissed.
Maya looked down. “Nothing.”
“Bullshit! The last time I saw the two of you together at the photo shoot you were both going at it with your clothes on. So what has he done to make you look so sad?”
She blushed at the reminder of her and Taurus’s public display. “That didn’t mean anything. Let’s not talk about it—ever. I just want to concentrate on my job.”
“I won’t push you, but know that I am here if you want to talk about it.”
“Thanks, Coco.”
They both turned when they heard the commentators start up.
“Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
*****
“This is Johann and Poland here, live at the Galactic Cage Fighters circuit event at the beautiful Spaceport Arena in Southeast Gamma Region.
“Well, Johann, this GCFA circuit has certainly offered many changes. We have replacement fighters on both teams and I hear one of the GCFA favored fighters is off the market.”
“That’s right, Poland, Talon the Fallen Angel is recently married. He and his lovely wife are expecting their first child.”
“We wish Talon and his wife all the happiness in the world.”
“So, what is the lineup for tonight’s events?”
“We are opening the night with a series of pair matches. Then Zara the Amazon is fighting one on one with a female Cyclops.”
“Wow, I can’t wait to see that match.”
*****
Taurus watched the television in the holding room where the fighters waited until their match was called. The first match, Coco was the ring girl. The next match, Maya would work the cage.
When she came out in a little outfit with fringe hanging down from the top, he became aroused immediately. Even tho
ugh she was smiling and flirting with the crowd, she looked nervous. Also, she was wobbly in the heels that she was wearing. He worried for her. She was a bit of a klutz, so walking around on a pair of too high, high heels was not a good idea.
“She’ll be fine,” Zara told him as she went over to start stretching.
He didn’t ask her what she meant. Zara was very observant. She was also surprisingly supportive to those she cared about. It was getting past her defenses and becoming someone she cared about that took a while. But it was worth it. He nodded at her but said nothing.
“They’re calling our names,” Hammer said to him, walking to the door.
“I’m right behind you.”
*****
“That was a fantastic match. What’s up next, Poland?”
“The Sledge Hammer and Taurus the Ape Man are going against a full Leptan and a full Artarian.”
“It should prove to be a fantastic match.”
*****
Taurus made his way to the cage with Hammer. The moment they entered the arena the crowd went wild. It was still intimidating. To have so many watching him, calling out his name like they knew him, women reached out to touch him. He had been doing this for years, but it still felt uncomfortable.
“I love you, Taurus!” a female fan yelled out.
“Hammer! Hammer!” Hammer’s fans chanted. The music master had mixed his usual music with Hammer’s creating a new beat, which everyone seemed to be enjoying. He thought it sounded pretty good, too.
They climbed inside the cage and watched as their opponents entered the arena. They received a combination of positive yells from the full species present and boos from the human and halfsie crowds. The opponents entered the cage acting really cocky. One grabbed a microphone. Where the hell did he get that?
“Welcome to my match thisss evening. You made the right choiccce in coming here. You will be honored to witnessss the beating that my teammate and I are about to give to thessse halfsssie ssscum,” the Leptan announced, throwing the microphone to the side. The boos got even louder.
