The Final KO

by Jessica Florence

  “You deserved so much better. God I hate that you went through that.” I couldn’t keep my feelings quiet. My fingers gripped him as I hugged him tightly.

  “No regrets, only lessons. I learned a lot of things, and even though I don’t ever want to go back to that life, it’s helped shaped me into who I am today.” I smiled at his positive outlook on his unsavory past. I eased my grip on him, and we eased back into a more relaxed state.

  “Do you still talk to her?” I was curious. After all of that, I didn’t think I’d be able to be around her.

  “Not really. She calls every once in a while, but I don’t have anything to say. I’m not going back to that life. I told her I was done, but I think somewhere in her mind she believes I’m just fucking around and I’ll be back. Won’t happen, I’m not a liar.” That he wasn’t; it was something we had in common.

  There really wasn’t too much to be sad about after that; I didn’t care to hear the dirty details. With the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, it wasn’t long before I was lulled to sleep.

  I woke up slightly as Arson picked me up and started walking, but I chose to ignore it and fall back asleep. I heard his chuckle before fading back into dreamland.

  The next morning we woke up with sweet kisses; flowers Arson was present that day. We had breakfast at a buffet. Arson was still going to work out and train, just not for a fight, so technically he could eat whatever he wanted.

  He did exactly that: three plates stacked with waffles, fruit, eggs, bacon, muffins, and biscuits. I rolled my eyes and enjoyed my spinach omelet. Unlike him, I was training for a fight, so I couldn’t go overboard. Sucker.

  We ate while ignoring the stares and people taking pictures of us—not so stealthily, I might add. I knew that us coming out the night before with his victory kiss would have a bigger effect, but neither of us cared.

  If they wanted pictures of Arson stuffing his face, then they could have at it, and if Coach asked me about my diet on this trip, I could tell him there was evidence on Twitter that I had eaten well for breakfast. I giggled thinking of that conversation.

  What the hell is a twatter? S

  eems like yuppie kid shit. Go hit the bag and rope for thirty minutes. Kids these days and their twatter.

  Man I wished that conversation would happen outside of my head; it would be awesome. Cammy had sent me a couple texts that morning as well.

  Cammy: Holy shit on a stick! You guys are on the cover of a magazine! Lip locked. Yay! I hear wedding bells!

  Cammy: If you like it then you should put a ring on it.

  Cammy: Cammy Jr. is in the making!

  Cammy: BOOBIES!

  I didn’t answer any of those. She must have had some super strong coffee early on.

  After breakfast we walked around, and I shopped for a few things. One was a gift for Arson’s retirement. He was giving the official statement of him leaving the MMA that night, then after that I wanted to go dancing. By the way he fucked, I knew he would have some good moves on the dance floor.

  I told him to be scarce for a few minutes so I could grab his gift, but to him that meant taking a few steps away from me. Caveman.

  After making him turn his back to me, I spoke to the lady at the register quietly. She beamed as she grabbed my items and put them in a little bag. I hoped he liked it. Momma always told me the best presents were ones from the heart. No one really wanted something pointless that didn’t have meaning in their life. I turned and grabbed his hand.

  “Ok hot stuff, I’m all done.” Deciding we’d had enough fun for now, we walked back to the hotel, had a romp in the sheets, and took a nap. The time change had caught up to me and I was sleepy, plus my inner animal was a cat, and that cat needed her nap time.

  Arson woke me up with fresh juice and a variety of healthy-ish room service food for dinner. We ate in silence on the balcony of our hotel, just watching and listening to the Vegas atmosphere.

  “I have a gift for you. I was going to wait until after your announcement tonight but I failed.” I had never really been good at keeping surprises, so I set my plate down and ran to get the little bag beside the bed. I really hoped he liked it. I walked back outside and held it out for him to take.

  His green eyes looked at the bag with no emotions as he grabbed it. I sat back down in my seat and waited for him to tear into it. Much more slowly than I would have gone, his hands gently opened the bag and pulled out the tissue paper. Still no words as he took in the two items in the bag.

  The first gift he pulled out was a silver key chain with WORLD’S BEST TEACHER engraved on the side. He looked at it and I answered what it was for, even before he asked.

  “It’s for when you get the keys to your dojo! You’re going to be amazing, and every teacher needs something that says World’s Best on it.” I was excited, but still nervous since he hadn’t said anything yet. Did he like it?

  Would he like the next one? I had snuck a call in that morning to the shop to put the request in. I was so happy they’d been able to make it work for me.

  He pulled out the silver frame and stared at it. I’d seen the picture a while back but hadn’t thought of it until that morning. In the small frame was a picture of us dancing that first night at the Gala.

  He was looking at me with those green eyes of adoration. I wished I would have seen it then, but what got me was that I was looking at him that way, too. Adoration was set in my gaze as well. I had admired him, even then. He was one of the biggest fighters in the league, but not only did I admire his skills, I admired the man that declared I deserved better. I deserved to be the princess he called me.

  On the bottom of the frame were the lyrics of the chorus to “You and Me” by Lifehouse, our unofficial song. It was sentimental, and maybe thinking about it now it seemed like a chick gift. I silently prayed that he liked it and didn’t think it was silly.

  I waited for him to say something; could have been hours or just a few seconds, I wasn’t really sure.

  “I love you.” His head turned to me and I saw that same look of adoration that was in the picture.

  “I love you.” I beamed and leaned over the arm rest of my seat to kiss him. He did the same and kissed me hard. I couldn’t stop my grinning so the kiss was hard, and sweet. Sweet grins and passion. I was the one to pull back into my seat.

  “So you like them?” He nodded.

  “Yes. They’re the first real gifts I’ve ever gotten.” My heart dropped a little. My poor man.

  “Really?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.

  “Yeah, never got anything as a kid. When Julianne took me in that was her gift to me. Then everything came with a price.” His story was just getting more and more heartbreaking every time he opened his mouth about it.

  “Well prepare yourself. I plan on making up for those years of no gifts.” I liked getting gifts for people, and sadly I did feel the need to make up for his horrible past. I knew he was an adult, but still, I felt the desire to surround him with love and happiness. None of that angst shit.

  He rolled his eyes, but he would soon love it. Yes Arson Kade, beware. You have me, now you have to deal with me.

  “Ok, I’m going to go get ready now!” I was in an excellent mood. I got up, kissed Arson on his head, and scrambled away, out of his reach toward the bathroom. I dressed myself up in some pleated black shorts, a black sleeveless shirt, then paired it with some bright green heels.

  I was feeling ninja-y that night. I brushed my hair and let it fall in waves behind me. I highlighted my green eyes with a smoky grey shadow, something I would probably only get away with in Vegas.

  My Cammy would be proud. I walked out of the bathroom and found Arson looking hot in some dark jeans, boots, and a tight black t-shirt—his norm, but still oh so hot. His black hair was all over the place, maybe from my fingers running through it, but I wouldn’t deny or confirm that to the press.

  “Beautiful.” His eyes raked over my body, leaving my skin on fire in his wake. I did
a little spin for him so he could look to his heart’s content.

  “Something’s not right though.” He tsked and I stopped to look down at my outfit. Not right? What was he talking about? I looked awesome. He walked over with confidence, stopping a few inches in front of me. He pulled out a long black box and held it out to me. He’d gotten me a gift? When?!

  “Arson, you didn’t…” The rest of my sentence dropped off when he opened it. Nestled in black satin was a beautiful white gold necklace. It had a simple chain, but it was the pendant that made my words disappear. It was a red gemmed heart with a blue tear drop in the middle. Water and fire. Rayne and Arson. Two souls as one.

  I opened my mouth to say something but came up short. He’d stumped me. God I loved this man. I reached my fingers out to touch its curved edged.

  Snap.

  “Did you seriously just Pretty Woman me?” I found my words then. Arson had just snapped the lid of the box, scaring me to hell. His face told me he was holding back his laughter, which lasted all of two seconds before bursting from his lips. It wasn’t long before I joined him. It was pretty funny.

  “Turn around,” he said through his laughter and I did as I was told. I heard the box open and soon the cold metal touched my skin. The pendant hung right below my collarbone, against my sternum.

  “Thank you. Arson, it’s beautiful.” I had a feeling he was going to spoil me just like I was going to do to him.

  “You’re beautiful.” He leaned in and kissed my neck.

  “Ready to go Princess?” I nodded while giving him more access to my neck. He nipped me gently then laced his fingers with mine.

  Chapter Twenty One

  He winked at me

  We left the hotel and went to the conference room where he would be announcing his retirement. The room was packed; I could hear it as we approached the doors. He brought my hand up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss against it before telling me he would be back soon. I peeked out to the crowd sitting in their chairs, waiting to hear the news; they had no clue what was about to go down.

  My scanning screeched to a halt when I saw a certain blonde in the crowd. What the fuck is she doing here? Call me crazy but I didn’t want her anywhere near Arson. I would knock her ass out and make her swim with the fishes before I let her touch him again.

  She was looking polished as could be, just like she had at the fight the night before. The crowd suddenly stood and clapped. Arson had taken the stage and sat behind a long table.

  “Arson Kade everyone!” An announcer gestured to the man of the hour.

  “Arson called for this press release and will share his announcement. After that he is willing to take a few questions.” A man I hadn’t noticed before was sitting next to Arson and spoke into the mic. Maybe he was Arson’s PR assistant?

  I made a mental note to call Hope. It had been a while and she’d been unusually quiet. Making myself focus on the present, I waited for Arson to start speaking.

  “Thank you ladies and gentleman of the press. I appreciate you guys hauling ass to come out here. Now, I’ve got a hot date waiting for me so the quicker we get this over with, the sooner I can get back to her. So here’s the deal. I, Arson Kade, am retiring from the UFC. I’ve got other things I want to do with my life, like using my knowledge to help others. I feel like leaving after my twentieth win is a good time to bow out. There it is. Questions?”

  He looked around and I could tell when his eyes landed on her. My head peeked out again through the curtain to see her. The polished facade was gone, and in its place was a look of pure horror.

  She was surprised by his announcement. Good. Maybe she would leave him alone. Hands raised all over the room, wanting their chance to ask questions. The man next to Arson picked them.

  “You, with the beard,” he said. The man in question stood up and asked his question while holding up a little recorder.

  “Danny from Sports Unlimited. Care to enlighten us on what you will be doing after retirement?”

  “I plan on opening a children’s dojo in Florida. I feel like I can pass on my knowledge to young ones, help channel both mental and physical energies.” His PR man pointed to someone else.

  “You, woman in red.”

  “Tina from Starstruck. Arson, it’s been made obvious by your little kissing stunt at the fight that you are involved with Rayne Jackson. Is it serious?” I looked over at him to see what he would say.

  “Very.” I smiled at his answer. The whole room erupted in questions.

  “One more question. You, blonde woman, blue dress.” I looked to the woman the PR man pointed to next and froze. Julianne.

  “Arson, you say you’re serious with this woman, but are you sure you’re ready to get serious and retire? You have so many fans.” She purred the last little sentence. Yuck. She better not be talking about his “client” type fans. I looked back at him and waited to see that locked jaw and anger. I saw none of that.

  I saw defiance. I saw the look of someone who was finally breaking the chains that bound him.

  “Yes. She’s worth every bit of it, and so is my dream for a brighter future of teaching the younger generations. Thank you everyone. It’s been great, I must see to my date now.” He stood up and walked toward me. I sneaked a peek at Julianne to see her reaction to his words. Her face was hard; she was angry. Screw her.

  I turned back to Arson, who was only a few feet away. I launched myself at him and wrapped my legs around his waist. His hands went to my ass and I felt his hard cock against my sex. Mm. My body hummed with desire. Our mouths clashed and we devoured one another.

  “Ready to dance?” he asked, and I nodded—although I wasn’t thinking of actual dancing. Maybe the horizontal tango.

  “I think I need an orgasm first. Wanna take care of that for me?” I pouted my bottom lip.

  “No,” he replied, and I knew a scowl appeared on my face. No? NO?

  “What do you mean no?” I started to climb off of him but he held on strong. His hands tightened and his cock rubbed against me. I groaned, wanting so much more.

  “No orgasms until I say so tonight. Tonight you will wait, and if you try to do it yourself, you won’t get my dick for a week.” My mouth shut. I could wait. I got this.

  “Ok,” I sullenly agreed as Arson let me down to my feet.

  He wrapped my hand in his and led us away from the room. He was now a free man from MMA. He could eat what he wanted. Didn’t have to fight anyone. He could sit on the couch all day and veg. That did sound amazing, but I wanted the fight more, at least for the time being; maybe in a few years. We didn’t walk far. There was a high-end dance club not far from us.

  We got in immediately, and the club was booming already. People were swaying to the beat and drinking their fancy cocktails. I was still hot for Arson but now my body was buzzing for some dancing. I took lead of our direction and pulled Arson to the dance floor. I squeezed us in a perfect spot and wrapped my arms around him. My hips started moving and his hands coasted over my waist.

  We’d only slow danced before and that was amazing, but this…we were in our own little world, dancing to the rhythm, feeling the moves in our souls. Hands roaming, hips grinding, it was every bit of hypnotic dancing with him.

  “I’m going to get us a drink. You keep dancing Princess, but don’t let another man touch you,” he whispered into my ear and walked off. I kept on moving by myself, just feeling the music. I turned my body to the beat then stopped. OH MY GOD.

  Dancing right there only three feet away from me was my celebrity crush, Ian Somerhalder. He was so hot, so…yum. He was dancing with his new wife and I couldn’t stop staring. He had been my dream man for so long. Every single man in a book I read looked like him in my head. He moved just like his character in the vampire show. Sigh. They turned and suddenly our eyes met.

  Dead.

  He did that one-sided smile—the one that melted panties on the spot—and gave me a wink.

  He winked at me!

 
; Ian Somerhalder winked at me. He turned his attention back to his wife and I felt a hand press to my back.

  “Friend of yours?” Arson’s voice filtered in through my wicked brain.

  “Nope, just my celebrity crush.” I turned toward him and accepted the bubbly drink he held out in his hand.

  “Ah, so you’re saying I was never your celebrity crush. You wound me Princess.” He took a sip of his drink, teasing me. Turd.

  “Nope, never even heard of you before. Who are you again?” I teased right back. His face turned devilish. Oh boy. He leaned in and spoke close so others couldn’t hear.

  “I’m your flowers and fucks.” Shivers down my spine words. His voice was doing things to me, tingly good things.

  “Hm, I think I remember you now.” I smiled, enjoying our banter. He shook his head and together we walked toward some empty seats at a table.

  “So how does it feel? Retired man and all.” It was weird to say that to a thirty-year-old.

  “Free,” he answered as he took a swig of some beer.

  “Well soak it up sweetheart.” I toasted to him and took a sip of my fruity drink. I watched the other people dance while resting my feet. Arson sat silently beside me, both of us just comfortable. I was glad we weren’t that couple that constantly needed to fill silence with talking. I mean I enjoyed talking with him, but it was still nice that we were okay to just sit and listen to the world around us, together.

  “Got a special request for a special lady out there, so men, grab your ladies, and make it slow and sweet,” the DJ said into the mic. It was nice to see him changing up the fast-paced music.