by Claire Adams
Many of the other fighters kept coming up to me, and congratulating me for the bloodbath I just laid out for all to see. Robbie came back with the doctor, and he started checking me out.
“Coach says you hurt your back.”
“Yeah, something kind of twisted back there when I got hit with a body shot. It doesn't feel right, and it hurts to touch it.” I showed him where the pain was coming from. He pushed into the spot I indicated, and I sucked in a deep breath. It hurt like a bitch, and I was none too happy that I got injured during my fight.
“You're going to need to rest on this one. Lots of ice. It's nothing serious, but you have to take care of yourself, or it could affect your future fights. Don't train hard for a while. A hot bath tonight will probably do you some good.”
“Okay, Doc, thanks a lot,” Robbie shook the doctor’s hand and turned back to me.
“Let's go get you drunk first, and then you can consider that bath.”
I laughed; he knew just how to make me feel better.
Chapter Eleven
Natalie
The library was really busy that afternoon, and despite the fact that I was there to study, I hadn't gotten much done. There was too much bustling around. I had four people at my table, a few of whom were only there to gossip. I needed to study, and these girls were annoying me beyond what I could deal with. I decided to give it up for the day, and head somewhere else. I began putting my books into my bag, along with the notes I had been trying to make on my story, but I hadn't been able to concentrate. I shook my head at the two girls still gossiping about Facebook statuses. They needed to get a life, and I was irritated that they ruined my study session.
I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed out of the library into the sun. It was a cool fall day, but the sun was shining brightly just the same. I put on a pair of sunglasses to avoid the glare, and just as I did, I saw Jet not far from me, limping awkwardly down the sidewalk. He looked like he might be in a lot of pain. I jogged over to him and walked alongside him, with a smile on my face.
“Hey, Jet.”
“Hey, Natalie, how are you?”
“I'm great. Just got finished studying ... kinda. Where are you coming from?”
“Class, believe it or not, but I think I should have just stayed in bed today.”
“Why? What happened to you? What's with the limp?”
“Ahh, I had a fight the other night, and I hurt my back. Not exactly an ideal situation, but not much I can do about it. I have spasms in my lower back, and they’re just killing me. I could not sit comfortably in class; I had to get up and leave.”
“That's shitty, sorry to hear that.” He smiled at me, and I was starting to really like his smile.
“It's all part of the game, I'm afraid. It'll heal. I think I need to go have a very hot bath.”
“I probably have a better solution.”
“What's that?”
“I can't believe I'm saying this, but my mom is a massage therapist, and she taught me how to give a pretty damn good massage. I could give you one.”
He stopped in his tracks. He literally stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk. I almost stumbled over him. “Seriously? You want to massage me, ‘cause that's the best news I've heard in a really long time.”
“Take it easy there, cowboy, let's not get ahead of ourselves.”
“You just offered me a massage, and I am accepting it 100%.”
“Well, hold on. I'm not just offering you a massage. I'm not that foolish. I want a little give and take.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Well, what do you have in mind, little lady?”
“Here's the thing, I was invited to go to a wine tasting event with my friend, Brenda. She was the girl in the booth with me the day you bought that picture.” He nodded. “Well, she's going to be bringing a guy, sort of like their first date, but she's really nervous about the whole thing. She doesn't date a lot, and she asked that I go as well, to make sure he's not some weirdo,” I laughed nervously.
“That's a little weird,” he chuckled.
“Maybe, but I can understand. A group event relieves the pressure, ya know?”
“Actually, I don't know, Natalie.” We laughed together.
“I guess maybe you don't. But it's also different for girls; it's not always safe to go off alone with a new guy.”
“So what do you need me for?”
“Well, I'm not really the third wheel type, ya know? Plus, it might be a little awkward for the guy for me to be there. But a double date wouldn't seem like a bad thing, right?”
“Oh, I see where this is going.”
“Come on, be a sport. You'll get the pleasure of my company, plus you’ll get a massage.”
“Wine tastings aren't really my thing. Who is this guy, anyway? What kind of guy takes a girl to a wine tasting on their first date?”
I shrugged. I knew he was just playing hard to get, and that he would cave instantly if I told him to forget the whole thing. “She likes the guy, that's all that matters. So ... are you in or are you out?”
He stared at me, and I could tell that the wheels were turning in his head. I wondered if he was thinking about my hands on his body. Would that be the deciding factor? The thought of me touching him intimately, was that what was going through his head? I almost blushed at the thought.
“Please, Jet, this is a win-win for both of us. Don't make me go to this thing alone.”
“Okay, I will go. It's not my thing, but you are certainly my thing. So I will do it for you.”
“Thank you. You don't even know how much I appreciate it.” I couldn't have felt better about the situation; the last thing I had wanted was to go to the wine tasting alone. Instead, I would have a handsome guy by my side, even if we weren't together.
“So when is this little hoopla?”
“Not for a couple of days yet. Can you handle the suspense?”
He chuckled. “Not sure. The bigger question is, when are you giving me that massage, cause girl, I could sure use one right now.”
“Sorry to disappoint. But it's going to have to wait until tomorrow. I have plans tonight.”
“With who? Not another guy, I hope.”
“It's none of your business, Jet,” I winked at him.
“So tomorrow, then?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, I can live with that.”
“I'll see ya tomorrow, then. Go home and have a bath,” I waved at him as I walked away.
Chapter Twelve
Jet
I checked my phone, and realized that I didn't have a whole lot of time before Natalie was going to arrive. I couldn't be more excited to see the girl, in more than one way, and for more than one reason. That gorgeous redhead was coming over today to give me the massage she promised me. I couldn't even explain what that did to my mindset. My dreams the night before had been porn-filled, with images of Natalie with her hands on my body. I couldn't help it, and no other guy would blame me.
I needed to take a shower before the beauty showed up at my door. I wanted to be squeaky clean for her. She was massaging me, after all, and didn't want to be touching some sweaty, smelly guy. I grabbed my boxer briefs and a towel, and headed to the shower. I adjusted the water temperature, and waited until it grew hot. My clothes dropped to the floor, and I jumped into the shower. I rinsed off, letting the water drill into my back like hot acupuncture. I had been taking baths almost exclusively, and they had helped a little, but I had some healing to do, for sure. I put shampoo in my hand and lathered up my hair. I rinsed it quickly, and grabbed the bar of soap to wash my body. I didn't stay in the shower long; I just wanted a quick clean, to be nice and fresh.
I stepped out of the shower and dried off. The towel felt nice against my coarse skin. I felt great, and I was about to feel even better. I pulled a beer from the fridge, and sat down on the couch and took a pull from it. I had to admit, I was a little nervous to have Natalie so close to me again, and she would be sober.
There was a knock at the door, and I quickly headed over to open it. There was a vision at my door, and I was almost rendered speechless ... almost.
“Hey, I was just having a beer in preparation for you.”
“Can I have one, too?”
I liked that, so I smiled. I let her in the apartment, and she headed straight for the couch. I went back to the fridge and grabbed her a beer, taking the cap off of it. She took it from my hand when I ventured into the living room.
She took a slow drink from the bottle, watching me carefully. I had never wished to be the bottle more in my life. She was gorgeous, and she was even more gorgeous when she was drinking that beer.
“What are you thinking?” she whispered.
I chuckled. “I'm thinking you should drink beer more often.”
She smiled; actually, she glowed. “Oh, is that right?”
“Yes, that's definitely the truth. You are so sexy drinking that beer.”
“Oh, you're just playing with me. I don't think I've been sexy a day in my life.”
“You would be surprised, Natalie.”
She took another pull on the beer, and I started to think I wanted my massage.
“So where should we do this?”
“Your bed should work just fine.”
Wow, that's all it took for my heart to beat tough. My bed would definitely do just fine. I grabbed my beer. “Let's go, then.”
“Okay, sounds good.” She got up with her beer as well, and followed me to my bedroom. She sat on my bed, and I started to undress. I took off my shirt as well as my undershirt, and then I took off my pants. She gasped as I did so, a shocked look on her face. I kept going, mainly because I wanted to see what she was going to say. I dropped my drawers and stood before her, naked as a jaybird.
“Jet, you don't need to be completely naked to have your back massaged,” she laughed, but she did it nervously.
I knew exactly what I was doing, and I didn't care, but I was willing to play stupid if I had to. “Oh, really? I could have sworn this was what people did when they got a massage.”
“Yeah, I bet you did. You're ridiculous.”
I smiled, grabbed a towel, and laid it down on my bed. I lay down on the towel, face down, and tried to relax. I almost laughed when she grabbed the other pillows on my bed, and put one on my butt, and the other two on the sides of my legs, to hide my nakedness. She never allowed me to get away with anything. I thought I had tricked her until she came back with the pillows. She straddled me, though it must have been difficult with all those pillows. She started kneading into my shoulders, slowly at first, and then a little faster and harder. She definitely knew what she was doing. I could feel the tension leaving my body almost instantly. When she got to my lower back where the injury was, she was gentle, making sure that she didn't hurt me, but she applied enough pressure that I thought I just might have a great night’s sleep.
“It feels amazing, Natalie. How long have you been doing this?”
“Geez, I don't know. Maybe since I was 15. Not too long, but long enough to learn good technique. My mom is very good, though―one of the best in the city. She's practically a miracle worker when it comes to removing pain from the body.”
“She must love it, then. I'm sure glad she taught you how to massage, because this is fantastic.”
“Thank you.”
She worked on my back for 45 minutes. I couldn't believe her hands didn't get sore. She kneaded and rubbed and stretched my muscles. She would rub my muscles, and then she would slowly just touch my back gently. I wasn't sure what I enjoyed more, the soft touching, or the hard rubbing. I felt like melted butter when she was all done with me.
“There ya go. All done here. You should be feeling much better now.”
“God, Natalie, I feel amazing. Thank you; that really helped.”
“I'm glad. I think it was just a tight muscle, no real injury. You probably won't have a lot of pain. Just the soreness now from the healing.”
“Maybe you are a miracle worker, too.”
“Ha ha, that's sweet.”
She got up and slid off the bed. I pushed the pillows off, and I began to get off the bed as well.
“Stop!” she yelled. I stopped immediately, as she took me completely off guard, and I wasn't sure what to expect, or why she was telling me to stop.
“I gotta go. But you can meet me at my place Thursday night at 6:00 p.m., and we'll go to that wine tasting, okay?”
That was all she said to me before she left. All I heard was the bedroom door open and close, and then nothing. It was like she just disappeared as I lay in my bed, confused as all hell. Was I losing my touch or what? I couldn't believe she hadn't been tempted to sleep with me again after I displayed my supreme nakedness for her. I rolled over in my bed and stared at the ceiling, beyond perplexed. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with this girl―she was continuously throwing me for a loop. What exactly did she want?
I started to sit up as Kyle burst through the door, scaring the shit out of me. I grabbed a pillow and covered myself up with it.
“What the hell are you doing, Kyle? What do you want? I think you really need to start knocking before you storm into my room.”
Kyle laughed. “Naw, man, I just wanted to see what it looked like to see a man who was just turned down.”
I threw a pillow at him as he ran out the door, laughing. I was going to kill him.
Chapter Thirteen
Natalie
I found it hard to try to define what part Jet played in my life. My friends were starting to think that there was something going on with him, but the truth that I told them was that he was just a friend. Certainly he was a friend with whom I had experienced a one-night stand, but that was about as intimate as we had gotten in all that time. Brenda showed up at my apartment, looking fierce, and the boys would be meeting us there as well. I would message Jet when I was almost ready to go, and he would head over.
The only way I could describe my relationship with Jet at that time was that we needed each other. Maybe me more than him, but somehow, in some fucked-up way, we fit into each other’s lives like two puzzle pieces. I needed him so I could excel in school, and to avoid being raped, and he needed me to provide him healing and pleasure, though I refused to offer him the type of pleasure he was really seeking out. I was really beginning to like Jet, and to enjoy spending time with him, but I didn't want it to go beyond a friendship, because I didn't trust him. He scared me in ways I couldn't quite put into words.
Brenda was already cracking into the booze to try to quell her nervousness.
“You better take it easy, or you are going to be hammered before we even get there.”
She laughed. “Yeah, right. You better start getting ready, or we'll never get there.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said as I headed into the bathroom. I plugged in the curling iron, and set it away from the sink. I looked at myself in the mirror, and tried to see what Jet saw when he looked at me. I was no doubt an attractive female, but stunning? Was I?
I took a brush to my red locks, and brushed through them nicely. I needed to have a good, soft base before I took a curling iron and hairspray to my hair. I applied some foundation to even out my skin tone, and then I looked through my makeup bag to find some blush. I usually liked to use a blush that had a peach base to it, and I only had one. I couldn't find it, so I kept digging around in my bag until I found it. Of course, it was right in the bottom of the bag. I pulled it out and opened it up. I stuck my finger in the jar, and then rubbed it across my cheek. I rubbed in the blush and then applied it to the other cheek. I put on some new eyeshadow that I had purchased that day. I added some eyeliner and mascara. I assessed myself, and came to the conclusion that I looked like a pretty nice package, all dolled up. My curling iron was hot and ready to go, so I begin taking strands of hair and curling them.
Brenda peeked her head into the bathroom where I was getting ready. “What on earth is taking you s
o long?”
“I'm not taking long; I'm just getting ready.”
“Why are you bothering to get beautiful? It's not like you are interested in Jet or anything, right?”
“Hey, I'm already beautiful, and no, I'm not interested in Jet, but I still want to look nice.”
“You look more than nice; you look hot.”
I snorted. “Well, thanks, but I'm not trying to get attention from Jet. Don't worry.”
“Uh-huh. Well hurry up, so you can have a drink with me before the guys get here.”
“Okay, I'm almost done with my hair. Give me a second.”
I finished curling my hair and went out to the living room, where Brenda was relaxing on the couch.
“Finally! You do look gorgeous, Natalie. Jet is going to lose it when he sees you.” She got up and poured me a glass of wine while I went over and sat on the couch.
“Well, thanks. You look great, too. Your date is going to be thrilled.”
“Oh God, I hope so. He's so cute, and so smart. I just can't believe that he's interested in me.”
“Brenda, why wouldn't he be? You are a great catch, so don't sell yourself short.”
She passed me the glass of wine, and I took a small sip. I definitely didn't want to be buzzed before we even got going; that was a recipe for disaster. I wished that Brenda hadn't opened up the bottle of wine, but I could understand why she felt nervous. Dating was a nightmare, and you never knew how a first date was gonna end, or whether you would get a second one.
I took another sip of wine and realized that I had not texted Jet, so I did that quickly, and let him know that he could head over at any time. I assumed Brenda took care of her own date.
“What time is Dan getting here?”
“Probably any time now.”
“Oh, I forgot perfume.” I almost flew out of my seat, and hurried to my bedroom to grab some perfume. I had a favorite Ed Hardy perfume. I only had one, and I never strayed from it. I spritzed a bit on my neck, and again on my wrists, rubbing them together. I hurried back to the living room, as I wanted to finish my wine before Jet arrived.
