In His Corner

by Alexandra Warren

  While my father seemed calmer than before, it was his nonchalance that bothered me when he shrugged to answer, “Girl couldn’t stand the heat. Ain’t my fault.”

  I shook my head at his ignorance, sitting down to gear up for our training session as I told him, “You didn’t have to come at her like that, man. She didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “The hell she didn’t! You have a fight coming up, Prince. The last thing you need is a distraction like that lurking around.”

  The way he spoke of Bella, you would’ve thought he had taken even a second to get to know her. Because if he had, he would know, “She’s not a distraction. If anything, she’s the exact opposite.”

  “Bullshit. You wouldn’t know the difference if it jabbed your ass in the eye. Oh wait. She already did,” he said with an arrogant laugh that made me tense up as he continued, “Yeah, you ain’t think I noticed your little love tap the other day, huh? We’re supposed to be focusing on your next opponent, focusing on “Big Time”, and your ass is in here fuckin’ around, taking punches from that bitch.”

  The stool I was sitting on got flipped over with how quickly I snapped up from my seat, snatching him by the oversized hoodie he wore and looking down at him to snarl, “Watch your mouth, man.”

  But even my hemming didn’t stop his shit-talking, his voice strained as he said, “Wow. She must’ve stroked the fuck out of your little ego to have you confident enough to check me. Get your mothafuckin’ hands off me!”

  His request only made me clench harder, damn near lifting his now-frail ass from the floor as I waited for him to correct himself. It was one thing for him to disapprove of Bella’s presence since that wasn’t really anything new, but to call her out of her name for no good reason?

  He had the game fucked up.

  My fist was just getting ready to clench harder when Tony grabbed my arm and said, “Let ‘em go, Prince.”

  But I didn’t want to.

  I needed him to understand his words had consequences, especially when it came to her. And while I wasn’t sure what that said about how strong my feelings were, I knew I had to nip this shit in the bud now, even when I obeyed Tony’s command and let my father go with a toss.

  Tony released a sigh of relief as my father worked to catch his breath, though his distress didn’t stop Tony from attempting to be the voice of reason. “Look, King. I know your intentions are good and you just want him focused. Hell, we all do. But that shit isn’t cool, man. Bella’s a nice woman. I think you owe her an apology.”

  I couldn’t have agreed more, especially since I knew Bella would appreciate it as well. But I shouldn’t have been at all surprised when, through his coughs, he brushed it off to say, “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s get to work. I got better shit to do than argue back and forth about some… girl.”

  &

  “Ronda Rousey ain’t got shit on you, B.”

  Bella was too exhausted to laugh with me as I held onto the bag she was throwing punches at, her face pulled into a determined scowl as she took out all her pent up energy towards my father along with everything else that had been going on in her world. Even with the contract from my interview and the potential for more work, she still wasn’t quite settled into the idea of not having a place to report every morning. But for now, the only thing she could do was throw more punches as she grunted, “Gas me up… cause I need it. This is... tiring as hell.”

  “Welcome to my life.”

  “Glad... to be here,” she replied, punctuating her statement with a final blow before falling against the bag for support, her bangs sticking to her forehead that was glistening with sweat and the t-shirt she wore completely drenched.

  She was beautiful.

  “Yo, you good though? Earlier was…”

  “A hot ass mess, which seems to be my life as of late,” she finished for me as she left the bag to get a sip from her water bottle, though she ended up spilling most of it on her shirt trying to drink without removing her gloves.

  I shook my head with a laugh as I grabbed the bottle to hold for her, pouring water into her mouth as I asked, “If your life is a hot ass mess, what does that make me? The maid?”

  This time it was her shaking her head, swishing the water around to swallow before she answered, “No. It makes you… the dirty clothes hamper. I just come and drop my load off in you.”

  “As long as I can drop my load off in you too,” I teased just as she tilted her head back for another sip, though her lips snapped back closed once she realized what I had said.

  “I’m playin’, I’m playin’. Open up,” I told her, waiting for her to assume her position for a drink and pouring the water in as I muttered, “That’s right. Swallow like a good girl,” making her choke before she threw a punch at my side and swallowed what was left.

  Then she swiped at the excess water that had slipped from her mouth as she said, “You play too much.”

  “And you don’t play enough,” I told her as I helped her get her gloves off; her first order of business to get rid of her wet shirt, leaving her in only a sports bra and tights that made it hard to focus. But I should’ve been especially focused once I heard the topic of her question.

  “So. How are you feeling about this fight you have coming up? I hear “Big Time” is a tough opponent.”

  Fighting Boston had been a long time coming, our rivalry established long before I even considered him a worthy opponent. But now that he had proved himself by working his way up the ranks and going the distance with people in our weight class that I had demolished with ease, I suppose that put him in line to be next, even if I already knew how the fight would go.

  Just like the others before him who called themselves a challenger.

  “Bella, do you even know who “Big Time” is?” I asked, finding her interest funny since I knew my girl didn’t know the half about boxing.

  She was quick to defend, “Of course! I’ve done my research!” Though once I gave her a skeptical side eye, her claims got demoted to, “His name came up when I Googled yours in the “People also search for” section and I saw his picture.”

  Laughing, I insisted, “It’s just another fight, B. Just another opportunity to prove I’m deserving of the belt.”

  Owning my weight class was something I took great pride in, the only thing that made all the effort and energy I put in worth it. Though Bella knew that wasn’t the sole reason I was so determined when she trailed, “And another opportunity to please your father…”

  “That too,” I answered with a shrug, unable to deny it while also not really being interested in talking about him.

  Of course that didn’t slow Bella down as she reminded me, “You know you shouldn’t fight for him, right? This should be about you, about what you want for yourself.”

  “Who said I didn’t want this?” I asked as I sat on the edge of the boxing ring, Bella slipping to stand between my legs with a somber expression.

  “Do you… want this?”

  “Gotta specify that offering, Bella. You’re a nip-slip away from gettin’ a titty sucked,” I told her, earning myself another jab to my side along with her squealing my name.

  “Princeton, I’m serious! This fight, this lifestyle. Is this what you want?”

  It was such a loaded question, something I hadn’t stopped to think about in far too long, especially since being on top of my game. And with that on my mind, it was easy to answer, “Right now? Absolutely.”

  “Right now, but not… forever, right?”

  The way she asked the question let me know there was more to the story. But I didn’t dig right away, instead giving it quick thought before I repeated, “Forever? Nah. No one lasts forever in this game. You get out or it knocks you out. I’d rather get out on my own terms.”

  She released a heavy breath, diverting her eyes as if my answer was the best news she had heard all day. And it was that reaction that forced me to ask a question of my own. “Why does that relieve you so much?”


  “Remember I told you I did some research? Well, it wasn’t just about you, and it wasn’t about “Big Time”, obviously…” she trailed as if she was purposely trying to kill me with anticipation.

  “Spit it out, B. What’s up?”

  I could feel her tensing up as if the answer really made her uncomfortable, gnawing at her lip before she finally looked at me to say, “I was looking into head injuries, Princeton. You know, the thing that no one in boxing wants to talk about even though it’s what boxing is built on.”

  Now it was me feeling relieved, laughing as I assured her, “Bella, my head is fine.”

  “Yeah, fine for now. But in the future, the trauma can… catch up to you,” she said, letting me know she had probably read a little too much since she was already jumping to that conclusion.

  I did my best to put her at ease when I reminded her, “Gotta take a hit for that to happen.”

  But that only seemed to set her off even more as she reasoned, “See, that’s the thing. It doesn’t just take some massive, knockout blow. It’s the collection of hits overtime. The little hits that barely get you points on a scorecard but are enough to give that brain a shake. The hits that aren’t enough to have the ref stop the fight, but still have you shaking your head afterwards because you’re seeing stars. I guess I just… worry about you.”

  “That’s cute.”

  “Princeton…” she scolded, obviously frustrated that I wasn’t taking her concern seriously enough. But taking her concern seriously meant jumping to the true dark side of boxing, a place I couldn’t go if I expected to be able to fight with a clear conscience.

  So instead I only shrugged as I said, “I don’t know what you want me to tell you, B. I mean, this shit isn’t just some sport to me. It’s my life. It’s… everything. So if a little head trauma is the price I have to pay years down the road, it is what it is.”

  “Yeah, but what about everyone else around you? I mean, you see how your father is…”

  Just the mention of who he had become had me tensing up, my face tight when I asked, “So that’s what this is about? You’re trying to understand my father? Or, what? You think I’m gonna turn into him?”

  “Of course not! I just care about your life beyond boxing because I like you enough to possibly see myself being a part of that.”

  Hearing her admit that her feelings rivaled mine in strength was enough for me to put my guard back down, pulling her into an embrace as I told her, “Bella, you gotta trust me. Trust my training, my dedication to the craft, my will to win. All the work I put in, the shit I put up with from my dad, it’s all for a reason. It’s all so I won’t end up like whatever worst case scenarios you found on Google.”

  She tilted her head back to meet my eyes and explain, “The man was only twenty-three and on a liquid diet, Princeton. Couldn’t walk, could barely talk…”

  “Bella. Trust me.”

  Instead of agreeing, she only stared at me as if she was trying to read beyond my words the same way she had done during our interview, the shit making me uneasy enough to change the subject. “I have a presser announcing the fight next week. You comin’?”

  She pulled out of my hold, heading back to where she had left her things to check her phone as she answered, “Assuming your father will be there, hard pass.”

  “Might be the last time I really get to see you before I start camp,” I told her as I hopped down from the ring to meet her, the news prompting her to peek up from her phone with a confused expression.

  “Wait, what? But the fight isn’t for another two months.”

  “You think I can just show up a week before and snap into fight shape?” I asked rhetorically.

  Though leave it to Bella to really consider the possibility, staring off into space before she answered, “I guess not.” Then she dropped her phone back into its place, sidling up to me to ask, “But what does that mean for us?”

  Once again, hearing her talk about an “us” had my chest full. So much so that I couldn’t help pulling her into another embrace when I answered, “I won’t be completely off the grid so you can still call, or text, or whatever. But focusing strictly on the fight is the only way I can avoid ending up like ol’ boy you read about.”

  Even if my father had a terrible way of going about it, I knew eliminating everything not fight-related was an integral part of my success. But my response only had Bella poking her lips out in a pout, making me laugh as I added, “I don’t know why you’re acting like you’re actually gonna miss me or somethin’.”

  “Because I am going to miss you, Princeton. Why’d you let me get used to getting dicked down with regularity if you were only going to deprive me so soon?” she whined, making me laugh even harder.

  “Aww, look at you,” I teased as I reached down to pinch her butt.

  Of course she only rolled her eyes as she groaned, “It’s not funny, Princeton.”

  But it was funny to me since, “You’re just so damn cute, B. And you know I’m going to miss you too. I’m especially going to miss this,” I told her, grabbing a good handful of her ass as I continued, “But it’ll only make me more eager to beat Boston into putty so I can get back to you unharmed.”

  “Promise?”

  I nodded, never feeling more determined to keep my word as I told her, “Promise. Now come on. Let’s go work that sweat back up. Only a few more days 'til we’re both getting deprived.”

  -Round Five-

  Bella

  Life was… better.

  I refused to say good because I didn’t want to jinx myself. But things were finally at a place where I felt like I could breathe again, mainly because I had cashed two checks and had three more assignments lined up that would guarantee the lights stayed on, including one assignment in the works as I waited for them to finish practice.

  In the past, the sight of a bunch of sweaty men working their bodies on the basketball court might’ve had me intrigued. But now it only made me miss my man more, though I continually reminded myself it was for a good cause.

  “Let him train hard now so you don’t have to wipe his butt for him later.”

  No matter how extreme Princeton believed those circumstances to be, that didn’t stop me from using it as motivation not to bother him every single day outside of the explicit pictures I sent him most nights to remind him what was waiting for him to come back. But a nude for him didn’t do shit for me, especially with how horny I had been feeling as of late.

  That in combination with my overly-tender breasts would’ve had me panicking if it wasn’t for the red rain gift from mother nature that accompanied it, putting all pregnancy possibilities on full stop. Though that was yet another thing I was tempted to share with Princeton since he was so convinced it “felt like a baby girl”. But instead of bothering him, I dug in my purse for my phone to text Gina, my search interrupted when I heard someone call my name in the distance.

  I peeked up and found the last person I expected to see, my hand moving around my purse to clench my pepper spray instead as the sucker continued to approach me with a smirk. And he must’ve noticed my agitation since he put his hands up in defense, though I still didn’t let my guard down as he said, “Bella. Long time, no see.”

  “Not long enough in my opinion,” I replied with a roll of my eyes, trying to figure out what it was that I had ever found attractive about him.

  My search came up especially short once he fixed his lips to say, “Damn. That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?”

  I instantly became furious, trying to keep my voice down as I snapped, “Chris, I lost my job because of you. Harsh would be kickin’ your ass in front of all these people.”

  “I bet you do feel confident now that you’re running around with that boxer kid. Daddy teaching you some new moves?” he asked arrogantly as if he was really trying to earn that ass-kicking.

  But since I refused to give him the pleasure of getting me completely out of character, I plastered on a smile a
s I snarled through my teeth, “Fuck you, Chris,” before turning to walk away.

  Of course Chris didn’t let me get too far without calling after me, “Bella, wait!” His words enough to stop me in my tracks even if I didn’t turn back to look at him when he continued, “I’m sorry. I… shouldn’t have let our personal shit slip into the office, even if that’s where it started. But I really didn’t come here to pick a fight with you. I came here to… get you back.”

  I thought my, “What?” was a whisper to myself until Chris rounded to step in front of me and explained, “Fullest Disclosure wants you back, Bella. They’ve seen the work you’ve been doing since you left and realized they lost a huge asset.”

  A smirk grew on my face as I crossed my arms over my chest, cocking my head to ask, “So you read my cover story with Princeton?”

  “We all did. It was incredible,” he answered quickly. And while I wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth or if he was just trying to stroke my ego, it tickled me to no end that I had once been searching for praise from him when I had the ability to be greater than him all along.

  I stepped as close as I could without walking through him, keeping my voice low as I told him, “I wrote that before you got me fired. It could’ve been on Fullest Disclosure, but you ruined that. And now that you see I’m doing better without you, without y’all, you want me back?”

  When he gave a short nod, I let out a hideous laugh. A laugh that felt as good as the punches I had thrown with Princeton over his father, releasing any and all toxic energy I was harboring over someone who didn’t deserve it. And it honestly felt even better when he continued to whine, “Bella, I’m serious. They sent me to find you, to get you, and I’m not going back without a yes for an answer.”

  I shook my head in disbelief, crossing my arms once again to size him up as I huffed, “Wow. I can’t believe I ever thought so highly of you when all you do is play Sharon’s lackey. You were probably fucking her too.”

  Instead of denying it, he only looked away, forcing me to get closer as I squealed, “Oh my God, you were!”