I could make out the muscle that lied underneath his shirt. He was strong and carried a sense of power in his athletic stride. Someone must have realized the man’s bare flesh was his best asset. The low cut of his undershirt revealed the musculature of his upper chest. I was quite thankful for the view.
I stepped up to him with a pair of wobbly knees and offered a handshake. “Hi…”
“Hello, you must be Jessica,” he said in a deep voice with a leathery rasp. It gave his words a reverb that echoed in my head. The man took my hand and gently shook it. “Thank you taking the time to spend the evening with me.”
I managed to compose myself. My mother smiled at the fact I was getting so flustered. “It’s my pleasure, Jason.”
“She jumped at the chance the moment I opened my mouth,” my mother teased. “I’d normally make you stay for a cup of tea but I’m sure the two of you would prefer to head out.”
Jason nodded. “Is it alright if she rides with me on my motorcycle, Mrs. Sears?”
“So long as she wears a helmet and keeps her hands to her body,” she answered. “And make sure she doesn’t drive it. When she was a ten year old, she crashed her bicycle into a payphone and dislocated her arm. I’d hate to see what she would do with a motorcycle!”
I turned flush at the revelation. “Mom, it was an accident! The brake pads wore out.”
“Well, you were the one riding it! Jason make sure not to go to fast. She puked all over her tricycle when she was three-”
“Mom!”
“Of course, I have a spare helmet that should be her size,” he replied, amused at our squabbling. “We’ll be leaving now. I’ll return her safe and sound. Ms. Sears.”
With that, we were off. I was gleeful at the prospect of spending the evening with the handsome prizefighter. I wanted to show him off to my girlfriends. They would be dead jealous of me.
Jason, however, had a faraway expression on his face as we walked to his motorcycle. “It sounds like your mother roped you into this. I’m sorry if it inconvenienced you. I didn’t mean to impose on you when I accepted her offer.”
The guy was as polite as he was cute. “It’s alright.”
“I could drop you off at your friends,” he offered. “I could make up a story about how we had a good time together.”
“I don’t mind,” I replied. It was the honest truth. There was no way I was going to let this date fall out of my hands “I’d prefer to hang out with you than do anything else.”
Jason got out the keys to his motorcycle. “Fair enough. Any place in particular you want to go.”
“Well, there is this nightclub that is run by one of my friends,” I began. I was sure Amelia and some of my other friends would be there since that had been my original plan for this Saturday. “It’s called the Shot Glass and it’s-“
Jason eyes widened. “The one downtown?”
“Yeah, I planned on meeting some friends there,” I answered. “In fact, one of friends from high school is one of the owners. You’ve heard about it?”
“My gym is a couple blocks down from there,” he replied. He set back his motorcycle’s kickstand. “I’ve only been there a couple times but one of my sparring partners is a regular. I know how to get there. However, it’s located at a not very nice part of town.”
“That’s why my friend has an army of bouncers working for her.”
That’s when I saw his motorcycle. It was sleek and compact with a no-frills focus on functionality. However, I could tell there was power packed within its metal exterior. Its leather seats looked soft and inviting. His machine looked as sleek and powerful as its owner. I suspected that it was custom made. “Oh, wow!”
“Wear this,” Jason commanded, handing me a helmet. While he took my mother’s order seriously, there was a protective look on his face. “Make sure the strap is secured tightly around your chin. Yes, that’s good.”
The helmet was a bright if girlish robin’s egg blue. And it had an amusing assortment of stickers on it. “Why do you have animal stickers on it? Is that the Powerpuff Girls?”
Suddenly, there was a solemn expression on his face. “I kept it around since a friend used to wear it whenever we rode together.”
That’s when I saw a sticker with a familiar logo on it. “Hey, this is the Doctors without Borders logo. I did a project about them in class.”
The look on Jason’s face didn’t change. “My friend… she volunteered with them during the civil war in Sudan. As dangerous as it was, she always wanted to be a doctor and help people.”
It was humbling to hear about his friend’s motives. “I see.”
I didn’t want to probe any further. I could tell it was his friend who had died. It felt strange wearing something that belonged to one his closest friends. I could tell the relationship was a lot closer than a mere friendship. He had lost a lover.
I felt a strange responsibility towards Jason. This wasn’t some favor to my mother anymore. This was an opportunity to help Jason over his loss. I wasn’t vain enough to think I could make all his pain disappear over the span of one date. However, if I could take his mind off his loss for just a few hours, then it would be worth spending the evening with him.
Besides, it didn’t exactly hurt that he was quite the arm candy.
I mounted the motorcycle and secured myself behind him. Satisfied with our position, he spoke. “Tell me if I drive too fast.”
I nodded. “I don’t get motion sickness. My mom’s just joking.”
He revved up the motorcycle and got out of the driveway. “Your mother is a funny woman. I enjoy talking to her during my visits to the clinic.”
“She can be a real riot at home.”
“I never knew my mother,” Jason mused as we hit the asphalt. “She died when I was young.”
I inquired. “How your father?”
“I knew even less about him,” he sighed. “He left my mother when she was pregnant. After she died, I was raised by a man my mother had met. His name was Sam and my mother had looked after his grandmother when she was ill. He felt sorry for me and didn’t want me to end in an orphanage. Sam was an ex-boxer and taught me to fight. I started to learn boxing before moving onto other martial arts. All I knew in life was fighting. That and pain.”
“How did you get the name Painkiller? Can you take a lot hits and keep going?”
“I do endurance training like anyone else but the key to winning is not getting hurt in the first place,” he laughed. “No, the name came from the knockouts I delivered. One of first opponents was a local favorite known for never getting knocked down. He was heavy favored to beat me during an early part of my career.”
“What happened next?”
“He met me,” Jason answered, a bit of pride in his voice. “The man was built like a brick wall but my speed and technique wore him down. I let him tire himself out the first round before dishing back in the second. Then, it took one punch in the third round to knock him flat on his back. He stayed down.”
“Wow…”
“He told reporters he was in a world of pain until the end. He called that last punch the painkiller. Then, the name stuck.”
“That’s a funny story, Jason.”
Suddenly, Jason grew serious again. “It’s the fighting that comes naturally to me. I wished it was that easy for killing other types of pain.”
We were silent after that. Nevertheless, I enjoyed riding with Jason. His body felt so warm and protective. I wondered if this was how his lover felt.
We eventually arrived at the Shot Glass. Jason packed in the back and we headed to the back entrance. The bouncers knew me and waved us in.
Amelia had done a great job with the nightclub. It was clean, hip, and a bit of an oasis on a bad side of town. Even some celebrities dropped by to visit due to its reputation. We walked up stairs to the VIP room where some of my old friends waited.
I heard an audible gasp when they saw Jason accompany me. I couldn’t help but feel smug at
some of their reactions. They weren’t prepared for that dorky girl from high school returning with a stunningly handsome date. Jason was quiet and polite with my former classmates. He didn’t seem to understand the interest he had generated.
Even, Sandra, the former high school prom queen, leaned into my ear and asked. “Does he have a brother?”
Before I could answer, my best friend arrived with some non-alcoholic refreshments. “Amelia, it’s so good to see you!”
My best friend hugged me after placing down the drinks. “It’s been like forever since I last saw you, Jessica.”
I hugged her back. “It’s just been the better part of a year.”
However, it was Jason who surprised her. “Is your date looking for work? I could always use more muscle. Having a big guy like you here would be like having five bouncers.”
Jason took her offer seriously and shook his head. “I’m afraid I already have employment.”
Amelia was slack-jawed at my date. “Jessica, where did you get this guy?”
“Would you believe my mom got me to meet him on a blind date?”
“Ha! I figured she would have you go out with a doctor,” she laughed. One of her employees called her from the distance. “Sorry, I got a nightclub to run. You two enjoy yourselves. We’ll catch up later!”
I waved my best friend goodbye as we went back to mingle with my friends.
Jason had friends as well in the nightclub. They were happy to see him checking out the club instead of slaving away in a gym. In fact, some of the guys and girls who I wasn’t exactly friends with in high school were talking with me. They wanted to be associated with Jason since they had heard he was popular fighter in the local MMA circuit. It didn’t exactly hurt he was the hottest guy in the place.
We had an amazing evening. I couldn’t drink but I didn’t mind being sober. Jason didn’t either since he was driving us back home. Besides, his training regimen minimized alcohol consumption.
I wasn’t one for dancing. Amelia had always said I had two left feet. Nevertheless, Jason and I had a few slow dances to some incomprehensible electronic music. We were never apart for more than a couple of minutes. While Jason occasionally talked with some of the people who worked out at the same gym or I did with a school friend, we were usually within arm’s length of each other.
I would have been on cloud nine for this romantic outing if I ever forgot the fact that Jason was just a friend. We were here just because my mother wanted to help him and play matchmaker in the process. I didn’t want to make any assumptions on the longevity of this relationship. I was here to keep Jason’s mind off his problems. This wasn’t a serious romantic relationship.
Soon, it came time for us to go home. Whatever happened after this, I hoped Jason and I could at least stay in touch and remain friends. I knew this would always be a night to remember.
Jason and I left through the back entrance. When we were about to head to Jason’s motorcycle, a group of three men crossed our path. From their clumsy walk and slurred speech, they were all clearly drunk. The bottles of alcohol in their hands sealed the deal.
I whispered to my date. “Haven’t they heard of brownbag laws for alcohol?”
“Ignore them,” Jason whispered back. “Let’s head home.”
However, one of the men stopped in his track and pointed at Jason. “Hey, I know you! You’re the fucking Painkiller!”
Jason ignored the man and kept walking. He silently gestured toward his motorcycle. However, the men weren’t going to let us get off that easily.
“You son of a bitch!” another man yelled at Jason. “We lost $1000 betting against you! Don’t you know how to take a dive and share the wealth? You greedy asshole!”
Holding back his frustration, Jason tried to shrug them off. “Sorry about that. Better luck next time.”
Another man chimed in. “Hey, we’re not done talking you Painkiller!”
I wanted shout back at these drunken idiots. Jason didn’t deserve this harassment for being good at his job. However, he whispered into my ear. “Jessica, we should leave now. Don’t antagonize them.”
I nodded. “Okay…”
The men moved their crosshairs onto me. “The least you could do is buy a better whore with that prize money.”
“I thought a champion would have better taste in women,” one of the men sneered. “Too bad you had to settle for some wild animal after your last woman got hooked on drugs.”
“Yeah, we heard how she OD’d on some drugs she stole.”
“I’d still take a dead white girl over a black whore like her,” the other man spat in my direction. “I didn’t think dark meat was part of a regular training regimen!”
My nostrils flared in rage at their racist jabs but I knew better than to pick a fight. “Jason let’s leave-“
My date wasn’t going to let the men off so easy. He marched straight to the men. I sensed Jason tense up with a quiet sort of anger. I felt a rage radiate off him that was aimed straight at the drunkards. Towering over the men, he growled at the group of drunken men. “Apologize to her now… and that’ll be the end of it.”
The men were too drunk or stupid to end this pointless episode. One of the men smashed his beer bottle against a nearby wall and pointed it Jason. The glass was jagged like the teeth of a predator. “Or what?”
Without warning, the man lunged at Jason with the broken bottle. I yelled at him in terror. “Look out!”
However, the MMA fighter was more than prepared for the attack. With a simple jab of his elbow, he hit the man’s wrist and sent the bottle flying through the air. It landed on the ground and shattered into several pieces.
Taking advantage of the man’s surprise, Jason grabbed the man by the shoulder. With an impressive display of strength, he lifted the man before balancing him with another hand on the man’s chest. Then, he threw the man against a nearby wall. He went flying through the air just like the beer bottle. Soon, he hit the brick wall with an audible and painful sounding impact. The man slumped against the ground.
The man was out cold.
Enraged, one of the two remaining men swung at Jason. The MMA fighter easily dodged a pair of punches with casual ease. His lightning reflexes were far too quick for the drunken man. Jason retaliated with a bone-breaking punch to the man’s ribs. He followed up by kneeing the man in stomach and making him double over. Finally, Jason finished him up by going low on his knees before delivering a powerful uppercut. The man went sailing through air before landing with a thud.
It didn’t look like he would be getting up anytime soon.
The last standing remaining man took advantage of the opening. He attacked Jason with the skill and ferocity of a wild animal. For a drunken man, he let out an impressive amount of punches.
A jab.
A right hook.
A left cross.
Even a haymaker.
Jason dodged all of them with ease.
Sensing that his opponent had spent himself, Jason counterattacked by a pair of quick jabs to the man’s chest. The MMA fighter expertly got low on the ground and swept the man’s leg. His opponent fell backwards and left himself open to Jason’s incoming barrage. The man quickly withered under the MMA’s fighter’s powerful strikes.
That made three for three as Jason looked upon the last man with disgust. “Or else I’ll do this.”
Suddenly, Amelia appeared from the back entrance of the nightclub. She must have heard the commotion. A battalion of bouncers appeared behind her.
“Jessica, are you alright?” she asked, terror in her voice. She calmed down once she saw the three incapacitated men. “One of the waitresses saw the men attacking the two of you and came back in for help.”
Jason cracked his knuckles. “I took care of them. Have one of your employees call the cops and keep the men detained. Let them rot in a drunk tank for the night.”
“That’s more than what they deserve,” Amelia sighed before turning to me. “I’m so sorr
y about this, Jessica. I know I should’ve had some guys patrol around the back during this time of night. I should’ve sent an escort-”
I smiled at my friend. “Don’t worry, Amelia. I had Jason.”
Jason gestured towards his motorcycle. “I’ll make sure she gets home safe.”
I wished my friend goodbye before following Jason. I was proud to have dated him. It wasn’t the fact that he was a sexy and powerful fighter. The man cared about me and was willing to fight for me.
Nevertheless, I was silent when we got to the motorcycle. I was so nervous when I tried to put on my helmet that it took a minute for me to put it on right. When the men spoke of Jason’s girlfriend dying, it sparked anger in him. The rage brimming within Jason felt like a red hot furnace. I could only imagine that the passion he felt for his now departed girlfriend was just as intense.
Painkiller (BWWM/Interracial MMA New Adult Erotic Romance Novella) Page 2
