by Alta Hensley
He laughed bitterly. “I’m suspended, remember?” He shrugged his shoulders at me as if that was the end of the conversation. As if I should just accept that too. But I was not going to back down.
“So, you’re just going to give up?” I asked, stepping inside his home without being invited. “You’re just going to let Danny tell you what to do, when he isn’t the only one making the decisions? You’re just going to sit here in this pathetic stupor.” I indicated around his now very messy home. “Have you no respect for me? I fucking own the gym too. Do you think I have no say? That I wouldn’t fight the filthy fight for you if I had to? Give me some credit here! I gave you a chance when no one else would. Are you just forgetting about that?”
“Of course I’m not!” he exploded angrily. “But what am I supposed to do? No one at that gym trusts me, and they have reason not to. Your brother has every right to demand I stay away from you and his gym. I don’t blame him one damn bit. The least I can do is be respectful of that man. He’s just looking out for your legacy and his sister.”
“Self-pity isn’t going to work, Mateo,” I said. “Just get into the car and come with me. We have a flight to catch and a fight to win.”
He gave me a look, one that was so filled with emotion it damn near broke my heart. He wanted to do the right thing. I could see it in his gaze like he was an open book. I could read that he just wasn’t sure what the right thing to do was. He didn’t know whether he should stay away as demanded by my stubborn ass brother, or whether he should do what I was telling him to and get his ass on the plane to Vegas.
“The promoters will want you to fight,” I said as I nudged him gently in the right direction. “Ignore my brother. This isn’t about you and me right now. This is about you finding redemption. Win this fight.”
This seemed to spark something within him. The fire that I so desperately needed. And after what felt like far too long, he gave me a curt nod. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll come. Let’s go to Vegas and shut the haters up.”
As Mateo rushed off into the changing room at the Vegas arena, I took a second to get my breath back. Not only did we fly across the country, we had run so quickly to get there in time, that I feared I might have burst my lungs doing myself some permanent damage. I needed to get my ass back in the ring and get into shape. That much was for sure.
“Was that who I thought it was?” Danny’s voice boomed out, fury obvious in his tone. “What the hell are you thinking, bringing him here?”
“He’s here to fight.” I turned to give my brother a determined look.
“I suspended his ass.”
“You might have, but I didn’t,” I countered quickly, refusing to let him railroad me. “We own this gym 50/50. I get a say too, my dear brother.”
“But what if he throws the fight? He’s back in bed with that Nero guy. I know for a fact.”
“He considered it,” I admitted. “I’m not going to deny that. But it isn’t going to happen.” I held Danny’s shoulder, trying to bring him back to the person he was when we were young, just for a second. I just needed the version of my brother who was actually my friend. No bitterness or resentment was going to help anyone here. “Mateo won’t screw us over. He won’t screw me over. I trust him. He made all his fucked up decisions to try to save his father. It doesn’t make it right, and I’m not defending what he did. But you and I would have done the same thing to save our father if we could have. You know it. You would have done anything. So his decision in the past, and even to consider doing it again is understandable. At least to me. But I promise you, that him throwing a fight is not an issue right now. Mateo knows he has to save himself, and not his father.”
In that instant, I could see that I had Danny debating internally, which was exactly where I needed him to be. If he was considering allowing Mateo to fight, then I could crack him. I was sure of it. I just needed to land the fatal blow.
“I know it wasn’t right of me to hook up with Mateo when he was such a vital part of Shamrocks. I can admit that, but I love him, Danny. I do.” I sighed, taking his hands in mine. “Don’t stand in the way. Please.”
“Damn it,” he muttered to himself before nodding quickly. “Fine, Vega can fight, but if he fucks up, I am going to kill you.” He jammed his finger into my chest, really driving his point home. “You’ll be the one to blame for the end of Shamrocks. We won’t be able to rebound from the bad press. A promoter won’t touch us ever again.”
“Yes. I know. And I promise you, this will all work out,” I said happily, already knowing that the worst thoughts going on in Danny’s head weren’t going to happen. “Thank you, Danny. You won’t regret it. Now, please go in there and get him ready. He needs you to win this fight.”
22
Mateo
“Once that bell rings, you’re on your own. It’s just you and the other guy.”
– Joe Louis
My father had taught me how to fight. Well, at least the basics. I had trainers and learned a lot of the fine tuning and skill along the way, but the heart of a fight was something I had always learned from my father. My best memories were of my dad in his younger days with his fists up, telling me to give it my best shot. He was good. Really good, but it wasn’t long before I knew that if I truly had given my best shot, I would have knocked my dad on his ass. But as I fought in the ring in Vegas, I could feel my dad with me. His advice, his guidance and direction was all that I needed. The best piece of advice he ever gave me:
Don’t get punched.
So, as I fought my opponent in the ring, with the roar of the crowd behind me, I focused on the three words of my father. I dodged, I danced around the fighter, I blocked my face, my ribs, by body like my life depended on it… because it did.
One punch, dodge.
One punch, dodge.
And once I had the rhythm down and studied the other man’s moves, I added to my step.
One punch, dodge, punch.
One punch, dodge, uppercut.
Knock out.
The fight wasn’t difficult though he did get a few hard jabs in. My head wasn’t fully in the right spot with all that had happened and the whirlwind of Julep taking over. I knew my opponent got a few good licks on me that hurt like a bitch that wouldn’t have happened otherwise, but it was still an easy win with all things considering.
The Matador had conquered again.
The cheers echoed loudly through the arena. The noise reverberated through my chest so painfully that my heart could burst at any damn second. My bloody head from those punches I should have avoided throbbed with the roar of celebration and in all honesty, I had never felt so good in my life.
The Matador had won. A fight I thought I was destined to lose; I came out victorious.
Redemption. Fucking redemption. I needed this as much as I needed air. The power of what had just occurred, and that I had come out of my dark tunnel and could now see the light of what could come from fighting for yourself, brought me to my knees.
As I dropped to the ground, I could see that beautiful figure running towards me and crawling under the ropes to enter the ring. She was the one person who seemed to be able to pick me up when my life was at its lowest ebb. I really didn’t know how she did it, how she managed to car crash into my life and turn everything on its head, but I was beyond grateful. If it wasn’t for her, I would still be working at my dead-end, shitty welding business, pushing my father into things that he really didn’t want, and being incredibly miserable. She had fought for me.
“Julep,” I said as she knelt down and wrapped her arms around me. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she said as she pulled back and dabbed at the dripping blood from my wound over my eye with a rag handed to her by Danny. “I love you so much.” With that, she pulled me in for a kiss, causing the crowds to cheer with delight even more.
As Julep pulled back to look into my eyes, I spotted a happy tear in her eye, one that made me want to grab hold of her and ho
ld her in my arms forever.
“I placed the bet,” she whispered naughtily to me. “I placed a bet on you winning, and now we have a lot of money to give to the cancer charity and to that piece of shit Nero.”
My heart raced faster, my mind spun with that rush that could only come from running a successful bet, but this time it was much more about what good the money could do, rather than the actual act of gambling. “I can’t believe you did that. I know we spoke of it but I figured we—”
“You can get Nero off your back forever,” she interrupted. “And that’s the last time I ever want to hear his name. Ever.”
“Agreed,” I insisted, knowing that this time I could say it for real. I would never go near that poisonous man ever again for the rest of my days. I had won the fight. My fight. “You are amazing!” I stood, picked Julep up, and spun her around in the air.
“Get out of here, you,” she laughed at me as I slid her down my body. “You still have all of the press stuff to do.”
“Fine,” I said, allowing her to take a few steps back. “But you are coming with me. Shamrocks did this. Not just me.” I glanced over at Danny who stood with a beaming smile, clearly approving of me with his sister now. I had proven myself to him, and that was a huge win within itself. “We all did this together.”
Stepping out of the hot shower at Julep’s house, and feeling as if every muscle in my body had been pounded to a pulp even though I really didn’t remember getting hit that much, but I clearly had. I still felt alive, however. My blood buzzed with victory and it was far better than any high of my past.
“Julep?” I called out, hoping she would come join me in the bathroom. My hard cock was ready for her, and the idea of hopping back in the shower together fueled it more.
“In here…” I suddenly heard a seductive-sounding voice calling out, which had lust coursing through my veins.
Still wet beneath the towel around my waist, I walked toward the voice. My entire body sizzled in need, and as I entered into the bedroom, I saw a sight that made my heart stop dead in my chest. It was Julep, with her naked body lying across the sheets, smirking playfully at me.
“Fuck yeah,” I said on exhale. “You right there are my prize for the night.” There were no words to describe her. She was just so damn perfect. Those lips, her eyes, those amazing curves… I couldn’t believe how lucky I was.
“I thought that we could celebrate your victory in our own way,” she said, sitting up and flicking her finger in my direction, indicating that I should come her way. Almost as if I was under her spell, my feet automatically started moving toward her, my body reacting to her in an all-consuming, incredibly powerful way.
“You should have told me this would be my reward if I won. I might not have gotten my ass kicked as bad with this motivating me,” I joked, causing her to laugh lightly, a musical sound that rang into my heart.
She grabbed hold of my towel, pulled me down on the bed and in for a passionate kiss with her tongue dancing with mine. A kiss that sparked desire inside of me stronger than a punch to the gut.
“I love you,” I whispered against her mouth. “I love you so much.” The words felt right to say. I knew I could say them every day, every hour, every second if it meant me keeping Julep in my life.
“I love you too.” Her arms snaked around my neck. “And I never want to let you go.”
With that, I climbed over her, and hovered above her body, drinking every aspect of her gorgeousness in. I couldn’t believe the life that I led now—one where I could fight in the ring again, and one where I got to be with the woman I loved. It almost seemed unreal.
“Kiss me,” Julep commanded, clearly getting needy for me now. “I want you hard, fast, and then when you think you are done, I want you more.” The last thing I ever planned on doing again was letting this woman down. Her wish would always be my command.
I ran my hand along her pussy and felt how wet she was as I lowered my mouth to her breast.
“Fuck me,” she purred.
“We really need to take care of the filthy mouth of yours,” I said as I clamped my teeth down on her nipple. “Do I need to spank that pussy of yours?”
“I think you do,” she said with a gasp. “I think I need my boxer to become the trainer tonight.”
23
Julep
“We gon’ float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. AH! Rumble, young man rumble! AH!”
– Bundini
We had only been kissing for a few seconds, but Mateo already had me flying higher than I ever thought possible. I didn’t know what it was about him, about us, but there was a crazy, intense chemistry between us that was beyond captivating. It was addictive in a way I never thought possible. Ever since my first time with this man, lying naked in the ring, he was all I had been able to think about. Day and night. It might have been a rocky road to get us to this point, but I was so glad I’d fought so hard. That we both battled to overcome all the obstacles that were lying in our path, because I honestly didn’t think I could have ever been with anyone else. There wasn’t anyone on the planet I could see myself with beside Mateo.
“Oh God,” I groaned against his mouth as his hands worked their way over my body. “I need this. I need you.”
With that, he yanked his towel free, needing to be naked, which was exactly what I wanted too. I’d been lying there in the nude, waiting for him for what felt like far too long, and now I needed to get my hands all over his abs and muscles again. This man was mine now. I loved him, and he loved me. All of our true feelings were finally out there in the open, and now I felt like we could really give ourselves to one another.
Once he tossed the towel off the bed, looking intently into my eyes again, I could already tell that this time was going to be different between us. It was going to be more meaningful because the feelings of love were known now. I couldn’t wait to have him inside of me, knowing that we were actually going to be something so much more to one another, guaranteeing that we would actually have a future. We had been so careful around one another, so unsure for so long, and that hesitancy would only serve to make us that much stronger in the long run. I felt it deep inside.
I found myself wanting to repeat my expression of love, wanting to say the words that I would never tire of saying, or hearing, but as soon as Mateo’s mouth found my neck, and he ran kisses up and down it, I struggled to catch my breath, never mind actually saying any words.
A drunk, lust-filled haze surrounded me as he moved that incredible mouth of his down to my nipples. Once there, he brushed them lightly with his lips, tantalizing me, teasing me, causing me to writhe beneath him. It didn’t help that I had been thinking about this moment for hours, working myself up into a frenzy before Mateo even entered the room. I was afraid that I was about to explode at any given moment, completely losing myself already.
And then his tongue started to work my breasts. I fisted the sheets below as my body jerked violently, just trying to hold myself together.
“Fu… fuck,” I finally managed to pant out. “I lo…” but there wasn’t any way that I could finish that sentence, not with my body on fire.
“You drive me crazy,” he said between nibbles. He then pulled his body back from me. “What am I going to do with you?”
He roughly grabbed hold of my thighs and tugged me hard toward him until his thick, throbbing cock was lightly rubbing against my entrance. I tried to sit up, to pull him all the way in, exactly where I needed him, but he was having none of it. He grabbed hold of my wrists and held my hands above my head, leaving me firmly fixed in place.
“You may be the queen of the ring at Shamrocks, but I’m the fucking king in the bedroom. I rule, and what I say goes.”
I didn’t know how to respond, so I simply nodded quickly, wanting him to have whatever he damn well pleased. He could have easily turned his back on me and Shamrocks, but he didn’t. He could have continued on with his plan with Nero, earning himself some extra money along the
way, giving in to the gambling lure that I was sure was still lurking, but he remained strong, and that definitely deserved a reward. A reward of whatever he wanted from me and my body.
He ran the fingers of his other hand lightly up and down my hot, wet slit, feeling just how turned on I was by him, his eyes fixed upon mine the entire time. There was a fiery desire in his expression, one that I was sure was matched in my own. An intense pressure was already building inside of me, a tight, knotting sensation, but a really pleasant one that I didn’t want to end. It was the anticipation, the buildup, and with Mateo, that was just as thrilling as the main event.
Then, just as I could feel my body starting to buckle, he plunged a couple of those fingers deep inside of me, causing me to scream out in passion.
After only a few moments, my arms wrenched away from his grip and I leaned up onto my elbows, trying to push myself into a sitting position. I knew that I was okay with him taking full control of my body, but that animalistic side had taken hold of me again, and I just couldn’t seem to help myself. But then, it seemed like Mateo wasn’t quite ready to give up his dominion over me yet either, because before I got the opportunity to do anything, he pushed my legs further apart to give himself more access. Then he pushed his tongue deep into me.
“Mateo,” I cried out. I knew for a fact that I really should be doing this to him. That he should be the one getting all the pleasure tonight, but feasting on my pussy seemed to be what he wanted, and I was not going to complain about that. “Oh my God, Mateo.”
My breath started to come out short and ragged as my need for him intensified. If he didn’t move that magnificent mouth away from me in a minute, I was really going to come on his tongue. He drove me hard and fast toward the brink of desire, and I was rapidly reaching the point of no return. I tried my best to reach down toward him, pulling him back to me, but I just couldn’t do it. It was as if he had planned this perfectly to ensure that he was in command, giving him exactly what he wanted from me.
