Hold Book 3

by Jayne Blue

  Craddock watched as he spent a few minutes with Sunny too.

  Meyer had a moment with them, as they got ready for the exhibition portion of the night.

  “I’m pleased gentleman. Very pleased. All reports are good when it comes to you three.”

  “Thanks boss,” G-Man said.

  “How’s the Super Bowl of MMA shaping up?” Craddock wanted to see if Meyer could really make it that kind of event.

  “We’re doing great in the U.S. let’s just say a billion dollar haul for domestic Pay-Per-View isn’t out of the question, but the big money is starting to be international. I’d say learn a second language and that second language should be Spanish or Portuguese.”

  Craddock turned to G-Man and said, “Estou indo para chutar o seu ass.”

  G-Man’s mouth flew open.

  “Whoa, was that Irish?”

  “If I’m not mistaken it was Portuguese for I’m going to kick your ass.” Meyer said.

  “I knew I heard ass.” Jessie said as he taped G-Man’s hands for him.

  “I guess Craddock isn’t as dumb as he looks.” Zeke chimed in.

  “Fuck off.” Craddock said to Zeke.

  “Oh, that was American straight up.” G-Man added.

  “Give ‘em a good show tonight gentleman, the big money is in the house.” With that, Meyer left them to finish getting ready.

  The gym had their own ideas though about the sparring exhibition.

  There were the three professional 21C fighters from the Fresh Blood Tour and one local guy the gym wanted to promote. So, to make it entertaining, the promoters put all three of their names in a hat, G-Man, Craddock, and Zeke.

  The Chicago hometown boy would fight the one he drew. Of course, it was G-Man. The crowd went nuts.

  Craddock and Zeke would have to spar. They were up first.

  Jessie came over to Craddock’s corner.

  “You sure? Want me to go in there instead?”

  “What you afraid I can’t handle The Preacher’s Son for an exhibition match?”

  “No I’m afraid you’ll kill him for a stupid exhibition match.”

  “It’s fine.” Craddock looked and Cassidy was heading in his direction now too.

  “This is a bad idea.” She put a hand on his forearm.

  “It will be fine. Besides, it is in our contracts. These events are 21C shows all the way.”

  “You’re not going to lose your cool?” Jessie said.

  “You nearly kill a guy one time and no one lets you forget it.”

  “That’s not funny.” Cassidy chastised him.

  “Didn’t mean it to be. I won’t lose it unless he does.” Craddock looked over and the clean cut types were lining the ring on Zeke’s corner.

  “If he gets another concussion he’ll be removed from the sport.” Cassidy said. It irked him that she had the medical details of Zeke Powell.

  “Seems like you’re very worried about your friend.” He put the emphasis on friend and with that, Craddock left a clearly agitated Cassidy to finish getting ready for this bout. He was done indulging her about this. A job was a job and this was his job at 21C.

  If The Preacher’s Son needed a miracle to survive a sparring exhibition, he should be out of the sport. Craddock had no sympathy. He was annoyed that Cassidy had so little faith in his control. Of course, he had promised to break Powell’s face more than once. So yeah, Craddock supposed she had reason to worry this was going to go badly, but he put it aside. It was time to go to work.

  There were no entrance songs or big fanfare. This was an exhibition match for 300 people who were crammed into the gym, and some outside, peering through the windows.

  They would get to see the technique of two up and coming MMA stars and G-Man, heavyweight contender, workout with one of their hometown heroes.

  As long as Zeke Powell remembered to keep his mouth shut and his gloves up, he would get out on one piece.

  Cassidy

  If Meyer Thompson said fight, you fought, in the end that was Jessie’s position. She knew it was a bad idea for Craddock and Zeke to fight, even if it was an exhibition. Craddock was infuriating, and she knew he didn’t listen or care about her worries.

  She decided to try with Zeke. Maybe he had some sense about this. She marched from Craddock’s corner to Zeke’s as fast as she could. Mace Alois was taping Zeke’s hands.

  “Come to wish me good luck?” Zeke gave her a wink.

  “I’ve come to tell you to reconsider.”

  “Worried I’ll hurt your boss? Boyfriend? I keep forgetting which it is.” There was a cold edge to Zeke’s outward show of cheerfulness for this room full of fans. She suspected the edge was very personal.

  “Zeke, you know and I know you aren’t that far removed from a massive concussion.”

  “I’m doctor approved. But I am touched that you care.” Talking to Zeke was in this situation no different than talking to Craddock.

  “Mademoiselle, no more negative discussion, s'il vous plait?” Mace Alois had spoken; she was pretty sure for the first time. His thick French accent made him seem polite but he firmly kicked her out of Zeke’s corner.

  She would try Jessie one more time.

  “Really?” Jessie said as he rubbed G-Man’s neck. He would be in the ring next.

  “You’re going to have to sit down and deal with it. See, Dylan’s handling this way better than you are.” Jessie pointed out that Dylan was happily eating M&Ms in Craddock’s corner. Coach Boggs said something to him and he laughed. Dylan was the one with anxiety issues but clearly, she was the one losing her shit.

  “Fine.” No one was listening to her. She was making zero impact. She decided to plant herself by the door. Somehow, the idea of making a quick exit had a lot of appeal to her all of a sudden.

  The match started. From the get go it was not Craddock’s temper that she had to worry about. It was Zeke’s intensity.

  Zeke, who had lost weight during his recovery, was looking huge, almost as big a Craddock, she had not noticed it before, but he had put it on. She knew it was calculated.

  After a bouncing around for a few seconds, Zeke unleashed a punch that Craddock barely deflected.

  The crowd screamed. This was the 21C Fresh Blood Tour after all and blood was what they paid to see she thought bitterly.

  Craddock answered Zeke’s punch with one of his own. He pulled it, Cassidy could see, he was trying to spar, hit lightly.

  Zeke had other plans and he attacked. It was ferocious. Zeke’s contingent of fans cheered him on and he fed off it, clearly, pulling none of his punches.

  Any hope of this being nice and light, of making this a show, not a fight, was crushed as Craddock’s fist nailed Zeke on the jaw. Zeke’s mouth guard flew out. Zeke shot in on Craddock’s legs and a scramble on the floor was underway.

  She caught a glimpse of Meyer Thompson. He was in his element. He loved it.

  There would be no call to stop it, no voice of reason, and Cassidy watched blow after blow, kick after kick, back and forth between the fighters. She looked for signs of weakness in Zeke, evidence that he was in danger, but he looked very strong. He looked very much like the underdog who had surprised everyone in Grand City, beating a top contender in the 21C to earn his own contract.

  Craddock, who had never looked weak in his life, looked deadly now. Craddock’s dark to Zeke’s light had the crowd into it. Half of them crying for The Fighting Flynn, to teach The Preacher’s Son a lesson, the other half-cheering Zeke’s name. Cassidy did not want to watch but like the fans, she couldn’t look away. For every blow, Zeke doled out Craddock had an answer. For every take down Craddock delivered, Zeke found a last second way out.

  When the two rounds, mercifully, were over, she had no idea who had done better. Which fighter had delivered more pain? When the buzzer sounded Coach Boggs and Mace Alois had to enter the ring and pull the fighters apart. Neither showed a sign of quitting or tapping out or relenting in any way. No hand was raised, no judges s
coring, this was an exhibition. A bloody fucking exhibition.

  She heard a fan in the back row say, “That was a brawl. They wanted to kill each other.”

  “Yeah, if you believe the internet it’s over a woman.” Cassidy’s ears perked up. She made her way to the front door of the Big Shoulders gym. She did not want to add fuel to gossip that was apparently on the internet.

  If Zeke or Craddock got the bone headed idea to single her out and point to her she would flip them off. She swore it. She would deny them both whatever macho drama they had in mind with her.

  A couple of teenagers reached the doors at the same time as she did and she hung back to let them through.

  “That’s her.” One said when she met Cassidy’s eyes.

  “You don’t deserve either of them, bitch.” Then they walked out of the gym ahead of her.

  What? Were they talking to her?

  “She’s not even that hot.” The pair continued to insult her as they walked away. It was a strange and jarring encounter after what she had just seen in the ring. She shook it off and headed to Craddock’s bus to hide for a bit. Everything to do with MMA and 21C was nuts and she decided to skip G-Man’s match.

  Her alone time was cut short. She hadn’t even sat down when the door of the bus flung open and Craddock slammed it shut behind him.

  “Are you okay?” He was a bit bruised, and had a fat lip, but otherwise it looked as if he could head back in the ring for more.

  He didn’t say a word. Craddock had clearly gone from the ring straight to her. Craddock was dripping in sweat; he flipped the lock behind him and advanced toward her. Cassidy backed up and found herself against the door that separated the bedroom from the rest of the bus.

  Craddock did not stop just because she had nowhere else to go. That was the point. He took her mouth in a raw kiss that was infused with the bloody lip he was sporting. He roughly opened her blouse and she heard several buttons hit the floor with a ping.

  Craddock ripped down the cups of her bra and slid his teeth, his tongue, and his hands over her exposed breasts. Before she could fully register those sensations, he lifted her up against the wall and pinned her there with his hips. She shocked herself at how she responded to the animal way he had come in and without a word began to ravish her body.

  She wanted it too. She clawed at him, groaned, and nearly went over the edge when he ripped off her panties. They had to be shredded.

  Craddock opened her legs and she wrapped them around him. Seconds later, he hammered her to the door with his raw male force.

  “Oh my god. Yes. Oh my god.” She said. He was relentless, devouring her, claiming her, it was the same ferocious energy she had seen in the ring, but now it was in her. All the power, heat, and rage Craddock commanded in the ring he transferred to her.

  He pounded in over and over, and she felt herself speeding toward a climax like she had never had before. She clenched around him, and held on.

  Craddock’s release took her out of her head. He made a noise that was more beast than man as he poured into her. He pulsed inside her, still hard, still wanting, even seconds after he had come.

  She tried to quiet him, settle him, and stroked his hair as every part of her shook in the wake of what had happened. It had only been a few minutes ago when she had left the fight. Craddock lifted from the door and opened it, sliding them both into the bedroom and on the bed. He kissed her face, her neck, and she felt him begin to stroke again, another rhythm, slower but as intense. This time he stared at her face as he moved inside her.

  How was it possible she could feel the tension and heat gather again? He was going to take her again, show her who she belonged to.

  Craddock was delivering a deliberate assault on any vestige of a question about where she belonged. Where he nearly split her in two just seconds before he put her back together now. Stroking her hair, kissing her deeply, and touching her softly while he slowly fucked her senseless. There was no other way to say it.

  After her second climax, she put her hands up.

  “I surrender.” She said.

  “Good, since I surrendered to you first.” Craddock kissed her again and helped her up off the bed.

  “If you’re in here where Dylan is may I ask?” She asked as she tried to figure out if her clothes were salvageable.

  “Jessie’s got him. G-Man’s almost done.”

  “Oh, well, do we have a few more minutes then?”

  “What?” Cassidy crawled up Craddock’s back and licked sweat from his neck.

  “I just got out of the ring. You’re merciless.”

  “Third time’s the charm.” She slid herself on top of him. “I’ll be really quick.”

  Craddock may have slammed open the door to claim her but she decided to claim him right back.

  Chapter Six

  Craddock

  He was still sore days later, and it was fucking annoying. Zeke hadn’t done any real damage but he had thrown down the gauntlet. In their first matchup, back in Detroit, Craddock had been disqualified for an illegal move against Zeke. Zeke deserved it but Craddock knew it had hurt his career and his life, giving in to that rage. Their second match up was absolutely no sparring exhibition. Zeke came at him with new muscle, new coaches, and an old score to settle.

  Zeke wanted everything Craddock had, the girl, the growing fame, and even the damn Twitter followers. He could see Zeke playing up to Sunny constantly. Her interest in helping Craddock’s career had cooled considerably since he had pealed her off him in his hotel a few towns back.

  Sunny was the kind of woman that did not want to be ignored it appeared.

  He knew who Zeke was and he felt like finally, Cassidy did too, at least a little. She had seen Zeke could take care of himself and that the All-American boy had a raging case of jealousy. Not an attractive quality. Zeke wasn’t in their way anymore despite Craddock knew. Zeke was in his own way.

  Craddock and Cassidy had made a game of ways they could be together in the most ridiculous situations. Every time Dylan took a ride with G-Man’s group, underneath the table in a truck stop booth he would slide her skirt up, no one was the wiser, and any hotel stop they made, well that was almost too easy. Thank God, once Dylan slept he really slept.

  Wichita was their last stop before they hit Denver. Denver was the last big gym they would visit, Wichita was a smallish gym but they actually had a Great Wolf Gym location so it was a bit of a homecoming.

  They had finished their duties at the GWG Wichita and were packing up.

  “Notice the lines getting a little shorter for you there Flynn?” Sunny had clicked on her camera and was recording.

  “You talking to me, Sunny?” He had once been the star of videos but it had been a while since she had pulled him aside to make one.

  “Yeah, I am, why do you think the fans are deserting you?” Craddock saw Zeke walk up behind her.

  “I don’t think they are. The true fans are always there for me and I’m here for them.” Craddock knew how to play to the camera. Tough to the Top had taught him that for sure. Sunny was not done.

  “I think it’s because they’re all falling in love with The Preacher’s Son, he almost got you there in Chicago.” Sunny was goading him. He saw Zeke chuckled a bit behind her.

  “I’ll be happy to tear him apart any time you’d like Sunny. Does that mean more Twitter followers?” He was getting pissed.

  “Maybe. Maybe the fans are on his side because of Cassidy?” Sunny asked.

  “What?”

  “The Preacher’s Son’s heart is broken because his girl is going behind his back with you. It’s pretty slutty.” With that, even Zeke cut her off.

  “Hey, hey, enough. Language, there are kids out there.” Sunny swung the camera over to Zeke who smiled and looked almost humble.

  Fuck that.

  “Are you going to let people think that about her?” Craddock was furious this was none of anyone’s damn business outside of the three of them.

&nbs
p; “People are going to think whatever they think. I can’t control that.” The two men were now chest-to-chest, ready to have match-up number three.

  “About us, not about our friends or family or...” Out of the blue, Coach Boggs and Coach Roy were there pulling the two of them away from each other.

  “Or who, your employees?” Zeke spit back. Coach Boggs tightened a grip on Craddock to keep their words from turning blows.

  “Fine, I’m fine.” Craddock said to Coach, trying to demonstrate that he was not going to rip Zeke’s head off. The Preacher’s Son fucking deserved it but he would get his in good time. Craddock knew it. He made a conscious effort to cool it. Sunny probably loved every drama filled second.

  Jessie and G-Man came over and continued to put distance between him and Zeke. Mace and Coach Roy did the same for The Preacher’s Son. The two had not interacted since Chicago, and that was hundreds of miles ago. It appeared now that when they got within inches of each other, it was going to get ugly. The two scrums pushed and pulled Zeke and Craddock farther away from each other.

  G-Man spoke up.

  “Listen Craddock he’s not a bad guy. He’s just hungry. Like you are. Stop getting so pissed at him.”

  “Well he needs to stay out of my way.” Craddock was serious about that.

  “I’m just glad we’re on the home stretch. I am done with autographs. I want to fight, not dance around. And you and Cassidy are wearing me out.” G-Man said, and Craddock had to give him credit. He had stayed out of a lot of relationship bullshit during this title run. Or maybe he had just never met a woman who affected him the way Cassidy did Craddock.

  “No kidding. All this secret hook-up stuff is getting old.” Jessie chimed in. Another one to talk. Jessie kept everything light with the groupies that always swirled around fighters.

  “Um, keep in mind, if you guys wouldn’t have told Cassidy about me getting drugged on Tough to the Top she may have kept locking me out. SO you have yourselves to blame for me needing to kill Zeke every other day.”