Bad Boy's Honor: An MMA Bad Boy Romance (22 page)

“I could,” I agreed. “But you do have a point. I just don’t think he’s going to be that easy to forget.”

“When you meet another man, you’ll forget all about Riker, I promise.”  

I didn’t agree, but I didn’t have the energy to argue. We agreed to buy some dangerously unhealthy fast food, and then sit in front of the television for the rest of the day.  

Alison couldn’t be right about me just being attracted to Riker as a bit of thrill-seeking. Could she? If I liked the whole ‘bad boy’ vibe about him, then why didn’t I want to see him fight? If I got off on the violence, I would want to see him winning his fights.

There had to be more to my attraction than that. It wasn’t just Riker’s looks. I’d never been that shallow. Mind you, I’d never seen a body like that before either… But no, that wasn’t it.

Riker was straightforward, and not like other men. He didn’t try to impress me with how well-educated he was, or how rich. He never flashed money around, and even kept his tough side hidden. As hidden as it could be with all those muscles, anyway.

There was an honesty to Riker. Like with Duke, what you saw was what you got. Unfortunately, what I saw was a man who wouldn’t settle or commit to anything other than a fight. And that was the problem. I would always be second to the next fight or challenge that came up in his career.

I couldn’t settle for that.

The next step was simple in theory, difficult in practice.  

No more Riker.  

I’d done enough training over the last couple of weeks to whip my body back into shape, but I still had one more obstacle to overcome—my mind.

Training my brain required a level of discipline that had always eluded me, but never more so than now.  

“Hey, Earth to Riker. Anyone in there?”  

I looked up and focused my eyes until I saw one of the ring girls bending over in front of me, thrusting her cleavage into my face. I recognized these boobs. Were these the ones I came over after the last fight? Who knows. They all started to look the same after a while.

Except Nora’s. I’d know hers from a mile away.

“What do you want?” I asked tersely. I’d told her before that I didn’t like distractions before a big fight, and this fight was as big as they came.

“Just wanted to let you know that I’ll be waiting for you after you win,” she said sweetly. “I could give you a little sample of what is waiting for you if you like?”

She licked her large, luscious lips slowly, but all that did was remind me of Nora. Not that she’d ever been quite so obvious, but I found it impossible to think of any sexual act and not picture her.  

“Leave. Now,” I commanded.  

“Alright, alright,” she replied disappointedly.  

She’d still be back at the end of the fight, and she wouldn’t be the only one. I had no interest in her, or any of the other ring girls. I didn’t know any of them by name; I thought of them by the things they’d done to me.  

The one who’d just left liked to savor the taste of my cum in her mouth when I’d finished. The short Asian girl like me to watch while she masturbated in front of me. The two blondes liked to double team me.

“Is it safe to come in?” Duke yelled from the door.  

“Yeah.”  

Duke walked into the locker room closely followed by Gayle, who shut the door behind her.

“This is the big one,” Duke said, as if I needed any reminding.  

“We’ve spotted the scout,” Gayle said. “He’s going to be in the front row facing the wall covered with pictures of you on destroying other opponents.”

“What wall?” I asked.  

“You’ll see. We’ve made a bit more of an effort for this fight. We don’t want the scout thinking this is some two-bit underground operation.

“It
is
a two-bit underground operation,” I pointed out.

“Not tonight,” Duke said. “Tonight it’s the unveiling of a future UFC star. We’ve pulled out all the stops; now you just have to go out there and do the business.”

“You make it sound easy.”  

“It is,” Duke insisted. “You’re better than that guy.”

“He looked pretty good in the video footage we have of him.”

“You’re not scared, are you?” Gayle asked.

It was an obvious tactic, but I took the bait. “No, I’m not fucking scared. Let’s just get out there and get this all over with.”  

“That’s a bit more like it,” Duke said, giving me an encouraging pat on the back before they both left the locker room.

I’d lied. I was scared. Not of the fight, but of the future. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t imagine a future with Nora in it, and that scared the hell out of me.

She hadn’t been in touch since I bailed on her after we slept together again. I didn’t blame her, but a part of me hoped she would come by the gym again anyway.

I could have apologized to her, but I’d never have been able to explain what I’d done and why. I couldn’t even explain it to myself.  

All I knew was that I had to get this UFC contract. And then I had to fight Tyler. Simple really, but it would take years, and I’d risk bodily injury on an almost weekly basis. I couldn’t put Nora through all that.  

And if I lost, then things would just be even worse. I’d have to keep fighting in Duke’s gym for a pittance. Nora deserved better than that. She deserved better than me.

Nora would be starting work soon. She’d be a white-collar worker, and she’d meet men with money and careers. Real careers. They’d live in houses where she wouldn’t need to fear for her safety when she walked alone at night.

Once outside the locker room, the noise of the crowd hit me just as hard as any of my opponent’s punches ever would. Duke and Gayle were on the microphone getting them all riled up in an attempt to make it into a big show.

I had to block all that out. I had to block out a lot of things, most of all Nora.

My opponent was already in the cage, bouncing around to show off his energy to the crowd. Most of the regulars here were supporting me, so he got his fair share of boos, but he let them soak in and used them to spur him on.  

I waited impatiently for Duke to announce me, and then let the two blonde ring girls—the double-teamers—escort me to the cage to the sound of cheering and music so loud and deep it was a wonder it hadn’t set off half the car alarms in the city.

Elliot Michaels was the first opponent I’d ever considered physically intimidating. He was slightly taller than me, but not as bulky. I had more strength, but that extra reach would definitely work to his advantage.  

The biggest advantage he had over me was his mindset. One quick look in his eyes and I could see that the only thing on his mind was this fight. He didn’t have a woman in his life who occupied his every waking thought. He was free.  

I’d been like that once.

Those were the days.

The referee—Jim, the owner of a bar just a few blocks away—gave us a quick lecture on the rules, which essentially just consisted of ‘try not to kill each other unless absolutely necessary to win, and no blows to the balls.’

There was no handshake between the fighters. We moved to our end of the cage and waited. I shook my head from side to side and bounced around on the spot to loosen up my muscles.

“Okay gentleman,” the referee yelled out, trying to make his voice hear above the noise. “Let’s fight.”

Alison had finally convinced me that Riker could not be a part of my future. When she left later that evening, I had no intention of seeing Riker again. Ever. 

That lasted for about three hours.

Duke invited me to the fight. I declined immediately, but then had second thoughts. What if the fighting wasn’t as bad as I’d imagined?

If I could handle Riker fighting, then there could be a future for us after all. If I sat through this fight and resisted the urge to leave as soon as things got bloody, I might be able to convince him—and myself—that there was still hope.

Duke hadn’t gone to much effort to keep the fight a secret. People were just strolling into the gym from off the street, and they clearly weren’t there to work out. A security guard did a quick check for weapons, but otherwise everyone was allowed to stroll downstairs to the fight without so much as a second glance. 

If the cops ever did want to take this place down, they wouldn’t have to go to much effort either, other than buying a twenty-dollar ticket.

The underground area looked completely different from when I’d last been here sparring with Riker. When I’d been down here, the cage had been the only thing of note in the entire room. It still took center stage thanks to all the lights illuminating it, however what really captured the attention was the boisterous crowd surrounding the cage, already baying for blood even though the fight hadn’t started yet. 

Small time bookies operated around the outskirts, frantically taking cash from willing gamblers who mostly seemed to be putting their money on Riker. At four to seven on, he was the clear favorite to win. 

What did winning even mean in a fight like this? Presumably the other person could concede. Or did they have to be knocked out first? Would the referee step in if the fight became too one-sided?

A quick glance at the referee milling around in the center of the cage answered that question for me. He was overweight, and out-of-breath just walking around the ring. He’d never be able to step in and stop Riker from destroying his opponent if that’s what it came to.

“Nora.”

I just about caught my name being called out over the din of the crowd. I looked in the direction of the noise and saw the crowd parting as someone made their way through. Not many people could make a group of large men move out of their way so quickly. 

“Hi Gayle,” I said cheerfully as she appeared next to me.

“I’m so glad you came. I must admit, I didn’t expect you to, but Duke knew you’d make it. I do hate it when he’s right.”

“This is a big night for you and Duke. I want to support you both.”

“It’s a big night for Riker as well. Are you supporting him too?”

“Of course.” 

“See that guy in the suit in the front row?” Gayle said as she pointed to the only person in the room dressed as if he had come straight from a high-powered job. I nodded. He was hard to miss. “That man is a scout from the UFC. If he’s impressed by what he sees here tonight, Riker could get a contract that will change his life.”