Body Lock: MMA Sports Romance (11 page)

Lenny rushes Jans, closing with his arms spread wide trying to hook him. Jans dances aside and the Beast misses. Jans rolls along the backside of Lenny's outstretched arm and hooks his own arm around Lenny's neck. He leaps up locking his legs around Lenny's waist and pulling back on Lenny's neck forcing it to tilt. Lenny has to lean back with Jans to avoid being choked. He topples over landing on top of Jans on the mat. I can't tell how he does it but Jans manages to flip Lenny over so that he's on top now. Lenny is against the mat and Jans has his back.

"He's got the choke hold!" one of the men in the box yells. "He's got the fucking choke hold!"

Jans is straining with all his might. I can see his muscles bulging. Beneath him Lenny struggles, turning side to side as he tries to break free. Lenny’s arms flail and he strikes Jans repeatedly. A punch lands on Jans’ face and I think he's going to lose the hold but instead he tightens his grip. The Beast is turning purple but Jans doesn't let up. The ref moves in close, he's watching Jans and then looking at Lenny.

Lenny's hand hooks on Jans’ bicep and pulls. He slaps at Jans’ arm and I can see that there’s no force behind the motion. Then, at long last, he taps. The ref taps Jans but Jans doesn't let go. Even from here I can see his eyes are crazed and filled with rage. The referee grabs Jans and physically pulls him off of Lenny. Lenny collapses to the mat and doesn't move. Jans pushes past the ref and tries to go back after Lenny. Other men rush into the ring and push Jans back to his corner. The crowd is going crazy just like the men in the box with me. These grown men are jumping up and down and screaming like schoolgirls. They’re creating such a commotion the floor is vibrating and I wonder if the box will collapse.

Vinnie, next to me, doesn’t display such emotion. He looks over at Tony and quietly speaks.

"Pay up," Vinnie says.

Tony shakes his head. "Fuck me." He reaches inside his suit and pulls out a massive roll of bills which he hands to Vinnie. "You weren't wrong about that boy."

"I know fighters. My boy, he's a fighter. He's gonna make us a fuck ton of money."

The coldness of that statement bothers me. My mom is an alcoholic and a drug addict but below all that I know she loves me. Jans is Vinnie's son and in that moment it becomes clear to me the only love his father has for him is how much money he can make.

TWO YEARS LATER

The open door to the high school yawns like an eager mouth ready to swallow me. School has been a nightmare for these last two years and I’m glad this is almost the end of it.

Senior year, final week. Just a few more days.

I love learning but I loathe school. The contradiction comes from the fact that school isn’t just about learning it's also about fitting in. Navigating your way through shark filled waters of what is laughingly called a social life. It would probably be better if I wasn’t me. My mom's reputation has haunted me through all my life and once puberty hit it became so much worse. It doesn't seem to matter that she's cleaned up her act and, since she's been with Vinnie, hasn’t had to work. Kids remember and they don't forgive, especially horny teenage boys. Jans dropped out my sophomore year, right before his first fight. His training schedule is too intense to allow time for such things as an education. So I'm alone, but only when I'm at school.

I take a deep breath and then head up the steps. Senior year, it's almost over. All I have to do is make it through this one last week. Vinnie has promised to pay for my college which I have to admit I'm grateful for. My grades have improved since I've been able to focus but they're still not good enough to qualify me for enough scholarships to pay for tuition. I open my locker to get out my books. My locker is the lower one of two. The high school is big enough that the walls lockers are double rows to accommodate all the students. So I'm bent over when suddenly I'm hit from behind and I hear laughter as I'm thrust into my locker banging my head on the back. I leap up and turn, angry at whoever did this. I'm not surprised when I see Danny and three of his cronies.

If anything Danny is more popular than ever. He's the star quarterback and football makes great money for the school so he can do no wrong. I know for a fact his grades are insufficient for him to play by school policy but no one calls him on it. He's filled out over the last two years, football and weights do that. He leans back with his thumbs hooked in the pockets of his jeans so that he's thrusting his crotch at me.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you didn't want me to fuck you in your ass?" Danny says and the boys behind him burst out in even louder laughter.

The hallway is filled with students and several turn and stare but none are interested in helping me. They want to watch the show and be entertained by Danny’s antics. My cheeks burn.

One word from me to Jans
, I think, but I can't do that. It would hurt Jans for much longer than the pain he would inflict on Danny.

"What do you want, Danny?" I ask.

"What do I want? It's not what I want. It's what you need from me with that sweet ass," he says grabbing the bulge of his crotch and thrusting back and forth.

"Cute, Danny. Real cute."

"That’s not what your mom said last night," he says and several students laugh.

Embarrassment fills me with a hot flush. I decide to ignore him and turn back to my locker. This time I crouch down to grab my books. I pull them out of my locker and shut it, but he moves closer, putting his arms to either side of me so that I'm caged between him and the lockers. I stare into his eyes resisting the urge to kick him as hard as I can in his junk. All it would do is egg him on.

"So," Danny says smiling. "I want to taste your sweet pussy."

"It's not happening, Danny," I say, trying to push my way past his arm.

He doesn't move so I duck under and walk away. I half expect him to grab me by the shoulder and pull me back to him but nothing happens. I hear him and his cronies laughing and carrying on but for the moment at least I escape their attention. I hate the fact that I’m relieved. I hate that I feel like there's no one I can turn to. The one person I know who could and would do something about it I can't put at risk. Jans would hurt him, bad, and mob boss’ son or not, he’d get in trouble.

Thinking of Jans warms me and pushes aside the embarrassment. He and I have grown so close over the last two years. Every free moment we have we spend together, dodging around Vinnie and his goons, sneaking into each other’s rooms. It’s magical and forbidden, making it even more exciting.

I go to class and the day drags. I watch the clock and think about what Jans is doing. I know his schedule by heart. Ten thirty he'll be practicing grappling. Eleven forty-five he's on his cool down, jumping rope at a slow pace until his heart slows. Twelve fifteen he's eating lunch, boiled chicken, brown rice, and broccoli.

Finally, my last hour comes and the final bell rings. At last my spirits rise because in moments I'll see Jans. Ever since he's dropped out of school, he's made it a point to come and pick me up. It's one of the ways we’re able to spend time together without arousing suspicions at home. We both know Vinnie wouldn’t like it if he knew how close we are. If he ever finds out our true feelings for each other, he’d kill one or both of us. I'm almost out the door when I hear a loud whistle behind me. Instinctively I turn and bounce right off of Danny's chest and he roughly cups my breasts in his hands.

“Ow!” I exclaim.

"Your mom likes it rough," Danny snarls. "Like mommy, like daughter, right?"

"Let me go!"

I step back, jerking free of his grip. It hurts like hell but I don't care. I don't want him touching me, not ever.

"Hey sure, whatever," he says, raising his hands up to either side like he's innocent.

"You're a son of a bitch," I say.

I turn and storm out the door. As soon as I emerge into the light I see Jans waiting at the end of the walk. He's leaning against his car with that half grin on his face. My spirit lifts as happiness that I only feel when I'm near him fills me. I want to run to him but I can't create that much of a scene. Our lives are all about avoiding unnecessary attention, so I force myself to maintain a leisurely pace as I walk to him. He's wearing a tight, white t-shirt and blue jeans. It not only shows off the tattoos spiraling up his arms but it also shows the definition of his abdomen and super cut pecs.

"Hey sweetness," Jans says.

"Hey yourself," I smile.

Just seeing him makes everything better. I can walk on air when I’m with him. He opens the door for me and waits until I get in. Once I've settled myself into the seat, he walks around and climbs in the other side. I'm staring out the window at the high school and I see Danny with his three closest friends staring at me, pissed off expressions on their faces. I surreptitiously flip him off. I don't want Jans to know what's going on but I also don't want Danny to think he can get away with treating me like he does.

"How was your day?" Jans asks as he pulls into traffic leaving the school behind.

"You know, just another day at school."

"Yeah," he says.

“How soon is your next fight?" I ask.

"Two days," he says.

"Are you ready?"

"Are you kidding?" he glances at me and gives me a rare full smile.

"What, you never know," I say. "Everybody's got to lose some time."

"Not me," he says.

"Well, good, I don't want anything to happen to that pretty face of yours."

He laughs and glances at me before returning his eyes to the road. His hand rests on my thigh and we drive in silence. It's a comfortable silence. The kind of silence that only comes when you know the other person so well speaking becomes less necessary.

"So, what do you want for your birthday?" he asks.

"Nothing really."

"It's your eighteenth birthday. We need to do some special."

"Mom says Vinnie's planning something for me," I reply.

Jans’ hands tighten on the steering will. I touch his bicep loving the way the hard steel of his muscles feels but also trying to calm him.

"I hate that son of a bitch," Jans growls.

"I know. What can we do? You know he'll never let us go."

"He's been pulling me into his business more," Jans says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"I have to go with Lou on collection runs. He says my reputation makes them go easier."

"I didn't know," I say scooting closer to him.

"I didn't want you to know."

"Jans, I don't want you hiding anything from me. You don't have to, ever."

"I know."

"We have to get out of here," I say, not for the first time.

"I'm working on something."

"What?"

"It's not ready yet. Give me some time.”

It's not the first time he’s said something like this. I want to argue with him, ask questions, I want to know more. But I know from experience he'll just clam up and say nothing. So I let it go.

"So back to your birthday," Jans says. "There's nothing special you want?"

"Besides to be free?"

Jan snorts and nods. We pull up in front of the mansion. The guards are still outside the door as always. They stare at us and I know they report everything to Vinnie. Jans and I have to be careful, especially here.

"Hey, think you could help me with my algebra?" I ask Jans as we walk up the steps.

"Sure," he says not missing a beat.

It’s part of the code we’ve worked out with each other. In a house where everything has eyes and every person might betray you, secrecy becomes important. We go to my room and as soon as the doors closes he takes me in his arms. Our lips crush together with all the desire and need of desperation. I hunger for his touch, all day long this is all I think about. These moments we’re together. At last we break the kiss then walk over and sit on the bed together.

"I love you," I say.

"I love you, too," he says. “I need you to trust me.”

I look at him in surprise. This isn’t the kind of thing he usually says.

“What’s going on, Jans?”

“There’s going to be some bad shit,” he says. “I need you to keep your head down.”