Bull: An MMA Stepbrother Romance (14 page)

Open Workout

Jake circled his trainer as the photographs and fans watched. He threw a quick three-punch combination into the mitts. Pop-pop-pop! It echoed through the room was surprising loudness.

It was open workout, a few days before the fight. The promoters had the fighters come into the hotel auditorium one at a time and hit mats, drill their grappling, and sign autographs. It gave the fighters a chance to connect with fans. The fighters would show their moves in a toned-down practice designed more to keep them warm and loose than for any kind of learning. Fight week was not the time to train hard. Training was done, or it had better be. Fight week was about making the weight cut, keeping the heart rate up, and avoiding any injury.

Again Jake threw a thundering combination that cracked through the auditorium.

Lisa never tired of watching him. Neither did Janis.

“Are you serious?” Janis said as she watched the muscular man’s mitt-work. “He had his manager fuck you in the ass in front of him? God, girl. You guys are freaks! I want in!”

Lisa giggled. “It’s not, like, a regular thing or something. Jake was just making a point.”

“Well, that’s one helluva way to make a point!” Janis said.

Pop-pop-pop! Jake’s fists and legs were a blur as he slammed them into his striking coach’s mitts. The fans cheered with each stunning combination.

“Wasn’t Jake jealous?” Janis said. “I mean, you liked it, right?”

“I asked Jake about that later. He said he’s not jealous of any man. He said he wasn’t threatened at all. He said jealousy is for the weak.”

Janis cocked an eyebrow at her. “Well, I guess if he lets another guy take his girl in the ass he has to be pretty confident not to get jealous.”

“He said it was more important for me to...come out of shell, to put my insecurities behind me. You know...it actually did help,” Lisa admitted.

She smiled as she remembered Cole’s moans.

“He...came in me,” Lisa said. “It didn’t take long either. Just a couple of minutes. It was nothing like with Roger.”

Janis just shook her head. “God, that’s hot as fuck. I’m jealous of you, you little minx.”

“And Saturday you get
that
,” she said as she pointed to Jake.

Jake had by now worked up a fine sheen of sweat. His gleaming chest heaved with his heavy breathing. His tattoos shined under the thin veneer of sweat. Just seeing him like that gave Lisa a pang of longing. Saturday night felt like an eternity away.

He was now practicing takedowns with his wrestling coach. Each time he took his coach to the mats the crowd would cheer and photographers would click their cameras in rapid fire.

Jake and his trainer bumped fists. They were done. Reporters immediately started firing questions at Jake.

It was the same stuff they had been asking since the announcement. Are you scared? What is your plan? What do you think about the fight odds?

As usual Jake deflected them with ease. If there was even an ounce of hesitation or wavering will in Jake, no one could detect it.

Lisa thought back to the night before when Jake had used Cole’s body on her. How he gave her the pleasure she needed and showed her she could give a man pleasure too. She bit her fingernails as she watched him answering questions from reporters. Could she tell him how she really felt? It was so much more than sex for her. Could he know? Would that scare him away?

Lisa saw the ring girls enter the auditorium. They were wearing their trademark skimpy bikinis and handing out free merchandise. Guys were hooting and whistling at them, working their way in for selfies and trying to touch them. The girls made their way up to where Jake had just had his finished his workout.

“I do not like the way that blonde one is looking at Jake,” Janis said. “Are you seeing this?”

Lisa had seen it. How could she not have? It was the same one that said she would find a way to fuck Jake, and she was drop-dead gorgeous.

Lisa and Janis worked their way closer to Jake. Something had to be done.

“Why don’t get a shot you guys together?” she overheard a reporter saying.

The crowd cheered the idea.

“No, I really have to go now,” Jake was saying.

The crowd was insistent. Jake was not going to get out of it.

The three ring girls were now up on the podium where Jake had his open workout. They crushed in on him. Their bodies seemed to melt into his as reporters snapped photos and encouraged them to get closer, hold tighter.

“Jake, could you put your arm around Sara?” one said.

Jake draped his arm around the blonde one. His hand came around to her side. Was he touching her breast? Lisa couldn’t tell from her angle.

“Good, you guys look like you were made for each other,” one reporter said.

The other two ring girls had now backed away, but the blonde one, Sara, still clung to Jake.

“How about a kiss?” one reporter yelled.

The crowd loved the idea. “Yeah,” another one shouted. “Kiss her, Jake!”

Jake was smiling and laughing, but he refused to kiss the blonde. He pretended to peck her on the cheek and the photographers laughed.

“I’m here with my girl,” he said as he motioned toward Lisa.

The crowd turned to Lisa. It felt like a thousand eyes were watching her and she wanted to crawl inside herself.

Behind her, she heard a woman say, “
That’s
his girlfriend? Wow, talk about holding him back!”

The lady had just given voice to all the fears and doubts Lisa had about herself. She was just starting to think that maybe she had what it took to be Jake’s girl, to fulfill him, but she realized that was all a fantasy. She could never give Jake what he needed. If she somehow did, there would always be hundreds of women trying to take her place from her. She could never hope to last. Women fought over a man like Jake like hyenas.

She looked up at Jake. He was smiling at her, but the blonde ring girl next to him was shooting daggers. The girl placed her hand on Jake’s chest and stroked him as she glared down at Lisa.

Lisa turned and ran. She had to get out of there. Jake deserved someone like the ring girl. He deserved a gorgeous model that commanded the respect of everyone that saw her.

That wasn’t Lisa, and it never would be.

Jake

Chapter 19

Slow

“No, we still can’t find her,” Cole said.

Jake stood there speechless.

“Jake, you need to hit the mits. You’re on in about 5 minutes. You need to stay warm. She’ll turn up. For now, focus on Oliveira.”

Jake nodded. After he finished Oliveira he would find Lisa and make her understand.

He turned to his striking coach and got into position.

“Three!” his coach called out.

Jake threw a quick jab-cross-left hook “three” combination.

“Quicker, Jake. You’re looking sluggish,” his coach said. “Again!”

Jake threw the combination again. 

“Faster!” the coach yelled.

His heart was breaking. Had he hurt her again? He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he had. He threw the combination, knowing it was sluggish and ineffective.

“Jake,” his coach said as he lowered the mits, “what’s wrong? This is not how you normally hit.”

“Jake, you have to put Lisa out of your mind tonight. Oliveira is out there ready to beat you to a bloody pulp. You have to focus brother.”

He couldn’t. No matter how he tried to focus on Oliveira he could only think of Lisa. This was a disaster. He could never hope to defeat Oliveira like this. 

“Have you texted her?” Jake asked.

“Yes, Jake,” Cole said. “We’ve texted. Called. I’ve asked her mom. We don’t know where she is. But brother, please, please, forget about Lisa until this fight is over. Use our anger, whatever, but focus.”

“I thought she would make it. I thought she would be here with me. Whatever it was, whatever drove her away, I was sure she would come back before the fight.” 

Jake knew his mind was not where it needed to be for the fight. Buried somewhere deep inside there was a man who still cared about the fight. That man still wanted to win, but Jake couldn’t hear him. All he could think about was where Lisa was. Had he done something to hurt her? Had he driven her away somehow? It was tearing him to pieces.

The door to Jake’s room flew open. The event coordinator had come to get him. It was time. 

“We rollin’!!!!” he yelled. His trademark energy filled the halls of the walkout entrance. It didn’t fill Jake’s heart. 

There was only room for heartache in there.

Chapter 20

Wake-up Call

“Five rounds for the undisputed Light Heavyweight Championship of the world!”

The announcer yelled into the microphone. His voice blasted throughout the arena. Rumors pegged the attendance at over fifty thousand.

“Fighting out of the blue corner...”

The announcers voice became a blur as Jake stared down Ricardo Oliveira at the other side of the cage. The Brazilian was shadow boxing at lightning speed. Jake knew he was fast. He had seen all his fights. Everyone had. When Oliveira fought everyone in Jake’s world tuned in. Everyone wanted to see the symphony of destruction Oliveira would level against his opponent. It was almost beautiful to watch.

But seeing him on a screen and seeing him a few feet away the difference was like daylight and dark. 

Jake had shot off to all the reporters, the interviewers, to his friends and family. If he didn’t win this there would be years worth of crow to eat. They would never let him forget it.

They met in the center of the cage. The ref went through the usual rundown of rules and this time they did touch gloves. Whatever else you might say about Ricardo Oliveira, he was a true sportsman. 

They broke and returned to their corners as they awaited the ref’s signal to start.

“Jake, are you ready?” the ref yelled.

Jake gave him a short nod.

“Ricardo, are you ready?” 

Ricardo nodded.

“Fight!” the ref yelled as he threw his arm down.

Jake’s game plan called for him to bull rush. Take the fight to Oliveira and beat him with a pressure game. Jake would lead with his best weapon, his power double-leg takedown.

Jake had executed this move ten thousand times. Some of those coming against some of the toughest men in the world. He was an expert at it and few men could stop it. 

Oliveira was fresh. He would probably spring right back up off the mat, but the message would be clear – Jake could take him down at will. And while Oliveira may be able to get up now in these first few minutes, as fatigue set in it would get harder. By the championship rounds it would be impossible and Jake could ground and pound or submit him at will. 

Jake charged like a freight train.

He might as well have run into a buzz saw. Oliveira countered the double-leg with a hard sprawl. He rained down a hell of punches and kicks that left Jake wobbled. 

“Jake’s rocked!” he dimly heard the pay-per-view announcers say into their microphones. “That combination hurt him.”

Jake backed up. They were right. The combination Oliveira waylaid him with had left him dizzy. His ears were still ringing. He gave his best poker face. Oliveira had to suspect nothing. If Oliveira smelled blood he would pounce. Jake would not be able to defend himself for long. The fight would be over before it even started.

Jake slowed his movement. Any sudden movement and his leg might buckle and reveal the damage Oliveira had done. Jake brought his hands up and scowled. 

It worked. Oliveira didn’t realize just how badly he had hurt Jake. It only took a few seconds to clear the cobwebs and blow out the dust. Jake was returning to normal and his body was helping him. Oliveira’s strikes had lit Jake up, but they hadn’t finished the job. Jake’s body was dumping adrenaline to meet the challenge. 

This was the wake-up Jake needed, the wake-up to remind him what he was here to do. Oliveira’s fists had reached the man deep inside Jake that still wanted to win.

He felt the strength of ten men flow through his body as his muscles flexed and his limbs fell into fight position. It felt for a minute as if he could see every hair on Oliveira’s body, every pore, every bead of sweat. He heard the voice of every fan in the arena, fifty thousand crystal clear sounds merged into one.