No Safeword: Matte - Happily Ever After (Safewords) (37 page)

Several weeks later, Sam flew to California with Ethan. She was back to work with a full schedule, but had taken three days off in order to take the five day trip with him.

“I have two offers for you.” Dave pushed a button and two men appeared on the huge monitor on his office wall.

“That’s the current heavyweight number one and two,” Sam said.

Dave smiled and looked at Ethan. “Which do you want to fight?”

Ethan didn’t say anything, so Sam asked, “Which would you advise?”

“I can make it work either way,” he said, looking at Ethan. “It’s purely a matter of who you feel more comfortable taking on. Do you want another fight before you go for the title, or are you ready to step into the cage with the biggest bad-ass on the planet?”

Ethan finally spoke. “What does Jerrod think?”

Dave shook his head and pushed a sheet of paper towards them. “He’s at this address. It’s a gym and you’re both welcome to work out. Talk to him and let me know what ya’ll come up with.”

“I’ll ask again,” Sam said. “What’s your advice?”

“If he goes for the title it’ll be a damned good fight.” He turned his head to address Ethan again. “You’re faster, and your ground game is better, but he’ll give you a run for your money, no doubt in my mind.”

Sam sighed. “I don’t know that Ethan will have the edge on the ground game much longer. Once people realize they need to work on it in order to beat him, they will.”

Dave nodded. “Jerrod said pretty much the same thing.” He looked to Ethan. “Work with Jerrod a few days, look over some film, talk to Sam, and let me know before you go home. As soon as you know, we’ll make an announcement. I’d like to have you here a day or two after we go public, if possible, but…no rush.”

Dave focused on Sam, and she knew what he was going to say before the words left his mouth.

“I have a few offers for you, too.”

She shook her head. “Not yet. I may consider it at a later date, but I’d like to focus on Ethan this time. The last time was crazy, with both of us fighting.”

Also, she wasn’t sure she wanted to dive into the women’s division at all, but she wasn’t prepared to tell Dave just yet.

Dave sighed and leaned back. “Karen Johansen tells me she wants to fight you and put her title on the line, but her manager is advising her against it. For now, she’s taking his advice. I could put you against number six right now, but the top five are closing ranks and saying you have to prove yourself within the division before they’ll give you a slot.”

Sam smiled and said, “It’s only fair. I get it, but I’m really not interested right now.”

* * * *

Sam and Ethan entered the training gym and she took it all in. It looked like the boxing gyms from old movies, complete with raw brickwork walls. The building was obviously an old factory or warehouse, and the architecture was beautiful. The cages, mats, bags, and other equipment looked out of place, and yet it all fit.

Ethan spotted Jerrod and took Sam’s hand. She let him lead her, and received a few catcalls from the other boxers on the way through the large room. She ignored them, but Ethan stopped and looked around the room, slowly, and the noises ceased.

She took her hand back, punched him in the arm, and laughed as she said, “Caveman.” She’d spotted Jerrod, so now she took off running and let Ethan chase. She heard laughter from the room now, and when she got to Jerrod she hid behind him.

“Oh no. I’d just as soon stand between an angry mama bear and her cub.”

Ethan laughed and shook Jerrod’s hand. The three exchanged pleasantries before Jerrod motioned a man off the mat and had Ethan join the one already there.

“Ethan, take him down, please.” As Ethan stepped onto the mat, Jerrod looked at Sam and asked, “How you doing, Bruiser?”

“Oh god, not you, too!”

He laughed. “No, but with Miguel away I wanted to make sure you felt at home. Seriously though, how are you doing?”

“I’m good. Back to my day job with a full schedule, and back to my regular dojo again, too. It feels good.”

He nodded towards the mat. “When Ethan’s done with this guy, would you mind taking him on long enough to take him down for me? Same rules you have with Ethan, you can hit him but he can’t hit or kick you?”

Sam shook her head. “Sorry, no. Ethan would look at it as cheating.”

“You’ve sparred with plenty of guys your size,” he said, trying to make sense of her refusal.

“Don’t try to put logic behind it, okay? The only big guy I fight is Ethan.” She shrugged. “Remember when he told you I knew what he’d approve of? Well, he won’t approve.”

Jerrod looked back to the mat and laughed as Ethan took the man down yet again. “Okay, that’s enough.” He looked to another young man doing crunches nearby, and motioned him onto the mat. “Ethan, take this one down.”

Sam and Jerrod watched as Ethan took this man down over and over, and Jerrod finally said, “Okay Sam, your turn. Go on out.”

Sam frowned at him, but slid her shoes off and stepped onto the mat. “Now Ethan, take your wife down.”

The two heavyweight men who’d just been easily taken to the mat watched as Ethan struggled to take his wife down. Jerrod looked to them and said, “Being big and strong helps, but technique is the most important. Watch her legs, her center of gravity. She has perfect balance
and
the strength to hold onto it. See how she shifts and offsets his weight as he moves her around? She’s also at least three times more flexible than the two of you, which makes her harder to manipulate.”

He continued talking as the two grappled, and when they finally finished and Sam grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat from her face and upper body, she was speechless as she saw the current women’s division titleholder watching her.

“Hi, Sam. I’m Karen Johansen.”

Sam shook her hand and smiled. “I know who you are. It’s nice to meet you.”

Karen nodded towards an empty cage across the room. “I’d love a chance to spar with you. Full equipment, of course, but…I’m intrigued.”

Sam looked to Jerrod who shrugged. “Up to you. Karen’s pretty straight up; if she says it’s a spar she won’t turn it into a fight. Just make sure you do the same.”

She looked back to Karen and said, “Give me ten minutes to use the restroom and get something to drink?”

“Of course. See you in ten.”

Jerrod was waiting for Sam as she came out of the restroom. “Don’t show her everything you have. You may decide to fight her for real one day, so just show her the basics, none of your specialty stuff. Right?”

Sam nodded. “Thanks. I’m not planning to go into the women’s division, at least not right now, but it’s great advice and I think I’ll take it.”

He patted her on the back and walked her to the training area. “Just have fun with it and don’t be too serious. You’ll draw an audience once you start. Ignore them.”

Sam stepped to the edge of Karen’s area and hesitated.

Karen smiled and asked, “Ready to get started?”

Sam nodded, joined her in the cage, donned her protective gear, and watched as Karen did the same.

“Basic spar, with no time limit because we can either tap out or just say we’re done.”

Sam nodded, stepped to the center, and took position when Karen did. She waited for Karen to deliver the first punch to see how hard she was throwing them, and figured she was hitting at about seventy-five percent. Sam avoided a take down, delivered a few hits and kicks at half-strength, and grunted as Karen took her to the mat.

Sam fought the hold and finally got her legs under her enough to stand with Karen still on her. Karen let go and stepped away just as Sam was about to take her back to the ground, and they smiled at each other.

Both women had the upper hand several times, and broke up to start again. Karen was fast, and skilled, and after Sam landed the first dozen punches, had a hard time landing anymore. She’d have to talk to Jerrod or Miguel about a tell, because she was obviously broadcasting without knowing.

Sam was tiring when Karen backed off and said, “Wow, awesome workout. Thanks.” She looked around at the crowd they’d drawn and asked, “Do you have time to go next door and get something to eat? I’d like to talk a little without the audience.”

“We’ll have an audience no matter where we go around here, but sure,” she said with a smile, “I could eat.”

Sam stopped to let Ethan know where she was going, promised she wouldn’t be outside alone since California wouldn’t let her carry her gun, and went next door with Karen.

They got their food and sat down, and both ate for several minutes without talking. Karen broke the silence with, “I saw an interview where you said you weren’t interested in putting in the time to make your way to a title fight. You have a day job you love, and I guess after you were shot you’d given yourself a goal of winning a major fight?”

Sam nodded. “Yeah. There’s enough anger at me for the media attention I received for fighting Clemente. It really isn’t fair for me to skip straight to a title fight, you know? You kind of have to earn your stripes as you move up, and I’m not motivated to put in the time.”

Karen sat back and looked at her. “But I want to fight you. As a member of the women’s division I’m legally restricted from taking on someone from the men’s division in a sanctioned fight, even if it’s just an exhibition bout.” She shrugged. “You have, and I want to know how I’ll do against you.”

“Not sure how much you were putting into the spar, but we seemed pretty evenly matched.”

“Don’t kid yourself.” Karen laughed. “We were both holding back, just in case. Yeah, we were close, but in a real fight? We won’t know unless we do it.”

Sam grinned and sat back. “You know I’m an attorney, right?”

Karen nodded and Sam said, “I have an idea.” She considered it from every angle and leaned forward to be sure no one sitting nearby could hear.

“If you challenge me,
dare
me to fight you, we can turn this into a huge media thing.” Sam smiled conspiratorially. “Make it look like we tried to be friends — we sparred and had a meal, but something happened to make us mad at each other.” Sam sat up, thought of something else, and leaned forward again. “If we set our purses as a percentage of the pay-per-view income, we could both do very well.”

Karen’s smile went ear to ear. “I think I might love you.”

“No, no, no.” Sam tried to look angry. “You have to be pissed at me. You can’t love me.”

Karen sobered and looked angry back. The two talked low a few more minutes, agreed on a strategy, and Karen stood and said loud enough for the room to hear, “You couldn’t beat me in a real fight if your life depended on it. You’re nothing but a media whore, fighting only when you’re sure you can win and turning down the fights you know you’ll lose!”

She stalked off, and Sam didn’t have to work hard to look embarrassed as everyone in the restaurant stared at her.

Ethan hadn’t wanted her on the street by herself, so she texted him and Jerrod to let them know she was on her way back, alone. She ate the last of her meal and threw both her garbage and Karen’s away as she prepared to leave.

Ethan stepped in the door as she neared it, and asked, “What happened? The buzz next door is the two of you had words?”

“Yeah,” she said loud enough for those closest to hear. “She’s a little ticked off I told her I’m done with the whole fighting thing. She wants a go at me.”

When they made it outside Sam put her back to the wall and motioned Ethan to stop. She had him put his head down to hers and told him, “We made it up. I’m going to fight her, but we’re going to get the media in a frenzy, and then negotiate for a percentage of the pay-per-view income.” Ethan stood and looked at her, then bent back down.

“You agreed to a fight without talking to me?”

“We’ve kind of talked about it. Do you not want me to? I thought you were okay with it if I wanted to?”

He was quiet a few heartbeats and said, “Yeah, I am. Sorry.” He smiled. “We usually talk before these kinds of decisions, but you’re right, and I get why you had to do this one kind of spur of the moment. Do you want to go back to the gym? Or you can take the car to the hotel and I’ll get Jerrod to drop me off later.”

“I’m thinking I need to get in the car and call Dave. He may want me in his office.”

“Okay.” He looked down and back up. “You have your purse. Here’s the car key. I’ll bring the rest of your things later.”

He kissed her and watched her drive away, and Sam suddenly wasn’t sure she’d made the right decision.

However, two days later the deals were made and the fights announced via a live interview. Both Sam and Ethan would be in title fights in five months. Once again on the same night.

As they once again prepared the guest rooms for their coaches, Sam said, “Maybe we should build a guest house, since it’s looking like Miguel and Jerrod are going to become a permanent fixture.”

Ethan smiled. “I think you’re joking but it might not be such a bad idea. With everything we’ve made from fighting we have more than enough money. It wouldn’t be a hardship.”

Sam shook her head. “No, I’m fine with them being here. I know you’re going into this as a second career, and I approve of the extra managers you’ve brought in to run your first career, but this really is going to be my last fight.”

He smiled and said, “Or that’s the intention.”

“If I’d thought it through, I’d have suggested Karen and I do this later, but it worked out to do it now. It might not have worked later, and this gets me to my title fight without everyone pissing and moaning about my jumping the line.”

“Right, because it looks like Karen goaded you into it.”

“The sad thing is, I really like her.”

“I know, but she’s better at talking shit than you. It’s working though, since you didn’t react much to the things Clemente said, either.”

“I really don’t know if I’ll be able to beat her. She had the advantage several times when we sparred.”

He nodded. “Yeah, but you had the advantage just as much. In a real fight you’ll just have to be sure she doesn’t get it first.”

* * * *

Training for this fight was pretty much the same as before, except the two coaches layered more skills and training over what she and Ethan could already do.

Ethan again put her into the armbinder nearly every night, and her elbows continued to move closer together. 

And he
killed
her with orgasm denial.

Sam knew she was frustrated after five nights of edging with no release, not to mention Ethan taking her in the middle of the night and first thing in the morning without allowing an orgasm, but didn’t know just how frustrated until she tossed Miguel across the grass when he surprised her from behind.

“Shit, Miguel!” she yelled as she ran to him. “Are you okay? You caught me off guard, I’m so sorry!”

He came up laughing and said, “Good thing I know how to fall.” He shrugged his shoulders, testing for damage, but was still smiling. “
Damn
, Bruiser, what brought that on?”

“I told you. Grabbing me from behind when I’m not expecting it isn’t a good idea. It caught me off guard.”

He rubbed his shoulder and said, “That was actually great technique. You used my momentum to throw me and I was in the air before I knew anything had happened.”

Ethan was working the grill while Sam had been heading to the pool, and he said, “Jerrod, can you watch the food while I take my wife inside for a couple of minutes?”

Both coaches smiled, but didn’t say anything as the two went in the house.

When the bedroom door closed behind them Ethan said, “A bit frustrated, are we?”

“Fuck you,” she said irritably.

The look on his face didn’t back her down as she put her hands on her hips and said, “This isn’t sex. I can say
fuck you
if I want.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Think again, Darlin’. We’re talking about your frustration around orgasm denial, so this conversation is very much part of our power exchange.”

Sam sat in her chair with a sigh. “Okay, so maybe it is. The submissive in me apologizes to the Dominant in you, but the rest of me wants to tell the rest of you to go fuck yourself.”

He laughed and sat on the bed. “I have a proposition for you.”

“Okay.” Her heart sped at the prospect, but she determined not to let him see how he affected her.

“When dinner’s over and our food has digested, we lock ourselves in the gym and spar.” He paused and added, “Our kind of spar, not a practice spar.”

Sam tilted her head, showing her possible interest without letting him know her heart was racing at the mere suggestion.

He smiled, knowing full well the effect his words were having, and continued. “If you last eight minutes without me sticking my cock in any of your holes you can have as many orgasms as you want while I fuck you, and then we’ll move to the playroom and I’ll give you more.”

“And if I don’t last?”

“Make it seven minutes and you get an orgasm tomorrow. Six minutes and you get one the day after tomorrow. Five minutes, you wait yet another day.”

“And if I don’t accept your proposition?”

He shrugged. “No telling when I’ll decide to let you come again.”

She looked at the clock and said, “We should go back out. The food’s probably ready.”

“I didn’t hear an answer?”

“You know I will! You aren’t giving me a lot of choice.” She was pissed and didn’t try to hide it.

“Bend over the bed.”

She turned and looked at him in surprise. “What?”

“Your mouth just earned you two strikes of the stainless, and you’ll wear a plug for dinner.”

Sam’s heart fell into her stomach as she realized he was right. She hadn’t shown respect and had been downright rude. And flippant.

“I’m sorry, Sir.”

She pulled her shorts and panties down, and bent over the bed.

Ethan rested the stainless cane on the bed in front of her face so she had to look at it while he pulled her bike shorts and underwear all the way off, and kicked her legs apart.

He stuffed her panties in her mouth, admonishing her to be quiet unless she wanted to explain the screams.

Sam held her breath, but a small scream still escaped as the stainless impacted. He only gave her to about a count of ten before applying the second, and immediately lubed her ass and pressed the butt plug in.

He didn’t use their largest, but he also didn’t give her time to get used to it. He shoved it in with no warning, and she screamed and squealed around the panties in her mouth.

He popped her on the right cheek, then the left, and walked towards the door.

“Put yourself back together and come eat. Don’t take too long.”

* * * *

He didn’t take the plug out until they were about to start their sparring session.

Sam was incredibly motivated to keep him at bay for eight minutes, and had considered the best strategy all through dinner.

Miguel had noted she was quieter than usual, but she told him she had some strategy ideas she was mulling over, and he let it go.

“Sir,” she said as Ethan locked the gym door. “I’m sorry for my attitude earlier. I’m frustrated, but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

“Are you in charge of your sexuality?”

“No, Master. You are.”

He fisted his hand in her hair, pulling her head back to look into her eyes with untamed aggression. “You’re damned straight I am, and your orgasms are a gift. Now, ask me nicely to take the butt plug out.”

“Please, Sir. Will you take the plug out of my bottom?”

He nodded, released her hair, and motioned for her to bend over the weight bench.

She stripped her clothes off and bent over, and he pulled it out without ceremony. He’d brought a small plastic bucket, and he tossed it in and set it to the side.

“I brought gloves and coconut oil. You may want to lube your ass before we start.”

She was usually the one in a mood before these fights, but today it was him, and Sam’s blood pulsed through her veins as she watched him move with feral purpose and strength.

As before, he set his clock to announce the minutes.

One of the coaches had duct taped a circle on their mat, and Ethan told her she’d need to stay inside the circle.

“A foot outside, or tossing me and having me go out is no big deal, but no running from me.”

Sam nodded and he started the time.

He came at her fast and strong, and caught her off guard, but she was determined to last the entire eight minutes. She managed to get away from him and land a few punches while she was at it.

He had her on the ground when his phone announced “
three minutes remaining
,” and it gave her a burst of energy, which she used to wriggle out of his grasp and reverse the hold into a textbook triangle choke.

Ten seconds later,
Ethan ‘The Caveman’ Levi tapped out.

Sam let him go and backed off, and watched him gasp for air as his eyes unglazed.

When he sat up and she was sure he was okay, she tried to keep her smile from beaming too terribly large as she said, “You didn’t tell me what I’d get if I forced you to tap out.”

She took a breath and tried again to school her smile. It didn’t seem to want to tone itself down.

He shook his head. “You get to decide the position, the hole you want fucked, and you get to come as often as you want. Damn, but Karen Johansen’s going to be in a world of hurt.”

“I’m glad you think so, but we both know it could go either way. She’s good and has a lot more experience than me.”

“And you just kicked my ass.”

“But you can’t hit me or kick me. It isn’t a fair fight.”

“I’m nearly three times your weight, and over a foot taller.” He shook his head. “If it isn’t fair, it’s stacked more in my favor than yours.”

He stood and walked towards the door. “Come on, Bruiser. Let’s move this to the playroom.”

“Oh, hell no. Not you, too!”

He stopped and turned to look at her.

She smiled and said, “Sir.”

* * * *

Six weeks of training flew by, and before Sam realized it, Ethan was telling her it was time for their last scene until after the fights.

This time, he took Sam to the cabin instead of sending the coaches away.

She stopped on the front porch and said, “This is where we first had sex, first stayed up and talked forever, had our first breakfast.” She looked in the front door and remembered standing here to admire him as he did push-ups midair on the gymnastics rings thrown over the support beam.

He hugged her and kissed her forehead. “I know. I miss it, but I’m happy to be living with you now.” He looked around. “Nice to come back every once in a while, though.”

“I really hope you don’t have a repeat of our first night planned. I mean, if you want to fight in the back I will, but we’ve sparred so much—”

He interrupted, “Don’t worry, I feel the same. I look forward to a time when we aren’t sparring so often, so we can have fun with it like we used to.” He unlocked the door, motioned her in, and said, “Clothes off,” before she was three feet inside.

He gave her a decent sized enema, made her hold it five minutes, and told her she had forty minutes to be sure she was empty.

When she came out she saw clear plastic on the bed and floor around it. He had her help him put a sheet over the plastic, and then ran a flat moving strap down the center of the mattress, flush with the top of the sheet from the headboard to the footboard.

“That should do it, let’s head out to the back porch until our guests arrive.

“Guests, Master?”

“Yes, I need some assistance with a project, and Tara has offered the services of one of her boy-toys. She’ll be here as well, but the she won’t touch or Top you, so it shouldn’t be weird between the two of you later.”

He was right. Sam was used to being around friends at play parties, and as long as it was side-by-side play it wasn’t usually awkward later. Still, she wanted to argue she should have had a say, but knew their current contract didn’t give her the right. The reminder of just how much she belonged to him, and the authority he held, set her juices going and she wished she dared reach down to play with herself, but knew he wouldn’t approve.

He strung her up on the porch just as he had on their first night, and proceeded to flog her towards subspace. He used her favorite flogger at the perfect tempo, and had her moaning in bliss right off the bat.

When she finally heard a car on the graveled drive, she wasn’t totally gone, but was happy and floaty.

Ethan must have told Tara to come around back, because he didn’t stop flogging as she saw movement. She turned her head to see her friend with a man several inches taller. Tara’s slave was naked except for a collar and an elaborate leather cock ring. And a leash attached to the cock ring.

Ethan gave Sam a few dozen harder strikes, enough to make her go from moaning to half-screaming, and stopped to talk to Tara. “I assume he’s ready?”

“Yep, all cleaned out and hasn’t been allowed an orgasm in five days.” 

She looked at her boy-toy and said, “This is Master Ethan and Miss Sam.” She looked to Ethan and said, “This is Toy.”

Ethan released Sam’s hands and supported her as he turned to the go into the cabin. “Well then, bring your toy so we can play. I have things partially set up, didn’t want to spoil the surprise by setting everything up.”