Conquer (Control) (11 page)

Is that Lynyrd Skynyrd he’s playing?

After I was finished dressing, I walked into the bathroom to wash my face and came back out to find Daemon’s large form leaning against the doorway of the room.  His hair was still wet from the shower he’d taken earlier and I had to brace myself to keep from running to him to lick away every leftover drop of water that slowly slid down his skin.  His chest glistened from the moisture that still adorned his body and my eyelids suddenly felt heavy and hooded as I took in the lines of his abdomen which dipped down to the top band of the cotton shorts that hung off his narrow hips.  Holy crap, the man was a masterpiece if I’ve ever seen one.

“You look ready to go.”  The corner of his mouth twisted up into a grin and I melted a little where I stood when that dimple on his cheek popped out.

“Well…I was.”

His head tilted slightly as he looked at me for an explanation. 

I let out an exasperated huff of air before saying, “If I have to kick your butt today, I’m going to need you to put on a shirt, Daemon.  I can’t concentrate very well, with all of you showing like that.”

Daemon laughed and sauntered over to me.  Taking me in his arms, he leaned down and placed a kiss on my forehead.  “Number one, Damsel, I will be putting on a shirt and number two…you won’t be kicking my butt.”

I looked up at him and smiled innocently.  Batting my eyes, I said, “Oh, you have no idea, Daemon.  You have yet to see my ninja skills in full force.”

He chuckled and reached down to take my hand and push me towards the door, slapping me one time on the ass as I passed by.  “Go wait for me in the living room, Damsel.  I’m going to throw on a shirt, and maybe some padded gear, just in case those ninja skills are as scary as you claim.”  He winked at me and then turned to walk into his closet.  I threw a few eye daggers in his direction before making my way out into the living room.   Eventually, Daemon joined me and we walked down to the garage.

The gym I was being taken to was thirty minutes from Daemon’s apartment.  I flipped through the iPod plugged into the car, finally settling on a fast beat song.  My eyes scanned the scenery through the window as it flew past while I was practically jumping up and down in my seat, excited to see what Daemon had in store for me.

“Now remember, Damsel.  This isn’t a state of the art gym we are going to.  The place has seen better days and most of the people you meet there will be somewhat crotchety.”  Daemon’s eyes briefly flicked my direction before settling back on the road.

“I’m not worried about it.  You said before that Frank used to take you there, right”

“Yeah.”   His voice was quiet, but the hint of a smile could be seen on his lips.

“What was he like?  How did my parents know him?”  I was genuinely curious about the mysterious man that I never had the opportunity to meet.  Come to think of it, I never really met many of my parents’ friends growing up.  They were always so busy with the Center that on the rare occasion that we were able to get away, there was only time to visit with relatives.  After my grandparents on both sides passed away, my parents didn’t seem to ever leave The Center.

“He was a rough old Marine.  He was as old-fashioned as you could get, strong as an ox, and didn’t put up with my shit.”  Daemon chuckled as he remembered back.  “The man scared the shit out of me when I first met him, and I spent that entire first night contemplating escape.  His accent was so thick, you could barely understand what he was saying.  First thing he said to me was, ‘Boy, now you and I will get along, as long as you don’t act like a stupid punk kid.’  He sounded kind of like Foghorn Leghorn from the Bugs Bunny cartoons.”

I laughed as Daemon attempted to imitate a thick Southern accent.  Needless to say, his imitation needed work.

“I stayed with him, though…only because I had nowhere else to go but the streets.  He was a good man, Paige.  He whipped my ass into shape.  Every time I did something stupid, or I started acting like a hothead, he had some random, menial task for me to do.  Cleaning, fixing shit at the bar, working on old cars with him, it didn’t matter.  Surprisingly, though, those tasks seemed to calm me down.  He always told me that I needed to stop letting the shit I couldn’t control bother me, and instead, focus on the things that I could control, such as my actions and emotions.  He took me to the gym to ‘work out’ my aggression.  Said there was nothing wrong with fighting, as long as it was done legally.”

I smiled as Daemon continued telling me his memories of Frank.  He sounded like an interesting character and I was somewhat dismayed that I’d never been given the opportunity to meet him.   “So, where does the control thing come into play with women?”

Daemon smirked as he eyed me from his seat.  “What makes you think that has anything to do with anything?”  His eyes flicked back to the road before I could formulate a response.

“I dunno.  It just seems like it would.  Is it an aggressive thing or what?”  My foot suddenly became interesting as I attempted to avoid looking directly at him.  For some reason, I was nervous about what his answer might be and it was easier if I didn’t look at him while I waited for his response.

Daemon sighed before saying, “Honestly, Paige.  I’m not sure what it comes from.  A lack of respect, maybe…possibly an attempt to remain emotionally distant?  I’ve thought about it often, but never came to any conclusions.  All I know is that it turned me on; but then I met you and things changed…”

My eyes shot to him.  “Changed?”  A humorless laugh escaped me. “
I’m going to control you, own you and possess you
,” I deadpanned.  “Sounds like nothing changed to me.”

He barked out a laugh in response to my statement. “Yeah…well…that was the plan initially.  However, when we got to that point, I couldn’t stop myself from worshipping you.  Don’t get me wrong, Damsel, I thoroughly enjoy when you submit yourself to me entirely.  It’s hot as hell.  But, unlike other women, I don’t feel a need to control you.  I want you there with me, completely, and not just on a physical level.”

He flashed a sheepish look in my direction and I grinned.  I remembered the one evening with Drunk Daemon and a chill ran through me.  I was still in shock that other women had agreed to be treated in such a manner.  There was no emotion, no mental connection, just a physical encounter.  For some, that’s all that is needed, and that is fine for them…to each their own.  Hell, technically the same thing could have been said for my relationship with Alex, even though I cared for him deeply, it was physical only.  With Daemon it was different, he touched not only my body, but my soul as well. 

As we pulled up to the gym, my expression changed.  ‘State of the Art’ was not the way I would describe this place.  In fact, the terminology I would use to describe the gym was ‘condemned.’  The exterior of the building looked like an old warehouse that had been converted into a strip of shady business offices.  The white paint was peeling, revealing the grey color of the metal paneling underneath.  The roof was flat and the rain gutters that ran along the perimeter were falling down in some areas and entirely missing in others.  Glass doors were evenly spaced across the front portion of the building.  Some of the doors had stick on logos, whereas others lacked any type of identification at all.  One door had what appeared to be a handwritten sign on a sheet of notebook paper.  My eyebrow arched as I looked over our destination.  “Uh…I know you said the place was run down, but I didn’t know you actually meant to say
falling
down.”

Daemon laughed as he threw the truck into park.  “I tried to warn you.  It’s not as bad inside as it appears.”

We exited the vehicle and Daemon took my hand as we made our way inside.  Once inside, I noticed it was an open space that was split into different areas.  On our left were several older looking weight benches, an antiquated treadmill, and what I believed may have been an elliptical machine in its better days.  However, with the seat resting on the floor and the handles bent and mangled in odd directions, I was pretty sure the machine had no other beneficial use except for as scrap metal in a junkyard.  On the other side of the space was a fighting ring.  My eyes widened and I may have jumped up and down a little upon sight of it.

Daemon turned to look at me. “Why are you dancing?”

“Because I get to kick your ass in a fighting ring.  I’ve always wanted to do that.  Do I get to jump off the ropes, and bounce you off of them and stuff?”   The smile that took over my face undoubtedly gave me the appearance of a person who could use some time in a padded room.  I didn’t care, however, because I was about to kick butt in style.

An amused grin broke out on Daemon’s face as he began pulling me in the direction of the ring.  Once we passed the center partition of the space, I noticed that we weren’t alone.  In the back of the room, were four older gentleman whose faces lit up as soon as they spotted Daemon and I walking in.  They put out their cigarettes (yes, smoking was apparently allowed inside of this gym) and moved forward to shake Daemon’s hand.

“Daemon!  So good to see you boy!  It’s been a while since we had some young blood around here.  I was getting tired of always having to look at the same ol’ ugly mugs every day.  Who, may I ask, is your lovely friend here?”  He reached out to take my hand as he said, “I believe you are in the wrong place, my dear.  There are other gyms that may be more your style back in the city.  But since you’re here, let me introduce myself.  The name’s Joe.”

I reached out to shake Joe’s hand.  His grip was like steel as my hand disappeared in the bear paw he called a hand.  “Good to meet you Joe, my name’s Paige.”

The other three men came up to introduce themselves as well.  Each one was strong and surly, and you could barely understand a damn thing they said due to their thick southern twang.  Each man looked like he’d been put through the wringer a time or two, but they appeared to be genuine and friendly.  These were definitely the types that would make a person shit themselves if they ever met these guys on bad terms.  Each one looked like he’d just come off of a hunting trip or were taking a break from their stint with a motorcycle gang.

Joe took Daemon into a huge hug, patting him on the back hard enough for an echo to sound throughout the building.  I winced at the sound, but laughed when Daemon returned the sentiment.  “Hey Joe…I know it’s been a while, old man.  I’ve been busy with the bars and this little woman right here.  She’s a handful.”  Daemon turned to wink at me before looking back at Joe.

‘Little woman’? What the hell?!
  My eyes narrowed in Daemon’s direction.

“Most women are, Daemon.  We tried to warn ya when you were younger, but I guess warnings won’t do shit when you’re dealing with a gal as pretty as this one.  Hell, if I was a younger man, you would have a run for your money on who she left this gym with.”  Joe started laughing a deep belly laugh, but then started hacking up a lung from the effort.  Smoking will do that to you and I was worried he would collapse on the floor right there in front of me.  The other men banged on his back to get him breathing again.

Once Joe was upright and breathing normally, he turned to me and said, “Sorry, beautiful, but a man my age, who has been smoking as long as I have…well…let’s just say the ol’ airbags aren’t what they used to be.”  I smiled politely as Joe turned back to Daemon.  “So, what are you here for boy?  You lookin’ to get your ass whipped by me today?”

Daemon pulled me closer as he replied, “Not today, Joe.  Learned my lesson with you years ago.”  Joe smiled proudly in response to Daemon’s statement.  “I brought Paige to teach her a few things about defending herself against men.  She has a tendency to piss of the wrong people and I want to make sure that if I’m not there to protect her that she’ll be able to get away, if nothing else.”

Joe thought about Daemon’s words, but then I swore I saw recognition light up those ancient eyes.  “Wait, wasn’t it your club that caught fire the other night?  They said it was arson in the papers; was she somehow involved?”  Daemon nodded and Joe turned to me.  “Well, who the hell you been pissing off, little lady.  Shouldn’t you be home cooking or cleaning or something?” 

What the fuck?!

If Joe wasn’t a senior citizen, I’d knock him back a step or two for making such a chauvinistic comment.  I know that older Southern men grew up in a different time, but damn!  He had to know times had changed.  I mean, if a woman enjoys cooking or cleaning, more power to her; but it shouldn’t be a requirement.  I opened my mouth to let him have it when Daemon squeezed my hand and answered for me.  “Joe, she’s not the type.  Trust me when I tell you, the last thing you will find this girl doing is cooking and cleaning.

Joe thought about Daemon’s statement and chuckled at some private thought.  “I’ve heard some women nowadays ain’t of that breed..I get that.  Little things want to prove themselves in worlds that normally were reserved for men.”  I may have physically flinched at his statement, only causing Daemon to pull me closer to his side.  Joe continued on without noticing my reaction.  “Well, then you two best get to it.  Dave and his boys are coming in about an hour to take over the ring.  I’m here to act as referee.  Come to think of it, you might want to stick around, Daemon.   Dave’s boys are little punks that could learn from you.  Maybe you could whip their asses around the ring a time or two and teach them they ain’t as tough as they imagine.”

“I’d love to, Joe.  But we’ll have to save that for another day.  Paige and I have places to be after we leave here, but we’ll be back often in the coming weeks.  Tell Dave to schedule another day for me to spar with his kids.  It’ll be fun.”  Joe nodded and Daemon began pulling me towards the ring.  I was curious why they would have Daemon sparring within a bunch of kids.

“Why do they want you to beat up on children, Daemon?  Seems like it wouldn’t be fair, given your size and all.”

Daemon chuckled. “By ‘kids’, he meant people our age.  Joe and his friends don’t look at us like we’re adults, Paige.  We don’t get that honor until we have one foot in our graves.”