In The Cage (9 page)

Chapter Twelve

Unexpected Company

Several Days Later…

I’m avoiding Jake. I know I should be talking to him about my memories but I just couldn’t force myself to do it. I want to believe that he didn’t see anything happen to me and that’s why he hasn’t come forward to tell me what he saw and ask if I am alright. Supposedly he’s got another fight coming up but I haven’t been invited yet. I’m pretty sure Jake is working out all day every day just to get ready. He only has so many tries left in him so he has to get signed soon. I’m completely lost thoughts when there’s a knock on my door. Diego jumps up to answer the door but I hiss at him waving him back. I stand to the side of the door and peer through the peephole. To my surprise it’s Jake
and
his trainer Jamarcus. This is highly unusual. I open the door and let them in.

“Well this is quite an honor.” I say to Jake. “You have what 40 hours to prepare? This must be pretty darn important.”

“Hi to you too.” Jake says, and then gives me a brief kiss.

I hug Jamarcus and receive a peck on the cheek.

“Wow,” Jake remarks. I think Jamarcus got a longer kiss than I did. Something wrong Christine?”

“Sorry, it’s been a rough couple days and then you guys just showing up here makes me wonder what is wrong.”

“There’s nothing wrong at all.” Jake begins. “I was hoping that if I brought my own sitter I might be able to convince you to go to dinner tonight.”

“Oh cool, can he teach me how to box?”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself little man?” Jake replies.

“There’s no need to ask, young man. Of course I’ll teach you as long as your mother is fine with it.”

“Please mom!”

“I think that would be a great idea sweetie. Maybe he can teach you how to deal with school bullies as well.”

“Absolutely,”

Jake hangs around for a few minutes playing with Diego before he suggests we get going. I really like how he interacts with my son. Not only does he seem genuinely interested in Diego, but he’s really good at playing and interacting with kids. Not everyone is as comfortable around children as Jake appears to be. Clearly Diego is quite enamored with him too. Let’s just hope my latest memories don’t ruin what Jake and I have together, but I can already feel myself getting stressed about being around him. Jake picks up on it almost immediately.

“Something wrong, Christine?”

“No. I just said I had a hard week and I have a lot to work through. I uprooted my son; pulled him out of school two months ago and I don’t have a single memory of it. I would never take my son out of school that long. I don’t even live in California anymore and I can’t figure out why I came back. So yeah, I’m a bit stressed.”

“You know, we don’t have to eat out. We can go to my place and order in. Watch a movie…have some wine…”

“Alright alright but let’s be clear, I’m not on the menu tonight.”

“Really? Not even as an appetizer…or desert maybe?”

“Do I need to spray you down with a hose Mister?”

“Relax; I only have the
best
intentions in mind.”

“Yeah I’m sure you’ve got something going on in that head of yours but I’m not sure it’s in
my
best intentions that you have in mind right now. And if the road to hell is paved with good intentions where’s the road headed that’s paved with
your
dubious best intentions?”

“Wanna come in and find out?” Jake asks with a sly smile.

I was all prepared to be angry with him next time we met but I just can’t stay that way. For a hardcore MMA fighter he has a surprisingly easy going personality. Guess I was too used to King and his steroid enhanced personality flaws. The more time I spend with Jake the more I grow too really like him and I’m pretty sure the feelings are mutual.

Our pizza dinner is relaxing and enjoyable. We even manage to stay away from any shop talk or past personal baggage talk. After a couple glasses of wine we finally get around to Jake’s best intentions when he moves in for a kiss.

“Thought you’d never get around to that.” I say after we break off the kiss.

“I don’t always do everything fast.”

“Name one other thing outside the bedroom that you take your time at.” I challenge him.

“Umm…well…I don’t know…” He says.

“Never mind.” I reply. “I just figured it out.”

“What’s that?”

“Your mind babe, I think you’ve taken one too many knocks on the noggin my dear.”

“You’re right. At one time I was in school studying astrophysics and cosmology. I was going for a duel degree at Stanford University until I lost my first pro fight to a TKO. Now I’m at a junior college studying waste management.”

“Oh my god really? That is tragic. You should sue the organization you were fighting for. That last fight basically ruined your life.”

“Is that really how you feel?” He asks. “That something I love, MMA is worthless by comparison to a real profession like Cosmology?”

“I didn’t really mean it that way.” I say backpedaling. “I just meant that…that…”

“Just meant what?”

“I mean wow, you were on track to an amazingly difficult degree and the rug just got pulled out from underneath you. That must have pissed you off.”

“I wasn’t nearly as pissed as I am at you now that I know how you feel about my chosen profession.”

“What?” I seem to be missing something here. “What are you talking about?”

“It was just a joke Christine. I was just bullshitting you. I never went to college for more than a semester or two at a junior college and then it was something about the science of mixing alcoholic drinks.”

“Oh my god, you baited me!” Now I’m pissed. “Why’d you go and bait me like that?”

“It wasn’t intentional. I really thought I was just making a lame ass joke, nothing more.”

“For your information I don’t dislike MMA and boxing and all that stuff. Hello, I was married to an MMA fighter for seven years. I married young. If I didn’t like the scene I wouldn’t have married the guy and I certainly wouldn’t be spending time with you like this. The issue with my ex-husband is that he was a steroid abuser and eventually an alcoholic. He didn’t start mean but when he was finished with me he was a six foot seven inch three hundred pound Pit Bull!”  

“”Lotta guys go that route. You see any of the top competitors that are young; you know they’re using steroids. If you don’t use steroids it takes twice as long to get there. I’m thirty-one and on the fucking bottom. Your ex-husband, he didn’t start using that shit until the last few years you guys were together right? Yeah and you know because…I get it. It’s because of his age. Otherwise he’d be a 24 year old fighter for Surge and not a 36 year old. He probably saw the writing on the wall. All the big contracts going to dudes ten, twelve years younger and he had to do something to catch up.”

“You really going to sit here and justify his steroid use?”

“Hell no! Makes my life ten times harder. I gotta work ten times harder for a tenth of the money. No, I hate steroids!”

I smile and take a deep breath. “You know, I’m glad this whole thing about steroids came up because I was starting to get paranoid. You got this amazingly hot body and it just seems impossible to get that fit without help.”

“You did talk to Jamarcus did you not?”

“Yeah I did. I know it’s been a long haul for you and no overnight successes. You don’t fit the pattern of a steroid abuser. And besides, you’re way to freaking virile for a guy on any kind of performance enhancing drugs.”

“You like my virile…ness, do ya?”

“It’s adequate…for a man your height and weight.”

“Oh so now you’re saying I’m just…how does that saying go; height and weight proportionate? That’s how everybody describes themselves after they’ve let themselves go a bit.”

“Don’t worry,” I begin. “You got a good two or three more years before you slide down into that category. At least three years…”

“Is that when you trade me in for a newer model? I thought it was us guys that did that. Are you going to turn into one of those cougars in a few years?”

“Youth does have its advantages…”

“Yeah you won’t be saying that when I’m leaving you to rob the cradle.”

“So long as it’s not ours.” I reply.

“Now that’s just plain gross.” Jake says.

“Yeah sorry about that one. It just slipped out.” I wasn’t even thinkin’.”

“Don’t even worry about that.” Jake replies as he leans in for a kiss.

“How’d you just do that?” I ask him.

“What do you mean?”

“We’re talking about cougars and cradle robbing and you just got a green light for sex out of that? Man, your mind works in mysterious ways Jake.”

“Sorry…every time I get around you my mind goes right to the gutter.”

“I don’t know if I should be offended or take that as a compliment.”

“Take it whichever way gets you out of your panties baby.”

“Houdini wouldn’t be able to do that tonight buster, what makes you think you’ve got half a chance.”

“You ever see Houdini?” Jake asks with a smile.

“He
was
ugly wasn’t he?”

Jake gets up and walks over to the stereo, turns it on and out comes Bono and the boys singing Miracle (of Joey Ramone).

“You gotta be kidding me.” I begin. “This is the music you’re going to use to set the mood tonight? I mean, I love U2 but their music doesn’t exactly inspire one to drop her panties.”

“But it’s the new one.”

“Songs of Innocence? The one that has their shirtless drummer on his knees hugging another shirtless man? Are you trying to tell me something here Jake?”

“It’s a good CD, they’re a great band.”

“And so are Marvin Gaye, Lionel Richie, Anita Baker, and the Temptations.”

“So you’re old school then…I get it.”

“Yeah it’s one of the few redeemable qualities of my dad.”

“Sorry ‘bout that.”

“So what else you got?”

“Oh no…we’re in
my
house and it’s U2 tonight.”

“Yeah and these are
my
pants and they’re staying on tonight.”

“Damn girl, do you really have to play hard to get?”

Suddenly it occurs to me. I don’t have to play hard to get. I really like Jake and I don’t want to mess this up. It won’t hurt to be easy once in a while. For his answer I stand up, turn around and take off my top, but leave my bra on. He has to work a little. I walk about half way down the hall before I pause to loosen my skirt. I take two more steps and it’s down around my ankles. I can feel my ass burning from his eyes boring into me and it’s starting to get my juices flowing.

“Uh…unless you’re planning on doing this in the bathroom you might want to back up to the other door. It’s not that I’m against the bathroom or anything but I already took one shower this evening and I don’t want parts of me looking like a prune or worse a peanut.”

I like his sense of humor. Before tonight I really hadn’t seen it. I back up and open the door that I thought was a closet or bathroom. If the old adage clean desk cluttered mind applied to his room, the guy’s brain must be in chaos.

“Is everything in here brand new? No don’t tell me, you bought all this in anticipation of tonight didn’t you?”

“Yeah I just don’t use it often.”

“The house or the bed?”

“Both.” He replies.

“First I was in the amateur circuit, then with Cold Steel for 20 months so most of my time is either spent at the gym, in a cage fight somewhere, or in a hotel room. I’ve had the house for two years. I really should sell it. If I don’t get signed soon I’m going to be hard up to pay for the mortgage.”

“Alright, enough shop talk.” I reply as I lay down on his bedspread.

Jake walks up to the bed undressing me the rest of the way with his bulging eyes and stiffening cock. The thought of having his cock inside me again is practically enough to make me jump off the bed and tear his clothes off. But I keep my cool and wait for him to disrobe.

Our sex play is pretty much like our pre sex banter, light and meaningless. Both aware that we don’t have a lot of time, we get down to business fast. Sometimes you need foreplay and sometimes you just need to get to it. We get to it. Jake’s body is like Disneyland to me. It’s exciting as hell and worth the wait! We take as much time as we dare before jumping into his shower to was away the obvious. Out of respect to Jamarcus I don’t want to come back smelling like sex. But more important than the sex, it was just nice to re-connect with him. With all these confusing memories coming up I felt like I’m beginning to lose him and I don’t want that at all. My intuition tells me he is a good man. Diego tells me the same and I know he’s spot on about people who come into his life. Anyone doesn’t feel right to him and he’ll tell me right away. Suddenly I remember something out of the blue. He didn’t like Taylor. I don’t remember how we met or why I started hanging around with her but I do recall her coming over to a hotel we were at and Diego did not want anything to do with her. I should have taken notice.

After we get back, the four of us hang around, mainly for Diego’s benefit. He obviously had a great time with Jamarcus and did get a short lesson. When we come in they are both playing some shooter video game and laughing and carrying on. Looks like Diego wasn’t the only one getting a lesson tonight. I’ll be glad when I have figured out what the hell I’m doing in California and I can go back to my normal life. Then another thought strikes me right between the eyes. Does that normal life I’m thinking of contain Jake in it? His world is the California MMA Blood Sport MMA scene while mine is in Oregon. Diego has to get back to school and I have to…to do whatever I was doing before my brain got scrambled.