Starting Point (14 page)

I pressed my useless right ear into the pillow and watched in the moonlight as he rolled a condom down his rigid cock. He slicked himself with lube, and my eyes closed in anticipation.

I smiled when he ran his hands over my ass. I moaned when the cool liquid dripped down my ass crack and my blood warmed when his fingers slipped into me.

Then his warm breath was in my ear. “Do you feel okay?”

“God, yes,” I answered. My head was still fuzzy from vertigo, still spinning, the room was lopsided and even lying down, I felt like I was falling. But fuck, what he was doing to me felt so damn good.

I thrust my hips, pushing onto his fingers, fucking, wanting.

Then his hand was gone and was soon replaced with the thick, hot, blunt head of his cock in the crevice of my ass. Kira’s hands were on the bed beside my head, his full weight pushed me into the mattress and his cock pressed my hole, pushing, breaching and oh-so-slowly, slipping inside me.

Kira’s mouth skimmed the back of my neck, his breath stuttering in my ear. “Oh, my God, Matt.” His voice cracked, and he moaned long and low as he pushed deeper into me.

I reached up under the pillows to grip the top of the mattress, and Kira ran his hands up my arms to hold my fists, as he rocked into me. Slowly. Deeply.

I lifted my ass for him, giving him more of me, all of me. He gave me every inch of himself, so his balls sat heavy against my ass.

Rolling his hips, he rocked into me and with each thrust, he nipped my shoulder, then followed with sweet, soft kisses.

I raised my ass in time with him, and his thrusts got quicker, harder, his hands squeezed mine as we gripped the top of the mattress, and his moans became grunts.

Kira got harder, his cock swelling in my ass, and with a final thrust he cried out, moaning, convulsing, as he came. “Fuck,” he groaned in my ear, collapsing on top of me, skimming his lips, his nose, his forehead over my shoulder and the side of my head.

I would have stayed like that forever, but eventually Kira rolled us over, sliding out of me at the same time. He held me tight, still planting kisses on whatever skin he could reach. “Your turn.”

“Uh-uh,” I hummed. “No need. That was just for you.”

“Matt,” he said, sounding surprised, worried. “Are you sure?”

“Very.”

“Do you feel okay? Is your head spinning too much? Do you feel nauseated. Shit, Matt, you should have told me to stop.”

I chuckled and snuggled into his chest, pulling his arm around me so he could hold me. “I feel great. Head’s still fuzzy a bit, but I feel great. I love it when you do that.”

Kira raked his hand over my back, up to my hair. “But I didn’t make you come.”

“I didn’t have to,” I mumbled into his chest. “I just love it when you fuck me.”

Kira barked out a quiet laugh. “You’re such a bottom.”

I pulled back from his embrace and my eyes took a moment to focus. “I am,” I said, feeling myself blush. “For you.”

Even in the moonlit room, Kira saw it. He kissed my heated cheek. “I haven’t seen you blush like that in a while.”

I ducked my head back to his chest. Kira gave me a squeeze and sighed contentedly against the side of my head. “Shower?”

“No, I’ll just stay right here.”

“Are you too dizzy to get up?” he asked me seriously.

“A little dizzy. A lot comfortable.”

“I’ll bring back a washcloth for you,” he said, then with a kiss to my forehead, he was gone.

I heard the shower start, but must have dozed off. I woke up to a warm, wet cloth and gentle hands. When he was done, he climbed in beside me and his shower-warm, soap-scented body wrapped around mine, lulling me back to sleep.

I’m not sure how much later it was, but my restless pillow woke me up. I pulled him in tight, but he sighed. “Matt? Matt?” he said, gently tapping my arm.

“Mm?”

“Matt? Are you awake?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong?”

“Do you think they’re okay?”

“Who?”

“Claude and Ruby.”

“Um…” I was too sleepy to catch up. “Um, what?”

Kira leaned up on one elbow. “I can’t sleep. I mean, we’re in here, safe, warm, protected, and they’re out there somewhere. God only knows where.”

I sat up slowly, mindful of the vertigo. “Kira, babe, what are you saying?”

“Well, aren’t we responsible somehow? I mean, we know they’re sleeping on the streets, or in a dumpster for all we know, and we’re not doing anything about it. We’re here, and those kids are out there alone somewhere.”

“What did you want to do?”

“I don’t know,” he said, clearly frustrated.

“Did you want to go for a drive?” I asked. “We could drive the streets around the club, but there’s no way of knowing where they are.” I looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table. “Kira, babe, it’s past midnight. They’ll be holed up somewhere, sound asleep. If we go looking now, it might draw attention to them.”

With a loud sigh, he lay back down. I did the same, but put my head on his chest.

“It just bothers me, that’s all,” he said finally.

“That’s because you’re one of the good guys,” I said. “You’re thoughtful, kind, forgiving…”

“Forgiving?”

“Very,” I answered. I lifted my head off him and, lying back on the bed, pulled him against me instead. I dragged the sheet and blanket up over us, tucking it in around him, and gave him a squeeze.

“Matt,” he said softly.

“Shush.” I kissed the top of his head and tightened my arms around him.

“Matt.”

“Go to sleep, babe.”

After a long moment, he said, “Uh, Matt?”

“Yeah,” I mumbled, almost asleep.

“You’re squashing my arm.”

“Oh,” I said, shuffling and wriggling until his arm was free. “Better?”

“Yeah.” Then when I was almost asleep again, he said, “Matt?”

“Mmm?”

“Will you tell Claude and Ruby they can stay here if they need to?”

I smiled and kissed the top of his head again. “I already have.”

He was quiet for a while, but he exhaled deeply and his breathing steadied. Then he spoke again, his voice croaking with sleep, “Matt?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re one of the good guys too.”

* * * *

Kira came to work with me and helped while I got a few things set up before the other guys got there. There was something relaxing about being there before it opened—it was quiet, it smelt familiar. It wouldn’t be long and there’d be a hive of activity, talking and noise, but early in the morning, it was peaceful.

Boss arrived first, and as he walked in, he looked at Kira. Without stopping, he said, “Hope you’re volunteering your time because we can’t afford you,” and kept walking to his office.

Kira laughed, but kept wiping down the weight benches.

Arizona was next to arrive, bumped fists with me then with Kira. “Hey, man,” he said to Kira. “Good to see you here.”

“Yeah, Matt’s a slave-driver,” he said with a smile. He wouldn’t admit to wanting to be here to see if Claude and Ruby turned up unharmed.

Or in fact, turned up at all.

“How did Ruby go yesterday?” I asked him.

“He went okay,” Arizona replied. “We mostly did prep stuff, introductory stuff, and talked about schedules and shit like that. I mean, he’s been coming here for a few months, he knows the basics. He’s only young, but jeez, he’s got a natural talent.”

I smiled, relieved that it’d been a productive first session. “I think so too. Inside the ring’ll be easy for him. Outside it, not so much.”

Arizona nodded. “Yep. I just hope he can stick to the programme.”

“Me too.”

Arizona went on to say, “He said he had to be back first thing. You got some paperwork thing with him.”

“Yeah, I wanted him to meet with Janelle, the lady at Hillvue Community College who’s organizing his school programme,” I told him. “I just thought if he saw there’s a group of us who want him to do this, he might be more inclined to stick to it.”

“You really pushin’ for him?” Arizona asked, but it wasn’t really a question.

“I am,” I agreed. “I mean, I want all the kids in this programme to do well, but I want Rueben to see he has choices, ya know?”

Arizona gave me a huge grin. “I know exactly, man. Exactly. And I’m guessin’ that’s the reason you put him with me.”

I smiled and clapped my hand on his shoulder. “Not just a pretty face.”

“Hey,” a smiling Kira said, butting in at my compliment to Arizona.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” I quickly corrected. “It means he’s got brains, not that he had a pretty face.”

“Hey!” Arizona chimed in.

I threw my hands up. “I won’t win this,” I said, then turned to walk into my office.

Kira and Arizona both burst out laughing.

I left them to it, to make a start on some paperwork in my office, though every time I heard animated chatting or laughing between Kira and Arizona, it made me smile.

I heard Jamaal’s voice, and realised it was time for the club to open. The next voice I heard was a very excited Claude. “Kira!” she cried. “You’re here!”

“I am,” he replied.

“Where’s Matt? I want him to see. Look at what I got!” she shrieked.

Immediately intrigued, I got up from my desk and walked out into the gym room. Claude was beaming, and proudly showing off a new pair of running shoes.

Probably a size or two too big, bright white and purple and sparkly, there wasn’t any expensive brand name, they weren’t anything special when it came to sneakers. But they were new.

It was hard not to be excited for her. She was just about to burst. But there was a nagging thought in my head.

How on earth did she get them?

“Ruby got them for me,” she said, as if reading my thoughts. “We went into a shop and everything! They is a bit big, but Ruby said I’m only gonna grow.”

By the look on his face and his silence, it was pretty obvious Kira was having similar thoughts to mine. “Oh, man!” he cried, excited, reacting perfectly. “They are the prettiest shoes I have ever seen!”

“I know, right?” she said. “Matt, whattya think?”

“I think they’re pretty special,” I said, giving her a smile. Regardless of just how she’d got them, I didn’t need to ruin her moment. “There’s a treadmill over there you could try ’em out on.”

She stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “I want them to stay new! I ain’t gonna run in ’em.”

Ruby walked cautiously over to where the four of us were. He handed Claude the backpack I’d given her.

“I was showing ’em my shoes, Ruby,” Claude said. She hadn’t stopped smiling yet.

Rueben looked at his sister with what I could only describe as a saddened pride. Like he was protecting her innocence, whether futile or not, the best he could. “They’re somethin’ special, Claude.”

I noticed he didn’t have new shoes. He still wore the too-small, threadbare runners he always wore. Regardless of where or how he’d got the money, it was hard to be judgmental and negative when he’d spent every cent he could on his sister.

“You ready for a big day, Ruby?” I asked, changing the subject. I checked my watch. “We’ve got thirty minutes to be up at the community college.”

“Yeah, I’m ready,” he said, though he hardly sounded convinced.

“Good,” I said. But then I turned to Claude. “Hey, squirt, how ‘bout you go make yourself a hot chocolate. I’ve got something I want to talk to Ruby about, is that okay?”

Claude shrugged, and still smiling, skipped her new shoes into my office.

I tapped my hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “I’ve got something I want to show you. Come with me.” I motioned for Kira and Arizona to come with me, and led the kid into the locker room.

“Take a seat,” I told him, pointing to the long bench that ran down the centre of the room.

“I didn’t steal them shoes,” he said quickly, defensively. “If that’s what you’s are here to ask me. I didn’t steal the money either.”

“Hey,” I said, putting up my hands. “That’s not what this about. We’ve got something for you, which we give all new committed fighters that join this club.”

Ruby looked between me, Arizona and Kira. He took a steadying breath. “Okay.”

“You get your own locker,” I told him.

His eyes widened in disbelief and he smiled. “For real?”

“For real,” I agreed. “If you agree that you’re committed to this course, and to doing some schoolwork as part of the deal, then it’s all yours. You can keep your stuff in it.”

His smile faltered. “I ain’t got no stuff.”

“You sure about that?” I asked, smiling at him. “Number forty-two. Open it.”

Ruby stood up and hesitantly stood in front of the locker, as though whatever was inside it was both exciting and forbidden. He opened the metal locker door and smiled at what he saw. His eyes went to mine.

“Not just me. Arizona as well.”

“Oh, man,” the kid said. He pulled out what was inside. “Are you for real? Are these mine?”

I looked at the black fingerless MMA gloves he was holding. “All yours. The towel was a gym towel, but it’s now got your name on it too.” It really wasn’t much to give him, but for a kid who literally had nothing, it was special. “And if you stick it out for the first few weeks, we’ll get you some proper shorts.”

Ruby was grinning now, which was not something I saw him do often. “I’ll stick it out, just you watch.”

“The first sign of you slacking off, or not turning up, or not doing your schoolwork,” Arizona said. “Then you lose the locker, all right? It’s a privilege you earn to keep, ya hear?”

Ruby nodded. “Yeah, man, I hear.”

“Good,” I told him. “Now you get washed up. We’ll be in my office waiting for you so we can go meet your new teacher. Then this afternoon you can try out those new gloves, okay?”

He smiled at us. It was a humbled, grateful look, and it was easy to forget the kid was just thirteen.

Before we walked back into my office to where Claude was, Kira stopped me. He whispered, “If he didn’t steal that money, then where did he get it from. Fuck, Matt, I hardly slept a wink last night because I worried about them and now it turns out he’s stealing stuff? I mean, I know it’s tough and he has to do whatever he can to survive, but that’s not right. God, what if he snatched some lady’s handbag? He must have got about fifty bucks—”