The Cruiserweight (11 page)

“Let him have his moment, Pat,” Karen replied.
“Tomorrow’s the big day.”

“Yeah, the funny part will be when Dillard mops
up the ring with him. Come on, let’s go have that
lunch.”

CHAPTER 16

Squared Circle Express welcomed its audience
the following night with a display of pyrotechnics before two
commentators made their entrance. The long-awaited Dillard/Kerrigan
pairing was the third match into the program, and Brett appeared in
the ring with a cocky attitude. “You Squared Circle Express fans
don't know what you’ve been missing,” he said. “A world without me
is not one where I want to live. I’m here tonight to prove that
you’re better off now than before I arrived.”

Brent Dillard stood on the ring apron with a
bland expression, waiting for his turn to speak.
Has everyone I
know from the wrestling academy gone insane? Wait
…
’insane’ and ‘Brett Kerrigan’ are
appropriate in the same sentence.

“You’re going down, Dillard.”

“Sorry, Brett, ‘going down’ is reserved for my
girlfriend.”

“That isn’t what you told me in the locker room
a few minutes ago while your hand was on my ass.”

A chorus of “Ooooooooooh” came from the
fans.

Karen tried not to laugh. “Good lord, only
Brett would come up with something so raunchy.”

Dillard scoffed, “No, I was noticing how much
bigger it’s gotten and how easy it will be to make you my
bitch.”

“We’ll see who’s the bitch,“ Brett knocked
Dillard off the apron, but he pulled Brett’s head under the bottom
rope, looking to hit a leg drop over the ring apron.

“You little shit. That hurt!” Dillard said,
trying to keep a straight face.

“Think
that
hurt? I have more surprises
for you,” Brett replied, concealing a grin.

Both of them in the ring‘s center, Brett took
Dillard out with a big boot and set him up for Slice of Kerrigan,
but Dillard escaped his grasp.

Karen watched the match unfold, her mouth
agape.
These two are nuts!

Dillard applied a choke hold on Brett. Flexible
and wiry as he was, Brett escaped and took out Dillard with a
spear. He grabbed a chair and attempted to smack his opponent, but
Dillard grabbed the steel chair from him.

“Brett, be careful!” Karen called.

Dillard struck Brett’s face with the
chair.

She groaned. “Oh, God, that had to be
painful.”

The blow had little effect, and Brett soon
regained his bearings before going to the top rope. He took out
Dillard with a superplex for a close two count.

“Think I’m going to let you go over me that
easy?” Dillard muttered in his ear.

“This is like the old days. I whooped your ass
back then too.”

“Most of those were in your delusions, fat
boy.”

“Let’s see if
this
move is a figment of
my imagination.” Brett attempted his Slice of Kerrigan, but Dillard
countered and hit a quick DDT. He made another attempt at his
finisher, but Dillard countered and covered him for a two
count.

The conclusion saw Dillard go for his finisher,
The Final Countdown, but Brett countered into a cradle pin for the
victory.

Brett grabbed a microphone. “So Dillard, what
did you say about me being your bitch? You may need to revise that
statement.”

*****

Activity buzzed in the locker room when the
match ended. When Brett arrived after signing a few autographs,
Dillard, Patrick, and Karen were waiting for him.

“That was great, Kerrigan,” Dillard said. “It’s
nice to see that you never lost your touch as a true
fighter.”

“Thanks, for the encouragement, man. Even if I
did whip your ass, we having a match brought back
memories.”

“Now you know why I stood on the independent
level most of my career,” Dillard replied. “I saw what that big
corporation did to you and Patrick most of the time. But I got an
offer again and plan to take it. I have future medical bills to
consider, and the money will be better. To be honest, though, I
don’t like the idea of abandoning the independents and being viewed
as a ‘sell out‘.”

Brett shrugged in a noncommittal way. “It
wasn’t terrible for me all the time. Pat and I have some good
memories. There was the tag team championship run, the places we
traveled together, our own T-shirt, and meeting fans. You should
accept their offer. Pat and I even had places on the
corporation-sponsored video game before he lost his
job.”

“Brett is on the new wrestling game too,”
Patrick said. His character is portrayed as a jobber.”

“I was one in real life before talent cuts,
where were you the entire time?”

“Out front watching the two of you wrestling
what should be acclaimed as a first-rate match,” Karen
replied.

Patrick nodded and grinned. “Tonight’s just one
example that will prove you’re at an advantage back in the
independents, short man.”

“I have to agree with you. I can’t remember the
last time I felt this exhilarated. It doesn‘t matter if I won or
not, but hearing the crowd being into our match the entire time was
most memorable.”

Dillard patted Brett on the shoulder. “Welcome
back, Kerrigan. The fans in these parts missed you.”

“It’s terrific doing what I love again, this
time without the concern of management breathing down my
neck.”

“I doubt any of us will to have to be uneasy
about Gil in that respect,” Patrick said. “Is anyone interested in
grabbing dinner? I’m buying.”

Karen laughed. “Oh, this is a world record. Pat
paying for a meal two days in a row!”

“Spending your big time actor’s pay already,
dude?” Dillard asked.

“Don’t discourage the opportunity for a free
meal, kids,” Brett replied. “It isn’t often Pat springs for the tab
once, let alone twice.” He looked at his watch. “Hey, I have to go
take care of some business first. Think you all can meet me around
at my place around eight?”

“Works for me,” Patrick replied as Brett rushed
out of the locker room. “I can have everyone there at
seven.”

*****

Brett returned home to clean up before meeting
Karen, Brent Dillard, and Patrick for dinner. He rifled through
closets and drawers for something decent to wear before he jumped
in the shower. When he finished and was in the process of putting
on fresh clothes, someone knocked on the door. Looking at the
clock, he became irritated; it was still too early for the others
to show up.

"Do you not see the ‘No Soliciting’ sign…"
Brett threw open the door without seeing who it was and stood there
shirtless. "Karen…I…aren‘t you a bit early, sweetheart?"

"Oh, God, I am! I thought Pat said we’d meet
you here at seven.”

“Dumb ass. I told him and Brent eight o’clock.
Sorry about the mix up because El Dumbo wasn’t listening, as
usual.”

“
Look at you, still not dressed.
What the hell happened that you left in a hurry after the show? Did
you come back here to jerk off…around? I meant
around."
Her
cheeks flushed.

“I know what you meant.” Brett laughed and
stepped aside, allowing her to enter the apartment. "No, I wasn’t
jacking off. I just took a shower and was a little slow in getting
dressed.“ He grabbed his shirt and slipped it on, but didn’t close
it right away.

“This place looks like a barn,” Karen picked up
a few clothes and placed them back in their proper places. “What
did you do?”

"I…had a hard time deciding what to wear before
I finally settled on this shit." He pointed to the well-fitting
jeans he wore and a white shirt which still wasn’t
buttoned.

“Mmmm, you look very nice.” She fixed his shirt
collar before her hands rested on his shoulders. Without another
word, Brett cradled Karen’s face and kissed her.

“Brett
…
” she
began.

"I love you, baby,“ he whispered in her ear,
his warm breath teasing it. “I’ve loved you since the first night
we met.”

“Is that why you brought me to L.A.? It wasn’t
just to see your match?” Her hands slid around his neck, allowing
him to pull her body to his.

He nuzzled her neck. “You
are
one smart
lady.”

She groaned when his hands slid down her body,
one slipping under her sweater and the other squeezing the left
cheek of her ass. She shivered from his touch, her arousal coming
to the surface in spite of her fighting to keep it down. He always
had that effect on her.

"Hey!" she gasped when his mouth began to move
down her neck. She tried to push him away, but only in a
half-hearted way. "The guys will be here soon."

"I know," he replied going back to nuzzling,
nipping and sucking on her neck. “But I’d like a little time with
you first.”

After kissing and rolling around on the bed for
a few minutes, Brett tugged off her sweater. His shirt followed,
and they continued to roll around on the bed and make out. He
caressed and kissed her chest, breasts, arms, and
stomach.

A giggle escaped her lips. “Mmmm, you’re such a
tease.”

“A tease? I’ll show you how much I’m
not.”
Brett moved down and unfastened her pants while her
hands were on the button of his jeans, unzipping them, and they
pulled each other’s bottoms off in unison.

He kissed his way down her body, then up and
down each thigh. The effect produced a great response
——
she squirmed around the bed. He removed her
panties and kissed his way back up her body. His hands moved across
her flesh with tender strokes before he moved on top of her.
“You’re beautiful, you know that? I‘ve wanted to make love to you
for a long time.”

“It’s been awhile,” she said.

His eyes gleamed, pleased she wasn‘t another
slut who slept around with anything breathing. “I’ll be gentle and
make you feel good.”

“I know you will.”

He didn’t bother putting on a condom as he’d
done with his past sexual partners. Karen was the right woman he
had searched for and he wanted to feel the natural sensation of
making love to a woman he cared for so much. In a gentle move,
Brett eased into her with long, slow thrusts.

She threw back her head, a slight contorted
look on her face. “Ooooh
…
”

Brett stopped a moment. “Did I hurt
you?”

“No
…
just keep
going like that.” she murmured. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, sweetheart.“ He kept up the slow,
gentle pace. He pushed deeper while she kept in perfect sync with
him and shared fiery kisses.

Brett lifted his body off of hers so he could
get a better view, and felt her begin to quiver as she grabbed his
ass. “Brett
…
I’m coming.”

“You’re so amazing, baby.” He felt her muscles
clamp and release around his manhood as she came, and the feeling
drove him crazy. He increased his thrusts and trailed gentle nips
down her neck while his hands trembled over her body.

“God, yes! Please don’t stop!”

“Karen!” Brett thrust harder and harder, his
body in a violent shudder. With a final grunt, he came, bending
forward for one last kiss before he collapsed beside her. They held
each other for several minutes, sharing slow, sensual
kisses.

“I don’t think I have to ask if you missed me,”
she said.

“More than you know, sweetheart. I could stay
like this all night.”

“Me too, but Brent and Pat are meeting us,
remember?”

“They’re not due for another half an
hour.”

“You could cancel and the two of us can stay
here.”

“Nah, I don’t want you thinking I just brought
you here for sex. I want to take out my favorite lady and prove
that Dillard and Dumbo aren’t the only ones who can get
women.”

“You are so sweet.” Karen cuddled against him
again and played with his hair.

Brett slid his hands all over her with light,
gentle caresses, their tongues dancing in each other‘s
mouths.

“We better get moving,” he breathed against her
lips.

“Last person to the bathroom has to wash the
other’s back.”

“You got it, baby. Maybe I’ll cancel dinner
with the other two clowns and spend quality time with
you.”

CHAPTER 17

“With all the time you’ve spent with Brett
while you‘re in L.A., does he know you’re going to Chicago next
week?” Phoebe asked when Karen called her the next
morning.

“
No. I’m planning to show him that
he isn’t the only one who’s capable of pulling off surprises. I’d
planned to take the train, but once I had a taste of first-class
flying, I may spring for another.”