Her Anchor (27 page)

At last, then, he pulled out of me, wrapping my weary, sweat-soaked body in his arms, and the two of us kissing for some time, until at last we found ourselves drifting off gradually into sleep. And somehow, through the words were never spoken, I knew that our lives would never again be pulled apart as they had been in the past, and that the man I loved was now here to stay.

*****

THE END

Chapter 1

The room was quiet.  There were occasional beeps that would sound, filling the silence momentarily, but then the room would become silent again.  The walls of this room were white and emotionless.  The ceiling provided no saving grace for the patients who stared at it throughout the night, praying for a miracle. 

Cassandra Pavone found herself in this room, her head resting on the bed.  She was exhausted from the countless hours spent at the hospital.  In recent weeks she was in and out of St. Mary’s Hospital visiting her father who was slowly wasting away in the late stages of cancer. She hated his room almost as much as she hated the disease that was slowly taking her father away from her.  He was nothing more than skin and bones now.  Cassandra could hardly recognize him.

But she was asleep now and in her dreams, her father was still young and youthful.  He was the man she remembered when she was ten.  A strong man with multiple MMA belts hanging in his room, a tribute to his impressive fighting career.  She remembered him teaching her how to fight.  She remembered sitting on his shoulders to better see the fights he took her to.  It was this man she remembered as she dreamt, not the cancer patient that now laid beside her. 

Her father also tried to remember happier times as he looked at his daughter.  His shaky hand slowly reached out and caressed her long kinky hair.  His wrinkled fingers gently touched her cheek, leaving a part of his soul on her delicately beautiful skin.  He smiled, grateful for such a beautiful daughter.  In that moment, he remembered his wife, a feisty and fiery woman who had stolen his heart while also being his number one fan. It was these memories he clung to as he heard the rhythmic beeps fill the room. 

But, his time was almost up.  He didn’t have much longer on this Earth, and he would make the best of it.  With what little strength he had left, he slowly shook his daughter, trying to wake her. 

Cassandra’s eyes fluttered open as she looked around, confused.  For a moment, she forgot where she was and what she was doing in the white-washed room.  As she looked around she spotted her father, laying in the hospital bed, his skin gray and sickly. Reality came crashing back, threatening to take her breath away.  She looked up with red-rimmed eyes from crying and as she looked at her father the tears threatened to return.  She knew she didn’t have much longer with him. 

“Cassandra.”  Her father wheezed.  Every day it was becoming harder for him to breath.  Talking was becoming an impossible chore for him.  Despite this, he felt the need to speak to his daughter, even if it would be the last time he ever said her name. 

Cassandra’s whole body went rigid as she heard the pain in her father’s voice.  She stared at him intently before taking his papery hand in hers.  He smiled at her and took a moment to compose himself. 

“I… I love you… sweetie… always remember that… your mother… and I… loved you with our whole hearts…”  His voice was barely a whisper as he looked at her with translucent eyes.  Tears threatened to escape from Cassandra’s eyes as she heard her father’s words, but she tried to stay strong for his sake.  She squeezed his hand. 

“I know… dad… I know… and I love you too…”  Her voice was a shaky whisper and she bit her lip to keep from crying.  He smiled again, before gently patting her hand with his.

“I… I want you to have this…”  Shakily, he leaned toward the small drawer by his bed before grabbing something.  He handed it to Cassandra who took it. 

“What’s this?”  She asked, looking at the small envelope.  There seemed to be something made of hard plastic inside. 

“Open it.”  Cassandra nodded at her father’s command before slowly opening the envelope.  Reaching inside, she pulled out a small credit-card looking object that said, ‘Southstead Steady Strikers Fight Club.’  She looked at it curiously.  The Southstead Steady Strikers Fight Club (Triple S) was Southstead’s best MMA fighting club.  It was where her father built his career when he was younger.  She remembered going there all the time.  She had never seen a card like this before, however. 

“What’s this?”  She asked again.  Her father smiled a knowing smile.

“I talked to some of my… f… friends… It’s a… a… season pass… you… you can get into… into… an…any game, fight… pr…practice… anything… whenever you wa… want…”  Her father struggled to explain as his breath started to fail him.  Cassandra looked at him with fear in her eyes when suddenly the beeping in the room turned into one long beep.  Cassandra’s eyes grew large and her own heart skipped a beat as she saw the life slowly escape from her father’s eyes and his body go limp.

***

Cassandra’s mascara was running and her eyes were red as she used the Triple S card she had just received from her father to get into the arena.  She felt numb as she entered the building. It was the first time she had been at the Triple S since her father’s diagnosis.  It felt so strange to be in the building without him, but it felt nostalgic as well. 

She slowly made her way down the stairs, toward the fighting ring, oblivious to the world around her.  It was only when she reached the bottom steps that she realized that there were people in the ring fighting.  She looked up and her eyes caught sight of someone, and for the second time that day, her heart skipped a beat.

Chapter 2

Cassandra stared at the man with the green Brazilian shorts on.  He was small.  She guessed about 5’8 and 140 lbs.  She wondered why someone so small was fighting in the Triple S.  As she thought about this, she continued to stare at him.

His body was well-toned and chiseled.  His back rippled with muscles that danced under his tanned, soft mocha colored skin.  As he turned around, she looked up at his face and bit her lip.  He had shaggy, curly, dark brown hair styled in a messy disarray, giving him a playfully sweet demeanor.  As they made eye contact she looked into his smoldering chestnut eyes. She felt her heart quicken in her chest. 

She was about to follow his jaw-line, decorated with well-groomed facial hair, when suddenly, the man’s opponent took advantage of his distracted state.  The man in the Brazilian shorts took a well-aimed punch to the face before collapsing to the ground.  His opponent, a man wearing red Mexican shorts snorted before walking out of the ring.  Cassandra looked at the man and frowned. 

Looking around, she grabbed an icepack.  Her fingers worked to crush it in her hand until it became cold to the touch.  She then jumped effortlessly into the ring, walking over to him.  He was still slightly unconscious and dazed when she placed the icepack on his cheek.  She frowned as she noticed a small trail of blood escape his mouth.  His opponent had apparently split his lip with the punch. 

As Cassandra held the Brazilian man’s head in her lap, he started to wake up.  He looked up at her, a confused look on his face.  He had never seen this beautiful woman before and he wondered who she was.

Cassandra looked down at him, her long hair gently caressing his face as her large hazel eyes looked concerned.  He smiled slightly, his perfect pearly white teeth giving him a warm characteristic.  Once again, Cassandra’s heart reacted to this man in ways she had never experienced before.

“Are you alright?”  She finally asked, her voice soft and delicate as it slowly made its way down to the man.  His smile deepened. Cassandra noticed two adorable dimples on the side of his face.  She returned the smile and the world seemed to stop for a moment as the two of them looked at each other, staring into one another’s eyes. 

Finally, the man nodded, before sitting himself up.  The two of them sat cross-legged in the ring.  He placed his hands on his knees before tasting the blood in his mouth.  He quickly wiped it away with an embarrassed look on his face. 

“You didn’t just see that did you?”  He asked, his voice a soft, gentle whisper. 

Cassandra chuckled, “You mean you getting knocked out?  Unfortunately, I did.”  The man blushed with shame as he tried to look away.  He felt embarrassed. Why had this beautiful woman seen him fall so easily at the hands of another man?

“Hey… don’t be embarrassed… who trained you?”  She asked, tilting her head to the side, encouraging him to trust her.  Being the daughter of Keaton Pavone meant she knew most of the trainers in Triple S.  The man looked at her a little confused.  He didn’t expect a sweet looking girl like her to ask such a question. 

“No one… really… I mainly taught myself…”  He looked down, still embarrassed.  Cassandra furrowed her brow in confusion. 

“Then why are you fighting?”  She asked, her eyes intense as she looked at his chest, a part of her wanting to run her fingers across it, to follow his happy trail all the way to its end. She bit her lip, trying to keep her thoughts clean for the moment. 

“Well… my brother was a fighter… but he recently died in a car accident… and I wanted to honor his memory by continuing his legacy…”  The man looked up at her with burning eyes.  There was no denying the conviction this man felt, but as Cassandra looked at him, she knew he wouldn’t last a day in the ring without proper training. 

“I’m sorry for your loss… I lost someone today too… my father.  He used to train people here… I know a thing or two about training if you are looking for someone.”  Her voice was shaky, and once again the tears threatened to spill out.  The man looked at her and gently laid one of his hands on her hand, his thumb rubbing the back of her hand in a soothing way. 

“I’m sorry to hear that…”  His eyes were burning with an unknown emotion as he looked at the woman.  “But… I would love to have a beautiful woman like you as my trainer.”  He flashed her another perfect smile and she couldn’t help but return the gesture. 

“Good… then let’s start.”  There was a smirk on Cassandra’s lips now as she saw the surprised look on his face.  He hadn’t expected to start training so soon. 

“What… like now?”  He asked, amazed.

“Better now than never,” she said as she got up and offered him her hand.  He smirked and took it, using it to hoist himself up.  He liked this woman.  She had the spirit and attitude of a fighter.

Soon, Cassandra had the man sweating and huffing as she worked on his reflexes, telling him that the most important thing about fighting was anticipation of an opponent’s attack.  By the end of their training, it was late and both of them were tired. 

“You know… you have been kicking my butt for hours… and you’ve yet to tell…  me… your name…”  The man said, out of breath as he leaned over and rested his hands on his knees.  Cassandra looked at him, one hand on her hip.  She looked proud of herself as she looked at the man. 

“Name’s Cassandra,” she said as she ran a hand through her hair, pushing it away from her face. 

“Um nome muito bonito.”  Cassandra blushed as she heard the exotic words. 

“What does that mean?”  She asked, suddenly shy despite her usual confident manner. 

“It means, you have a beautiful name,” he explained with a warm smile.  “My name is Vincent, by the way.”  

Chapter 3

They looked at each other for a moment, both of them slowly catching their breath.  Finally, he stood straight and smiled at her, his right-sided dimple deepening as he looked into her gorgeous eyes.  He couldn’t believe that a girl like her would be capable of training him so hard, but somehow she had managed to kick his butt this afternoon. 

As he continued to look at her, he couldn’t stop his eyes from slowly making their way down her body, following her sexy curvy outline.  He finally bit his lip to stop himself from thinking of her in a naughty way.  Still, he felt his crotch grow excited at the sight of her, but somehow he managed to keep his hormones in check. 

“That’s a nice name.  Are you from Brazil originally?”  Cassandra asked curiously as she looked at his green shorts.  She wondered what he looked like down there before quickly looking away.  She had just met this guy, she didn’t want to jump the gun, but, then again he was incredibly attractive. 

“Thank you.  I was born here, but my older brother and parents are all from Brazil.”  He explained as he looked at her.  A moment of silence passed between them before Vincent spoke up. 

“Um… I’m sorry if it is too soon to ask this… but I really appreciate what you did for me today… I was wondering if I could take you out for a drink or something.”  Vincent gave her an innocent look as he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.  Cassandra giggled a little, noticing his reaction.  Was he being shy?  She found his demeanor incredibly cute and endearing.  She knew she couldn’t tell him no. 

“I would love to.” 

***

At the bar, the two of them started to get along really well.  While Cassandra was fiery and confident, Vincent was shy and sweet.  They were opposites in every sense of the word, but somehow, like magnets, they found themselves attracted to each other.  Cassandra, especially, was surprised at how much she liked Vincent. 

She was used to dating tall, strong, and standoffish men.  Somehow she always found herself liking and falling for the biggest jerks and knuckleheads in the city.  Usually, she wouldn’t look twice at a man like Vincent who was only a few inches taller than her.  But, this man felt different.  There was a feeling inside her chest she had never felt before. It was addicting.  She never wanted that feeling to go away.

Soon, with a couple of drinks in her system, she found herself getting hornier and hornier with the thought of Vincent naked and in her bed running through her mind.

“Hey… how would you like to come back to my place for another drink?”  Vincent had only consumed one beer up until that point and was practically sober.  He looked at the girl, a curious look on his face.  Was she being serious?  He stared at her and tilted his head.  She just giggled and kissed his cheek. 

“C’mon… it’ll be fun!”  Cassandra grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the bar, dragging him toward his car.  She feels giddy.  As they approached the car she had to do everything in her power not to push him against the hood and make out with him right then and there. 

Eventually, after a few missed turns, Vincent pulled up to Cassandra’s home.  It was a two person flat, and looking at the driveway, it looked like Cassandra’s roommate wasn’t home.  She grinned to herself.  This would be a fun night. 

Vincent, after turning off the engine, got out of the car and opened her door, like a true gentleman.  Together, they walked into the building.  The moment they crossed the threshold, Cassandra pushed him up against the wall, her lips pressing against him with a lustful passion as her tongue quickly found its way inside of his mouth. 

Vincent was taken by surprise and his eyes grew big as he felt her soft lips against his, but soon he fell victim to her sweet kiss and started to kiss back.  His need for her soon took over and he was holding onto her hips as they made out.  They continued to kiss for a moment before Cassandra closed the door.  Instantly, they started to undress.  She ripped open Vincent’s shirt in a desperate need to have his skin touching hers.

At this point, Vincent looked down at her with questioning eyes.  “Do you really want to do this?” He asked gently.  She glanced up at him and grinned. 

“Don’t talk.”  She leaned up and kissed him before pulling off his shirt.  He looked at her before shrugging his shoulders.  He wasn’t about to tell this woman no. 

Soon their clothes were scattered around the living room.  Vincent looked down at the naked woman and grinned.  She was sexy.  He bit his lip as his eyes ran up and down her body.  She grinned back at him. 

“Are you just going to stare all day or are you going to have a piece of me?”  Suddenly she tackled him to the ground, straddling him, keeping his arms pinned overhead.  He looked at her, a shy look on his face as he blushed.  He had never met a woman like her before.  He loved it.

She leaned down and kissed him before slowly moving to his neck.  “Let’s see what’s under these Brazilian shorts, shall we?”  She smirked as she got between his legs.  Quickly, she started to pull down his shorts.  Vincent blushed deeply as his dick came to life.  His eyes were glued to her perky breasts, hanging over his face.  He couldn’t help himself as he reached up and grabbed them, kneading them in his large hands. 

Cassandra moaned softly as she felt him massage her breasts.  Her nipples hardened in reaction and she felt a shiver rush down her spine as his other hand reached back and grabbed her ass, giving it a strong squeeze.

Soon, however, she had fully pulled off his boxers.  She looked at his well-trimmed member and grinned.

“Mmm…”  She moaned as she looked down at him, her hand slowly wrapping around him.  He moaned loudly at the touch of her soft hand against his throbbing member.  He wanted her, and he wanted her bad, but he allowed her to stay in control. 

To his surprise, he watched her lean down and slowly take his cock into her mouth.  He groaned in pleasure as he felt her delicate little tongue wrap around his tip and tease him.  His toes curled as she started to bob her head up and down on him, making him feel amazing. 

Soon enough she was picking up speed as his fingers rubbed her clit, making her wet.  She was beyond the point of horniness as his fingers entered her tight hole and pumped in and out of her.  She didn’t know how much longer she could hold back, but in the meantime, she kept sucking him off. 

Vincent started to shake in pleasure as he felt his balls tighten.  He knew he would explode soon and he wondered if she wanted him to orgasm in her mouth. 

“I…I’m going to cum soon…”  He whispered as he looked at her.  To his amazement, she picked up speed as a new type of excitement raged through her blood.  He shivered even more and before he knew it his world was exploding with pleasure.  His fingers hooked inside of Cassandra’s quivering pussy, and she too orgasmed all over his hand. 

But the night didn’t end there.  Soon they were up and ready for the second round, in another room of the house.  In the end, the whole house was marked with their sex as they had the wildest night of Cassandra’s life.  She had never experienced anything quite like it before and her whole body was shivering with pleasure when they finally collapsed in her bed together. 

They wrapped themselves in the sheets and before either one of them could say goodnight they were both fast asleep, completely worn out by the night’s stimulating events.  In the middle of the night, Vincent’s arm managed to wrap around his new lover, bringing her closer to his chest, closer to his heart.