Authors: Fiona Knightingale
THE END
Chapter one
“You can’t be serious, Sky. That’s predominately a man’s world and you should not be interfering in such a dangerous sport. I know that you have a mind of your own, but sometimes your stubbornness can get you into trouble. What makes you think anybody’s going to take you seriously, as a promoter and a gym owner? Don’t get me wrong, I think that breaking those glass ceilings is a good thing. I just don’t know if it’s right to gamble with your life savings.” I was glad that Owen could speak his mind. It allowed me to weigh the pros and cons and try to come up with a viable option. I’d already convinced the bank to give me a small loan. It wasn’t nearly enough, but it was a start.
“I know that it’s a risk, but it’s a risk that I’m willing to take. Owen, I know that you’re trying to be the voice of reason and give me an idea that maybe I should rethink this decision. Ever since I lost my job selling cars, I’ve been drifting and wondering what I was going to do with the rest of my life.” After seeing Rhonda Rousey kick ass in the ring, I was beginning to see that maybe there was room for a new contender. I didn’t just want to compete; I wanted to bring girls and guys into the arena together to train to fight in competition.
“I’m glad to hear you say that, Sky. I just wanted to lay out to you the odds, but I knew that you would never back down or surrender. It’s just not in your DNA and sometimes I think that you should’ve been born a man. You have the attitude, the fire to back it up and you have no problem swinging your fist in defense of your own well being.” I could fight dirty with the best of them, but I wanted to learn to do it the right way. I wanted to be able to take down an opponent without hurting them too badly. It was a fascinating sport, not unlike boxing and the way that opponents would look at each other across the ring and know that one of them was going to get knocked out.
MMA was different than boxing in that it was more primal with the instincts to push you to victory. It took a lot of training and developing those skills and instincts. I was ready to throw myself into this and I had a gym in mind that I was going to buy. It was one of those old style ones with an old man, as the owner, which made it easier to approach him with an offer that he couldn’t refuse. He told me that when I had the finances together that I should come and talk to him and today was that day.
I may not have the statue of fighter, but underneath this 5’3 frame was firecracker ready to get it on with just about anyone. My parents lived in Florida and I had come out to the East Coast to make my mark, only to fall flat on my face. It was time to start a new chapter in my life. It wasn’t going to be easy, but anything that is worthwhile is never easy.
“I’m putting everything I have into this and I would love for your support.” When I mentioned support, I was talking about a necessary influx of cash. I didn’t want to ask him, but he was the only one that knew of my expectations. I was what most people would call a perfectionist and someone that would not give up, until I had it exactly the way that I wanted it.” He gritted his teeth and I had this feeling that the influx of cash wasn’t going to come from my best friend.
“I would love to help you and you know that, sky. It’s just that my brother just borrowed 20 grand. I know what you’re going to say. I’m probably never going to see it again, but he is family and blood has always been thicker than water. He has a bit of a gambling problem, but every time that he gets in over his head, he always finds a way to survive. I have no doubt that I will see the money, but for right now I really don’t have it to give you. I do have an idea and I just read in the paper that Brandon Summer is in town looking to promote his fight with Hannibal Wright.” I had heard of that fight and I knew that Brandon was looking for investments. He was one of the few that knew that he couldn’t do this forever. He needed something to fall back on.
“Getting him on board is a great idea. I see only one problem with that scenario. I really don’t have anybody that can make the necessary introductions.” This was when I got that telltale smirk that told me that he had something up his sleeve.
“You know that I would have never have mentioned it, if I didn’t have a way to get you a face-to-face meeting. I know for sure that he’s going to be at a certain restaurant at a certain time tomorrow. I’ll give you the name of that restaurant and time and you can accidentally bump into him on purpose.” Owen was known to have the pulse of the city at his fingertips. He was always getting favors in return for other favors. It was a vicious cycle, but it allowed him to live without working a single day in his life.
“I’m really quite interested in making my proposition in person.” He smiled and gave me the name of the restaurant and the time that Brandon was going to show up.
I finalized the deal with the old owner, but not until after I had an inspection of the entire place from top to bottom. It needed some minor renovations and even though it looked like it was falling apart, it was mostly just cosmetics. I don’t think the owner was very happy about leaving this behind, but that money was going to show him that retirement could be fun and not just sitting around waiting for death to tap you on the shoulder.
I stood at the doorway, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a denim shirt tied at the waist. I showed a healthy amount of mid-drift. I was now in charge of my own little enterprise concerning the MMA lifestyle.
“I’ve talked to those that have membership here. I told them that the new owner was going to be a girl and they scoffed at the idea. I made sure to let them know that you have my blessing. That seemed to sway them in your favor and now the rest is up to you. To be honest, I wish that I could stick around to see how things play out. I’ve always wanted to bring girls into this place, but I never thought for a moment that the guys would go along with it. They had a place that they could work out in private and not having to worry about the girls ogling them and making them feel like they were supposed to put on a show.” The old man was short, wiry and I could tell in his eyes that there was experienced in the ring.
“I will do this place proud. Come back in six months and I will show you what I have done. You will not believe what you see. This place is going to be the hot spot of MMA world. This place will be televised and be the one place in Boston where everybody goes. Mark my words a new day has arrived.” He liked my style and I think that he probably could’ve gotten a whole lot more money for this place. “In the era of women getting into this sport, I was going to make the woman the centerpiece for this place. I planned to be that centerpiece, but not until I get the necessary training to go toe to toe with anyone. I’ve already thrown my hat into the ring for a fight at the next pay-per-view. It’s amateur hour, but I wanted to make a good showing and then go on to bigger and better things.”
“Sky, your aspirations are admirable. I just hope that you not reaching too high. You know what they say about Icarus and getting too close to the sun.” I had known Greek mythology and I even minored in it when I was in college. Icarus would fly too close to the sun and his wings would burn and he would come crashing back down.
Chapter two
I arrived at the restaurant dressed to kill with a slinky red dress that immediately got the attention of every man in the place. Even the maître d’ had his mouth hanging open, as I sashayed through the lounge without even being stopped. I saw my target and I zeroed in on him. I walked up to his table with a confidence that I really didn’t feel. He was eating a steak that was medium well done. You could see this light pink in the middle and when his knife cut through it was like butter. Of course, he would have the sautéed onions and mushrooms to go with it. It made my mouth water, but it wasn’t just the food that had me salivating for something to sample. This guy was young, clean shaven and had that kind of chiseled good looks that would make any woman crawl on their hands and knees to be with.
“I’m not saying that I’m not enjoying the view, but are you just going to stand there all day, or are you going to ask me for my autograph.” Apparently, he had quite a fan base and being famous had afforded him the opportunity to invest some of his high earnings into something that was going to stand up to the test of time. “If you don’t mind me saying so, that dress should be registered, as a lethal weapon. If you wanted to get my attention, then you have succeeded.” I saw the muscles underneath his very nice tailored suit and I could tell that fame had definitely gone to his head.
“My name is Sky Williams and I have a proposition that you would be a fool not to take. I have been watching your rise to fame. I’ve seen you go from a young kid that was looking to make his mark to the man that you are today.” In actuality, I really didn’t follow him that obsessively. In fact, most of what I had learned from him was on the Internet. “If you have a few moments, I think that I can make it worth your while.” He was about to rebuff my advances, when I bent slightly and gave him a bird’s eye view of my cleavage. He had his fork up to his mouth and stopped all momentum with his eyes now glued to the abundance of flesh that I was showing him.
“You have, until I finish this meal to make your pitch or whatever you’re going to do. I wouldn’t normally give you the time of day, but you certainly made it difficult to say no. It didn’t help that you’re not wearing underwear.” I didn’t know how he could possibly know that, but then he pointed and I looked down to see that the light above was showing off my assets a little too much. I put my hand over my breasts with embarrassment; He only laughed and pushed out the chair with his foot. “I don’t like to eat alone.” The intention was clear and the maitre D came over with a menu in hand.
I looked at the prices and my eyes went wide and then I felt a hand pushing down the menu. “Everything looks so good, I just can’t decide.”
“Marcel, she’ll have the same that I’m having and put it on my bill. Do bring back a bottle of wine and use your judgment on the year.” I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be in business with a man that was this bourgeois. He looked like he had a silver spoon in his mouth, although growing up he had a meager childhood. The bling on him looked like a muggers dream come true. He probably felt secure that if anybody tried to step up to him, he would make them pay for it.
Looking at him with those muscles flexing in his shirt made me unconsciously lick my lips with appreciation.
“I want you to look at this and tell me what you think.” I had made this prospectus and a preliminary financial prediction of where this gym was going to go. I had resources that could plug my gym, as the place to be. Google search would bring up my gym on first search. It wasn’t even going to cost me anything, except for some very sought after tickets to some of the fights that I was going to put on. “I think that you’ll agree that my numbers are conservative at best. I do believe that I will triple that prediction by the end of the third year. I’m in the process of convincing those that are putting on the pay-per-view to give us a chance to promote and televise the semifinals.” I had been in talks with those that were in control and they were most interested in my local venue.
“Why would they give this small town operation of yours any kind of attention? I know of the place that you’re talking about and it’s not exactly up to standards. I enjoy working out there and it’s a manly place. You are telling me that it’s going to be both sexes. I understand that Rhonda is really making a name for herself. It’s making a lot of women think that they can fight, when they’re just going to get themselves hurt. With that being said, I see some real promise to this proposition. It’s not gonna hurt me any to throw some cash your way and see what happens.” The money was important, but it wasn’t the main reason why I was here.
This was just my way of getting into the door and now the real work was going to begin. “Before you decide one way or the other, I need to tell you that there is a caveat.” He looked at me with suspicion, putting down his fork and wiping his mouth with a napkin. “I want to have you train someone of the opposite sex and I want you to put her through her paces and make her regret even taking you on, as a trainer. She needs a firm hand and somebody that is willing to push her beyond her boundaries. I’m that woman.” He almost choked on his wine.
“Oh, you’re serious. I thought that you were joking. If you really want to do this, then I have no problem tossing you around and making you quit on the first day. I’m a bit of a tyrant in the ring. I’ve only trained one other. He has since gone on to the Indy circuit overseas. He’s even being bandied by a wrestling organization, although I think that’s selling out. It’s my opinion and it’s the only one that matters.” He had that shaved look and his hair was showing the shadow of stubble that was left behind after his daily regiment.
“I’m ready to start any time you are. Let’s say we make this interesting. If you can make me quit, I will give you 20% of the profits, instead of the 10 that I’ve recently proposed to you. However, if I’m able to go the distance and actually have my first MMA fight in less than two months, then you have to take your percentage down to 5%. Are you willing to put your money where your mouth is, Mr. Summer?”
“You drive a hard bargain, Miss Williams. If it’s all the same to you, I would rather you call me by my first name. If we’re going to be business partners and training in the ring together, then being on a first name basis is probably a better idea. I’ll be there at 6:00 AM tomorrow and I would be ready to get a beating like you’ve never had before. I really hate to put black and blue marks on that sexy little body of yours, but you asked for it.” He had finished his meal and was standing and showing me the outline of his package.