Takedown (7 page)

Chapter 8

“Oh, crap!” Jason uttered in disappointment.

Blaze grinned. He was with his friend in the stadium, watching what Jason called an epic fight between his favorite middleweight champion and a former champion coming back from an injury. The current champion had the veteran locked on the mat, intending for a tap out. It did not happen. The bell rang.

“Dave’s still got it,” Blaze said, referring to the former champ.

“Fuck, man. I’ve got twenty grand at stake for the champ,” Jason replied.

Blaze shrugged. He did not want to confess he just bet the same amount for Dave, his former colleague at the university.

“Boo.”

He frowned. The people in front of them were booing with their thumbs down as the octagon girl walked around the cage holding up a round-two card.

“What’s that all about?” Jason asked.

Blaze couldn’t understand it either, until the group of men started cheering a name.

“Leslie! Leslie! Leslie!”

Blaze rolled his eyes. So these were the famous Leslie Fans Club who’d only come to watch Leslie strut her boobs around the cage,  but it seemed their favorite octagon girl went missing, and that woman out there was a replacement they didn’t like.

“Oh, so that isn’t Leslie,” Jason said and laughed. “I thought she’s gotten fat.”

“She’s not fat,” Danielle, Jason’s girlfriend, exclaimed. “She looks fine.”

“She’s a bit fat for an octagon girl, if you asked me, especially if she has to replace Leslie. She needs to lose some of those belly fats.”

“You are so mean. I’ve got some belly fats myself.”

“You’re not an octagon girl.”

Blaze was not really interested about that new octagon girl, but Danielle was right. The woman looked fine to him. In fact, he sometimes liked his women to have some extra layer of fats that he could squeeze.

His eyes flung wide open when he saw the octagon girl’s face.

No way! Megan Riley?

The crowd went on chanting Leslie’s name, and he could see that Megan was about to burst into tears.

As soon as she made her round, she jumped to the ground and, instead of going back to her seat, ran towards the dressing room.

The cheering group suddenly kept quiet, as if they suddenly realized what a bunch of jerks they were.

“Hey, come back,” one man two rows away from Blaze’s seat yelled. “We were just kidding. Give us another round of those perky tits, will ya?”

Blaze was about to stand up and give that man a nice blow on the nose, but Jason was quick to notice his reaction and grabbed his arm.

“Let it pass, man. Don’t make a scene.”

He sighed and leaned back in his seat. He caught another glimpse of Megan before she disappeared out of everyone’s sight.

Poor girl. Blaze couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. So she finally made her way to the UFC, but ended up being bullied by a group of Leslie’s fans.

It had been six months since the last time he had seen her if he was not mistaken. He could never forget that night he spent with her. To be honest, it was a spectacular night. She was wild, hot and responsive he could not get enough of her. He had taken everything he could from her body, without regret, without remorse.

She made him lose control. For the first time, he did not mind not wearing a rubber even if the idea that he might impregnate her struck him. Until the morning broke the spell, and he was overwhelmed with guilt and shame.

She felt the same. He could tell by the way she could not look straight into his eyes. After she showered, she just disappeared without even saying goodbye.

He never saw her again. In fact, he wished they’d never have to cross paths ever again. Now, they just did.

He nudged Jason. “Be right back.”

He wasn’t sure why, but he suddenly felt like seeing her. The guards standing in the restricted area did not even try to stop him.

“Great to see you, Blaze,” they even told him.

He knocked on the women’s dressing room. When no one answered, he opened the door.

Megan, who was putting on a coat, turned her head to look at him. She gasped when she recognized him. “What are you doing here?” she asked, quickly wiping her tears with her fingers.

He smiled and leaned his shoulder on the door jam. “I just came to say you looked great out there.”

Her cheeks turned red, but not in a good way. He just angered her. “Why don’t you go join your lunatic fan club and scream Leslie’s name until your lungs come out? Is it my fault that she suddenly got sick and they had to pull me out of the office because I was the only one available to replace her?”

He nodded. So that was what happened. “I understand, but for your information, I’m not a member of Leslie’s Fan Club. But I wouldn’t mind setting up my own Megan’s Fan Club, and I will be the president, of course.”

She rolled her eyes and turned around. She began throwing her stuff in her bag.

Something on the paper lying in front of the mirror caught his attention. It looked like a photo of a breast.

He pulled it and took a good look. It was indeed a breast, and it had some markings—sort of measurements and things.

He flipped the paper to the next page and saw another breast, a bigger one.

He got it now, and he could not stop grinning. “Is this yours?” he asked.

She glanced behind her. When she saw what he had in his hands, she quickly grabbed the papers from him. “Get your hands off my personal stuff.”

“So it’s true?”

“What?”

“That you’re getting a boob job.”

Her eyebrows met at the center. “You know that, too?”

He shrugged. “I heard the guys talking about it.”

She growled and zipped her bag closed. “I never thought that men could spread out shit like a plague.”

“Only if the shit is interesting.”

“Is my getting a boob job interesting?”

“It’s like a movie that we cannot wait to see. But to be honest, Meg, you don’t need it.”

She intentionally dropped her jaw. “Really? You want me to tell you when did I first get the idea?”

“Sure.”

“Since you chose Leslie over me.”

He frowned. “What?”

“Of course, you don’t remember,” she said with a hint of sarcasm. “You never even looked at me. Once you saw Leslie’s boobs, you never took your eyes from her anymore.”

“W-hen was that?”

“Three years ago, when you were given the privilege to choose an octagon girl for your upcoming match. Five girls were lined up in front of you. I was there. You never noticed me.”

His jaw dropped as the memory came back to him. Indeed, he couldn’t remember the rest of the girls. The moment he laid his eyes on Leslie, on her boobs actually, he had made up his mind.

He grinned. “Really?” he asked. “You were there?”

She glowered at him. “I could have finished college if I got that job then.”

“Hey, hey. You make it sound like I caused your misfortune.”

“You did.”

“How? I had no idea you needed that job so badly.”

“Blame it to your poor taste.”

“Come on,” he groaned. “Look at Leslie. She’s a star. She’s become an endorser of countless products.”

“That could have been mine if only you took the time to even glance at me.”

He sighed. “Oh, Christ. Is that why you hate me that much?”

“Perhaps.”

“That’s two years ago. There’s nothing I can do about it now. But really, you don’t need that boob job.”

“I want it. What’s your problem about that?”

“I like your breasts as they are.”

“No, you don’t.”

“I do. I touched them myself. I squeezed them, and I like how they feel in my hands. Why the—”

“Shh,” she hissed and glanced around to make sure no one heard what he just said. “You’re a jerk, aren’t you?”

“A jerk?” he cringed. “I was just telling you my opinion about your boob job. You don’t need one. You’ve got great tits. That’s coming from me.”

“Since when did you become a boob expert.”

“I’ve always been.”

She sighed. He knew she could not argue with that. “Well, they’re my tits, not yours. So I can do anything I want with them.”

“I’m telling you. If you go through that, I will be disappointed.”

She stood before him, with her hands on either side of her hips. “So?”

“You don’t care?”

“Why should I?”

He sighed. This was hopeless. He didn’t know why he even bothered to try to change her mind. He didn’t even know why he cared. “If Bryan were alive, he wouldn’t agree to this.”

“Oh, really?” she taunted.

“He’s my friend, and we talk about those things.”

“What did he say?”

“He said he preferred his woman to be as natural as she is.”

“He did not say that.”

“Of course, he did.”

She looked him straight in the eyes, trying to gauge if he was serious. “Do you agree with him?”

“Of course.”

She laughed sarcastically. “You must be kidding me.”

“I know it’s hard for you to believe that, considering my reputation as a notorious womanizer, as they called it. But I still believe that women are beautiful as they are. There’s always something to appreciate about them, regardless of their imperfection.”

She could not say a word. She just kept staring at him, apparently, still unconvinced that a man like him possessed that kind of opinion.

He smiled.

She looked away and picked up her bag.

“You’re not leaving until you give me your word that you won’t be going under the knife,” he said.

“Really, Blaze, why do you care?”

“Why not? You’re my bestfriend’s girl, so that gives me some kind of connection to care enough about your welfare.”

“Fuck that. Didn’t you screw your bestfriend’s girl two weeks after he was buried?”

“You undressed me.”

“You asked me to.”

“Fine.” He raised his hands. “We’re both to blame for that mistake. Should we forever punish ourselves over that?”

“It’s been done. Forget it.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do. That’s why I’m trying to be friends with you.”

“We cannot be friends.”

“Why not?”

“Because we can’t.”

“Good answer.”

“That’s the only answer you will get.”

“Fine. Want to go out for dinner then?” He smiled, and then took a second to think about his invitation.

Did he really want to go out to dinner with her? After what had happened between them six months ago? He had made a promise to himself to stay away from her. Now, here he was. Insisting for a friendship.

“No, I can’t,” she replied. “My brother’s coming to pick me up.”

“He can come with us.”

“Listen, Blaze. I’m sorry, but I’m really tired. I just want to go home.”

“Oh, you’re boring,” he said as he turned around. He couldn’t believe she just refused his invitation. A rare phenomena to him.

He turned around and saw Josh approaching. He smiled. “Yo, bro. How’s it going?”

Josh grinned and shook his hand. “Not good. I lost last night’s match.”

“So I heard.”

“And Steven just kicked me out of the Red Clan.”

“Oh.”

Megan suddenly walked past Blaze. “Josh, let’s go.”

“W-wait.” Blaze thrust a hand between Megan and Josh. “I’m just about to invite your brother for dinner.”

She frowned. “We are having dinner together.”

“Great, let’s go.”

“No, no. Just me and my brother.”

He squinted. “You don’t like my company, do you?”

“It’s a family matter.”

“Well, I’d like to be part of your family.”

“You can’t.”

He looked at Josh. “Your sister does not like me, so it’s either you go with her… or with me. You decide.”

Josh scratched his head and looked at his sister, almost too embarrassed to speak. “Meg, this is a rare opportunity. Sorry.”

Her jaw dropped in disbelief. Her own brother just ditched him.

Blaze grinned, which annoyed her even more. “You can tag along if you want,” he teased and put his arm around Josh. “Let’s go, bro.”

They left Megan still dumbfounded. He was hoping she’d eventually agree to come along, but she didn’t.

Chapter 9

Megan froze by the corridor when she heard a woman yelling from inside the apartment. It was Deborah, Josh’s girlfriend. They were fighting again.

She sighed and turned away. This was not a good time to bother them. She’d better come back some other time.

As she walked down the stairs, she heard the door open. When she glanced over her shoulders, she saw her brother storming out of the apartment.

“Hey,” he said when he spotted her.

She stopped and waited for him. “I heard you fighting, so I thought I’d come back later.”

He put an arm across her shoulder and led her out of the building. “It’s nothing, really.”

“Josh, everytime I come here, she’s yelling at you. I have the impression she does not respect you at all.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it? Why is she always yelling at you?”

He sighed and could not answer.

“Josh, why don’t you come back home? We have a house.”

“I can’t leave her. I love her.”

She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “You deserve better than this, Josh.”

“I love her, Meg. I really do. I know we fight a lot, but… I’m happy with her.”

She waved her hand in the air and headed for her car.

He followed her. “Why don’t you start dating again?” he asked. “It’s about time that you move on.”

She turned around and glared at her brother. “It’s only been six months since Bryan died. I need more time.”

“How much more time do you need? Ten years?”

“Josh, stop it.”

“Blaze seems to like you.”

“What?” She frowned. “Did he tell you that?”

He smiled. “He did not. It’s just that… last night in the bar, he kept asking about you.”

“What did he ask about?”

“A lot of stuff. Like… your college degree, your plans, and stuff like that.”

“He’s probably just curious.”

“And he said you look fine just as you are.”

“I got it.” She pointed a finger upward. “He wants you to make me change my mind about the boob job, am I right?”

Guilty as charged, Josh could not answer.

“I’m not sure why he gives a damn about what I do with my body. It’s not like we’re friends or anything.”

“He’s Bryan’s bestfriend. Of course he cares.”

That was exactly what Blaze told her last night. “I’m not sure about that.”

“Why not give it a try. Being Bryan’s bestfriend, he must have the purest of intentions.”

She rolled her eyes. What a cliché. “Did you think that a man like him is capable of committing himself into a relationship?”

“I don’t know, but it’s worth a try if you ask me.”

“I’m telling you, he’s not worth the risk.”

“Why not?”

“Because it isn’t right. He’s Bryan’s bestfriend, for God’s sake. And if you think that’s bullshit, just consider the fact that he’s an ass.”

“Meg, give it a chance.” Josh was still not persuaded. “Those rumors about him might turn out wrong.”

“They’re real, Josh. That prick is a serial womanizer. Don’t trust him.”

Josh sighed. “He seems like a good man.”

“Seems.”

He threw his hands in the air. “But to be honest, I don’t want you to go through it.”

“What it?”

“The boob job.”

She sighed. “I need it.”

“No, you don’t. I’ve seen a lot of beauty pageant winners with small tits, even smaller than yours.”

“It’s not for the pageant. I applied to a modeling agency, and they told me to have my breasts enlarged so they can consider me for their lingerie department.”

He cringed, as if the idea appalled him. “Why don’t you just go back to college?”

“That’s exactly what I am preparing for.”

“Instead of spending that much for the operation, why not use it to pay the university?”

“It’s not enough.”

“I’ll help you.”

“You can’t even pay your rent.”

“I can now. Blaze got me a job, and he said he’d talk to Chuck Paterson to take me in.”

She frowned. “What job?”

“In his hotel. I’ll start on Monday.”

Her jaw dropped in disbelief. “Really?”

He grinned. “He’s a good man, I’m telling you.”

She couldn’t help smiling. “That’s good,” she nodded. “At least he’s being nice to you. But be careful.”

*****

Megan gasped and covered her mouth as she watched Josh lower a huge load of laundry, which he’d been carrying on his shoulder, to the floor. Her poor brother was panting and sweating, exhausted to the maximum degree. His clothes were all dirty and crumpled.

She quickly hid behind the wall a fraction of a second before Josh could turn in her direction. She wanted to burst into tears right there.

For God’s sake. She’d taken care of that kid since their mother remarried and left. She was eighteen, and he was fifteen then. She had carried his books to school, washed his laundry, cooked his meal and cleaned after his mess. She had pitied him too much that he had to lose a mother at a very tender age that she had tried all she could to fill that space up in his heart. The last thing she wanted was to see him working like a pig in this god damn hotel of a ruthless asshole.

She walked away and headed for the elevator. She had to talk to Blaze. It’s not that she was not grateful for the job he had given Josh, but that was too inhumane.

“Blaze is on the phone right now,” Gladys told her when she entered the office. “Can you wait for… maybe fifteen minutes? Alone? I have to go check on my son at school.”

Megan nodded. “I don’t mind. I’ll wait.”

“Sit down then. Should I bring you coffee before I leave?”

“No, it’s alright. I’ll be fine. Thank you.”

Gladys smiled and walked out of the door.

Boredom quickly took its toll on her ten minutes later. She stood up and looked around the room. The trophy stand caught her attention.

She smiled when she spotted the glass phallus trophy. She approached it to get a closer look. The pair of balls were intact. Even when she softly tapped it with her finger, it did not fall.

Certainly, Blaze had this piece of sin repaired.

With nothing else to do, she measured its length with her fingers. Maybe nine inches or so. She couldn’t tell exactly, but it was huge, and she swore it was the same size with Blaze’s...

She quickly shook the thought out of her head. She did not want to go there again. It took a lot of effort on her part to erase the fragments of that night in her mind. That long passionate night of pleasure that caused her blistering shame and guilt afterwards.

“Keep your hands off my trophy.”

The loud voice knocked her out of her wits. Her heartbeat kicked her chest so hard and the next thing she knew, the trophy had tumbled out of the stand.

Instinct pulled her hands in place, just in time to catch the damn thing. Relieved, she gripped it tight and turned around to show it to Blaze who was frozen on his feet.

“I got it,” she said, still gasping from the shock.

Blaze heaved a deep sigh and paced towards her. “Give me that,” he said and grabbed the phallus from her hand. “Don’t ever touch this again. Do you realize how much I spent just to have this repaired?”

She pressed her lips together. Was he telling her something? She did say she was going to pay him last time. “How much do I owe you?”

His brows met at the center, as if wondering why she asked such question. “No need,” he replied and returned the trophy to its place. “You can’t afford it.”

“What makes you say so? It’s just glass.”

He bent down his head to peer into her eyes. “It’s art.”

She stepped back. He was too close the smell of his perfume was a threat to her self-defense. “What’s so artful about it?”

“You’re a woman. You won’t understand.”

“Try me.”

He sighed. “To women, a dick is just a thing that they want to play with, but to us, men, it’s the essence of our being a man. It’s the reason why it’s called manhood.”

She cringed. “We know that. Men are useless without their dicks, especially without their balls. What’s so difficult to understand about that?”

He shook his head. “I told you, you won’t understand.”

“Really? So what did I miss?”

“Everything,” he said and turned away. He sat on the couch and looked at her. “So what brought you here?”

Without waiting for him to say so, she settled on the long couch adjacent to his seat. “It’s about Josh.”

“What about him?”

She rested her hands on her lap and cleared her throat. “I’m grateful for the job you gave him… but…”

He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.

“I think it’s too cruel.”

“Cruel?”

She nodded. “He deserves something better.”

“Has he complained about his job?”

“No, but…”

“So I thought. He likes his new job.”

“No way,” she half-exclaimed. “Who would want to work like a pig all day?”

“Pigs don’t work, darling. They only eat, play, and sleep.”

“You know what I mean.”

“So what’s your problem?”

“I’ve taken care of that kid since he was fifteen. I never even let him carry groceries, let alone carry those tons of laundry. I can’t stand it.”

He did not speak for a moment or two. He just stared at her. “Now, that explains why he’s a wimp.”

Her lips parted. Wimp? Her brother who was almost six feet tall and weighed a hundred and seventy pounds? “What are you saying? Don’t you see he’s too big for his age?”

“Exactly. All meat and no strength.”

“I do not agree. He’d made his debut in Battledome at the age of eighteen, and he won his first two fights.”

“Sure, he did. Could you tell me his opponents?”

She could not talk. She had watched all of Josh’s fights, but she could not remember the names of his first opponents. “I forgot their names.”

“Don’t tell me their names. Tell me what they are.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“That’s right. You don’t know. Nobody knows where they are now, do you?”

“Fine, he got lucky,” she finally admitted. She knew that was what Blaze wanted to hear, and to be honest, it was the truth. “So what about it?”

“Megan,” he paused and crossed his arms. “Don’t you think it’s about time that you stop treating your brother like a kid?”

She sucked in a breath. “He just turned twenty-one. And it’s not like I’m treating him like a kid. He just needs someone to look after him. We don’t have parents. I’m the only one he has.”

He sighed. “Trust me, Meg. Your brother can take care of himself. He’s a good kid.”

“Of course, he’s a good kid. But he can’t take care of himself alone. Not yet.”

“You really think so? Or you just don’t want to let him go?”

She found herself speechless. She wanted to tell him he was wrong, but she suddenly realized he could be damn right.

He smirked, which both annoyed her and made her heart skip. There was just something about his smile that always enticed her.

“Alright,” she conceded. “Maybe you’re right, but that doesn’t change the fact that his work is…”

“Is?”

She could hardly find the word to describe the horrendous sight of her brother. “Inhumane.”

Raising an eyebrow, he reached for the paper on the table. “Inhumane, huh? Did he tell you why I gave him that work?”

“Of course, he did not. He knew I wouldn’t have approved it.”

“I see.” He spread the paper in front of his face. “I gave him that job for a reason. You watched his last fight, did you?”

“Yes.”

“You see, your brother has a spirit unlike I’ve ever seen before. The problem is, he is too predictable. His opponent already knows what he is about to do before he can even execute it. The good thing is, he moves fast. Did you see how he rained punches on his opponent’s face?”

“Sure did,” she nodded. That was during the first round of the match. She almost thought at that time that Josh would knock his opponent out, but it did not happen.

“Do you know what went wrong?”

She shook her head.

“His punches are weak,” he answered. “Eleven punches and he couldn’t even knock out his opponent. That’s pathetic.”

“His opponent is more experienced.”

“That’s not an excuse. Every fighter, young or old, can only take too much beating on the head, unless the blows are made by a woman.”

She felt heat creeping into her cheeks. The nerve of this jerk to insult her brother in such a way. But when the reality that this man was a former undefeated champion hit her, she figured he should know better.