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  By the time I was done, I was spent, but I felt spectacular. I flopped down on a couch in the back of the gym with a bottle of water, and looked around the space that had been my home, my family’s life blood for longer than I could remember. In the warm glow of the single light and still on an exercise high, the place didn’t look shabby to me at all. Instead, it made me happy that I was working harder than ever to keep this place afloat.

  I knew I needed to go visit Pop. Ever since he’d moved to Florida to celebrate his retirement with a playful older woman, I barely saw him. We spoke once a week at least, and I always tried to avoid talking about the gym. I absolutely hated disappointing my father, and the gym had been in decline for so long that there never seemed to be anything to say. Now, though, I might actually have some good news to tell him. He’d have something to look forward to when he came back to visit me. He’d see the old gym thriving. And then he wouldn’t regret giving me this place.

  Excitement coursed through me. I knew that I was putting all my eggs in one basket, but something innately told me that I could trust Kirk. Now I just hoped that he’d take my invitation and come fight at the qualifying match.

  Chapter 8

  Kirk

  “Did you get rid of your groupie?” Martin asked as I got back into the warehouse space.

  I gave him a look. “That was Emily Morris. She’s considering sponsoring me. You idiot. You know you could have cost us that sponsorship. Why did you do that?”

  Martin frowned. He had the decency to look slightly chagrined, but I knew that he wasn’t really sorry. The next words out of his mouth were, “So you fucked her to seal the deal?”

  That was too much for me. I balled my hand into a tight fist and decked him in the jaw. “Don’t talk about her that way.”

  “What the hell, man?” Martin yelped as he cradled his jaw with one hand. “It’s not like she’s your girlfriend or something.”

  I didn’t know what was wrong with me. Of course, Martin was right. Emily wasn’t anything more to me right now than a fuck partner. Still, there had been something that passed between us when I had been inside of her. What was I doing? How could I be losing my edge just from meeting a woman? And yet, all I could think about was getting back with her. Making her smile. Making her come. I felt my cock getting hard just thinking about her, so I turned away from Martin.

  “Go to hell, Martin,” I said quietly.

  “What did you just say to me?” he asked, his voice coming out like a shriek.

  “Go fuck yourself, Martin,” I said more firmly. “Get out of here. We’re done. You’ve taken my career as far as you can, and now it’s time for me to manage myself.”

  “You can’t fire me, you ingrate,” Martin yelled. “I made you. If it wasn’t for me, you’d still be just some punk kid getting into fights on the street.”

  Suddenly I saw him how everyone else must have seen Martin. He was a desperate leech who had been trying to push me into whatever role would make him the most money or garner him the most prestige. He had stuck with me for what I could do for him, not because of any loyalty that he felt for me. The realization hit me hard. It made me want to punch him again.

  “Just get out,” I said. Keeping my voice hard, I pointed toward the door. Martin spluttered for another moment, but finally he swore at me again, and stalked out of the room.

  I sank down on to the sofa where just half an hour earlier, Emily and I had fucked so perfectly. Emily. The way she’d told me that I was better than these illegal fights. She’d meant every word she’d said, and it felt good. She cared about what I was doing, she was willing to take a chance to sponsor me even though she really didn’t approve of what I was doing now.

  I found myself thinking that I didn’t want to disappoint her. That thought was pretty foreign to me. For so long I had lived my life only for myself. My parents had drifted out of my life when I was sixteen. I had never really had a serious relationship. Martin had been the only person I’d trusted for a long time, and now that had shattered. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

  Standing, I began to pace around the small dressing room space. Trusting people hadn’t gotten me anywhere, had it? So why would I want to get close to Emily? But even as I thought the question, I felt pulled toward her.

  I ran a hand over the fuzz on the top of my head. What was I thinking? I couldn’t even get my brain going in the right direction, or going in any direction for that matter.

  Grabbing my wallet and keys, I headed out into the now empty warehouse. The lights were still blazing, but the space lacked the energy and excitement of the crowd, so it just looked forlorn. I climbed into the ring, and paced from corner to corner. When I had been fighting tonight, seeing Emily had given me the edge that I’d needed to win. That had to mean something. And when she had suggested the qualifying match, I’d actually thought about it in a serious way.

  Being a legit fighter would mean that I could compete for some real prize money, not just the pittances that I earned at my usual fights. When I got to thinking about why I had never pursued a more traditional, less illegal route, I got the uncomfortable thought that maybe I had been afraid. That wasn’t a term I would ever use to describe myself, but that was the only explanation I could come up with as to why I let Martin direct my career for so long.

  I threw some practice punches into the air. I always loved the way my muscles felt when they connected with another person. The bare knuckle fights gave me the intensity of the contact that I seemed to crave, but if I had Emily to spend all my spare time with…then maybe I could get used to using a pair of gloves.

  In these quiet moments in the ring, my thoughts screamed loudly at me. I couldn’t think about these things normally because there was too much noise around me. I didn’t know much at this point. I was suddenly manger-less, and I was into a woman that I barely knew. I couldn’t get my thoughts straight, and I didn’t think that I could ever get more confused than I was at that moment.

  All I really knew was that I had some very big decisions to make.

  Chapter 9

  Emily

  The mood at the qualifying match was completely different than Kirk’s other match, but still just as exciting. I had come early to talk to Allen, the gym’s owner. We swapped industry gossip and he asked about my dad, but I hadn’t been able to work up enough courage to ask him if Kirk was registered to fight. Nerves fluttered through my stomach as I found a seat in the bleachers.

  What if he didn’t show up? That was the question that had haunted me over the past three days as I had agonized over what had happened between us. Kirk hadn’t shown up to the gym, but I was trying not to take it personally. He had a huge decision to make, and I didn’t know him well enough to assume that I understood what he was going through.

  “Do you know who’s fighting tonight?” I asked the woman who sat down next to me.

  “I think I have a program here,” she said in a distracted tone as she searched through her purse. “Here you go.”

  I took the wrinkled piece of paper from her, and smoothed it out on my lap. There were five fights scheduled as qualifying matches, and sure enough Kirk’s name was listed on the last one. I gave a little cry of delight. He had decided to take the step. I felt like that meant that Kirk was who I thought he was, who I saw him as. Just as that thought entered my head, I realized that I wouldn’t have confirmation of that until he came out to fight.

  “Don’t you just love the fights?” the woman next to me asked suddenly.

  I nodded slowly. “My father owned a training gym while I was growing up,” I told her. “And now it’s mine. So, yeah, this is in my blood.”

  “Do you fight?” she asked. I wondered why everyone always asked me that when I told them that I owned a gym. It was starting to feel comical. Either I looked at it that way or it would start to grate on my nerves.

  “No, I mean, I’ve trained because it’s good to know what your clients are going through, but I don’
t fight,” I said.

  “That’s a shame,” she said, clearly disappointed with my response. “We need more good female fighters.”

  “Do you represent anyone?” I asked. I had the feeling that she must be a manager of some kind given her tone of voice.

  “I do,” she said. “Kylie McMurry.”

  “Emily Morris,” I said as we shook hands.

  “You own Morris Gym? I love that place. I was just telling one of my girls that she should consider checking you out. I knew your father very well many years ago.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “We’d love to have your girls come train with us. We might not have the flashiest facilities, but we offer a lot of personal attention.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said. “Things are changing in the world of women’s boxing, and I’d love to get in with a gym we could trust. Here’s my card. Give me a call next week and we can set up a meeting.”

  “Great,” I said as I tucked her card into my purse. We turned our attention to the first fight, but my mind wasn’t focusing on the boxing going on in front of me.

  If what Kylie was saying panned out, and we got Kirk, the gym would be in better shape than I ever could have hoped after these last few years. Female boxers were up and coming as far as catching on. Getting in on the ground floor would be amazing in so many ways. I filed all of this away to tell Pop when I called him tomorrow. My heart beat a little faster as I realized that I had been longing to tell him something good for longer than I could count.

  The first four matches passed swiftly with me drifting in and out of focusing on the boxers while I thought out a new business plan if all of these new developments panned out.

  Suddenly Kirk was being announced and I felt my heart jump with excitement and desire and fear. He needed to do well here, and there was always the element of worry when someone was fighting. Even though I had seen Kirk go hand to hand in a bare knuckle brawl, I still felt a shot of tense panic go through my stomach as I watched him climb into the ring. I glanced around for his sleaze ball manager but I didn’t see him. He was probably skulking in the shadows.

  Kirk was fighting another up and coming fighter who moved quickly and threw smart punches. Still…Kirk held him off. I gripped my purse tightly to my body as each blow was dealt. The other fighter began to lag, and Kirk went in to finish what he’d started. As the other man fell to the mat, I leapt from my seat, applauding and screaming in joy. The announcer ended the match with Kirk as the qualifier.

  I could barely wait to get over to him to offer my congratulations. When he saw me coming, a huge smile stretched across his face.

  “You did it,” I said.

  “So, are you going to sponsor me now?” he asked with a teasing lilt in his voice.

  “There was never any doubt in my mind,” I said.

  “So you want to go do something now?” he asked.

  “Absolutely,” I said, feeling my heart speed up as I realized that we could go out together and do anything we wanted. Then I hesitated, “But won’t your manager want to go celebrate with you?”

  “Martin?” Kirk spit the name out like it was a bug that had flown into his mouth. “I sent him packing. It’s time for me to take control of my own career now. Someone I just met inspired me.”

  “Gee,” I said, “That sounds like it was a wise person you encountered.”

  Kirk leaned in to kiss me, and my desire flared. “Let’s skip going out,” I said. “Let’s just head back to the gym. I bet we can think of some way we can celebrate your win.”

  “You know, I like the way you think,” Kirk said.

  Chapter 10

  Kirk

  I could barely wait until we got through the door before I took her. Winning the qualifying match had pumped me up, but seeing the look on Emily’s face was what had kept me on my high.

  Emily flipped on a single light over the training ring. In the warm glow of the light with her kiss swollen lips, she looked more beautiful than ever. All I wanted to do was throw her down and fuck her right then and there. So…why not?

  Scooping her up in my arms, I carried her over to the ring, and she moaned as I set her under the ropes. I laughed as I swung in behind her. She flopped down on to the mat, and let her hair fan out around her face. I had never wanted a woman more than I did at that moment.

  “You were amazing tonight,” she said in a high, breathy voice. I dropped down on to the mat next to her, and realized that she was breathing fast. She wanted me to fuck her then and there too.

  I propped myself up on my elbows and raised an eyebrow at her. “So have you ever had sex here?” I asked.

  She laughed, a pink tinge coloring her cheeks. “Of course not.”

  “Do you want to?”

  “Yes.”

  That one word was all the invitation I needed. I straddled her, pinning her legs to the mat, and grabbed her wrists, tugging them up over her head. Her eyes widened as I used my free hand to undo the snap on her jeans. The rasp of the zipper made her squirm.

  “Patience,” I said.

  “I just want you to fuck me now,” she said.

  “Don’t worry,” I promised. “You’ll be fucked.”

  I dipped my hand down the front of her jeans. She was dripping wet as I drew my finger along her slit. With a whimper she wriggled beneath me, and I felt myself get harder. “You’re being very naughty,” I told her.

  “Are you going to punish me?” she asked, batting her eyelashes at me.

  I would have laughed if I hadn’t been so turned on by the suggestion. “I think that might be the best idea you’ve come up with all night,” I said with a wink.

  I released her so we could shed our clothing. After we were naked, I said, “Get down on your hands and knees. It’s time for you to get a spanking.”

  Emily’s eyes widened, but she did as I asked. With her perfectly round ass in the air, I could feel my cock throbbing. All I wanted to do was bury myself in her, feel her tight pussy surrounding me, but when was I going to have the chance to spank her again?

  “You need to listen better when I tell you to be patient,” I said, as I ran a hand over her smooth skin. I gave her ass a light smack. She moaned. So I gave her ass a harder smack. The skin turned a light pink under my hand. She looked back over her shoulder at me.

  “Do it again,” she said. I complied, and she moaned. “I had no idea this could feel so good.”

  She was so sexy, that I succumbed to my desire. Nudging her knees further apart, I gripped her hips and entered her from behind. Immediately she moaned and pushed back to meet me. I slammed in to her over and over again. Her breasts bounced from my exertion, and I slid my hand between her legs to find her clit. I moved my thumb along the hard nub to match the rhythm of my thrusting.

  The empty gym filled with the slick sounds of our frantic fucking, our grunts and moans. I knew that if I wasn’t careful I was going to come too soon, so after a few more deep thrusts, I withdrew. Emily moaned in protest.

  “I want to do you against the ropes,” I said, grinding out the words as I panted for breath.

  Emily got shakily to her feet. “I don’t know how long I can last,” she said. “When I’m with you all I want to do is fuck fast and hard.”

  “I know what you mean, but then I’ll just have to fuck you over and over again.”

  “I’d be okay with that,” she said with a shaky laugh.

  As she leaned back against the ropes, I felt something expand in my chest. “You are so beautiful,” I said. “I mean that. I’ve never felt this way about a woman before.”

  Emily blushed. “I know that you’re the guy I’ve been waiting for,” she said.

  Her affirmation did crazy things to my head. I placed my arms on either side of her, and lifted her up so that she was resting on one of the ropes. I pulled her in for a rough kiss, tongues tangling. She bounced slightly as I pressed against her. My fingers were threaded through her hair, and I pulled her head back so I could kiss he
r throat. She moaned, the sound vibrating against my lips.

  I dropped my head to one of her perfect breasts. I flicked my tongue over her nipple, causing it to pucker into a taut bud. She arched her back, thrusting her breast further into my mouth. Her moans surrounded me, spurring me on.

  I slipped back in to her, concentrating on the way she felt all around me. Moving slowly I thrust into her, until I was buried in her to the hilt. Our sweaty bodies were pressed together as we began to move together. I wrapped an arm around her back to draw her closer, deeper. Our slow pace lasted only a few minutes as our pleasure overwhelmed us, and we began to thrust and move together, seeking release.

  Emily came first, and I thrust deeply into her a few more times before I fell too. We sank down to the mat, Emily laying her head on my chest. There were no sounds except our breathing calming to a normal rate as we let the cocoon of our new connection surround us.

  I didn’t know what the future held for us, but I knew that I was looking forward to seeing where we were going.

  The End

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  Table of Contents

  Knockout

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7