The Comeback: An MMA Romance Novel (Book Two) Page 3

  I pulled into my driveway at three in the morning, and in a lot better mood than the last time I pulled in after a fight. I’d earned a win, $800 for the fight, and $350 tending bar. It was a long freaking ways away from $75,000, but the night also brought me one step closer to the nearly impossible goal of fighting Jordan Powers. He was scheduled to fight Jake Sherwood at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City at UCC 145 in just a couple months.

  As I walked across my creaky porch I thought once again about how I wished Jake would fail a drug test or hurt himself in training. I felt bad for thinking it, but it was my only chance.

  I plopped down on my ugly couch and opened my laptop. I was really tired, but I wanted to see what was being said about my destruction of Joey Wright. The Underground was filled with threads about the fight and me calling out Jordan. And the one at the top was from the UCC middleweight champ himself. It was titled “Shut up, Zane!”

  I clicked on it and waited a few seconds for it to load. A photo came up, and I was surprised to see a still shot of my house from the video when I was almost arrested. Below it Jordan typed, My mom’s basement is nicer than this POS house!!! Congratulations for beating a scrub tonight, and then you worked behind the bar? That’s pathetic man, for real. Guess you need the cash. Here’s the deal chump, after I beat the hell out of Jake Sherwood I’m going to make a special request to fight you. You’re gonna be the one getting put to sleep!!!

  The thread was filled with responses about the two of us fighting, as well as a couple of photos of me working behind the bar just hours earlier. I read through it while smiling from ear to ear. Finally I hit reply. I’ll go back to working behind the bar after I knock you out too, Jordan. So you really were in your mom’s basement! LOL!!!

  I hit send and then went over to MMA fighting and MMA Junkie to read more about the fights, but was startled by a knock on the door. It was fifteen minutes after three. I glanced out the window to find a shadowy figure in the dark. I cracked the door to find Elizabeth. She was wearing a long coat.

  She’d said earlier that she was going home to crash. School was wearing her out. “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “I fell asleep for a little bit, but woke up…horny.”

  She let the coat fall open, revealing a totally beautiful, and totally naked, body.

  “What the…” My eyes fell from her face downward, over her rounded breasts, her flat stomach, her lean legs, the three-inch red heels that she’d worn earlier in the night. My eyes retraced their course. I drank her all in while standing there dumbfounded.

  She smiled and raised her eyebrows. “You like?”

  “Fuck, yes!”

  I reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her into my house. I kept pulling until the back of my legs hit the couch. I tumbled backwards onto it, bringing her with me.

  She laughed as she tumbled on top of me. “Be careful. I might go for the mount.”

  “Yes, please,” I replied.

  She shimmied out of her long coat, and her hands were pulling at my boxers. I yanked my t-shirt off, and her lips kissed my chest and my stomach. I moaned with delight. This girl was too much, too amazing, the exact opposite of Leeza.

  Her mouth found my hardness, and her tongue circled around it, playfully.

  “You’re killing me,” I said.

  Then her lips parted even more and she took me all the way in her mouth. It was heaven.

  All of my fatigue had evaporated. It was replaced with an animal lust. The only thing that mattered at that moment was ravaging this gorgeous woman. She looked up at me with those big dark eyes. I shifted my hips and gripped her shoulders, guiding her upward. She hovered over me, her breasts over my chest, as she stared down at me hungrily.

  She reached between and under her legs and grabbed me, rubbing aggressively. “The way you fought tonight was so hot.”

  “I’m glad you came.”

  She squeezed me slightly. “Now it’s your turn…to come.”

  In one smooth motion she sank on top of me. We fit perfectly together. She rocked her hips back and forth, throwing her head back and moaning lightly.

  I gripped her hips and pressed down. I wanted to explore every inch of her. She raised her knees, so her feet were on each side of me and planted on the couch. It was like a burst of pleasure coursed through my entire body when she did so.

  Now she moved up and down, her hands behind her on my thighs.

  “You’re so fucking hot,” I said.

  “So are you,” she replied.

  She pumped harder and harder and threw her head back. “Oh, yes! I’m, I’m…”

  Her body shuddered, and I raised my hips and pushed as hard as I could. I too, lost it.

  She crumpled onto me. “That was almost as amazing as your fight.”

  “Almost?”

  “You’re fight was pretty damn spectacular.” She smiled.

  I smiled, too. This woman completely and totally had me. I wondered if she knew that.

  It was four o’clock in the morning when I fell asleep on the couch with Elizabeth in my arms. I was one day closer to either getting Samantha or dying trying.

  Chapter 12

  Somebody banged on my door. Why couldn’t people just let me sleep in? I opened my eyes and rolled off the couch. The clock on the wall read 12 noon. I felt remarkably fresh as I made my way to the door. I pulled it open and was surprised to see Samantha’s smiling face with Leeza’s smiling face right behind her.

  “Daddy!” my girl yelled and gave me a big hug. I scooped her up and hugged her back. I heard the back door shut. I guessed Elizabeth slipped out so Sam wouldn’t wonder why her teacher was at her dad’s house.

  Leeza stood sheepishly on the porch. Her hands were in the back pockets of her tight designer jeans. She was also wearing a form-fitting top and sexy two-inch heels. Her hair was done up nice and she looked good.

  I had to remember the devil that swam around inside her. “What’s up, Leeza? It’s not my weekend.”

  “I know, but Sam really wanted to see you. I figured we could get lunch or something and you could tell her about your fight last night.”

  “I heard you kicked some butt, Daddy, and it was awesome!”

  I put Sam down. “I kind of did. Let me grab a quick shower, and then I’ll tell you all about it.”

  A minute later the water was splashing on my face and I was trying to get my head around what this was all about. Since yesterday before the fight, or even just after the deal was made about getting Sam, Leeza had been uncharacteristically nice. It didn’t really make any sense. Was she trying to motivate me? Was she trying to compete with Elizabeth? Was she thinking that maybe she wanted to get back with me and dump Lorenzo? Or was she doing her best to get me to want her once again so she’d have options when the time came? The last seemed to fit her line of thinking. In her mind she could be a complete psycho bitch to anybody and they’d still want her. One of the perks that came with being really hot I guess.

  No matter what her motivation was, I had to make sure I didn’t get wrapped up in her end game. I threw on jeans and a t-shirt and headed back out to the living room. I really didn’t want Leeza in the house without me being able to keep an eye on her. I found her and Samantha in Sam’s room. They were drinking pretend tea.

  “I’m starving,” I said, “You guys ready?”

  They were, and a few minutes later we were in my Camaro on the way to Mazzio’s Pizza. And a few minutes after that I sat across from Leeza and wondered what the hell I was doing there. Sam had taken a handful of quarters and was across the restaurant playing video games.

  “Where’s Lorenzo?”

  “At Buffalo Wild Wings. He’s got a bunch of money on the Sooners.”

  I considered how to play this whole deal. I could pussyfoot around and not broach the subject of her change of attitude, but then again I wasn’t much for pussyfooting.

  “What’s the attitude change all about?”

  “
I don’t know what you mean. All I did was go to your fight and bring Sam over to see you. Isn’t that what you want?”

  “Of course, but you’ve done a 180. You’re acting nice to me. Almost like you still have a thing for me.”

  She kind of rolled her eyes and smiled. “Do you want me to have a thing for you again, Zane?”

  “That’s not what I’m saying. That’s just what it seems like to me. I know you want the money a hell of a lot more than you want me.”

  “I do want the money. But you did look pretty damn good in the cage last night. You reminded me of the old days when you were the champ.”

  As she was talking I felt something against my leg. I realized it was her foot rubbing my shin. I froze. And it pissed me off because I was a deer in headlights, a mouse at the mouth of a snake.

  “I’m with Lorenzo now, but of course I still think about us.” She rubbed her foot up and down my leg. I still didn’t move. “We were good together.”

  “I don’t know about that, Leeza. We fought all the damn time.”

  “Yeah, but when we weren’t fighting it was great. And you know I’m better than that Elizabeth bitch.”

  I felt myself get hot, and started to respond, but Sam came bouncing up to the table. “I’m out of quarters, and I think our pizza is ready.”

  I hopped out of my chair. “Let’s go see.”

  Leeza just smiled, and eyed me in a way that told me she was open for returning to those supposed good old days.

  I turned away and grabbed Sam’s hand. As we walked toward the counter I tried to shake off what was happening. I had to remember that this was all for Samantha. I had to remember that Leeza was a lunatic who was getting married soon. But she was a damn good looking lunatic, and even though I had Elizabeth now, I didn’t always make good decisions.

  Chapter 13

  It had been a productive week and a half since I’d beaten Joey Wright and then worked behind the bar. I was back to training the Monday after, and I’d done a hell of a job keeping the underground thread I’d started going strong. The dumbass Jordan Powers had fallen right into it. I’d also fielded a few more interviews. One of them was even from John at MMA Junkie. He said Goze wanted me on Junkie radio soon, and it had a ton of listeners.

  The previous weekend I’d had Sam. We went to Oklahoma City to go to a Thunder basketball game. I told Leeza that we might be back a little after three on Sunday. She was totally fine with it. She said, “No problem, Zane. You two have fun. I wish I could be there.”

  She’d continued to be super nice and flirty. Every time I saw her she was done up real nice, and I noticed she didn’t have Lorenzo with her near as much. I had to keep reminding myself that she was a straight up lunatic that was good at putting on a pretty façade.

  Besides, I’d seen Elizabeth a few more times. She’d spent two days at a conference in Oklahoma City, but once back we had dinner and I stayed the night at her place. Every time I was with her I felt like we connected more.

  It was Wednesday afternoon, and I was about to head to the gym for my second session of the day. Tyson and I were going to beat the shit out of each other on the feet, and then I was going to be rolling with Mace all out. I had just closed my computer and slipped my shoes on when my phone rang. It wasn’t the Ruff Ryders so I knew it wasn’t Leeza. I checked the number and didn’t know it. I considered letting it go to voice mail, but figured it could be an interview request, or even better, UCC matchmaker Oliver Reed.

  “Hello.”

  “Is this Zane Todd?”

  “It is. Who am I speaking with?”

  “This is Lex McNeil, Jake Sherwood’s agent.”

  “What’s up, Lex? What can I do for you?”

  “This is kind of a weird call,” he paused for a moment, and I waited. “You’re getting all kinds of publicity for your little internet spat with Jordan Powers.”

  “Yeah, he’s pretty fired up isn’t he?”

  “He is, and that’s kind of good for us because we don’t think he’s focusing on Jake so much, but here’s the problem, it seems like he’s about to fight you instead of Jake. Jake needs the publicity. He needs to be promoted and in the spotlight. It’s a big fight for him.”

  “You’re saying I’m stealing his moment?”

  “Something like that. Can you back off a little bit? The fight’s just over five weeks out. Just chill until then. If Jake isn’t able to beat Jordan I’ll even put it out there that you should get the next shot, even though you aren’t in the UCC, and assuming you keep winning.”

  I sensed that when he mentioned the last part he was being a little condescending. But I could live with that. “I appreciate you bringing this to my attention, but I’ve got a lot of stuff going on. I need to be in the spotlight right now, not in six or seven weeks.”

  “So you aren’t going to back off?”

  He sounded pissed.

  “I’ll try to chill out some. I don’t want to screw up Jake’s opportunity.”

  “Thanks, Zane,” Lex said in a tight voice. “We’ll talk to you later.”

  I clicked off the call and walked out the front door with a big smile on my face. A call from Jake’s agent told me I was right on track. I hated lying to Lex. He seemed like an okay guy who was looking out for his client, but there was no way in hell I was chilling out now. I was hungrier than ever.

  Chapter 14

  My body was tired and sore as I pushed through the front door of the Coliseum Bar. Tyson and I had a great afternoon session on the feet, and then Mace and I rolled like we were Brazilians. He subbed me with an armbar and a triangle. I made him tap to a Kimura and took his back once and worked my way into a rear naked choke. I did re-tweak my back while on the mat, but it wasn’t too bad.

  I found Morris behind the bar. He was helping stalk it for the night’s festivities. His big head was pouring with sweat. His gray shirt was darkened around his armpits and his chest. I immediately went to work alongside him. He was too good of guy to have a heart attack while moving shit.

  “Thanks,” he said. “How was training?”

  I told him all about it and how I was feeling like a champ. “Listen, your next fights are in two weeks. You’ve got to get me on the card! I’m ready.”

  Morris wiped his sweaty head with his damp handkerchief. “I know you want on it. I was actually just about to talk to you about it. What do you think about fighting Daniel Herman?”

  “Herman, are you shitting me?”

  “Nope, he’s been fighting up in Minnesota and as soon as you won I’ve been working on a deal to get him in the cage with you.”

  Again, I wanted to give Morris’ sweaty mug a kiss. Daniel Herman was a guy I fought years ago in my second fight in the UCC. We put on a hell of a scrap that I was able to finish late in the third round. Many fans still talked about it as one of the top ten fights in the UCC.

  “Hell yeah I’ll fight Daniel again. What’s his record now?”

  “He’s something like 35-13, won six in a row.”

  “Not bad. The fight should get some buzz.”

  “Yeah, but it’s in just over two weeks. It’ll be the co-main event. Tyrone Wilson against this kid from Dallas is the main event. I know you’d like another crack at Wilson. Maybe it won’t be too long, but for now I’ll push a fight with Herman hard. It’s not a lot of time though. Also, I had to pay him $2,500 plus expenses.”

  “Can you afford that, Morris?”

  “Fuck yeah I can. I mean it’s a lot, but I got it covered. It’s not fair though to pay one UCC vet who was never a champ that amount, and then not pay the other one what he’s worth.”

  I sat a box down and just looked at my boss slash agent. “What are you talking about?” I knew he wasn’t exactly flying to the Caribbean each month to hang out on his yacht. And the Coliseum Bar did well, but it wasn’t crushing it by any stretch.

  “I’m giving you $4,000, Zane. You deserve it and you need it. I’d give you $40,000 if I could.”


  That amount would probably mean Morris would struggle to break even for the event, but there wasn’t much I could say except thanks. Then I finished stalking the bar and started taking orders.

  Chapter 15

  Tyson yelled at the top of his lungs, “Post up, post up, post up!” I did what he told me in order to keep Mace from working for a triangle. “Watch the arm. Watch the arm,” he yelled after telling me to post up.

  I watched the arm and didn’t allow Mace to submit me. It had been a grueling training session, both physically and mentally. If I was going to lose to Daniel Herman it would most likely be by submission. He was a crafty veteran Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt. I’d have to be careful at all times, and Tyson and Mace were making sure I would be.

  Finally, the session came to an end. My rash guard was soaked and my hair looked like it had been under a shower. I had started considering getting it cut. I sat against the padded wall and was talking to Mace about transitioning from half guard to side control when I saw Leeza enter the gym. She was in a short skirt and heels. Her tanned legs between the bottom of the skirt and the top of the heels looked amazing. Then I noticed Sam was right behind her.

  I rolled to my feet to meet them at the edge of the mat. As I stood, Mace gave me a “what the hell is she doing here” look. I responded with my own “how the hell should I know” look. As my bare feet crossed the mat they left little sweat marks in their wake. “What are you guys up to?”

  “Sam wanted to see you,” Leeza said. “And I thought you might need some energy, so I made you a drink.”

  She held up a large water jug filled with a thick and dark liquid.

  “What’s in it?” I asked in a tone that was a little too accusatory.

  “Strawberries, bananas, two scoops of protein, and skim milk.”

  “That’s all?”

  Yeah that’s all. I ain’t trying to drug you, Zane. I want you to beat Daniel Herman’s ass. You remember it was right after you fought him when we met.

  I hadn’t remembered that. I took the drink and looked at Sam and did my best to change the subject. “Good to see you, sugar.”