managed to pull on a glove.
Woolf smiled down at me from the ring with teeth that were nearly as gray as the walls of the gym. I’d left my mouth guard in my locker. As far as I was concerned, the asshole in the ring wasn’t going to get in one solid hit before I took him out.
I stared hard at Josh as I brushed past him. “Thought Woolf had no one to match up to out here.”
Josh shrugged.
I climbed up onto the mat, and Woolf danced around for a few seconds.
“What are you trying to do, Woolf, bore me into tapping out?” He came at with me with a right jab, which I easily avoided, and I threw back an upper cut with my good hand. His ugly gray teeth snapped against each other, and he stumbled back two steps. “Guess you should have put in your mouth guard. Although those teeth aren’t really worth protecting.”
Before he got his bearings, I swung out three leg kicks in quick succession. He threw back a hammerfist and nailed me on the shoulder, but the impact wasn’t even enough to throw me off balance. I spun around and landed a solid fist to his face. Blood spurted from his nose as he flew back against the ropes.
I glanced at Josh and held my hands up in question. “I could shoot in and end this right now. What the fuck am I doing in here?”
Josh’s face tightened with anger. “Come on, Woolf, I got you a sparring partner. Now fight, you fucking candy apple.”
Spit and blood sprayed from Woolf’s mouth as he roared in for a takedown. He grabbed me square on. I pushed down on his shoulders and sprawled both my legs back. He slammed down against the mat with a grunt. Forgetting my hand, I threw a flurry of punches at him. I sucked in a breath and yanked back my hand. Now I was pissed. I hooked a heel around his leg and locked his knee into a position that looked about as twisted as the knuckles I’d just slid into my glove. He held his breath and his face turned red. Seconds later, his hand smacked the floor. I released his leg and jumped to my feet.
Josh’s snarl made him look even uglier than normal.
“Looking forward to the fights.” A pissed off silence and some groans of pain followed me as I climbed out of the ring and walked back to the lockers. I leaned my good hand against the front of the locker and dropped my head down, holding my breath and clenching my jaw until the pain passed. When I was finally able to catch my breath, I debated whether or not to yank the glove off in one swift movement like a bandage or to peel it off like a stubborn orange peel. I opted for the quick flash of agony. I sucked in a breath and pulled the glove off. An explosion of pain shot through me. I pressed the hand against my stomach and crouched down into a ball hoping that would somehow help. Josh’s raspy, droning voice drifted into the locker room. I stood up and held onto the metal door for support.
I’d lost my focus out there, and for several mindless seconds, I’d forgotten about my hand and pummeled Woolf with it. I wrapped it clumsily and grabbed my stuff. Josh stepped into the locker room. I pushed past him without another word. The asshole’s plan to rig the welterweight fight might just have worked after all.
Chapter 12
Cassie
Only a few people bothered to look up from their work as I stepped off the elevator. I’d been in the building for all of two minutes, and I already felt out of place. I’d worn my favorite colorful, long skirt and expensive short boots, both of which I considered to be pretty darn conservative for my taste, but compared to the other women shuffling around the floor in shiny leather pumps and crisply tailored suits, I looked as if I’d just stepped off a Volkswagen bus at Woodstock. Fortunately, I’d opted again for my glasses instead of the contacts. They would at least make me look somewhat serious and businesslike.
I floated through the maze of Plexiglas cubicles and fake potted plants toward my new boss’s office. I’d only spoken with him twice over Skype,
Woolf smiled down at me from the ring with teeth that were nearly as gray as the walls of the gym. I’d left my mouth guard in my locker. As far as I was concerned, the asshole in the ring wasn’t going to get in one solid hit before I took him out.
I stared hard at Josh as I brushed past him. “Thought Woolf had no one to match up to out here.”
Josh shrugged.
I climbed up onto the mat, and Woolf danced around for a few seconds.
“What are you trying to do, Woolf, bore me into tapping out?” He came at with me with a right jab, which I easily avoided, and I threw back an upper cut with my good hand. His ugly gray teeth snapped against each other, and he stumbled back two steps. “Guess you should have put in your mouth guard. Although those teeth aren’t really worth protecting.”
Before he got his bearings, I swung out three leg kicks in quick succession. He threw back a hammerfist and nailed me on the shoulder, but the impact wasn’t even enough to throw me off balance. I spun around and landed a solid fist to his face. Blood spurted from his nose as he flew back against the ropes.
I glanced at Josh and held my hands up in question. “I could shoot in and end this right now. What the fuck am I doing in here?”
Josh’s face tightened with anger. “Come on, Woolf, I got you a sparring partner. Now fight, you fucking candy apple.”
Spit and blood sprayed from Woolf’s mouth as he roared in for a takedown. He grabbed me square on. I pushed down on his shoulders and sprawled both my legs back. He slammed down against the mat with a grunt. Forgetting my hand, I threw a flurry of punches at him. I sucked in a breath and yanked back my hand. Now I was pissed. I hooked a heel around his leg and locked his knee into a position that looked about as twisted as the knuckles I’d just slid into my glove. He held his breath and his face turned red. Seconds later, his hand smacked the floor. I released his leg and jumped to my feet.
Josh’s snarl made him look even uglier than normal.
“Looking forward to the fights.” A pissed off silence and some groans of pain followed me as I climbed out of the ring and walked back to the lockers. I leaned my good hand against the front of the locker and dropped my head down, holding my breath and clenching my jaw until the pain passed. When I was finally able to catch my breath, I debated whether or not to yank the glove off in one swift movement like a bandage or to peel it off like a stubborn orange peel. I opted for the quick flash of agony. I sucked in a breath and pulled the glove off. An explosion of pain shot through me. I pressed the hand against my stomach and crouched down into a ball hoping that would somehow help. Josh’s raspy, droning voice drifted into the locker room. I stood up and held onto the metal door for support.
I’d lost my focus out there, and for several mindless seconds, I’d forgotten about my hand and pummeled Woolf with it. I wrapped it clumsily and grabbed my stuff. Josh stepped into the locker room. I pushed past him without another word. The asshole’s plan to rig the welterweight fight might just have worked after all.
Chapter 12
Cassie
Only a few people bothered to look up from their work as I stepped off the elevator. I’d been in the building for all of two minutes, and I already felt out of place. I’d worn my favorite colorful, long skirt and expensive short boots, both of which I considered to be pretty darn conservative for my taste, but compared to the other women shuffling around the floor in shiny leather pumps and crisply tailored suits, I looked as if I’d just stepped off a Volkswagen bus at Woodstock. Fortunately, I’d opted again for my glasses instead of the contacts. They would at least make me look somewhat serious and businesslike.
I floated through the maze of Plexiglas cubicles and fake potted plants toward my new boss’s office. I’d only spoken with him twice over Skype,
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