Fighter Ch. 03

Anna watched as the trainers revived Marcus who was cleanly out as they announced the winner. The one thing she noticed was that when he had to be helped out of the ring he was scowling. She saw the sour look on his face and the expression said it all: He wanted payback. She switched to the next fight and she recognized the fighter as the same one from before. It looked to be a few months later. This time the fight was more brutal. The fight started out with a flurry as Marcus went right after the younger fighter like a shot from a cannon. The rounds flew by as the two warriors pounded each other. Marcus scored quite a few hard solid hits that staggered the younger man, but she could tell the younger man could take them.

The fight went into the third round and then it changed drastically. As Anna watched, the opponent snaked his foot up and again caught Marcus with the kick that knocked him out the last time. The fight went on as Marcus got up almost right away, but she saw the same kick that ended the first fight hit two more times. Somehow Marcus was able to bounce back and keep going. She watched horrified as the two men beat each other black blue and bloody. The end round was when Marcus threw all that he had left into it. The fight became a savage stand up brawl. Marcus found his distance and launched a vicious barrage of clubbing blows and hard leg kicks. The younger fighter somehow survived the brutal onslaught that rained down on him. Marcus tore into him and knocked him down several times, but somehow the young man kept going. When the bell sounded she saw them collapse on each other. The way they held each other up showed the strong respect that the other felt. When the corners separated them they slumped and had to be dragged away. At the end of the six rounds they were spent and likely couldn't stand on their own.

Anna watched the camera pan to the young Japanese fighter and he was a mess. His nose was bent and almost twisted and his eyes were bleeding heavily. His leg had a large purple bruise that ran the length of it. And when she looked at Marcus, she could see that both of his eyes had swollen shut and his breathing was shallow and slow. What was worse was the right side of his chest was covered in black and blue welts. He looked defeated as he sat on the stool while his trainers worked over him. She saw the look in his eyes that made a tear come to her own. She saw the pain in his face at the realization that his career had come to a close that night. She had heard the other trainers talking about it and what they described was a war. They were right. She had just watched something that changed her whole view of Marcus. For as much of a nice guy that he was, he was also a demon in the ring. She turned off the video and looked to the doorway only to see that Marcus was watching the video as intently as she had been.

"Coach...I...I was just looking at your old..." she began but he shook his head.

"It's OK Anna. It was a long time ago. Helluva a fight, no?" he joked and she didn't get the humor.

Anna's eyes were filled with pain as she regarded him. Anna knew that deep down he was still hurting over the way his career had ended and didn't want to make it more painful. Anna got up and walked slowly to Marcus and hugged him tightly. He slipped his arms around her body and held her close. She enjoyed the hug for a long while then let go. She looked up at him and kissed his cheek then went to her room.

Marcus looked at the screen and turned on the video once again. He rewound the video back to the beginning of the fight and watched it as the last of the gym members left. He analyzed it thoroughly and as a coach he critiqued himself. He knew better than to go head-on at an opponent the way that he had. Most fighters would shy away and let an opponent who had just beaten him come to him. His anger at losing had led him to the reckless behavior he exhibited during the fight. He looked to Anna's door and hoped she wouldn't make the same mistakes he had. Marcus wrote a full report on the fight and set it on his desk. He walked out and locked the gym after everyone had left and decided that he didn't need to hide from what he wanted anymore. He walked to Anna's door and knocked softly.

Anna didn't answer so he softly opened the door and entered her room. When he found her she was on her stomach with her earphones in listening to music. He walked up behind her and patted her leg softly. Anna didn't jump just looked back to see Marcus standing behind her and she smiled sheepishly. As she took off the earphones he heard some hip hop song he didn't recognize playing and shook his head.

"What's up coach?" she asked curious as to what he wanted.

"You staying or coming with?" Marcus asked casually.

Anna titled her head in confusion so Marcus decided to end it for her. He held out his hand and helped her from the bed and walked with her out of the gym. When she realized where she was going Anna's eyes got wide. He was taking her to his apartment above the gym.

"Umm, coach should we...?" she began but he turned his head and smiled at her.

"What did we just do in Reno, honey? Did you think I'd let you sleep alone after those great nights?" he spoke softly.

Anna jumped up and hugged him tight. Her arms shook as she held Marcus while tears came to her eyes. They broke the hug and he led her upstairs. After the door opened and Anna walked in the whole world shifted for them. She looked at his simple furniture and shook her head. She half expected him to be neo in his style. The simplicity of the whole room belied any expectations she had for his apartment being a bachelor pad. She walked the entire thing and when she saw his bedroom her eyes lit up. He had a huge bed and she squealed in delight and ran to it. Laughing like a kid she jumped on the bed and bounced off it. Marcus watched in horror as she careened over the bed and landed with a loud thud on the other side. He rushed over to see her lying on her back laughing like an idiot. Marcus shook his head and chuckled at the silly girl on her back trying futilely to get to her feet again. He reached down and offered her his hand and helped Anna to her feet while she just laughed louder. He hugged her tight and whispered softly into her ear.

"What am I gonna do with you?"

"Love me," was her response.

"I don't think that will be a problem Anna," Marcus said softly.

They went to his bathroom and took a shower together. Anna decided to spoil him and washed his back and shoulders. Marcus accepted the tender help with a soft groan. Her hands felt great as she worked on his back and shoulders. Anna rinsed him off and hugged him from behind mashing her breasts into his back causing a moan to come from his throat. They held that pose for a long time until Anna let go. Marcus turned around and she stepped by him in order to rinse her body. Marcus watched the water cascading over her form and watched hungrily. He wanted to take her then and there, but held himself in check. When she was done Anna turned the water off and they grabbed towels. He dried her back and shoulders for her and Anna returned the favor. They got into the bedroom and Anna shoved Marcus forward. He held his balance, but she tackled him to the bed giggling. Marcus wiggled up the bed and flipped over as Anna clambered up his body. She found a point over his hips and straddled him and then shoved his shoulders so that he went flat to his back.

Leaning over him Anna got a superior look and then set sat up and pronounced, "I win!"

"You did not you little cheater," Marcus said back, but Anna cheated again. She clamped her thighs tight on his waist and burrowed into his body before he could get up. Marcus' arms were tight to her back and he hugged her to him. Anna giggled and held firm as he hugged her and she looked up at him. She had a silly grin on her face as she held him and when he relented she let go of his hips. She got off him and snuggled under the blankets. Marcus laughed aloud and watched her as she lay on her back, patting the side next to her.

Marcus got under the blankets with her and pulled her into his arms. Anna curled happily into his side and kissed his chest. Her eyes never left his face as they held onto each other. She wanted nothing more than to have a good night with him. But she couldn't as her legs and stomach were still sore from the previous night.

"Marcus, can we just sleep tonight?" she whispered to him.

"Whatever you want honey," he replied snuggling against her.

Anna cuddled deep into his arm and lounged against his chest. Her eyes hung open as long as she could, but soon she drifted off and a happy slumber fell upon her. Marcus felt her breathing against him and kissed the top of her head. Anna mumbled softly in her sleep and continued breathing steadily. Marcus took her fingers to his lips and softly kissed them. He didn't know why he did it, it just felt right. His whole demeanor was beginning to change because of her he was noticing. A few months ago he would have ignored his cravings for anything, but looking into her eyes he hungered for something that he had been away from for far too long. His eyes drifted closed with the last image being Anna who was sleeping peacefully against his chest.

The next two weeks found many changes in the gym. Anna officially moved into Marcus' apartment and they established some simple rules. In the apartment they could be free to love each other openly. In the gym he was her coach and she did as instructed. It was the best they could do so as not to let favoritism become an issue from any of the fighters in the gym. All had suspicions that Anna and Marcus were an item, but no one said anything out of respect of the both of them.

Marcus pushed her and Christian relentlessly the entire time. Anna quickly recovered from the injuries of the tournament and he got Nick to get her a fight so she could keep her ring skills up. He was generous to put her in a last minute arrangement and Anna destroyed her opponent with a second round TKO. The whole fight was very unbalanced as her opponent was an alternate that had six fights under her belt and only one win. Anna devastated her with a round house kick that sent her to the mat and the referee called it off before Anna had a chance to continue her attack.

Marcus said nothing about her fight as it didn't amount to much more than a sparring match. He was perturbed at Nick for having her face such an unworthy opponent, but he didn't let on to Anna. He needed her to be on top of her game and he decided it was time to cash in her victory treat. It was a happy Saturday and the gym was in full swing, but he took Anna out. At first she was confused, but as she saw the mall come into focus her eyes grew wide.

"Coach, are we....?" she got out the car and she was shaking.

"A deals a deal, honey. You won the tournament, you get the trip. The stakes were agreed upon when you kissed me. Now as I said you have a six grand limit," he spoke loudly while Anna watched him wide eyed.

They entered the mall and at first things were nice, but as soon as Anna saw the many shops she dragged him from one end of the mall to the other. Anna was in rapture with the stores and the multitude of choices before her. As the time went by the piles of bags increased. Marcus could have sworn they were supposed to be at the mall shopping and not training. The more time went by the more he had to return to the car in order to deposit her purchases. Anna was a frugal shopper that got a lot of useful clothes and other things, however her trip to Victoria's Secret was an adventure for Marcus. His control was tested to its limit as she showed him bras and panties and asked his opinion. He laughed and felt a bit out of place with her there, but he was a trooper and shouldered on. He found a few things he liked and did a secret run while she was in another store and bought them, smiling smugly he hid them in the bags and joined her at the next store.

As they passed the upper level they found a store he was interested in. It was the tattoo and piercing parlor. Marcus looked at the tattoos on his arms and saw they had faded a bit. He decided to get them touched up a bit and after a quick showing the artist got to work. Anna watched in amazement as he relaxed in the chair and didn't budge as they man inked him with fresh colors. Anna looked through a few of the books and found one she fell in love with. She was always enamored with the lightning bolts that looked tribal on his arms. They looked cool and when she saw them she talked to the artist and he worked up a special treat for her. He had a more feminine version of it that was a semi popular design. Looking at Marcus he shrugged to her.

"If you want it honey, go ahead. You're an adult after all," he stated.

Anna wanted to hug him, but as he was being inked she simply smiled at him and bounded to the chair. Where Marcus was a cool customer Anna was in agony. She had never had a tattoo and had only had her ears pierced. The feeling of the tattoo needle digging into her skin was pure torture, but she endured.

The tattooing took a few hours, but it was finally done with a smear of tattoo goo and she was left with an awesome marking. She had also gotten her belly pierced--just for fun. Marcus laughed at the piercing as it made her look sexier than ever. Arm in arm they strolled down the mall happily. After having a bite to eat in the food court, Anna did a mental calculation and realized that she had over twenty-five hundred dollars left in the trip. She decided to upgrade her workout attire and went to town on it. She bought several comfortable sets of workout clothes as well as three pairs of running shoes. Seeing the shoes she got creative and blew the rest on shoes in general. She bought seven pairs of them as well as two pairs of knee boots. Once done they lugged it all to the car. When Anna saw the loaded trunk and back seat she got a sheepish look on her face.

"Well this has an incentive to it honey," Marcus said smiling.

"What's that coach?" she asked somewhat worried.

"You get to carry it all up to the apartment when we get home," he said laughing.

"Coach!" she whined and he completely lost it.

The drive home was full of Anna's music. The sounds of hip hop flooded the car much to his amusement. Marcus himself tried to appreciate all types of music, but to him most was too commercial for his liking. He absolutely despised certain forms of hip hop as simple and unnoticeable noise. Country music to him was a form of torture as it was so depressing he felt the urge to shoot himself. He was down with some rap as it helped him get angry in order to train harder. He let it go as she sang along to her favorite songs by Beyonce and Shakira. He had an amused look on his face when he saw a group of guys scoping her out. They yelled things to her, but she ignored them and when she gave them the finger he lost it again. He had no fear of them ever being able to get with her, and if they tried he almost laughed thinking of the number of ways that she could kick their asses. Marcus had trained a monster, but man was she beautiful.

They got to the gym and true to his boast she carried everything upstairs. He used it as a form of training and had her run up and down the stairs with the bags. It took her many trips and over twenty minutes, but she got everything up and was barely winded. Seeing she was warmed up he took her to the gym and worked her hard. The sparring drills he put her through were with Christian. They fought and she was shocked at how fast he was. He would hit her four times to every two she got on him. Anna took note of his footwork and realized that she was missing something. They trained for a few more hours and when they were done she and Christian sat off to the side as Marcus trained another prospect.

"Christian how do you move so fast?" she asked him in Spanish.

Christian's command of Spanish was good enough that he could carry on a conversation fluently so he spoke back to her in the language.

"It's all in balance, mami. You have to feel the rhythm in your body like when you dance. Shift your body slowly and you'll actually pick up momentum. Use that and you'll be faster," he explained.

Anna listened and digested what he said, but she got a chance to understand when he stood up and took her to the back room. Inside the room he had a stereo and he fished out an old CD of his. He put the music in and Anna was shocked when she heard Samba music playing. Christian took her hand and she was reluctant at first, but as she felt the rhythm take her with it was a lesson in and of itself. The dancing made her use her hips more and she found her movements pick up after a few minutes of it. She was a natural dancer Christian found and was amazed at how fast she got it down. The way she moved made him smile brightly. He had to take her out dancing with him and Fabiana sometime.

Marcus heard the music and saw them dancing in the back and immediately understood what he was teaching her. His old coach in Brazil had actually showed him how to dance and he noted how well it helped his movements in the ring. To keep that extra bit of rhythm in your body always made dodging blows easier. Marcus had remembered that a famous martial arts movie star made his early living as a Cha Cha instructor. Smiling at the sight of Anna letting out the screams the actor was noted for made a chuckle come to his throat. Marcus let them dance and went back to Nick's prospect. He made the deal and was honoring it as he put the young man through hell. The man was red faced and gasping after Marcus was done and before he got his breath back he was training again.

Marcus let the youngster go and looked at the clock. Seeing it was business time he had his other coaches take over and went to his office. When he sat down he saw his email was flashing. Opening the email Marcus found his plans were about to come to fruition. The plans he had set into action after the tournament was now in his eyes. He had found a four bedroom house in Las Vegas for rent and his application for it was approved. It was a simple deposit and offer of all six months rent in advance that got him the house. For eight grand he got a good house in a decent neighborhood near the best gyms in town. He placed a few calls to the gyms and talked with an old buddy of his from his days in Brazil. The friend agreed to let him train both Anna and Christian and for a fee of six grand he got the whole run of the gym to train them properly. Marcus looked at a few other things and when he was satisfied with the results of his efforts he called Anna and Christian into the office.

Anna and Christian came in laughing from dancing. They had fun during their time spent in the room. Anna accepted his offer to go dancing with him and his fiancee. They walked in giggling and when they saw Marcus he had a stern look on his face.

"Sit down," he said quietly.

Quickly they sat in the chairs and their expressions changed from happy to serious. In Spanish he told them what was going to happen.

"We are going to Las Vegas for the next six months. We will train there for your upcoming fights and cool down for a month after. Christian I have a decent sized house so you can bring Fabiana with you. I have already had Nick take care of your apartment and the likes so it will be there when you come back. I talked to your boss at the firm and he agreed to give you your job back when you return," Marcus explained.

Christian nodded his head, understanding everything he said. With an appreciative nod he sat back as Marcus went on.

"We will be training for twelve hours a day six days a week. I expect you to give all you got at all times. On Sundays you get to rest and go out. Now I don't need to stress how important the next few months are going to be. Christian, you are about to do something I never did, son. You get to fight for a title. Even with all my time in, I never had the honor to do so. I want you to give me all your heart and soul for what you're about to do," Marcus said quietly.