Hard-Won Attraction Ch. 05

As she was contemplating the after party, the big shot's "Pimp juice" entrance song began to blare. She snorted when she looked at him, as during the break he had changed into an even skimpier pair of shorts than he had worn in the first matches. His struts around the ring were met by assorted boos and jeers, the loudest of which were made by Cadee's group. Big shot realized this and did a couple of pelvic thrusts for good measure towards them. The looks of disgust on their faces made him angry Cadee could tell, but he tried to laugh it off just the same.

Then Evan's music came on, which as far as Cadee could tell was the only change in that now it was "Kryptonite" instead of "Come out Swinging". The crowd roared for him, with Cadee and company the loudest. If he wasn't the eventual champion, then at least he was the most popular one there. Big shot seemed to get more and more pissed off, Cadee could see, and she hoped it wouldn't affect the match. The 2 fighters came to the center and the referee went over the rules one more time again...

IN the state he was in, Evan could read body language easily, as it allowed him to anticipate attacks. Even in his hazy state, he could see the other fighter was mad as hell. Evan smiled, it made no difference how angry some of these guys had gotten or worked themselves into, inevitably they burned themselves out psyching themselves up for a match, while his rage just smoldered. But as he looked closer, Evan could se it was not him the guy was mad at, he kept glancing to the side of the cage as the ref was listing instructions. The mystery was solved when a very pretty leggy brunette in a seductive mini skirt and tight top appeared to be booing the other fighter. Evan smiled, girlfriend trouble maybe, is this why the guy was fighting, good distracted was good, makes them easier to out-manuver, he thought. Even as he thought this, a small corner of his brain winked into play. Evan took a look again. Yep, she actually did look kind of familiar, but from where? He had seen her somewhere, but exactly where? His mind was still jammed in unnecessary concentration when the other fighter tried a wicked opening sucker punch....

"Ugh, that had to hurt," observed one of Cadee's girlfriends. Cadee had to agree, although silently as her vision and thoughts were concentrated on how well Evan came through this. The opening punch while not catching him flush managed to clip Evan on the side of the head, staggering him and losing the psychological lead that he had gained in the first 2 matches with the first punches. Cadee was worried, as Evan was not responding as if his head was in the fight. He seemed....distracted somehow. Evan was reacting almost as an afterthought, not even trying to go offensive, even Cadee could see that.

The entirety of the first round was Evan trying to fend off the other fighter and get back on the offesnsive. When the bell rang, everyone was ready for it, including Evan, Cadee and the crowd. Evan slumped back to his corner, looking dazed. Cadee sat down in her seat, worried that Evan might actually lose. Her girlfriends had never seen Cadee so down, they all tried to make encouraging marks about how Evan was just conserving his strength and so forth. Cadee just sat there with a frown, wishing she could get inside Evan's head and straighten out whatever confusing was there...

"C'mon Evan, you could take this guy apart if you wanted to, I've seen you handle bigger, what's wrong?" asked his manager friend while the trainer worked on trying to stop a few cuts that sprang up on Evan's face.

Evan's brain took a second from not obsessing about the girl's identity to register the question and spoke carefully before he answered. "See that girl in the tight top and mini skirt? I know I've seen her recently, I just can't think of where, and it's driving me nuts, off my game," he confessed.

His manager, far from thinking this was frivolous, had been with Evan a long time and knew how all-important it was that Evan have zero distractions to help him concentrate on beating the opponent, so he decided to play along and get the issue settled and out of the way. "Well think, was it very recently, like in the past month, or even the past week..." the manager prodded. Evan nodded suddenly in recognition.

"YEs, week, good, narrows it down a bit, where did you see her, anything related..." the manager kept prodding, knowing how much this fight depending on the mystery being solved.

"I think...dancing, and..... Food, and... wait a minute, did I go on a date with her? But the only person I went on a 'date' with this week was Cadee Mc......Holy Shit! Is that her?" Evan gasped, the answers coming fast and furious to his muddled brain. Even after reaching this tentative conclusion, his mind still whirled. Was that really her, supposedly just another spoiled heiress whose family his father had only mad richer by buying out? She didn't look the part, in fact she looked like exotic beauty now, easily Amazon-like in those stilettos and that miniskirt, in fact, she looked more at home here than she was at the BBQ or on their date. But now he could see life in those brown eyes, and it excited him. He motioned to his manager "Go over and ask her if it is, I have to know for sure," he said as the bell rang for the next round.

"You got it," his manager said, used to the quirkiness of the demand. He was used to the tangents Evan;s mind could set upon, and more often than not it worked out eventually for the better. And besides, going over to a bunch of hot chicks and playing wingman for his friend was not the worst task in the world. He hastened over to the group as the fighters engaged with punches and kicks.....