Desire Uncaged: An MMA Romance by Ina Anielka Read Free Book Online Page B

10.” Ethan’s coach told him.
    Ethan laid down on the floor. Most of the other fighters had left the room. Ethan was closed his eyes and felt his heart settle. His breathing slowed. He just had to focus on doing his job now.
    A few short minutes later, his trainer spoke up. “On your feet, Ethan. It’s show time.”
    * * *
    Sara had purchased a ticket at the gate. While far from the cheapest option, it did allow her to avoid interacting with Ethan or any of his friends. Things were still too raw for anything face-to-face like that. But she was here.
    Somehow, after all the effort, drama, and build-up, Sara wanted to see what sort of outcome Ethan’s training would yield. And so, after an afternoon working herself up to it, she willed herself to drive to the arena, and buy a ticket. She didn’t have a ton of money, but her savings were substantial enough that a few bucks on a ticket wouldn’t kill her.
    Sara bought her ticket from a vendor at a table. She couldn’t help but compare it to entering a county fair. And, looking around at the other patrons, she saw they were likely drawing from the same crowd. Maybe a third were young, tattoo-covered men with bulging muscles. They were either self-styled ‘fighters’ or were just guys that believed that being close to this sort of sport somehow made them more masculine in the process. For hyper-masculine men, Sara couldn’t help but notice their T-shirts appeared intricate and expensive. The women, what few there were, looked as one would expect to see with men desperate to move their masculinity. Yoga pants, pieced bellybuttons, midriffs and what looked like cosmetic surgery abounded. Sara with her understated dress and a midriff that was best kept covered, actually looked the part of an outsider.
    She put her head down and made her way to the area floor. She passed the vendors selling hotdogs, and the long line selling overpriced, terrible beer. Sara made it to the main floor. She found herself a seat in a darkened corner and sat down. The fights had already started. It was early in the card, and two ‘heavyweights’ of questionable fitness were swinging wild haymakers at one another with almost comical abandon. In the row in front, an obnoxious, middle aged man—clearly already drunk—was yelling at them for “More Elbows!” even Sara knew at their level of the sport elbows weren’t even allowed. She settled in for a long night of listening to drunken idiots.
    The card ebbed on. The fights proved intellectually interesting, if not entertaining. Some were comic mismatches. One fighter clearly well trained and ready, the other dangerously ill prepared. These Sara suspected were tune up fights, to get the skilled fighter acclimated to the sights, sounds, and sensations of the cage, without the actual risk of fighting someone who could actually beat them.
    The fights wore on, and the competitors grew more skilled. Experienced fighters, generally better technically, sometimes made the crowd restless with conservative and cerebral game plans. It didn’t help that people grew more drunk and obnoxious right along with them. It must feel terrible to get booed like that after all your training Sara thought to herself.
    Finally, the announcer entered the cage floor. The microphone turned on and his voice boomed to life.
    “And now the main event!” Sara perked up. She listened as an 80’s guitar track played through the speakers.
    The announcer made a big show in introducing the fighters. Sara’s heart began to race as the man boomed out the first name, “Ethan Ewing!”
    Sara craned her neck to see the other side of the arena. Even this far off, she recognized Ethan’s posture and gait as he walked, flanked by his trainers, to the cage side. He stripped his shirt and sweats with businesslike alacrity once he arrived at the entrance to the cage. A brief examination by the referee, and he was inside the multi-sided ring. The announcer then announced his opponent.