Page 13 of King

CHAPTER NINE

JACOB

Back in college, I always wondered what Phoenix Clarke actually saw in me. I only went to college in the first place because I had no choice. Danny and Ethan, and a couple of others raved on and on about how good it would be, and how it would be different to high school. Yeah, I hated it there, too. Nothing else mattered other than realising my UFC dreams’. College couldn’t give me anything. I knew that, at least not until my mother gave me an ultimatum and said if I didn’t go to college or get a job, the alternative would be to move out. But with me still at college she qualified for benefits until I left, as well as the hours she did on the books. Where the fuck I was supposed to go, I had no fucking idea. My mum wasn’t a bitch, but it was hard going. Dad left us for another woman when I was younger. She worked all the hours God sent, so most of the time I was on my own. Well, until my uncle stepped in and said I needed discipline. He was right, I was a little shit most of the time.

College was supposed to be my path to success. She had this misplaced respect for the school and the teachers, and listened to them rather than me. So, her only option then was to give me an ultimatum, I guess it worked, because I filled in the college application forms, got accepted and luckily scraped through with just enough grades to get onto the sports course that I wanted. I had no desire to do anything else, and especially anything that was academic. My uncle signed me up at the gym, and although I stayed at college for the duration, I hated every minute of it. I had no respect for the tutors, or the shit they shovelled about being better with a good education. When we had to study the physiology of the human body I almost dozed off. Yeah, college was not for me.

From the first day I saw Phoenix, I was besotted. She was pretty, clever, and caring, but on top of all that, one of the nicest people I had the honour to know. But, me being me, I had to try it on. I was the cocky fucker of our group, and I didn’t care who didn’t like it. All I did give a shit about was her being mine. And always getting what I wanted, I got the girl in the end.

“How long have you been awake?” Phoenix’s sleepy voice caught my attention.

“A while,”

“Is everything okay?”She asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

I snuggled down in the bed and wrapped her up tightly. “Everything is perfect because I have you.”I buried my nose into her hair and kissed her head.

“Smooth talker,” I heard the smile in her voice, she loved it and it made me happy to give her everything that she wanted. My phone beeped with a message from the bedside table. As she lifted her head from my chest, she side-eyed me. “You going to see who that is?”

My gaze stayed on Phoenix as I gave a slight shrug, “It’ll wait.” I tipped her head back with my finger under her chin and kissed her, rolling her to her back and pinning her to the mattress with my body. We were still naked from last night; she parted her legs for me and it didn’t take much searching until I found my goal. I pinned her hands to the mattress and joined our fingers as I pushed upwards. Her heat enveloped me. This was home; she was my home. Phoenix Clarke would always keep me grounded, no matter how big I got, or what path I took.

CHAPTER TEN

JACOB

Ibounced on my toes as I warmed up and eyed the guy opposite me. He was fucking huge, much bigger than me, even with all my training I’d been doing. When I wasn’t fighting, I was trying to fit training around seeing Phoenix. I was pretty big in size now, too. I’d gone up a size in clothes because my shoulders had rounded off, and my arms were bigger, too. Phoenix loved that I was bigger. Most nights, she would run her fingers over the sharpened lines of my abs or down my biceps. But now, as I focussed on him, I wasn’t feeling quite as confident.

“Hey,” Danny nudged me sharply, “get out of your fucking head. You’ve got this.”

Danny was the vocal one out of the two of my mates. Ethan was the quiet, supportive kind. Danny was the loud, get it done and ask questions later kind. He didn’t stop to think of consequences most of the time. Which is why Phoenix used to get ratty with him. Not that he fucking cared, but I could’ve done without the earache of it all.

I nodded in Danny’s direction, but I hadn’t taken my eyes from the big fucker opposite me. The speaker drew the crowd’s attention and introduced us. “You ready?” Ethan asked as he tapped my chest. “Come on, man. Danny’s right, you’ve got this.” I inhaled a deep, cleansing breath and stood tall, not that that was hard to do, I was six-foot-three.

“I got him.”

“Too fucking right you have,” Danny added, “now get out there and take him.”

As soon as the other guy saw I was ready, he moved to the middle. My feet moved too, but before I was within arm’s reach, he swung, his fist caught me on the chin and forced me to stumble. I shook my head. It was a wakeup call I needed to really get into the fight. I brought my guard up and puffed out my chest before I swung back. He dodged my fist and hit out again, followed by his foot sweeping the back of my leg, but I was ready for him and stood firm. I needed to get into this fight, otherwise I was going to come off worse. I didn’t want to lose. I didn’t want to lose money, but more so I didn’t want to lose the reputation I’d been building for the last couple of months. The crowd chanted my name over and over. I looked at the front of the crowd and saw the same guys that I’d met in the pub, they’d been here for most of my fights I’d noticed. The smarter dressed one, Liam I think his name was, nodded at me. Danny and Ethan stood next to them and joined the crowd, and with that ego boost, I finally got into the fight.

Punch after punch connected with my face, and as I heard the crack under his fist, I knew my nose was broken. I lifted a hand to my nose. Blood coloured the white straps I had on my hands, then I lunged at him. Kicking and punching. He held me in a headlock when he knew he couldn’t stop me, but with a swift elbow to the gut and rabbit punches to his kidneys, he released me. Those were my speciality. You could see why the boxing federation banned them all those years ago. They were devastating, and the pain that came from it would stay for days, sometimes weeks.

I was so caught up in punching him I didn’t realise that he was almost down. It was Danny’s voice that had me turning my head to look at him. One good hit and he’d be down. His forearm was draped around my chest, holding me so as he didn’t fall to the ground. I elbowed him, his arm loosened, and swiftly I spun around and hit him. My knuckles hit him square on the jaw and as he wobbled, I hit again, once on the nose and then the side of his head.

It was slow motion as I watched the impact turn him away from me, and like a sack of potatoes, he hit the ground.

I stared at him as I bounced with excess energy. My fists were tight and my arms flexed ready to carry on until the ref came in and called it. While the guy was out cold on the ground, I was called winner. The crowd roared and my ego soared even higher. I was really starting to believe that no one was going to beat me. This was my crowd. And no one could take this away from me.

“YEAHHHHH.” Danny screamed in my face as his grin spread from ear to ear. With my shoulders in his hands, he shook me in delight. “You’re the fucking man!” he yelled. His arms wrapped around me and he lifted me from the ground. My arm shot up in victory, and I played to the crowd as they cheered again. When my feet hit the floor, I grabbed the towel from Ethan and wiped it over my face, careful to not catch my nose. It stung like a bitch.

“Come on, let’s see if we can get Phoenix to look at your nose.” Ethan came up beside me, and with a firm hand on my arm, he led me from the middle of the room and into the cloakroom. Rico appeared as I sat down on the bench. My head fell forward to expel the excess blood in my nose as I placed my elbows on my parted knees. Ethan left the room and I knew he was going to ring Phoenix.

“There he is. My champion.” He sang as he clapped loudly. The noise echoed around the small room. My head was pounding and my face throbbing, and that fucking noise was the last thing I needed. I twisted my head slightly and frowned up at him. Although Rico had an Italian sounding name, he couldn’t have been more British if he tried. He shortened his name from Richard to Rico to make himself sound more important. His dirty blonde hair was slicked back, and he walked around in a suit that didn’t actually fit him properly.

It hadn’t taken me long to realise that Rico was only out for himself. He loved the respect and the admiration of others. He wanted punters to think he was somebody, when really, he was a dick. But I was his earner, his golden ticket, but I soon realised that while I was winning and lining my own pockets for mine and Phoenix’s future, then I'd let him carry on until I didn’t need him anymore. This would be on my terms from now on.

“Rico.” I greeted, then turned my head back and closed my eyes to the pain that was zapping through my face.

“How’s the nose?” he asked smacking the back of my shoulder. The pain reverberated through my face as I jolted forward. I had to grit my teeth to stop myself from pounding the fucker.

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