Page 53 of I Am Lioness

IrememberBernie raving about how much he loved the city of Atlanta. When we picked up my schedule on registration day a few weeks prior to the start of the season, he had been ecstatic that our usual stop in Charlotte was swapped for the ATL instead.

His excitement was utterly contagious, so contagious I had instantly been thrilled to fight in a new city but now that I was here, I hated it. Not the actual place of course, just the fact that my time here was soured by my old man’s death and Knox’s absence.

The days in Atlanta went by as quickly as paint dries, regardless of the fact that Jason had crammed my schedule with hours of training, followed by back to back interviews for different coaches. God, I hated those damn things. None of the men who showed up fit the bill in any way, shape, or form.

Either they were newbie coaches with limited experience, or they hadn't coached a female fighter, or it was quite obvious they were only interested in the position because of my status on the League.

They sucked, point blank, and I wasn't afraid to kick their ass out the door as quickly as they'd shuffled in. That in turn was working the best of Jason’s patience, especially with the Board’s deadline fast approaching.

I didn't really give a rat’s ass though. He could sit and stew for all I cared. When the right coach came along, I would know. Until then I was perfectly content flying solo.

Jason himself was another hellish ordeal on his own. It was beyond difficult to work alongside him now. His attitude was almost intolerable and there were several times I'd come close to burning the final thread and firing him.

Truth be told though, Jason handled a lot for me, and deep down I knew that firing him at this point in the season would be a huge mistake. Regardless, the tension between us was at an all time high and unless it was in relation to my schedule, we barely spoke to one another anymore.

I'd contemplated banging on his door and demanding an explanation for how drastically our relationship had changed but I was certain he'd simply throw the blame at Knox’s feet and wash his hands of it, so why bother? Why work myself up in a feeble attempt to salvage something that clearly meant so little to him in the first place?

As for Knox and I, we had reverted back to our old habit of talking on the phone almost nightly before bed. Some evenings we opted for FaceTime instead, which was a welcome change to the monotony that came along with routine.

It was nice to see his face, see that smile and those eyes I loved so much rather than just hear his voice. At times, I found myself wondering why we hadn’t done this before but my answer was clear as day the night our conversation took a steamy turn.Thatwas definitely new territory for me, new, unchartered territory that I quickly became a fan of.

It also wasn’t the only sliver of unchartered territory Atlanta granted me.

For the first time since starting my career with the League, I left the cage without another victory. Reyna was my opponent and while we weren't the best of friends, we had developed some sort of kinship with Knox being the common factor.

I'd never had an issue taking her down prior, but this time around, it was troublesome. Whenever my fist made direct contact with her face or I pummeled her in the gut and heard her struggle to breathe, I felt a sharpest pain lance through my being, forcing me to retreat far enough away to allow her a moment to gather her bearings.

Everyone in that arena was shocked to silence, befuddled even, and after fighting the full twenty-five minutes without a knock out or tap out in sight, the ref wrote it off as a tie.

Later that night, Knox and I discussed what exactly went down inside the cage. He both understood why I'd gone easy on her and why Reyna was so upset. Apparently she was livid, so livid in fact, she'd called Luis in hysterics after leaving the arena and Luis had called Knox shortly thereafter.

I felt terrible as he paraphrased everything Luis divulged on the matter but it’s not like there was much I could do. The fight was behind us and quite honestly, I was satisfied with the tie. I’d rather give up a win than beat the life out of my boyfriend’s childhood friend.

August finally melded into September, taking us from historic Atlanta to the multi-cultural and overpopulated streets of Miami. The tall palm trees and constant traffic always reminded me of home.

The perpetual Summer weather that lingered all year around, however, did not. I almost preferred the dry desert heat to the humidity that greeted me whenever I stepped foot outside.

Nonetheless, I ecstatic when the plane touched down on the tarmac because it meant I was just hours away from the moment I’d been counting down for weeks.

Our first two days in town were lost amongst preparing for Knox’s arrival and meeting with another handful of potential coaches, none of which made the cut.

Jason was furious and I was beginning to think I would never find someone worthy enough of the title, a worrisome thought indeed due to the fact I was required to have a coach. My contract stated it in bold print and The Board had made themselves quite clear in the letter I’d received just days after Bernie’s death.

The argument that ensued after the last man I turned away escalated so rapidly and with such ferocity, Manny had to step in and put an end to it before either one of us could act irrationally. By the time the middle of the week finally came around, I was way beyond frustrated, overwhelmed, and overly anxious to see my man.

An hour before Knox’s flight was scheduled to land, I climbed behind the wheel of the SUV and threw on my seat belt before pulling out onto Collins Ave.

With typical Miami traffic, it took me about forty-five minutes to arrive at Miami International and after parking inside the concrete confines the parking garage, I took off for the building as though someone was chasing me at gunpoint.

For over twenty minutes I waited not so patiently near baggage claim until finally,finally,I saw his massive frame towering high amongst a small group of people. When they cleared the way, scattering about to retrieve their bags, I bolted toward him and pounced straight into his arms, feeling a grand sense of relief wash over as he enveloped me tightly.

“At last.” I squeaked, clinging to him as though he could disappear at any moment.

“At-fucking-last is more like it.”

I smiled brightly and eased back to look him in the eye, taking his face in my hands. “God, I missed you.”

He nodded, flashing me a sly grin that set me ablaze. “Believe me when I say I know the feeling.”

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