Broken #2 (The Broken Series - Book #2) (8 page)

I
grinned. “Yes, I'm sure you want to see it. It looks incredible, if that helps.
I'll make sure to get you a copy.”

“That's
really cool, Natalie. You are really cool.”

I
believed him when he said it. “Thank you, Jet. Would you like another glass of
wine?”

“Sure.
Now why is it that you think I need to loosen up for this session?”

I
smiled. “You'll see.” I got up, and poured us both some wine. I handed him his
glass, and started to set up my easel. He took the hint, and picked up his
glass of wine, and headed to the wall.

“Okay,
so what's it going to be this time? Should I bend over and hold my butt in the
air?”

“Funny.
No that's not what I want.”

“So
what is it this time?”

I
looked down at my pad of paper, and picked up a pencil. “I want you to take
your shirt off, Jet. That's the change I need for this session. Everything else
stays the same.”

He
stared at me for a few minutes. “Are you serious?”

“Very.”

He
continued to stare, until a look of realization came over his face. “Am I going
to be taking off more every time we do this?”

I
laughed nervously. “Yes, you will be. Is that okay?”

He raised
his eyebrows. “I'm surprised that you are okay with that.”

“I
will deal with it. I am determined to have a really good project.”

“At all costs.”

I
giggled. “Yes, that's right.”

Jet
slowly pulled his shirt over his head, and tossed it to the side of the room.
His chest was firm and strong. He had a six-pack that most people would kill
for. I had a hard time drawing my eyes away from his body, but I did have work
to do.

“Promise
me one thing, Natalie, please.”

I
looked up at him when he spoke. “What's that?”

“Promise
me that I won't have to be fully naked for any of these drawings.”

I
paused before I spoke. “I promise.” I had a hand behind my back, and what Jet
didn't know, was that two of my delicate fingers were crossed. We would cross
that bridge when we got there.

“You
have a really nice body, Jet. You must work really hard at maintaining it.”

“Are
you checking me out?”

I
grinned.
“Maybe a little.”

“Nice.
I do actually spend quite a bit of time on it. But it's all part of the game,
ya know. You have a pretty nice body yourself, if I remember correctly.” I
looked up to catch the wink he threw my way, and I blushed excessively.

I
started the drawing the same way I had done the last one, by starting with a
vague outline that I would fill in with detail later on. He stood there without
moving for half an hour before we took a break, but by then I had most of the
drawing completed. I just needed to add the shading and the final details.

We
sat on the couch together, and I realized just how comfortable I was in his
presence. I was no longer freaked out at the idea of being in the same room with
him. Despite the obvious attraction he felt for me, he was on his best
behavior. He swirled the wine in his glass before he looked up at me.

“So,
what do you plan on doing with all this afterwards, Natalie? What career are
you looking for?”

“I
haven't decided yet. Before my program is finished, I will have to decide on
which part of my art experience here I loved the most. At that point, I will specialize
in that for a year straight, and then I graduate. I hope by then I can afford
to freelance, and sell my work in galleries, but of course, that remains to be
seen.”

“Do
you know which one you are going to choose?”

“I
have no idea. There is really something great about all of them. Writing will
have to go by the wayside, I think. I just don't have a natural talent for it.
But as for the rest, I can't decide yet. I will play out the rest of the year,
and then make a decision for my final year.”

“That's
so interesting. The idea of you being out there; you could be famous one day.”

“So
could you,” I shot back.

He
nodded chuckling. “Yeah, I guess that's true.”

“What
would you do, Jet, if you got injured? What then?”

“Well,
that's where I would have to say I have no idea. I've never even considered
doing anything else. This was always all I wanted. I couldn't even imagine
doing a regular job. I know it sounds juvenile but I can't. I would probably
have to go work at my father's company, which is actually the last thing I want
to do, but it would be a guaranteed career, where I would one day own the
company,” he shrugged, and I could tell that the idea of giving up his dream
caused him sadness. I hoped he would never have to do such a thing. Seeing him
fight the other day had made me realize that it could be very easy for a
fighter to get badly injured―enough to end his career. The thought of it
scared me, not for myself, but for him.

It
was his turn to change the subject, and get us back on track. “Well, let's get
back to it okay?” He stood up, and headed back to his position, and I could
tell I hit a nerve with my comment. I wondered if he would ever feel
comfortable talking to me about his dad. That, however, was probably too much
to ask, since I didn't really want him in my life long-term anyway. It was best
to have him keep his personal life to himself. I did not want to feel anything
for him.

I
rose from the couch myself, and headed back to the drawing to finish what I had
started.

Chapter Ten

Jet

“Here's
the moment you all have been waiting for! Come on out Jet!” It wasn't just
their moment, it was mine, too. It was the moment I had been waiting for, as
well. It was the time when adrenaline started pumping overtime. I felt jacked,
and ready to kick some ass, and you better believe that I planned on it.

Coach
was beside me. “Okay, Jet, are you ready to go?”

I
nodded. I was more than ready.

The
crowd, as usual, was losing its mind, screaming at me as I came down the aisle
toward the cage. They called out my name in a fury, and it was obvious that I had
some very loyal fans. I rushed into the cage, and circled it, awaiting my
opponent’s arrival. I saw my team going into my corner just as my opponent came
out of the curtain, and headed my way.

Bradley
joined me in the cage, and we positioned ourselves in our respective corners,
and waited for the bell to ring.

With
the ring of the bell, Bradley charged me. My head flew to the side from the
impact of his punch. Blood spurted from my lips, and I took a step back to
reset my position. I didn't step back far enough, however, as Bradley pummelled
me with three blows at once, all to my face.

He swung
again, but I blocked, and we exchanged jabs for a few minutes before the bell rang,
and we returned to our corners. Robbie applied something to my wounds, and gave
me a drink of water, all the while yelling at me.

“Jet,
get your head in the game, man. There is no reason for you to be taking any
hits. We have prepared for this over and over again. Now get out there, and
ring that guy’s bell.”

I
was nodding my head. It was about all I could do. I looked angrier than ever,
and I was determined to do my coach proud. The bell went off, and we went at
each other with kicks flying, and punches slamming. I feinted to the side, and
Bradley punched into the space where I had been. It was the perfect opportunity
for me to come in with an uppercut to the face that connected so hard that
Bradley staggered backwards. It took him a moment to recover his footing. He
swung out his arm, but I ducked, and came back with a punch to the ribs, gut
and face, all landing perfectly.

I
got the guy, but I also didn't expect him to stay put, and swing a punch to my
body, landing near my liver. I thought for a moment that I would throw up. I
moved to the left, only to get another body shot, and I felt something twist in
my back.

Bradley
threw another punch, aiming for my face, but I blocked the punch, returning
with a punch of my own. I slammed my fist right into Bradley’s face, bringing
him to his knees.

I
was bleeding, and although I was doing well, I needed to make sure that the
fight didn't go to decision. I wanted a win, and Bradley had gotten in some
pretty good shots.

Bradley
stood up, and hit me in the face. My head swung back, even though my body
stayed firmly planted on the cage floor. I spun around with a spinning back
kick, and pushed Bradley away from me, allowing me some time to breathe. When
he came back in, I grabbed him in a clinch, and drove a few knees into him.

He
pushed out of my grip, and I swung back, and hit even harder with a three punch
combination. We get into another clinch, and then we shoved off of one another.
I charged at him, blood pouring from my head, and I hit him with a
pow
, pow, pow
of punches.

Bradley
started to back off as I hit him against the ropes. I was hitting him hard, but
he wouldn't go down. What a mean monster that guy was; it was time to end this
game.

I
was focused as I systematically pummelled Bradley, hitting him mercilessly,
crushing him in a pool of his own blood. I grinned as I looked down at my
opponent, who wasn't about to get back up for more. I looked around at the
crowd, and saw that there was blood dripping from his eyebrow down his nose.

The endorphins going through my
body at that moment would prevent me from feeling any pain for the next little
while, and hopefully vodka would take care of the rest later. I turned to look
around at the crowd, screaming for their “king of the ring,” who just won yet
another fight.

The guys in my corner, along with
Coach, poured into the cage, jumping up and down in excitement. Coach grabbed
me, and wrapped his arms around me, patting me on the back. That was when I
felt the pain.

“I think I hurt my back, Robbie.”

“Okay, Tough Guy, we will have
someone look at you. Let's wait for the decision, though.”

We didn’t wait long before the
judges ruled me as the winner of the fight. My hands went into the air, and I
circled the cage a few times before I headed out of the cage with my team. We
went right back into the warmup area to see about getting me to a doctor.

“Jet, just have a seat while I get the doctor.
I’m sure they are still trying
to put Bradley's face back together.” I smiled, loving Robbie even more for
that comment.

Many of the other fighters kept
coming up to me, and congratulating me for the bloodbath I just laid out for
all to see. Robbie came back with the doctor, and he started checking me out.

“Coach says you hurt your back.”

“Yeah, something kind of twisted
back there when I got hit with a body shot. It doesn't feel right, and it hurts
to touch it.” I showed him where the pain was coming from. He pushed into the
spot I indicated, and I sucked in a deep breath. It hurt like a bitch, and I
was none too happy that I got injured during my fight.

“You're going to need to rest on
this one.
Lots of ice.
It's nothing serious, but you
have to take care of yourself, or it could affect your future fights. Don't
train hard for a while. A hot bath tonight will probably do you some good.”

“Okay,
Doc,
thanks a lot,” Robbie shook the doctor’s hand and turned back to me.

“Let's go get you drunk first,
and then you can consider that bath.

I laughed; he knew just how to
make me feel better.

Chapter Eleven

Natalie

The library was really busy that
afternoon, and despite the fact that I was there to study, I hadn't gotten much
done. There was too much bustling around. I had four people at my table, a few
of whom were only there to gossip. I needed to study, and these girls were
annoying me beyond what I could deal with.
 
I decided to give it up for the day, and head somewhere else. I began
putting my books into my bag, along with the notes I had been trying to make on
my story, but I hadn't been able to concentrate. I shook my head at the two
girls still gossiping about Facebook statuses. They needed to get a life, and I
was irritated that they ruined my study session.

I slung my bag over my shoulder,
and headed out of the library into the sun. It was a cool fall day, but the sun
was shining brightly just the same. I put on a pair of sunglasses to avoid the
glare, and just as I did, I saw Jet not far from me, limping awkwardly down the
sidewalk. He looked like he might be in a lot of pain. I jogged over to him,
and walked alongside him, with a smile on my face.

“Hey, Jet.”

“Hey, Natalie, how are you?”

“I'm great.
Just
got finished studying ...
kinda
.
Where are you
coming from?”