Dog Days (BWWM/Interracial MMA Erotic Romance Urban Novella) (3 page)

“Lisa used to do this for me,” he mused. There was a smile on his face I could see through his beard. “When I was trying to break out in the scene, I didn’t have money to spare for a barber. I tried to do it myself but I always end up with one too many shaving errors. I couldn’t go out there looking like a mummy. So Lisa did it for me. I never got a cut from her.”

I took a moment to run my hands under the water. It was as much to steady them as it was hygienic. The sight of Brendan’s exposed chest didn’t help me relax. “I’ll do my best, Brendan.”

I finished washing up and brought my wet hands to the fighter’s face. He barely had a mark on his face in spite of his years of fighting. I guess his speed and reflexes made it difficult for opponents to land a good hit on him.

I used the warm water to massage and relax his jawline and neck. Soon, the fighter stopped being so tense and the powerful muscles in his body grew slack. There was that same serene expression on his face I saw from earlier.

I took out a can of shaving cream I had found in the hotel’s cabinet. I released a thick patch of the crème before separating the foam with my other hand. Then, I lavished the bottom of Brendan’s face with it. After that, I moved to cover his neck and back over to his lips. Brendan seemed to find my touch to be awkward since he shuddered on the tiny stool.

I rinsed my hands clean before taking out my razor. I cleaned it was well before flicking excess water off it. I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of the MMA fighter covered in shaving cream and at my complete mercy. “May be I should shave off half your beard and leave the rest as it is. You could end up with a new nick name like Brendan ‘Half-face’ Douglas.”

“Keep laughing and I’ll put you into a submission,” he threatened in mock anger. The man was careful not to shake off the shaving cream. “And then I’ll shave the entire alphabet into your hair. Last time I heard Alfie ‘the Alphabet’ Bateson was looking for a sparring partner.”

I responded with an equal amount of mock repentance. “Sorry, Mr. Bulldog. I’m not interested in trading hits with men twice my size. I rather enjoy being a dog groomer.”

“Enjoying it a little too much-“

“Stop! You’ll drop off all the foam.”

The fighter laughed. “Just finish this already.”

I began working on his right side. People were a lot easier to deal with than hyperactive dogs. I stretched his skin and carefully pressed my blade against it. After each slice, I would drop the excess hair in the sink and rinse the razor.

Satisfied, I moved onto his left side. The man was eerily calm as I did my work. Usually, a razor was enough to spook any man. However, Brendan was still and breathing softly. I wondered if he was getting nostalgic and remembering what it was like doing this with Lisa.

“Okay, now the lips. Be still.”

Brendan used his tongue to push his lips outward. I went in close with my blade. Growing confident, I grabbed Brendan’s head and rotated it to my liking. I was especially careful when I shaved his neck. I didn’t want to sever an artery and send him rushing to the hospital. The man didn’t need to lose a few pints of blood before the big fight.

With a heavy exhalation, I placed the razor on the counter and washed my hands. Then, I washed Brendan’s face clean. I followed up by drying him with a towel.

I stepped back and explained my handiwork. The fighter did as well as he stroked his chin and admired himself in the mirror. “Damn, you’re good.”

“Told you,” I grinned, placing a hand near his face. “Maybe I should cut that ponytail of yours while I’m at it. That thing is a liability when you’re fighting.”

Brendan grabbed my hand. “Another time.”

The man was silent as we looked at me. His sharp green eyes glimmered like jewels held under water. There was an unmistakable look of desire and longing on his face.

The feeling was mutual.

I leaned down and brought my lips to his. His hand moved up to caress my cheek. His lips were full, inviting, and supple. I sensed the tension leave in his battle-hardened body. His other hand continued to grip my wrist before kissing me back with all of his power.

In this moment, there were no fighting or dog grooming. All the remained was the desire that had escaped the bondage of our hearts. I knew Brendan had buried himself in his craft. He had gone on for too long with love.

Eventually, Brendan pulled away while his hand still held onto mine. His body and face showed signs of confliction. He was trapped between his past and the present he inhabited. I wanted this man. I needed him to take me to bed and make love to me. He needed to let go off the past.

“I’m sorry, Agnes,” he sighed, getting up and covering himself. “We can’t do this.”

I watched as he walked out of the bathroom and entered his bedroom.

He returned with a set of fresh clothing and left for training.

When the front door became shut, I knew he had gone to grind himself away on the training mats.

I was a wreck for the rest of the week. Brendan didn’t come to the hotel for the days that followed. It wouldn’t have been unusual since he had told me his training and promotional duties would require him to stay the night elsewhere at times. However, I couldn’t help but think our kiss had scared him off.

I didn’t want my relationship with Brendan to get awkward. He was well within his rights to sever our contract. However, I wanted to stay with the man. I couldn’t help him train physically for the fight. Yet, I could help him deal with the emotions that existed outside the Octagon.

Romeo did his best to distract me but it was no use. I loved Brendan but I could understand if he didn’t feel the same way about me. Nevertheless, I wanted to help him deal with the loss of Lisa. He couldn’t have that dark cloud hanging over him before the fight.

During the evening, Brendan seemed to be running a little late. It wasn’t unusual since he preferred to pack in some extra training the closer he got to the day of the match. I stayed at the hotel and watched television with Romeo. He seemed to enjoy the Food Network as much as I did.

Suddenly, Brendan appeared through the front door. He dropped his training gear on the floor and came to me. I couldn’t complain at his sweaty appearance which highlighted his musculature.

I was a little embarrassed since I was wearing only a robe due to the ongoing heat wave. “Agnes, get your kit ready.”

I looked to him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Hair got loose and blocked my vision,” he explained. Indeed, it was getting a little too long. We had held off on cutting it. “I can’t risk that happening in a sparring match, let alone the actual competition. Besides, I can’t go on television looking like a caveman.”

I remembered that I had offered to have trimmed his hair. “Sure thing! Let me just get my grooming kit. Do you want to do it in the bathroom again?”

Brendan smiled at me. I was glad our relationship hadn’t grown awkward. The man gave me an odd look as he spoke. “I’m sure my bedroom will have more space for the both of us.”

Our bedrooms had king size beds and the rooms themselves were almost as large as my modestly sized apartment. It sounded more comfortable than the bathroom. “Sounds great! I’ll get a beach towel so we don’t end up making a mess for the hotel staff.”

In all honestly, I preferred working on people rather than dogs. I got a small clipper and a razor. Brendan had a lot of hair to go through. I thought about changing into something more comfortable but I didn’t want to keep him waiting.

When I returned with my tools, Brendan had stripped down to his underwear. I couldn’t help but gasp at his beauty and strength. I covered up my reaction by fishing a hairdryer out of my bag. I didn’t really need to use it. He didn’t seem to notice as he spoke to me. “I got a bowl of hot water ready for you.”

I nodded at the plastic container full of water. It was very hot but would cool down by the time I used it. “That should be enough. Take a seat, Brendan.”

I dropped one of the towels into the bowl of water and let it absorb the liquid. I decided to act like a professional and deal with my nervousness. “So how shall we begin Mr. Douglas?”

We heard Romeo claw and bark at the door in vain. “Definitely not a crew cut. We have too many of those already in the UFC. How about something short but nice looking for the ladies?”

I giggled and got my clippers ready. “One Agnes Special coming up!”

As I leaned over him on the bed, he got a good view of my cleavage. This robe was going to make things complicated but Brendan was being a model client. I got out my electric clippers and turned it on.

The fighter was still as a stone as I approached him with the clippers. Dogs tended to be skittish when they heard the sound of the electric clipper. I wasn’t used to such good behavior.

Most of the time, I had to collar the animal in question. It wasn’t for walking them with a leash. Instead, I tied them to the grooming handle in order to keep them from wandering. Eventually, they get used to being groomed and wouldn’t require it in the future.

With the clippers in hand, I went to work on the wild mass of hair. I noticed that Brendan had reached out to touch my leg with his hand. He moved it in tandem with my cutting motions.

The sensation I felt was more arousing than distracting.

The hand started to move up and down. Our attraction was mutual. I tried to retain my composure. “I just have to finish up with some of the smaller clippers for the edges.”

Still stroking my leg, Brendan simply said. “Good.”

With his hand moving up my thigh, I began doing some cleanup work. Soon, his weather-beaten fingers neared my sex. It felt like we were performing a ritual for each other. As I trimmed him, his hand went closer to my mound.

I stifled a moan and kept working.

My hands were steady but my body was quivering. Brendan placed his other hand on my waist to steady me. I did another trimming pass to better shape his hair. As I did so, his fingertips touched my pussy lips.

I leaned back and said. “Now that’s a good boy!”

We both had a laugh at that.