Raw Passion (MMA Sports Romance) (4 page)

That was the real cost of being a professional mixed martial arts fighter.  Amateur fighters all wanted a taste of glory.  They all wanted their turn in the spotlight.  They saw big paychecks, rock star treatment, and the easy sex, but never thought about the behind the scenes trade offs it took to get there.

The fact was that the human body wasn't meant to take the kind of beatings that MMA fighters dished out.  It was a brutal, unforgiving sport.  One about inflicting as much pain as possible.  About leaving scars.  About taking no prisoners.  All that happened on camera in front of a nationally televised audience.  But when the cameras went away and the adrenaline faded, a different story emerged--the aftermath.

MMA was filled with the toughest men in the world.  Guys that were as tough as nails.  But the morning after a fight, whether they wanted to admit it or not, their brutal actions caught up with them.  Every fighter was sore just like Colin the day after a fight.  They all put up with it though because the beating their body took was worth it.  They fought through the pain to get a shot at one day competing for the league title.  They sacrificed their body's well being for fame and fortune.

Colin had been in this position before.  He'd worked through the pain.  He'd felt like he'd pushed his muscles to the limit in the past.  But that morning, he wondered if it was all worth it.  After losing to Trent, he was as far away from a title shot as he'd ever been.  He'd have to work his way back up the ranks.  Try to prove his worth again.  Then maybe, just maybe he'd get a shot.  That could be a few years down the road though if everything went right.  But lately everything seemed to be going wrong in Colin's life.

Add to that the fact that Colin wasn't getting any younger.  It seemed to weird to even say that.  Colin was just approaching thirty years of age.  If he was in any other line of work, he'd still be considered young.  But when you beat the shit out of people for a living, hitting thirty meant you were you old hat.  You were the cagey veteran all of a sudden.  MMA was a young man's game.

Still, Colin had the whole rest of his life ahead of him.  Was it really worth trying to chase a dream that seemed to have passed him by?

Colin then stopped himself.  He'd been doing a whole lot of thinking.  It was time to take his mind off of things.  So he decided to turn on the TV.  Big mistake.

The first thing Colin saw when he turned the TV on was footage of his face getting clobbered by Trent's fist.  Things weren't any better on the internet.  Photos and videos of the fight were all over the internet.  Colin woke up to find himself more famous than ever--for all the wrong reasons.  It was horrifying.  Colin decided to lay low for a while.  To just wait until things died down a little.

Luckily in the 24 hour cable news world, there were always new stories popping up.  And when a referee blew a huge call to decide a football game later that day, Colin couldn't have felt more relieved.  Maybe it meant the focus had shifted.  Maybe it meant that he could show his face outside again.  That was just the news Colin needed to hear.  Colin really needed some air.  But as Colin made his way to the grocery store to pick up some beer, he was in for the surprise of his life.

Chapter Four

Julie

"Well, you must be happy," Steve Jones said, as Julie entered the break room at work to get her morning coffee. 

Julie had no idea what Steve was talking about. 

"About what?" Julie asked. 

"The fight on Saturday.  It was epic," Steve said. 

"Steve, I don't watch fights anymore," Julie insisted. 

Now Steve was the one that was confused.  "But Trent Cutler just killed Coin Robinson over the weekend.  It was insane."

Julie tried to keep a low profile at work.  She wasn't a gossip.  She just went in, did her job, then went home.  The downside of that was not everyone in the office was quite as up to date on Julie's love life as they could be.   

Just hearing Trent's name again sent a shiver down Julie's spine.  Every time she tried to take a step forward in getting over Trent, he'd somehow come up.  It never failed. 

"Trent and I aren't dating anymore," Julie said. 

"Oh.  Well, in that case never mind," Steve replied.  "It was still a bad ass fight though."

"Steve, I told you.  I don't care about fights anymore," Julie said, diplomatically.

"Alright, alright.  It's a shame you two aren't dating anymore.  After Trent's win, he's going to get a seriously fat payday for his next fight.  You'd probably never have to work again," Steve ruminated. 

Suddenly Julie realized it was going to be a long day.  And work couldn't end soon enough. 

***

Julie knew she had to get out of her funk.  It was just no way to live.  Maybe seeing an old friend would bring a smile back to her face. 

Brianna Laster was the same age as Julie, but her life couldn't look any different.  Not only was Brianna happily married, but she already had a two year old child. 

Some women had dreams of the corner office.  They wanted to be CEO's one day.  They wanted to start their own business.  Their goals were based around professional achievements.  Julie was built differently.  Julie cared little about getting ahead professionally.  What she wanted more than anything was to start a family.  She wanted to fall in love, get married, and have two kids.  For some people, that wouldn't be much.   But a simple, happy life was what she craved. 

Julie wanted the family that she never had.  A two parent family.  A complete family.  A happy family.  So Julie found herself both happy for, and jealous of her friend Brianna.  Her ability to stay at home, to raise her kid, and to not have to go into a job she didn't really care about. 

While Brianna and Julie sat in Brianna's living room talking, Brianna's son Timmy had tired himself running around and was now taking a nap.  As Julie looked at Timmy, she couldn't get over how adorable the little guy looked.  Timmy had fallen asleep in an odd position, almost as if he'd exhausted his muscles so much that they just shut down on him on the spot. 

"He's so precious," Julie said. 

"Sure you say that now that he's asleep, but let me just say that they don't call them the terrible two's for nothing," Brianna replied.

"Wow.  I still can't believe you have a two year old," Julie said. 

"Yeah, he's growing up pretty fast," Brianna insisted. 

"It makes me wonder when I'm going to have a kid of my own," Julie said.  "I mean, I don't even have a boyfriend."

"It'll happen for you," Brianna replied.

Julie couldn't help but laugh at that statement.  "You haven't been on the dating scene in a while.  It's brutal out there."  

"Look, there only needs to be one man out there as long as he's the right one," Brianna insisted. 

"Yeah, but with my luck there will only be one man left out there.  And he'll be a hot mess," Julie joked. 

"Well, at least you haven't lost your optimism," Brianna joked back. 

"What can I say?   It's on vacation.  A really long vacation," Julie said. 

"Please, don't say vacation around me.  I feel like I haven't been on a vacation in years," Brianna replied. 

"I'll tell you what.  Why don't we trade?   I'll raise your kid and you can go to my lousy office job," Julie said. 

"No thank you," Brianna replied, without hesitation. 

"That's what I thought," Julie said. 

"But look.  Don't worry.  You'll be in my shoes one day," Brianna insisted. 

Julie sighed.  "That day can't come soon enough."

Chapter Five

Colin

"Colin Robinson.  What are the odds that I'd run into you here?" Samantha Kurtz asked. 

Colin couldn't believe his luck.  He just wanted to grab a drink, then head back home.  He didn't want any trouble.  And he definitely didn't want to run into his ex-girlfriend.  But as Colin came out of the supermarket with a six pack of beer, his ex Samantha Kurtz was just making her way in. 

Colin couldn't believe how damn good his ex still looked.  It was almost as if she'd gotten hotter since she left him.  Colin wasn't in any mood to make small talk though.  Not after the week he'd had.  Not given the fact that he was still hung up on her.  Besides, Colin was hardly at his best.  He was still waiting for the bruises on his face to heal after the beat down Trent had given him.  But there was no avoiding Samantha. 

"Wow--Samantha.  You look great," Colin said. 

"Thanks," Samantha replied.  "You don't though.  What happened to you?"

Samantha wasn't able to stop staring at the bruises on Colin's face.  He hated to run into her like this.  Not in the state he was in.  Colin wanted to be at his best.  He wanted to be able to show Samantha what she was missing out on.  He didn't want a broken down version of himself to be on display. 

"Did you not see the fight?" Colin asked. 

"Oh God no.  I didn't like watching fights when we were together.   But now that we're not together anymore, I don't go near them," Samantha said. 

"It's probably better that you didn't see it," Colin said.  He was then quick to change the subject.  "So, how have you been?" Colin asked. 

"Amazing.  My life is going better than I ever could have imagined," Samantha said.

That was not the answer Colin was looking for.  He'd secretly been hoping that Samantha regretted leaving him and that she wanted him back.  But that clearly wasn't the case. 

"Oh," Colin replied, deflated.

"I guess I shouldn't ask how you're doing," Samantha said.  

When Colin pictured running into his ex again, he imagined it going far better.  But this was turning into an emotional train wreck for Colin.  It was clear that Samantha never even thought about Colin anymore.  That she'd far past moved on from their relationship.  And that Colin was the only one holding on to what used to be. 

But things went from bad to worse when Colin spotted the name on the side of the shopping bag that Samantha was holding.  It was from a lingerie store.

"Were you just out buying lingerie?" Colin asked.

Samantha got defensive all of a sudden.  "It's none of your business, but yes."

Colin almost blew his top.  During their year of dating, Samantha made a point of mentioning that she was no fan of lingerie.  That she never felt comfortable in it.  And more importantly that she would never wear it for Colin.  Apparently things had changed.  

"But you told me you hated lingerie," Colin said. 

"Things change," Samantha replied. 

"Since when?" Colin asked. 

Samantha then got awfully quiet.  That meant only one thing in Colin's mind.  

"Who's the guy?" Colin asked. 

"Does it really matter?" Samantha wondered.  "I mean look, I don't have to tell you anything.  We're not together anymore."

Colin pressed on though.  "Who's the guy?"

Samantha answered shyly.  "He's an astro physics professor at the university."

Colin couldn't believe it.  Samantha had gone from dating a professional mixed martial arts fighter to being with an astro physics professor.  She couldn't have done a bigger about face if she tried.  But she clearly had tried.  It was if Samantha couldn't get far enough away from Colin and his profession. 

"A physics professor.  Is that all?" Colin joked.  "Your sights are too low.  You shouldn't have settled for anything less than a brain surgeon."

"I should probably be going," Samantha said. 

"And here I thought I couldn't feel any dumber already," Colin admitted.  

"Yeah, I really have to be going," Samantha insisted.

Colin lashed out.  "You're right.  You probably should be getting back to your genius professor boyfriend to have mind blowing lingerie sex.  But it was great running into you.  Let's never do this again."

***

Colin couldn't have felt worse.  The stench of inadequacy was all over him.  He felt dumb, weak, burnt out, and completely washed up.  Colin needed a break from life.  He needed to relax.  To get away from it all.  So Colin paid a visit to his grandmother.

"Have you ever had one of those weeks when it seemed like everything was going wrong?" Colin asked. 

"Of course.  We all do," Wendy replied. 

Colin had lost both his parents when he was young.  Colin was just eight.  He watched helplessly as his parents were gunned down by a mugger.  It was so random.  So awful.  And it happened so quick.  One minute Colin and his parents were just out shopping, and the next his parents were on the pavement bleeding out.  It was the kind of thing that a kid never gets over.  The feeling of absolute helplessness.  For the longest time, Colin wanted to believe he could have done something to stop the mugger.  But he was just a kid.  Just a little pip squeak.  There was nothing he could have done. 

That's the reason Colin got into fighting.  He wanted to be strong.  He wanted to learn how to defend himself.  He wanted to learn how to take on anyone.  To not be afraid.