AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That’s what makes me so angry. You’re perfect the way you are, and they have no right to force you to lose weight or make any change to your body for that matter. You need to lay down the law with them.”
I put the bar down, sitting up straight and stretching slightly.
“What do you mean? What could I possibly do?” is my slow question. “Carla and my dad have all the power. Since I’m only eighteen, I don’t think I have many choices. Or you mean like talking to a lawyer or something?” I ask, cocking my head to the right.
Shaft puts the weights back on the rack before turning to face me.
“No. What I mean is Battle Bang.”
My face scrunches in confusion.
“Battle Bang? What’s that?”
Shaft’s silent for a moment, merely looking at me. A shiver runs down my spine. I can almost taste him on my tongue again. Maybe it’s time for us to hit the showers and get steamy for a while.
But the big man’s serious this time, and he shakes his head.
“Battle Bang’s a little crazy,” he says slowly. “I’m not sure you’d be into it.”
Of course, that makes me curious as hell, and I shoot him a withering look.
“Try me, Shaft. I’m not as innocent as I look. So what’s Battle Bang?”
He shakes his head again.
“No, you’re not going to like it.”
Shaft begins to get up, wiping down some of the equipment with a loose rag.
“You can’t leave me hanging like that!” is my protest. “That’s what’s not fair. Not my parents, but you.”
This time, he swings around, those blue eyes piercing me to the heart.
“Okay, but hold on tight, sweet thing. Because this isn’t anything you’ve encountered in your short life before.”
I sit there, waiting patiently.
“And?”
The alpha looks around to see if there’s anyone listening before leaning close to me.
“Battle Bang is a wrestling club,” he says, his voice low and smooth, impossible for anyone else to hear. “A private one.”
I cock my head again, looking at him curiously.
“But that seems okay,” are my slow words. “What’s wrong with having a private wrestling club?”
He’s silent for a moment, merely taking me in. And then he speaks again.
“Men wrestle women, for one,” he says, that voice a low growl.
That throws me for a loop.
“Really?” my brows scrunch. “But is that even legal?”
Shaft’s silent again.
“It’s not about being legal or illegal,” he says smoothly. “It’s more about going with the flow. This isn’t your usual type of wrestling match.”
“I can see that,” is my playful reply. “But if men wrestling women is okay, it shouldn’t be a big deal, right? So what else happens? There has to be something else.”
I’m sure Shaft’s about to say something about how nothing’s rigged and this is all above-board. But instead, he shakes his head.
“You’re too young,” he says abruptly. “You’re not ready.”
I sit up straight now, hands on my hips and my expression indignant.
“I’m not so young that it stopped you from ripping my ass apart in the locker room yesterday,” is my forceful comment, not caring who hears. “If I’m old enough for that, then I think I’m old enough to know about this so-called private wrestling club.”
To his credit, dark streaks form across Shaft’s cheekbones.
“Okay,” he nods curtly. “You win. Battle Bang is complicated because you could say it’s rigged in a way,” he begins.
“It is?” I interrupt, my eyebrows almost shooting off my forehead. “Really? How so?”
Shaft sighs then.
“Sweetheart, let me start again. Have you ever seen the movie Fight Club?”
I nod.
“Sure. The one with Brad Pitt, right? The first rule is never talk about Fight Club. The second rule is never talk about Fight Club. Et cetera.”
He nods, a humorless smile on his lips.
“Battle Bang is a little like Fight Club,” he says. “It’s a private underground club but there are some key differences.”
“Like?” I ask, brows arching. “I mean, the inclusion of women is huge. So it’s not just a bunch of guys pummeling each other, I get that. But what else?”
Shaft takes a moment before answering.
“Well, the women fight, sure, but it’s a special type of fighting. We wrestle so that no one really gets hurt.”
I nod.
“That makes sense. It’s more technical, right? You’re scored on points instead of drawing blood or blocking punches.”
Shaft looks around again to make sure no one’s listening.
“That’s right. Men and women grapple together in the ring. There are all sorts of holds and moves that you wouldn’t believe.”
I laugh.
“I’ve seen wrestling on TV,” I say drolly, rolling my eyes. “Hulk Hogan, Wrestle Mania, all that good stuff, right? My high school even has a team. The guys are on a mat, wrestling each other, and that’s all. I can see how it’d be different if there are women involved, but it’s not that different.”
Shaft’s eyes gleam.
“No, it’s real different sweetheart. For one thing, the competitors aren’t wearing much.”
