Chapter 5: She's in Love With the Boy

Tamara

"You can't go on a date without makeup."

I groaned into the phone, regretting starting this conference call on WhatsApp. My sister Sandra looked like I felt after Keith's Wednesday night gig. That didn't stop her from contributing to the girls-only conversation, her girlfriend in the background.

"Tammy! First, you saddle yourself with some Alpha MMA fighter out of the blue. Then you tell us that you are going to be bringing him back to your place to - and I quote - 'touch up his locs' after he takes you to some place called The Protein Palace. And now you're telling us that you plan to go bare-faced? Are you out of your mind?" Her blue eyes were sparking with ire as she glared at me. How could I explain this to Miss Girlie Girl?

"There was a mention of exercising prior to the date part," my sister Teenu mentioned, applying blush to her brown face. "You can't work out with makeup on."

"Thank you," I said breathlessly. I was changing into my royal blue sundress. I'd called Teenu to ask for suggestions on what to wear for my date. Teenu suggested we call Peggy since she was over at Lionel's. Peggy insisted that Sandra would be best for fashion tips, being the fashionista of the family. Then Teenu decided that Alica would feel left out if we didn't invite her to the call… The whole thing just kinda snowballed and now I was facing an interrogation Saunders style.

"I heard MMA fighters are dangerous. Are you sure you're alright, Tamara?" I couldn't help smiling at my sister's compassionate nature. We all agreed that her husband of one year, Gregory, was a lucky man.

"I promise you I'm safe, sis. Keith Rochester is physically incapable of harming me," I reassured her, carefully not thinking about that strange pull he'd done the other day. It was funny; even as he'd seized me, I'd felt so safe and protected. Surprised, yes. But not as if I was in danger.

"Earth to Tamara," Sandra said sarcastically. "You're going to miss your date."

"No I'm not, Sandy," I said with an eye roll. "It's only noon. I need a fast and simple style to wear my hair in after working out."

"Oh, you have the most fun hairstyles, sis," Alica said, settling in to watch me.

"What happened to you opening a beauty salon out there?"

"Nursing pays better," I said with a shrug. "Besides, who says I've given up on that dream? I'm also saving up for my nest egg."

"Oh, come on, Tammy! You have the schooling and you've been braiding, cutting, and coloring hair since practically before you had any," Peggy laughed, posing in a sexy getup for her boyfriend. He was off camera and keeping silent, but she occasionally flicked her eyes to him and giggled.

"You need money to open a shop," I protested. "Money and backers and a location and paperwork… God, where would I start?" Just the thought of being my own boss filled me with equal parts elation and trepidation.

"Hey, it's okay, little one. I know you'll get your dream," Teenu said gently. I could almost feel her hand on my knee as she tended to do when offering comfort. The Pakistani beauty was the rock of our family.

"You are an amazing person, Tee-Tee," I smiled with tears in my eyes. The others were quick to agree. "I really miss you guys so much! I know I could have easily opened up a beauty parlor on the East Coast. But after eight years… I… I just… I couldn't do it anymore! It wiped out my student loans, but I swear I actively hated every day of my life nursing in Philly."

"We understand, Sweetie," Alica jumped in. "We all saw how much it was eating at your soul. You've been so much happier since you left the East Coast."

"Ooh, what do you call that style, Tammy?" Peggy didn't like to talk about my depression. When I'd called a family dinner to talk about it, she'd cried. Hard. She'd been attached to my hip ever since, pestering me about my medicine the odd time I missed a dose.

"I don't have a name for it yet," I laughed. "I'm just playing in my hair right now."

"Remember how she saved my bacon when the hair stylist didn't show up to my wedding?"

"How can we ever forget with you there to remind us?" Sandy said snidely. I could understand her reluctance to talk about it. Elvira was Sandy's recommendation after all. Every time Alica brought it up, it was a knife to her heart. Making a mental note to bring that up to Alica before she brought it up again, I sought to smooth the ruffled feathers. Oy vey… The things I did for my family…

"Alica! For the last time, that was just what you do for your family. Please stop bringing it up. It's embarrassing. I'm just glad I was able to help. Now, what do you think about this style?" I'd caught my hair up at the top of my head. Plaiting a couple of locs around the main ponytail, I had them flowing out of the whole thing like a fountain. This style was reminiscent of Princess Leia in The Empire Strikes Back while she was in Cloud City.

"You do good work," Teenu exclaimed. "Did you really do that in the ten minutes we've been talking? I think it's a sin that you're nursing. This is your true calling!"

"Is there any way you can keep it this way while you work out? Give him a taste of what's to come?" Alica asked.

"Not really. I'd be too worried about my hair to focus on my lifts."

"Aren't you worried about lifting too heavy?" Sandra asked. "I heard you can-"

"Do I take steroids?" I asked abruptly.

"What? No!"

"Then I won't turn into one of those female-male hybrids. I've been lifting heavy for half a year and the only thing about me that's 'pumping up' is my weight loss numbers!" The line descended into chaos for a minute.

"And we are all very proud of you for that," Teenu said, fully in lecture mode. "We just want to make sure that you aren't being unsafe while you're losing weight."

"I'm safe about it, Tee-Tee. I promise. Any other questions before I clear the line so I can get ready for my date?"

"Yes," Alica said. "Your MMA fighter… Is he hot?" Catcalls sounded out. That was such a Peggy thing to say.

"Alica Winnifred Wittman! What has gotten into you?"

"I don't know," she said slyly, "but it's coming out in eight months."

Silence.

"Alica," I asked carefully, "did you just say you're pregnant?"

"You can't toss out a question like that and not expect me to spill my news! You can't tell the guys or the parents yet though. We're supposed to be-" The line descended into screaming pandemonium. Everyone was so happy for her, yelling out questions and congratulations at the same time.

"Ladies! Ladies!" Alica called us to order. "Gregory is going to kill me if he finds out I let the cat out of the bag. We were going to wait until the end of the first trimester."

"Your secret's safe with us," Sandra - the biggest gossip in the family - promised.

"Hmph. Maybe I'll just come clean and tell everyone. Gregory will understand."

"Mom and Dad are going to be so excited," Teenu laughed. "They've been dying for a grandchild since Randy married Katherine three years ago!"

"What are they waiting on?" Peggy asked in a huff.

"The right time to announce?" I shrugged.

"You don't think-"

"No, I don't. And Katherine is very sensitive about the subject, so I would leave it alone."

"You're right, Tammy," Peggy said ruefully. "What time is your date?"

"Three. I wanted to have plenty of time to figure out the essentials. I've helped you guys plan a lot of dates, but I've never been on one myself."

"Our little Tam-Tam is growing up so fast," Sandy giggled. "Before you know it, we'll be planning a wedding for you."

"You first," I said with a meaningful look at her girlfriend of four years, Tatiana.

"Low blow, sis," she grinned mischievously.

"Oh honey…" Tatiana called to her, flipping my sister's red hair away from her neck and kissing her neck tenderly to join in the fun.

"You see what you started," Sandra laughed before turning to her woman to reciprocate. It was so nice to see my sister happy. For a while after her assault, I honestly thought she'd never smile again. She'd never trust a man again after what Corbin Raymond did to her. But it turns out she doesn't have to. Her screen disconnected moments later.

"Well, that's my cue to go," Peggy laughed, no longer focused on us. "Congratulations again, Alica. Catch you all later." A girlish squeal sounded as her call disconnected.

"Two down," Alica laughed. Her husband came up behind her on the screen and grabbed her.

"You told your sisters, didn't you?" he said in a mock stern voice. "Jeez, Ally. The news isn't even forty-eight hours old! I managed to keep it from my parents this long and they'd be ecstatic to know."

"I"m sorry, honey. It's just… They're my sisters! We tell each other everything!"

"Hey, Gregory," I waved. Teenu waved as well but didn't say anything. The jury was still out on whether Teenu was ever going to trust the man with our precious sister.

"I guess I'm going to have to spank you for disobedience, Ally," he said smugly. Teenu and I could only blink at that, not expecting it from the mild-mannered man. The last thing before the call thankfully cut out was the sound of breathless laughter and struggle and his voice murmuring 'assume your favorite position, naughty girl'. Teenu and I looked at each other blankly. Then we both burst out laughing.

"I seriously didn't see that coming!"

"Go, Gōḍa lahāna. Go dress for your date. Have fun. And be safe." (sweet little one)

I rolled my eyes at her special nickname for me. "Okay, Mom. I'll be safe. No drag racing or sky diving until date number two." She shook a loose fist at me before signing off with a laugh.

… …

Left to my own devices, I ended up climbing the walls for 2 hours and stressing myself into a crying fit until I finally drove myself to Redemption early to escape my empty apartment.

"Hey, Tammy. Nice outfit." I looked around in shock and saw Predator using my usual area of the gym to lift a truly impressive amount of weight as if it were nothing.

"Um… H-hello, Predator." I still wasn't used to being addressed by the people in the gym. It was weird that they all knew my name. I thought I was anonymous all this time.

"Don't be nervous, little one," he winked at me. "You're under the Wall's protection. And even if you weren't, this is a safe spot."

"Don't say things like that to a sweet young thing like this," a blond Adonis approached the two of us. I was instantly on alert and fidgety.

"Um… hello, Doctor Drake."

"Uh-uh-uh," he said flirtatiously. "None of that here. We use our ring names here. I'm 'Doctor Death' to you." He ignored my nerves, circling me even as I drew closer to Predator. Something about Doctor Death made me nervous. He was oily and almost too perfect for a place like this.

"I hear you have a little problem," he said firmly as I backed away from him, wishing that I'd put on my headphones before coming in this afternoon. I'd seen him checking me out the last couple of days, but I was able to ignore him in favor of sweating the pounds away. But today I had a date. I'd even left my hair down at my boyfriend's request. I was defenseless. And it was my own damn fault for being early.

"A problem, doctor?" I asked nervously. His smile made me shudder.

"Yes, a problem. I heard that-"

"You scaring my girl, Doctor Death?" Keith's voice rang out behind me where I was all but hiding behind Ray. The Doctor smirked and turned to face my boyfriend.

"Just having a friendly conversation with her. Nothing scary about that," he said, winking at me. I instinctively ducked out of the path of his gaze and he frowned. "Treat her well, Wall."

"I take very good care of what and who belongs to me," he said firmly, glaring at the man as if he wanted to beat him up. I shifted from foot to foot and that broke the staring contest between the two. They both looked at me and I took a few tentative steps toward my boyfriend. The doctor heaved a heavy sigh, muttering about girls who fell in love with the wrong men and how they couldn't see what was right in front of them as he walked away. Confused about his words since he was a virtual stranger to me, I turned to Keith, only to find him studying me closely.

"You've been crying." It wasn't a question. I considered lying, but the way he was looking at me promised swift and violent retribution to whoever had upset me. As much as I disliked the good doctor, I didn't want him to die on my account.

"I was nervous about our date," I admitted, looking anywhere but at him. Keith touched my chin and my eyes snapped to his. He watched me for so long that I considered trying to say something to break the tense silence between us. Then he leaned down and kissed my forehead tenderly.

"Still nervous?" he asked me softly. I blinked languidly and shook my head. He smiled at me and pushed one of my locs behind my ear. "Good girl. You should go change into your workout clothes. We're a little early, but that's fine. We're going to do something different than plain weightlifting today. Go on," he commanded me gently, swatting my bottom softly to get me moving. He paused at my whimper of pleasure, but I was too mortified to stop my retreat. I dressed in record time and braided my hair out of the way before coming back to him. He was working one of the punching bags, working it over fiercely. Just as he requested, I walked over to stand in front of him and the bag and waved. He stopped immediately and unstrapped the gloves he was wearing.

"We're going to work on some grapples while running some drills in preparation for your class on Tuesday." I immediately backed away from him, fear spiking through me. "Tammy?"

"You're, like, a million times fitter and faster than me," I sputtered, still backing away. He reached out and grabbed one of my outstretched hands, spinning me into his arms. Then he held me with my back to his chest until our breathing synced and calm filled me.

"Trust me?" he whispered into my ear. I nodded, not trusting my voice to behave and not squeak or crack. He growled his approval and chuckled darkly when my eyes rolled back in my head and my head fell back against his chest. "Be careful, Sweetling. You shouldn't give me so much ammunition against you."

"What do you mean?" I asked innocently. He turned my head and stared into my eyes, looking for… something. All I felt was confusion as he stared directly into my soul. Then he smiled a slow, sexy grin that caused a full-body shiver to run through me. "Keith?" He shook his head and nuzzled my temple.

After that strangeness, he pointed with his chin at the dummies in the corner. "Those are grapple dummies. They're designed to help you practice until you're good enough to take on a human." he ran his nose over my cheek and another shiver of pleasure ran through me. "Go grab one. They don't bite." I jogged over, feeling colder outside of his arms, and grabbed one of the dummies. He showed me how to use it properly, then had me run five laps around the gym and do twenty burpees. "Don't get cocky," he said firmly. "Fuzzy will be looking for arrogance to break out of you. Do it again, and add fifty starfish jumping jacks." I obeyed, surprised that I was able to do it. "Good girl. Now this is called a naked rear grapple and this is how you break it."

He was a patient teacher, but relentless. He drilled me until sweat poured off of me and I was shaking with fatigue. Between the drills, he taught me how to break different types of grapples. My head was a bit too full of information by the time I was done for the day. I'd worked harder this workout than I ever had during my routine. But I was proud of myself that I was able to keep up with the exercises. An hour later he let me start my cooldown. I was dizzy with fatigue but I went through my cooldown routine, determined not to mess up this late in the game. After my cooldown, he told me to go shower. The cool water felt amazing on my hot skin. I slipped into my underwear, sundress, and sandals before fixing my hair in the style I'd shown my sisters earlier. I was faster at it because I wasn't just playing with my dreads, I had a plan. Still, it was a good half hour before I was ready for our date.

Keith was grappling with Ray when I emerged from the locker room. He was stunning, his body a symphony of motion as he savaged his opponent. I recognized so many of the different grapples he'd had me practice this afternoon and that made me feel proud of myself. I felt my body start to heat up as he and Predator practiced. Keith turned to me at one point and Predator's hand landed on his back. He grabbed it, twisting the broader man around like he'd done to me a few days ago, only this time the elbow he dropped hit its target. Predator convulsed in pain but was quick to break the wrist lock and attack.

The two titans were dripping sweat and I was shivering with sweet delight as I watched my man work it in the ring for the first time. Finally, Keith grabbed his opponent and dropped the both of them to the mat. He twisted the man around until he was locked in a painful-looking position and held him there until Ray tapped out. The two rolled away from each other and I thought they might go for round two, but then my boyfriend turned to me.

There was a fire in his eyes as he approached me, heaving and dripping sweat. I trembled, thinking that he ought to be named Predator with his preternatural grace and mesmerizing power. I couldn't move - I'd never seen anything so dangerous and yet so beautiful. Is this what the rabbit feels like in the jaws of the wolf? My panties were soaked. I should be embarrassed by that, but all I could do was stare at him and quiver. Keith looked me up and down once he was in front of me, taking in my innocent need, and smiled a smile with too many teeth in it.

Without a word, he crushed my body to his and possessed my mouth with the kind of carnal power that made my knees give out. Catching me in his arms, he growled into my mouth as he savaged me. He lifted me to match our heights and poured his heart and soul into me. The violence. The majesty. I was a yielding vessel against him. He kept it up, diving back into the far reaches of my wet orifice as soon as we came up for breath. Time seemed to lose all meaning as the kiss went on. I was making all manner of sounds I'd never come close to making in my life. Was that me whimpering with need? Were those my sounds of urgency and satisfaction? He squeezed me close and the purr of contentment that rolled out of me told me that it was indeed me making all that noise. Again, I should be embarrassed. I should be completely mortified. But the sounds coming out of me only served to focus me. Suddenly, I was clawing at his back and pulsing, desperate to get him closer to me. Another growl of approval rolled into my mouth from him and my body clenched.

I was suddenly very interested in getting his clothes off to see where it led. But after claiming me for what felt like a pleasant eternity, he tapered the kiss. I moaned in protest, trying to figure out how to make him start again, but he only held me close, surrounding me in his heat until I realized our positions. My dress was hiked up around my waist, my legs clenched so tightly around his waist that I could feel his very large, very hard erection pressing against my hips and belly. He was dripping sweat on my neck and all down my front, holding my body up without strain. When had I climbed him like a jungle gym?

And all of this had happened right in the middle of the gym. Right by the cage where everyone could see. The weight of what was going on - and the fact that he could likely feel that I'd drenched my panties for him - was enough to bring that mortification I should have been feeling all along back into my life. I stiffened in his arms, trying to figure out the best way to end the most embarrassing moment of my life. And now that I was focused on my humiliation, I could hear people clapping and catcalling, whistling at our steamy display. My legs unlocked and I slithered to the ground, feeling my damp dress slide back into place. Then I remembered how my arms were still wrapped around his neck. Oh God, was this really happening? I released him, the urge to go hide somewhere, anywhere nearly overwhelming me.

"Don't be embarrassed, little Tammy," Rampage laughed, clapping me on the back so hard that I stumbled into Keith's chest. I braced myself against him, unable to believe how wanton I'd just been. I couldn't raise my eyes past his pecs. "I've never seen a woman put a claim on her man like that before."

"Hell, I've got one of those and I'm jealous," Amanda crowed with a significant look at Renegade. He hooted and pulled her into his arms.

"Hey, anytime you feel the need to climb me like a tree and plant one on me, feel free," he grinned teasingly at her.

Everyone was staring at me, gathered around as if expecting more of a show. I wanted to cry. Keith must be so angry at me right now. How could I lose my composure like that? I was supposed to be a lady!

"Alright, people. You've had your fun. Now it's time to clear out," Predator told the crowd, toweling himself dry as he handed a towel to my boyfriend. I could have kissed the man for his tact. Ray was officially my new best friend. "Come on, scram. I think Tammy and her man need some time to talk and sort things out between them." With that, the crowd dispersed, leaving me to face the wrath of my suitor. Suddenly wishing for the crowd back to cover my retreat, I took a deep breath but still couldn't look at him.

"I… I um…" He slowly lifted my head up with a wonderfully callused finger under my chin. Another moan escaped my throat at how good it felt. Oh Lord, what was wrong with me?

Once my face was lifted like a shy flower toward the sun, he smiled gently, caressing my back to relax me. "I'm not angry at you, little girl," he said sweetly.

My eyes snapped to his, but all I saw was that hunger that got me into trouble in the first place. "You… You're not?"

"Are you kidding me? That was amazing. You are my sensitive angel. My only regrets are not waiting until I was clean to spare your lovely sundress and not waiting for a more private place and time to kiss you. I know this is very embarrassing for you."

"Not for you, though," I said ruefully, my eyes dropping from his. "You get to brag about how you made me lose my mind with lust in front of the whole gym." I took a shuddering breath, my tears closer to the surface.

"Hey," he whispered against my temple, lifting my chin again so I had to look at him. "I'm not a bragger, Tamara. And I was just as lost in the moment as you were. I forgot about everyone else and everything else until I heard Rampage open his big mouth. But it's a good thing he did, otherwise they would have gotten a real show." I blushed hard, remembering his erection pulsating tall and proud against me. Would all of that even fit inside me?

"You… You felt it too?" I asked shyly. He caressed my cheek and smiled.

"Yes, dear one. I felt it too." I giggled with delight and hugged him tight. His chuckle sounded so sexy with my ear to his chest. The silence between us suddenly didn't feel so awkward. After some time, he eased me away from him. "I'm not rejecting you, Sweetling. But I should go clean up. Do you have another dress to wear? This one is soaked in my sweat. If not, we can go to your place so you can change before we hit the Protein Palace."

"I actually have another dress in my bag," I admitted shyly. "I couldn't decide what to wear after our workout."

"Go change, Sweetling. I'll meet you by the weights in a little bit." I went back into the locker room, wishing that I'd had the foresight to bring an extra pair of underwear with me. As it was, I could only clean the slick fluid off of me and my underpants with an embarrassing amount of toilet paper before changing into my knee-length vintage lilac halter dress and drying my panties with the hand dryer.

Underwear dry at last, and toasty warm, I headed out to the weights like he told me to. I was starting to worry about my hair when he joined me. He looked at me approvingly, playing with one of my braids.

"You're a big fan of purple, aren't you?"

"Purple is my favorite color," I told him happily. Keith looked amazing in a light yellow polo shirt and a pair of black leather pants. He chuckled at my stare and led me out of the gym, a strong arm around my back. Maybe I could get through the rest of the afternoon without embarrassing myself.