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“Oh, yes. Acid loves to talk about himself.”
Over in the eight-sided cage, the fighters are warming up and the ring girls are posing for the crowd. Cassius explains that there will be two fights before the championship, and he seems less interested in these fighters but claps and cheers along with the rest of the audience. The referee steps into the ring and takes hold of the microphone, enlivening the crowd as he introduces the fighters.
The fight begins and the men circle each other, before raining down a series of kicks and punches and trying to wrestle each other to the ground. Cassius and the rest of the crowd get into it, cheering, shouting, and groaning when their favorite takes a bad hit. Soon, blood is streaking down the chin of one of the men and he seems dazed. The match ends by points, and I’m not surprised to find that the one who isn’t bleeding is the winner.
There’s another round of fighting, and then another break.
“How do you like it so far,bambina?” Cassius asks me.
I grin at him. “I can see why you enjoy it. There’s plenty of unpredictable action.”
“The technique,” he says in reverential tones. “It’s all about technique and knowing your opponent. Lasher is one of the most flexible fighters I know, and his technique is…” He kisses the tips of his fingers.
“Did you ever want to be an MMA fighter?”
Cassius smiles at me. “When I first came to this country, I did. I was very good, but business kept me from making a go of it. Now I only sponsor fighters, though I still train in a fighting gym and it keeps me fit.” He pats his flat, muscled stomach.
So that’s his secret. Cassius is more than fit, he’s a beast. I imagine him up there in the octagon cage, facing down another man with his fists raised. He would make a formidable opponent.
“Do women do cage fighting?”
“Of course.”
I glance at the cage, thinking about the moves and what Cassius said about technique. Learning to punch and kick sounds therapeutic and I wouldn’t mind feeling stronger. “When I’ve had the baby, will you take me to one of your gyms? I’d like to try it. Not to fight. Just to train.”
His hand slides over my belly. “Once you’ve had the baby, of course we can. We’ll bring Vinicius. He keeps telling me he wants to be stronger but he’s worried about being hit in his pretty face.”
I laugh. “Vinicius and I will train in the no-hit club.”
“No one is laying a finger on you. But you can punch me as hard as you like,bambina. I’ll enjoy it.”
The lights and music suddenly change. The championship fight is about to begin.
If the earlier fighters seemed fit and tough, the two who emerge and strut about in the cage are awe-inspiring. Their eyes blaze with determination and a competitive spirit crackles between them.
“That’s my fighter,” Cassius tells me, nodding to a blond man in red shorts and an open red robe.
Lasher surveys the crowd, spots Cassius, and leaps smoothly over the ropes toward us. Cassius and Lasher bump fists and Cassius embraces him before turning to me.
“Chiara, meet my best fighter, Lasher. Lasher, this is Chiara Romano.”
“Good luck tonight,” I tell him and hold out my hand. “I hope you win.”
He flashes me a smile that’s one hundred watts of pure charisma and shakes my hand. He’s wearing fingerless hand wraps. “If Miss Chiara Romano wants me to win, then how can I lose?”
His attention wanders over to Alecta and his smile widens as he takes in her tight clothes and beautiful face. “Did you come to cheer for me, too, Alecta?”
“Keep your fists up,” she tells him, her tone acerbic. “Don’t let that pretty face get ruined.”
He swipes his thumb along his jaw and winks at her. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll still be this handsome after the fight if you want to party.”
Alecta flicks her eyes up and down his body, one sardonic brow lifted. “You wish.”
“Stay focused,” Cassius tells him, then launches into a stream of advice about his opponent’s weaknesses and fighting style. Lasher listens and nods, clenching and unclenching his fists.
Finally, Cassius pats Lasher’s cheek, tells him he’s going to win, and we sit back down in our seats as the fighter goes back to the cage.
Despite her dismissive words, Alecta can’t seem to take her eyes off the blond man. Most of the women nearby are staring at him. It’s the way he moves. The way he holds himself. If he’s as good a fighter as his confidence suggests, then the championship is his.
