SEVEN #2
With exhaustion already coming over me, all I wanted to do was sink back into CainYs arms. IYm sure that he would have caught me, but if I faked a collapse on the gym -oor in front of everybody, that only would have served for me to suLer further embarrassment. The next round -ew past, with Cain teaching me a simple four hit combination. 3ab, straight, uppercut, hook? jo. It was qab, straight, hook, uppercut. Elready with these basics my mind was blown. End he still had not asked me to do a kick yet. The bu’’er rang and I was safe again for another minute.
MTimeP “rab a drink and weYre getting straight into pad work now. 9ut your hand up if you need a partner.z
I threw my hand straight up in the air as I looked around for someone, anyone, to be my partner, but as fate would have it, it appeared that I was the odd one out. Carmen and Jauren had paired up, and there was nobody else that looked like a friendly face in here. End Cain knew it as well. He smiled at me the way that I imagined that a wolf would smile at its prey before closing in for the kill.
MIt looks like youYre with me, Elicia. What a shame.z
Guck.
I could already tell that I was unDt, considering that we had only skipped and shadowboxed, but now having to do this pad work in front of Cain? Well, I guess I was going to embarrass myself. 3ust what kind of humbling experience was he going to put me through? This was his world and I should have kept my mouth shut. I should have known that I was going to get my ass kicked the moment I had signed up for this.
Guck. jo, no it was too late to back out now. We were two rounds into this class and Cain had me for another Dfty minutes. If I lasted the hour. If a man Dnished me oL in under an hour that would be a Drst. Aet something about the look in CainYs eye that he would not have much trouble with that. I was in trouble.
Cain moved towards where half of the students in attendance were all collecting black and white pads from one of the shelves. They each pulled a pair from it and started tightening the elcro straps around their forearms. Cain was already walking back towards me, with the pads in hand.
MAour turn to put the gloves on. Over thrown a punch before at some7 thing other than air?z
I shook my head. The closest that I had come to ever throwing a punch was whatever that was in the shadowboxing round. It had not felt strong or powerful, especially not when I had been hitting thin air. jow he was asking me to put the gloves on and punch something more solid? Why had I done this? I moved back towards the shelf and opened the boxing gloves wrapping and cast it aside onto the -oor. Cain raised an eyebrow at me.
MWe donYt litter here.z
MI donYt have timePz
CainYs Dnger -ew towards a framed poster on the wall that led out to the reception area. They were commandments for the gym. I had seen them before, but until now, I had not registered the need for them. ”y eyes fell onto the keep the doqo tidy rule. Et the bottom of the poster was a punishment. Gifty push ups for any violations of the rules. Cain glowered at me.
M9ut. It. In. The. 1in.z
Oach word had emphasis on it. Oither he was speaking slower, or my brain was not processing at the right speed. 6r maybe, it was how I wished he would speak to me. 3ust in that tone. That would hit the spot. He was letting me oL lightly. I sighed and saw a bin qust underneath the poster. I ran towards them, trying to pull my gloves on as I went. ”y hands could barely Dt in them, and they were more than snug. Es I returned to Cain, I grinned.
MBorry about that. TheyYre tight.z
He leaned forward and lowered his tone, yet his delivery was stoic and nonchalant. MIYm sure theyYre not the only thing.z
I wanted to gasp. The fucking audacity of this fucking man. How dare youP
Cain kept a straight face, and all I could feel was my cheeks starting to turn a bright shade of red. He acted like he had said nothing and turned his attention back to the gym -oor, his eyes darting around, looking for a space for us to use.
MHmm. Come on, youYre with me, in the ring.z
MIn the ring?z
MAep. Come on. 1ring your water bottle.z
The ring was not something I had paid much attention to either. It stood at the back of the gym, behind the row of punching bags. It was a replica of what I had seen at the Dghts on that fateful evening when I had Drst seen Cain. 1etween trying to put my gloves on and holding my water bottle, I was overwhelmed. Cain was acting like this was normal and to him, it was.
Es we approached the ring, Cain was Drst up onto the canvas. He threw his pair of pads into the ring, and then opened the ropes, stepping down on the middle one and pulling the top one up. He gestured for me to pass between the ropes. There was plenty of space for me to climb between them, but I almost dropped my gloves and water bottle as they hit the middle rope. Cain saw the movement and as soon as I was in the ring, he grabbed my water bottle from me and put it on a shelf beside the ring. He also grabbed a plastic water bottle from the shelf and opened it, wetting the canvas mat at our feet. Aep if his biceps kept -exing as he did that, the mat was not going to be the only thing that was wet.
Gor now, I was qust trying to get my gloves on tight, ensuring that they would not slip from my wrists. With the canvas wet, Cain returned the water bottle to the shelf, and grinned at me as he pulled the pads on. He smacked them together which resulted in a loud cracking sound that Dlled the gym. Cain held the pads out in front of his face, right where I would be punching. He smiled at me and I could tell he was enqoying this.
MElright, so remember that Drst punch I showed you?z
MThe qab?z
MAep, thatYs the one. Hit me with it. Gull power.z
I threw my arm straight out and connected with the pad. It made a soft thudding sound, one that I was not satisDed with. 9ain coursed up to my elbow as my arm twisted upon making contact. I drew back, knowing that I had done something wrong, as Cain shook his head.
MThe qab always comes from your left, not your right. Aou want it to set up the straight.z
He raised the pads again, but instead of holding them upright, he held them pointing towards me. Then he punched out, mimicking the motion that he wanted to see from me. I could see where the power came from when he struck out, his hips rotating and that all too delicious 7line that I wanted to lick on full display. I was not entirely focused on what he was saying as he moved, but I caught the tail end of it.
MThe hips, remember. Aou want to rotate over. ThatYs where youYre going to get your power from. “o again.z
Cain held the pad upright again and I struck. This time the hit resulted in a much more satisfying crack, which sounded like the others in the room. I smiled at him as I pulled my arm back towards my face. CainYs grin still had not left his mouth.
M“ood girl. “o again.z
I faltered. He had not qust said what I thought he had. The praise was a reinforcement of what I had qust done, but the words did something else to me, twisting at my core. He could say that over and over again, and I would never get tired of it. I took a breath and composed myself, wanting to throw another punch. ”aybe it would slip past the pad and smack him in that pretty little face of his. 1ut something told me he had been punched in the mouth far too many times for a love tap from me to shut him up.
MCome onPz
Bhit. I had forgotten to move, and Cain was waiting for me to do some7 thing. He held the pads up next to his head and I punched again, feeling my wrist go from side to side. I groaned with the contact, and pushed forward, only for Cain to drop the pads. He pointed one of his pads at the -oor, towards my feet.
M“ood, but keep that foot forward, donYt come back into neutral. AouYll lose power and your posture will go all out of whack. EgainPz
The bu’’er sounded overhead and Cain lowered the pads. I dropped the gloves and exhaled. How the fuck was I going to keep this up for another however many rounds we had left? I was already exhausted and wanted to collapse. Overything from my waist up hurt. ”y biceps were murdering me and I had only thrown punches so far. What else did he have in store for me? How much longer would I be standing for? 6xygen was a rare commodity and I needed air-ow. There had to be a fan, or something nearby. Water? What about water? Cain patted me on the back with the pad as I keeled over, searching for water. I knew my water bottle was somewhere nearby, but where had he put it?
M“ood girl, Elicia. Take a round oL and weYll go again soon.z
Guck. He really needed to stop calling me that. End again? How much more of this was I going to be able to take? Bomething told me that I was going to be a good girl and take all of it.