Round 26
ROUND TWENTY-SIX
OLLIE
“Clifford, my big, strong, handsome red dog.” Eliza saunters across the mat six feet from where the rest of us stand.
Stopping in front of him, she turns and backs up, parking her ass exactly where she fuckin’ shouldn’t.
Smirking, she peeks over her shoulder at the man whose cheeks turn pale.
“I want you to wrap your arm around my throat. Choke me.”
“Uh…” His guilty eyes swing my way.
“Can we do this without the show?” Tommy laughs. “Poor Cliff’s already having a tough night. He doesn’t need to deal with Ollie, too.”
“You’re okay, Troop.” Eliza grabs his hand and drags it around, over her shoulder, and across until his arm covers his neck.
Then she settles back, wiggling her hips until his Adam’s apple bobs with nerves.
“You have to squeeze a bit tighter. We’re trying to show Rose what to do if someone grabs on. ”
“For science, right?” He gulps and stares at the floor. “For our new friend.”
“For science.” She brings her focus across to us.
“Handsy bastard comes up behind you, grabs on. It’s what a lot of ‘em will try to do since, statistically, women are smaller than the average male, and for extra insurance, he’ll want A, to not be seen by his target till he’s already there, and B, to clap his hand over her mouth and silence her cry for help.
” She lowers her weight and grabs on to Cliff’s arm with both hands, pulling him forward.
“First step, you wanna create space between his arm and your throat, because none of this means a damn if you can’t breathe.
Second, you’re gonna pop your ass back.” She shoves herself against Cliff’s groin.
Once. Twice. Three times. “I know this looks like I’m still teasing, but I’m not.
You’ve dropped your weight and lowered your center of gravity.
Now you gotta bump him back and destabilize his stance.
Then,” she throws her elbow backward, slamming it into his face and knocking stars into the poor fucker’s eyes.
“Smash him good. This is your chance to really do some damage. And when he’s dizzy—‘cos he will be—and he steps back—he will, it’s human nature—you’ve opened up a shot at his nuts.
” She hammer-fists down, mercifully stopping just short of destroying his future chance of having a family.
“He will try to protect himself, which is when he’ll let you go.
That’s when you run.” Turning and smiling, she cups Cliff’s dazed face and pulls him in for a hug. “You’re a good sport.”
“Let’s try it.” Tommy lays his baby daughter on the floor, a full twenty feet from where we are, then he comes back and stops behind Alana.
Grunting, Chris climbs to his feet and takes position behind Fox. “I don’t remember agreeing to this shit today.”
“Let’s consider it a growth exercise.” Fox plants her ass against his cock and, reaching back, she scoops her arms around his neck and pulls him down until their lips touch. “I’m kind of offended you haven’t already taught me this. Don’t you care about me at all?”
“Punch me in the nuts, and we’re gonna have a serious talk when we get home.
” He grabs her throat in his palm, not at all like how Eliza showed, and draws her to the tips of her toes.
“And I never taught you, ‘cos I intend to be wherever you are, and tapping him with my elbow isn’t how I deal with men who wanna touch. But since you insist on learning…” He kisses her and lowers her back to flat feet again.
“Oliver.”
Startling, I swing my gaze across to my smirking sister.
“You gonna get into position, or would you prefer to watch Chris and Fox make out?”
“We look good,” Fox teases. “I know it. You know it.” She flicks her hand in our direction. “But it would be best if you focused over there, Doctor Darling. Poor Rose needs a practice dummy.”
“Um…” I meet Rose’s wide, terrified eyes. “Do you want…” Fuck. Me. “If this is too much, you don’t have to… or you could…” I swallow again and groan. “You could partner with Lize, if you want.”
“I-it’s okay.” She turns to face Eliza, but she backs up and stops a whole foot in front of me. “I’m ready to learn.”
“Arm over her shoulder, Ol.” Eliza saunters around the room, nodding her approval for Tommy and Alana’s positioning. Then again, for Chris and Fox. Coming to a stop beside me, she watches, narrow-eyed as I carefully inch forward and lay my arm across the front of Rose’s chest.
My sister is a woman who lacks patience—and tact—so she grabs my wrist and pulls my arm higher, satisfied only when the bone in my forearm rests against Rose’s trachea.
Then she slams her hand against the small of my back and shoves me in until Rose’s ass rests against my cock, and Alana’s immature giggle rings across the room.
“If someone’s gonna grab her, he’s not gonna be a gentleman about it.” Eliza moves around to stand in front of Rose, bracing her hands on her shoulders, under my arm, and stares into her eyes.
At least she’s not teasing anymore.
“Maybe this is a bit confronting, and maybe Lana’s giggling like a schoolgirl, but that’s because she already knows how to lay a man out, and the dude wrapped around her has been her boyfriend since she was nine years old.
This is for you, Rose, and if you find yourself in this position, then it’s gonna be confronting.
It’s going to be scary, and you probably won’t be able to breathe.
Your brain will be screaming. Panicking. ”
Rose trembles all over.
“Lize,” I warn. “Chill.”
“We don’t get to chill until all of us are safe. So he’s going to squeeze now.” She pushes my arm against Rose’s throat. “And you’re going to realize you can’t breathe.”
Rose whimpers.
“But you’re gonna drop your weight.” She presses down on Rose’s shoulders, pushing her into a deeper stance, then she places Rose’s hands on my arm. “Drop in, pull forward. You’ve just bought yourself a breath.”
Like she’s been underwater for a fucking lifetime, Rose’s lungs clamber for air, expanding and stretching, her intake a noisy, rattling sound that plants an ache deep inside my heart.
“Now you bump him back.” She lowers her hands to Rose’s hips and shoves, pushing me back a step. Then she shoves a second time.
Fuck me. Rose needs no further instruction because she balls her fist and swings her elbow back, clocking me on the jaw right where Tommy got me a few nights ago. Then she hammer-fists down.
“Oh god.” I hold my breath and grit my teeth. Waiting… prepping… praying. Here comes the pain.
But she pulls her strike, bouncing out of my grip and moving a full six feet away, all before my brain can catch up and relief can trickle into my veins.
“Yeah!” Fox claps obnoxiously. “That’s my girl! She got you good, Ol!”
“I did it!” Rose spins and squeals. “Holy cow. I learned something from a professional fighter!”
“Yeah, you did.” Eliza slaps her on the ass and meets my gaze, smug satisfaction rolling from her every pore.
“Sometimes that’s all it takes. Now do it again.
” She grabs Rose’s wrist and slingshots her back into my arms, forcing me to catch her and hold on, to save her from slamming to the floor.
To breathe her rushed exhalation of air.
To see, from just five inches away, how her eyes gleam a million new colors when she’s happy.
“Are you okay?” My jaw sings, and my heart thunders. But fuck, I hold her secure against my chest and watch her pulse dance playfully in her throat. “You can slap her back if you want. I’ll hold her down while you get your shot in.”
“I’m okay.” She pants, heaving for fresh air so her shoulders and chest grow with every inhalation. “Can we try it again? Make sure I got all the steps?”
“Of course.” She’s so fucking pretty… and as her doctor, it’s not okay for me to think that. She’s so damn magnetic when she’s happy… and that, too, is a wildly inappropriate thought for me to have. To stare at her lips is just… It’s not right.
I’ve spent too many years trying to repair the repercussions of my poor choices.
To step across this line is unforgivable.
Rose grins, her brows popping high on her forehead. “Ollie?”
“Yeah.” I place her back on her feet, steady in her stance, and then I let her go and lift my hands away. Fuckkkkkk. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck. “We can try it again.”
“Great.” Excited, she turns and backs her ass up—there may as well be a beep-beep-beep sound playing over the speakers—then docking against my cock, she takes charge and grabs my arm, wrapping it across the front of her neck and pushing it tighter until I feel her swallow.
“You have to grab me tighter for this to work.”
“Grab her tighter, Ollie.” Leering, Fox palms Chris’s cock instead of hammer-fisting. “Focus, so we know she’s got the steps right.”
Chris whips her a step to the right, forcing her to stand in front of his crotch and hide what we know she does to him.
But I don’t have the same luxury. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I close my eyes and attempt to eat my whole fucking face. Because Rose bumps me back and feels it. She feels me.
Gasping, she peeks over her shoulder and hits me with her stunning brown stare, her cheeks fiery and pink and so fucking pretty, they take my breath away.
“Bump, people!” Eliza marches back to Troop and drags his arm over her shoulder. “We breathe, bump, knock them the fuck out, destroy their family jewels, and then we run. Why are there no men writhing in pain on the floor yet?”
I’m writhing in pain. Inside. Silently. And in my mind, I might even be curled on the floor.
“I’m so sorry.” I search Rose’s playful eyes and keep my words low. So fucking low, they barely register in my own ears. “If you wanna partner with someone else, you can—”
“It’s okay.” Her eyes drop to my lips. Her tongue comes forward to wet her own. She’s a mermaid in the sea, and I’m… willing to drown, if it means having even a minute more with her. “It happens,” she murmurs. “I’m going to elbow you in the face now, okay? You ready?”
Ready as I’ll ever be.