Insults, Felix and Ash Men.
In 25 parts, edited from the works of FinalStand.
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‘‘Caring is a curse you dare not go without.’‘
Saint Marie opened the door and went in with me following along. The meeting was in process. We were flashed concerned looks for multiple reasons; Pony-Goddess Saint Marie in her sports bra and boy shorts, me in biker pants, biking shoes and nothing else, and me being late. Katrina gave the two of us a momentary notice then proceeded with her meeting.
‘‘Katrina,’‘ Saint Marie interrupted. Katrina responded with an icy stare.
‘‘You are interrupting; make it quick,’‘ Katrina stated calmly.
‘‘Then I'll wait until you finish,’‘ Saint Marie responded with her own false politeness. She randomly meandered around Katrina's office making a nuisance of herself.
I resumed my place in the line-up in time to get my work-review from Katrina. I rocked at my job. Apparently I was purloining corporate resources for a prototype gravity device that would crash the Moon into the Earth. My crime was that my project was over-budget; oh yeah, and I'd end all life on Earth.
‘‘Cáel, I am unsure if I should order you to work harder, or not to try so hard,’‘ Katrina worried.
‘‘First off, I apologize for being late and under-dressed today. I meant no disrespect and I have no excuse. I'm being stabbed repeatedly with a knife at three o'clock if that helps?’‘ I offered.
‘‘Really?’‘ Katrina arched an eyebrow.
‘‘Really,’‘ I confirmed. ‘‘Then I get to carry around one of those cool knives like the rest of this merry band here.’‘
‘‘My breast implants; I'm going for a respectable 'B'; go in next Wednesday. Two weeks later and I'm off to Denmark to get my 'franks and beans' cut-off and tucked,’‘ I tried to sound serious.
‘‘A few hair extensions and I'll be one of the team for real,’‘ I grinned.
‘‘Katrina, why do you put up with this?’‘ Saint Marie seethed.
‘‘Saint Marie, it is not your station to question me, or my orders,’‘ Katrina countered. ‘‘Still, a lesson is in order.’‘
‘‘Daphne, do you like working with Cáel?’‘ Katrina regarded her female 'new hire'.
‘‘He is more than funny; and very attractive,’‘ Daphne responded. ‘‘He provides insight into life that a normal Amazon wouldn't have access to. He instructs with humor and bravery in equal measure.’‘
‘‘Fabiola?’‘
‘‘He is a waste of resources best put elsewhere,’‘ Fabiola insisted. ‘‘He is a source of dissension. We would be better training him and others like him to replace our diseased stock.’‘ I took some small level of comfort that the other 'new' hires were almost as offended as I was, though I couldn't show it.
‘‘Tigger?’‘
‘‘He was a vessel for the will of our ancestors,’‘ she replied. ‘‘What more proof do we need that he is necessary around here?’‘
‘‘Does anyone have anything different to add?’‘ Katrina gazed over the others. No one spoke.
‘‘That's why (dead word spoken) Saint Marie,’‘ Katrina assumed a dark goddess-like aura. ‘‘Now apologize.’‘
‘‘Apologize for questioning you?’‘ Saint Marie snorted. ‘‘Hardly. You are using my people and my facilities to train a male in a manner not approved of by the Council.’‘
‘‘I have Hayden's permission, but feel free to follow your convictions,’‘ Katrina nodded.
‘‘You have a daughter in outdoor training right now, Saint Marie. It would be utterly tragic if she experienced a crippling injury,’‘ Katrina sighed.
‘‘You wouldn't dare,’‘ Saint Marie took a few steps toward Katrina who stood up from her desk.
‘‘Dare? Hayden and I have tolerated your intransigence until now,’‘ Katrina glared.
‘‘Keep to your beliefs. Now you know the cost of standing in the way of progress,’‘ Katrina continued. ‘‘We cannot afford to remove you, but we can end your counter-productive thinking at this generation.’‘
‘‘When the Council finds out you've overstepped your bounds it will be the end of you,’‘ Saint Marie kept coming.
‘‘We are a dying people, Saint Marie. Hayden and I are willing to kill as many of you as necessary so that our daughters will have daughters of their own,’‘ Katrina stated. ‘‘If you want to see who is truly overstepping, recall our oaths. We obey the High Priestess, the Council, our Houses and our duties. I am the Spear in Night and Death. You are the Golden Mare.’‘
‘‘You wage war upon our many enemies. I ferret them out, within and beyond our society,’‘ Katrina educated us. ‘‘If I determine an Amazon is an enemy, I bring their name to Hayden for a final adjudication of the Ancestors. If the Ancestors deny you, then I must remove the enemy. You know how that goes.’‘
‘‘My daughter is not the enemy,’‘ Saint Marie spat.
‘‘That is not our place to decide,’‘ Katrina gave a feral grin. ‘‘You should have been an Augur if you wanted that kind of knowledge. Besides, neither you nor your daughter are under sentence of death. She can live a long full life without an eye; or an arm.’‘
Saint Marie fidgeted, contemplating violence.
‘‘Everyone, but Cáel leave,’‘ Katrina ordered. Saint Marie was staying as clearly intended. After Dora shut the door, Katrina added, ‘‘Touch my male again, and I'll do something worse to you.’‘
‘‘What I do to a male shouldn't matter,’‘ Saint Marie growled.
‘‘The New Directive matters to us all and I think Cáel Nyilas will be the only one to pass the first round of the program, so Hayden thinks he matters; as do I,’‘ Katrina glared right back.
‘‘He hit me,’‘ Saint Marie grumbled.
‘‘After you grabbed his jaw like you would an unruly child,’‘ Katrina countered.
‘‘He was a rebellious male,’‘ Copper Horse chick kept coming.
‘‘Saint Marie, where did you confront him? It wasn't a basket weaving class; it was a firing range,’‘ Katrina sighed in exasperation. ‘‘Cáel being on the range was the reason you came here. Why did you manhandle him?’‘ A pregnant pause followed.
‘‘I was an hour late so I missed his practice time,’‘ Saint Marie admitted.
‘‘Cáel, I blame you,’‘ Katrina looked my way.
‘‘Yes Ma'am; Katrina,’‘ I nodded. What did I do now?
‘‘Cáel's presence makes normally controlled, rational women act in an abnormal fashion,’‘ Katrina informed Saint Marie.
‘‘I prefer to believe that than think we are incapable of accepting a lone outsider male amongst us,’‘ Katrina added. ‘‘If we treat him the way we treated our old male population we would be perpetuating our mistakes. He doesn't submit because that was the type of male we selected. Why is he learning how to fight? That should be obvious to you.’‘
‘‘Care to enlighten me?’‘ I requested.
‘‘No,’‘ the two women replied. Ah, what the fuck.
‘‘That's okay. I figured it out,’‘ I shrugged. ‘‘I was checking to see if I warranted the truth.’‘ Katrina put her face into her upraised hands. She may have wept a single tear.
‘‘You know nothing,’‘ Saint Marie stated dismissively.
‘‘He knows enough,’‘ Katrina shook her head.
‘‘Who would have told him?’‘ Saint Marie looked back to Katrina suspiciously.
‘‘Why don't you ask him?’‘ Katrina chuckled. Saint Marie turned back to me.
‘‘Was it Katrina?’‘ Saint Marie threatened.
‘‘No and no 'one' person. It was two unrelated slip-ups by two unrelated Amazons,’‘ I said. ‘‘One referenced a previous time when the Amazons let men bear arms, which led to disaster. The other was the use of the term 'Ash Men' as a positive moniker.’‘
‘‘That's all I know. I suspect there was a time when the Amazons let down their guard and allowed men to be equals, or semi-equals, in their society. There was a rebellion that left a bitter taste on the Amazon racial psyche. Somehow the Ash Men played a positive role in Amazon society. For some reason, you exterminated them,’‘ I concluded. Saint Marie flinched.
‘‘Why do you say that?’‘ she studied me.
‘‘They are not around today and you are all hateful psychopaths,’‘ I explained.
‘‘Again, you know nothing,’‘ Saint Marie insisted.
‘‘Katrina, unless you are not finished insulting my intelligence, can I use your bathroom so that I can get dressed and go to work?’‘ I looked at my boss.
‘‘Insult to your intelligence duly noted. When you are finished, report to Medical. They want to test a variety of gene-therapies on you,’‘ Katrina told me. I stumbled and stared. Katrina laughed. ‘‘Get to work.’‘ From the bathroom, I heard Saint Marie question Katrina.
‘‘Is he afraid of Medical, or is he worried about being a test subject?’‘ she posed.
‘‘Neither; he's surprised that he had his job explained to him before he actually got there. It has never happened before,’‘ Katrina replied.
‘‘You send him on missions without him knowing what he's going to be doing?’‘ Saint Marie grunted.
‘‘Yes. It makes him think on his feet,’‘ Katrina noted.
‘‘That is probably why his work is so substandard,’‘ Saint Marie remarked.
‘‘Cáel's work is not substandard. He may be the best new hire in the batch. I give him crappy reviews to keep him on his toes,’‘ Katrina snickered.
‘‘He knows what I'm doing, but he still keeps trying harder despite that,’‘ Katrina sounded amused. ‘‘Cáel is one of the few joys in my life; and if he doesn't finish getting dressed in the next 30 seconds I'm going to assign him to babysitting Marilynn at the hospital next.’‘ I hoped out of Katrina's bathroom; mostly dressed.
‘‘Is Marilynn okay?’‘ I worried. ‘‘I didn't get the call last night, but I never imagined anything bad happened to her.’‘ Saint Marie appeared confused.
‘‘Someone gave her a bad drugs and she nearly overdosed,’‘ Katrina brought me up to date. ‘‘That is where Desiree is. Now go to work.’‘ Off I went.
‘‘He is enamored of Marilynn St. James?’‘ I caught Saint Marie inquiring.
‘‘Oh no,’‘ Katrina answered. ‘‘He has rather a low opinion of her, but Cáel would run into a burning ammo dump to save Constanza. He is stupidly enchanting that way.’‘ I had one last hurdle.
There were the 'new' hires talking with Felix. They were captured in his orbit and he was having a blast soaking up the attention. He was making real inroads with the ladies but he missed a fundamental aspect of his environment; who hunted who.
‘‘Cáel,’‘ Felix parted the women as he came my way.
‘‘How did you do last night? Didn't you and Gina hook-up? I'm done with her, so it isn't like you'd be poaching,’‘ he grinned. I sensed the emotional tidal shift.
‘‘Nah, both Gina and I were of the opinion you dumped her to have a one-night stand with Brooke, break her heart then toss her back to me,’‘ I shrugged.
Felix glared. This wasn't how the 'game' was played. Where was my outrage?
‘‘Are you going to take her back?’‘ Felix went all alpha-predator on me. Bad move. The only predators around here had to have tits; bulging pectorals didn't count. ‘‘If you do, go easy on her. She's sore,’‘ he kept grinning like the wolf he was.
‘‘Besides,’‘ he fished something flimsy and back out of his pocket, ‘‘he can return these to her.’‘ He tossed me Brooke's panties from last night. In Havenstone, Brooke was a 'nobody'; an outsider. She didn't matter. Felix taking a trophy from a woman did matter. I was different because I knew the score. Felix didn't have that luxury.
I actually held them up, displaying Brooke's rather daring choice in evening lingerie. A little bit of education was in order.
‘‘Pretty clever; the old hiding the panties trick so you can exhibit them later,’‘ I chuckled. ‘‘I use it to get a call back. You clearly get off on mailing them to her parents, boyfriend, or husband as if having sex with you wasn't humiliation enough.’‘
Felix moved to the very edge of my personal space.
‘‘Now you are being a poor sport,’‘ he sneered.
‘‘What do you mean?’‘ I remained cool. ‘‘I went over to Brooke's this morning. We critiqued your sexual performance. She found you truly impressive; just a little weak down the closing stretch.’‘
‘‘She said that to make you feel less inadequate,’‘ Felix reposed.
‘‘Nah; she said that so she could have sex with me,’‘ I sighed. ‘‘I fought her off as long as I could, but she wrestled me down and rode me like the pony express. If you wore her out; well; ah, she recovers quickly and vigorously.’‘
‘‘You are so full of shit,’‘ he laughed. ‘‘You got a pity fuck. Accept it.’‘
‘‘Think what you will,’‘ I smirked. ‘‘I left her smiling. You left her in tears and isn't the woman's pleasure what it is all about?’‘ Pandering to my audience.
‘‘I agree,’‘ Felix took back in his surroundings. Nice recovery except for;
‘‘So that's why you stole Brooke's panties and chose to publicly hurl them at me,’‘ I met his gaze, the bastard, ‘‘because she matters; most?’‘ Felix could feel the room temperature dropping by the Kelvin.
‘‘It is how the game is played,’‘ he snarled. He was starting to clue in that things had gone wrong.
How had they gone wrong? For starters, the only Alphas allowed in Havenstone didn't have dicks. Treating women, even outsider women, as if they were game pieces on a male's only board wouldn't wash here. I had coughed up the name of every woman I'd ever had intercourse with; but that was for the job, not for general consumption.
Felix, by idiotically seducing all the new hires in Executive Services had showed them EXACTLY what he thought of them; outsider women to be taken as prizes. Reference the Greeks in the Trojan War for how the Amazons felt about that. This was not sympathy for world-wide femininity.
This was terrorists attacking a school. When the Amazons found those terrorists, they killed them; not to save outsider children, but because the terrorist were fucking dangerous. Since Felix treated all women like trophies and conquest, he, by definition, would treat Amazon women the same way. Good job, Pinhead.
Felix was a pretty smart guy. He finally realized I'd kicked his ass without lifting a finger. Felix couldn't figure out why he'd lost, only that he'd lost. Then we were back to Felix being the man who always has to win. He couldn't let go. He couldn't let me have my moment and depart in peace. This was made all the worse for I was the Bumpkin; the guy he'd dissed from Day One.
‘‘I guess I need to have another go at Brooke to set the record straight,’‘ Felix hissed quietly.
‘‘I'll make it easy on you,’‘ I laughed loudly. ‘‘I am tired of you hiding behind my acquaintances to get at me. I have a friend coming over at 5:10 pm, so give me an hour and I'll meet you on the mats.’‘
‘‘Why should I?’‘ he sneered. ‘‘What's on the line?’‘
‘‘Normally I fight for a cause, even if it is my own self-respect. I'm making an exception in your case; I'll fight you solely to kick your ass. Just cause you are a lousy human being. I know you are because I'm one too. Fight, or cluck; your choice.’‘
‘‘I'll fight you,’‘ he smiled confidently. ‘‘I'll break you for everyone to see and then I'll take that luscious blonde.’‘ I had to laugh.
‘‘Good luck with that,’‘ I chuckled. I could see it now. Felix: 'You are now my prize'; Elsa: 'You are now in Intensive Care'. Woot! I couldn't lose.
(Somewhere in the midst of this nightmare, Cáel needs to earn a paycheck)
Felix had the physical confrontation he wanted. Somewhere in the back of my mind was that I had to do something inane yet again; like consumer test Ginsu Spatulas, or the equivalent. Felix noted the open hostility directed his way, but had neither the knowledge, nor the empathy to give a fuck. The elevator closed on his smug face. Work time.
‘‘That didn't take you long at all,’‘ Saint Marie chortled from behind me. I jolted.
‘‘If I wasn't doing this, I'd be hand-feeding polar bears, so cut me some slack,’‘ I groaned.
‘‘I was under the impression that your pugnacity was more of a defense mechanism, not male bravado,’‘ Saint Marie probed.
‘‘I am as much surprised as you are about this. I don't even like the girl involved. I've never fought over a woman before, but Felix used that woman to get at me; ineffectively,’‘ I mused. ‘‘My emotions don't; you don't want to be hearing any of this, do you?’‘
‘‘No,’‘ Saint Marie said. I stared at her. She stared at me. ‘‘Yes?’‘
‘‘Have you ever done any bikini wrestling?’‘ I blurted out. She blinked. ‘‘Gotta go. Work to do,’‘ and I fled. In the elevator I recognized one of the ladies from International Finance though I didn't know her name.
‘‘What happened to your face?’‘ she asked.
‘‘Do you know who the Golden Mare is?’‘ I replied. She nodded very respectfully. ‘‘Well, she hit me.’‘ The woman studied me. ‘‘I guess I shouldn't have hit her first.’‘
‘‘You hit (dead word spoken) Saint Marie?’‘ She gulped. ‘‘I'm stunned you are still alive.’‘
‘‘You and me both,’‘ I sighed. ‘‘I'm starting to regret suggesting she take up bikini wrestling.’‘
Blink.
‘‘Tell me about it. I was looking into her eyes and that was the first thing to come to mind,’‘ I shrugged.
‘‘I repeat, I'm stunned you are still alive,’‘ she shook her head.
‘‘What do you mean? I think she'd look good in a bikini,’‘ I stated. The door opened to Medical. ‘‘Have a good day at work now,’‘ I smiled. ‘‘I'm off to crush marbles with a sledgehammer.’‘ My real job was to be a genetic guinea pig. I had to sit naked on a gurney and let them take blood and tissues samples.
The sperm sample was fun. First I insisted that I'd been in a fight earlier in the morning and my elbows weren't up to the job. After confirming this, they had some poor 'new hire' jack me off. I held out as long as I could, to the point she gave me a blowjob; her first. Sadly, when senior medical technician informed her of the extinction of her oral virginity, they were both less than pleased yours truly.
I reminded them that I didn't shoot off into her mouth, or anything so crude. Next I informed them of a little known fact that my first ejaculate of the day (no mention of Brooke by me) was sterile and we had to repeat the process. No such luck. Damn microscopes. To prove I was a lousy patient, I feigned a collapse and a lack of breathing.
I didn't grapple with my CPR specialist. I very slowly and tenderly wrapped her up in my embrace. I told her that at the moment of utter darkness, her heartbeat brought me back to the light. I was a the point of penetration when a real doctor showed up and pulled the struggling Physician's Assistant away; she hadn't finished saving me, the young Amazon protested.
At this point the team threatened to give me a sedative. I responded with 'is it chemical, or a blow to the head'. They smiled and said they'd give me both if I misbehaved again. My counter-offer was a request for some Neapolitan ice cream. They conceded the issue, I got my ice cream and stopped being a jack-ass.
At 11:30 am, the first battery of tests concluded. As we were wrapping up, I asked why I had to be naked for the entire thing. They stared at me. Strangely, the Amazon who had prepped me for this nonsense had made herself scarce. Damn it. The doctors then gleefully informed me that I had to be naked for the second half of the test, after lunch.
I asked why. They smiled. Bitches. As I was fixing my tie, my phone rang.
‘‘Hello, Android Cáel Nyilas here,’‘ I answered. There was some giggling; Brooke.
‘‘Hey, Android Cáel, this is flesh and blood Brooke Lee,’‘ she snickered. Man, I had turned her around emotionally in only a few hours. Screw Felix.
‘‘Have you eaten lunch yet?’‘ she asked. I bit back my automatic response; asking if she was on the menu. We'd talked about Libra as I was leaving this morning.
‘‘You, me and Libra?’‘ I suggested. Brooke put her hand over the phone; the dearth of background noise was the giveaway.
‘‘She may not want to see you,’‘ Brooke hedged. That meant Libra was listening in.
‘‘We talked about this earlier, Brooke,’‘ I sighed. ‘‘I want a chance to at least talk with her.’‘ Not totally false. I wanted to fuck her again. That necessitated some amount of conversation so I was willing to put forth the ergs of energy.
‘‘I'll make the effort,’‘ Brooke promised. Making Libra a deal-breaker might have been sugar-coated chocolate for Libra. It would have also made them both suspicious of my suspicions.
‘‘Please do your best,’‘ I said. ‘‘Where do you want meet?’‘
‘‘My place?’‘ she teased.
‘‘Libra plus I would only have forty-five minutes with you, which is not nearly enough time,’‘ I reminded her. Sex.
‘‘Libra doesn't have to know,’‘ Brooke was now pressing Libra's buttons.
‘‘We are not going to go there,’‘ I insisted. They didn't own me and I didn't own them.
We were bantering back and forth, playing with sexual innuendo of the relationship kind. A good aphrodisiac is a woman thinking you are foregoing sex with another woman to have sex with her. Best of all (for me) for hooking Libra and me back together, Libra was going to let Brooke fuck me yet again. Win-win-win.
‘‘We'll meet at Stanhope's,’‘ Brooke finished. I agreed to meet her there in ten minutes and off I went. Aisha, the Arabic swimsuit model/SD hottie called for me as I was heading out the door. I asked why. She didn't say so I ran for it. Screw them all; it was my lunch break. I made it to Stanhope's. I was fleet of foot and was getting the hang of hailing taxis.
Libra was with Brooke at an outdoor table at Stanhope's. I didn't fake surprise. My cover was that I had faith in Brooke. I kissed Brooke while Libra gave me the cold shoulder.
‘‘Libra doesn't believe we've talked about her,’‘ Brooke opened up.
‘‘You are the one who keeps shouting out her name during orgasm,’‘ I sighed.
‘‘That's not a joking matter,’‘ Libra snapped viciously.
‘‘It made you talk to me,’‘ I winked. Libra growled.
‘‘I hate you,’‘ she seethed.
‘‘That is a perfectly normal, if heart-rending reaction to our past two encounters,’‘ I admitted.
‘‘I hope it hurt,’‘ Libra seethed. ‘‘Besides, I went out with Brian Fung last night.’‘ She was stating the obvious. I was okay with that. It left her open to my lie.
‘‘Have you moved on?’‘ I moped. Libra not seeing me anymore made me want to cry. Missing her was utter anguish; it was written all over my face. Non-verbal deception is as important as the verbal kind.
I was not beating a dead horse, I was coaxing a thoroughbred to the Triple Crown. Give the girl what she wants; verbally, sexually and, if you can pull it off convincingly, emotionally.
‘‘I don't know,’‘ Libra stated which meant 'no, she hadn't moved on'.
‘‘Let's go out tomorrow night,’‘ I suggested. Be bold enough to make the first move, but not so aggressive she feels pressured.
Being a man isn't beating your chest; it is stepping up to get your ego battered by the girl. If it wasn't for my first, failed romantic attempt, I wouldn't be where I am today. It hurt like Hell when she publically rejected me. These days, my bed was always warm so the pain was well worth it.
‘‘Why not tonight?’‘ Libra got combative.
‘‘Felix and I had a disagreement at work,’‘ I grinned. ‘‘We are settling the issue tonight at six.’‘
‘‘What happened?’‘ Brooke leaned in close to me, hungry for details. I was a bastard.
‘‘He loudly presented me with these,’‘ I slipped Brooke her panties under the table.
‘‘In the middle of my office and co-workers. Even my Boss heard it,’‘ I added. Brooke's deeply tanned complexion paled. Libra didn't see the panties, but she knew the score.
‘‘What did you do?’‘ Libra pressed.
‘‘I told him Brooke was a grown woman and could make her own decisions about who she was with,’‘ I started.
‘‘Brooke is a wonderful lady and she should be courted based on that. Felix had this bizarre idea that I felt possessive about her and thought he was using Brooke to hurt me over a slight at work,’‘ I wove forth the basic truths. ‘‘I'm not going to fight Brooke's battles,’‘ I affirmed which meant that 'yes, I was going to fight Brooke's battles'.
If you are a guy and you assume that the woman is actually hearing the words coming out of your mouth, you are deluded. The reverse is also the same.
‘‘If a man has a problem with me, he comes after me, not my friends,’‘ I grew stern. This meant Felix was not a man. It also meant that I considered Brooke, thus Libra, my friends.
They were okay with that. This didn't mean they thought of me as a friend. It was similar to the family butler. I had to memorize every detail of their lives. If they remembered my birthday, I should feel blessed; symbolically speaking of course. I'd make an abysmal butler.
‘‘Did he hit you?’‘ Libra leaned across the table and stroked my cheek right below the place Saint Marie had clocked me.
‘‘That? Nah. An Archer fish tried to shoot my eye out so now he's fish sticks,’‘ I replied.
‘‘With all your wounds,’‘ Libra hesitated, ‘‘Are you in the military?’‘
‘‘Libra, I'm a disaster as a civilian,’‘ I chuckled. ‘‘I'd make an impossible soldier. Half way through basic training I'd start showing up in a kilt; 'cause it makes me feel free and breezy down there'.’‘
‘‘When they tried to make me change, I'd charge them with cultural insensitivity,’‘ I smiled.
‘‘What would you do if they let you get away with it?’‘ Brooke snickered.
‘‘Take up horse archery; because you never know when you'll be without fuel and bullets on the modern battlefield,’‘ I postulated. ‘‘If they let me get away with that, I'd stay, but I'd join the airborne.’‘
‘‘I like parachuting,’‘ Brooke nodded. ‘‘Have you ever done it?’‘ She bet I hadn't and she was right.
‘‘Never before in this lifetime. I really want to see if I could get my horsed trained to do it first,’‘ I chortled. ‘‘Lord knows, nobody else has. The first Airmobile Horse Archery unit. That would be pretty cool.’‘
‘‘The horse would break her legs,’‘ Libra frowned.
‘‘Use an air mattress platform for the horse to stand on, sort of like those air bags stuntmen use, but smaller,’‘ I reasoned. I wasn't sure if Brooke and Libra were more stunned about the plausibility of my suggestion, or that I had created it off the cuff.
We ordered lunch and drinks. Service was very efficient so I had only pushed my salad aside to have my grilled shrimp replaced it when a shadow fell across our table. It was a stormy Aisha.
‘‘Cáel Nyilas, you are coming with me,’‘ she spoke with deceptive calm.
‘‘No,’‘ I replied then ate a shrimp. She put her hand on my shoulder. I brandished my fork.
‘‘Listen up,’‘ I grumbled. I tapped my wristwatch with my fork, ‘‘I've got 35 more minutes on my lunch break. I'm eating with friends; okay, almost friends; ‘‘
‘‘I'm Cáel's friend,’‘ Brooke rallied. Aisha bore down on my collarbone, so I stabbed at her hand with the fork. She moved it out of the way first.
‘‘Come now,’‘ she growled.
‘‘Very well,’‘ I sighed. ‘‘Since you certainly have never heard this from a man before meeting me, I'll clarify. NO, I'm not coming with you. Go away you annoying twit. If that was unclear, let me add; no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no and no.’‘
Aisha looked over her shoulder. There were two more SD chicklets. Woot!
‘‘Last chance to keep this simple,’‘ Aisha threatened.
‘‘Brooke and Libra, you need to stand up and back away,’‘ I instructed them as I stood up as well, ‘‘I'm going to need your chairs as weapons.’‘ The girls grabbed their food and backed up.
‘‘Don't make a scene,’‘ Aisha whispered.
‘‘Ex-squeeze me? I'm eating lunch. In thirty-five minutes I'll be back at work. You are the one being a total bitch for annoying the fuck out of me here,’‘ I glared. ‘‘All you had to do was tell me why you wanted me back at Havenstone, but you didn't feel the need, so now we have this stand-off.’‘
‘‘It is not a stand-off and I don't explain myself to you,’‘ Aisha glared back. She even showed me she had a gun. I laughed, pulled out my phone.
‘‘What are you doing?’‘ Aisha made a swipe for the phone.
‘‘Making me late for work,’‘ I chuckled. ‘‘I'm dialing 9 1 1.’‘
‘‘Do that and you will be in a world of trouble,’‘ she threatened.
‘‘You haven't thought this out, have you, Aisha?’‘ I snickered. ‘‘If it was important to my job, Katrina, or Medical would have called me. If it was a calamity, Hayden perhaps. Barring that, I can't wait to hear your excuse for starting a public brawl.’‘
‘‘I told you to come with me and you had best obey,’‘ Aisha hissed. That was the tipping point. Recycling old, failed arguments is the sign that your opponent has lost.
‘‘Yeah; right,’‘ I shrugged. I sat back down and began eating. A second later, Brooke and Libra joined me. Aisha retreated to the curb and waited; and got ticketed because it was a No Parking Zone.
‘‘Who was that woman? I've seen her before,’‘ Brooke commented.
‘‘She's that woman from the first night we met,’‘ Libra answered.
‘‘She's not my boss so I don't care,’‘ I tried to recapture our earlier mood. It was only partially successful. The three SD ladies kept their eyes on us until dinner was cleared away and it was time to go back.
I kissed both Brooke and Libra goodbye with a promise of a date the next night. When I tried to walk past Aisha, she grabbed my arm. From my point of view, a ride to work was a ride to work and this one was free. I travelled in silence. Miraculously, they didn't answer my request to go to Medical, though we were at least going up; and up; and up. Crap.
They deposited me in Hayden's office then departed. It was Hayden, Katrina, Saint Marie, Elsa, and Tessa. The door shut ominously behind me.
‘‘Cáel, I like you,’‘ Hayden began. ‘‘Unless you are working on an assigned task, you are not allowed to defy a woman of Havenstone who gives you a clear concise order, especially one from the Security Detail.’‘ It didn't take me a second to formulate my treatise on the Rights of Man.
‘‘No.’‘ That didn't go over well. Into the emptiness, I forged ahead. ‘‘You can't expect for me to be given conflicting orders and expect me to succeed. You people have a chain of command for a reason. I follow that chain like every other member of Havenstone.’‘
‘‘You are not a member of Havenstone,’‘ Hayden pointed out. That I had to think about.
I scanned each impassive face in the room. I wanted to cry; not out of fear; out of frustration because I really had tried so hard to make this work.
‘‘You are all a bunch of cowards and I regret ever wanting to be part of this place,’‘ I spat.
‘‘Your opinion of us does not matter,’‘ Hayden started.
‘‘Cowardly act number one,’‘ I interrupted. Hayden's gaze hardened.
‘‘It is your time. You publically defied a Havenstone employee on a mission concerning you,’‘ she continued.
‘‘Cowardly acts number two and three,’‘ I growled. Now Saint Marie and Elsa closed in.
I turned to face them. I wanted to go down swinging, no matter how futile the gesture.
‘‘Cowardly act number four; suddenly, when you desire, my insolence matters,’‘ I set myself for what was to come.
‘‘Don't fight,’‘ Tessa commanded softly. Katrina kept her own counsel.
‘‘That's your fucking problem, right there,’‘ I shouted. ‘‘This isn't the Sunshine Scouts. This is a martial society. I fight, because that is what every bitch here is broadcasting. I didn't hit Rhada when she hit me. I called for help, like any sane individual. When no help was forthcoming, I called for someone to get the police. Again, you did nothing.’‘
‘‘Fuck you all. Rhada attacked me, so I put her down. Madi attacked me, so I put her down too; and it all your damn fault and not one of you has the courage to face that fact,’‘ I shouted. ‘‘You attack me for fighting back at the same time you tell me to fit in. Now which is it? Am I to fit in to a martial culture, or am I not? Make up your damn minds!’‘
‘‘You do not get to talk to us like that,’‘ Saint Marie murmured.
‘‘Somebody better talk to us like this,’‘ Katrina finally spoke. ‘‘Face facts: Cáel is here because he resists. He resists because that is the lesson we are teaching him, Sisters.’‘
‘‘What do you mean?’‘ Elsa regarded Katrina.
‘‘When Cáel is challenged physically and resists successfully, or even unsuccessfully, he grows in the estimation of our Sisters. No one admits it, but it is the truth. The harder he fights, the more he is valued. It is a very simple principle. He has never believed he is a member of the Host, a Runner, or even a recruit. He does not strive to be an Amazon of any kind,’‘ Katrina lectured.
‘‘Then we expect him to do ridiculous things like walk off with an Amazon he barely knows who doesn't even explain where he is going, or what he is supposed to do,’‘ Katrina shook her head. ‘‘Somehow we forecast his desire to be treated with a modicum of respect to be a threat? Respecting him does not make him an Amazon; it makes him a warrior in our cause.’‘
‘‘The Council has not decided on that portion of the New Directive yet,’‘ Saint Marie stated.
‘‘Warrior-Fathers,’‘ Katrina declared firmly. ‘‘My niece, Aya; you all know of her; she went to camp this week and SHE formed her own war band with her fellow students. Fuck you all very much; It works!’‘
‘‘Katrina,’‘ Hayden cautioned.
‘‘Hayden, I am tired of this half-measure bullshit. There is no being half-alive. We live, or we die. We made a mistake then we made another one. Let's not make it three.’‘ I raised my hand.
‘‘Yes?’‘ Hayden finally acknowledged me.
‘‘Can I go back to work now? Sitting here is like commenting on the rain. I have a lot to say, but it won't affect the rain one iota,’‘ I reasoned.
‘‘You are not going to run?’‘ Tessa asked. I knew she was joking.
‘‘Well, I can't get past the front door. I can't escape out the garage and I left my diamond-tipped glasscutter and 150 meters of rope in my other jacket,’‘ I informed her.
‘‘I guess I'll have to use the 15 kg of C-4 I have stuck in my shorts. I know it makes me look like I took a colossal dump in my underwear, but trust me, it is only a weapon,’‘ I grinned. I tried to get around Elsa. She brushed her hand over my chest.
‘‘You are special,’‘ she purred.
‘‘You scare me,’‘ I mumbled.
‘‘I know,’‘ she grinned happily.
‘‘Bye Pony-Lady,’‘ I waved to Saint Marie.
‘‘Cáel,’‘ Hayden called out. I halted, but didn't turn around. ‘‘You will stop referring to the Marshal of the Amazon Host as 'Pony-Lady', is that clear?’‘
‘‘Yes Hayden. Good-bye Saint Marie,’‘ I said as I departed.
‘‘Are you sure he is not mentally defective?’‘ Saint Marie questioned.
‘‘He is,’‘ Elsa replied. ‘‘He laughs at Death.’‘ See, what did I tell you? Now you can run out and pick up an infatuated female psychopath of your very own.
(Later in the day)
Knife-fighting class was taught by this painfully thin yet tall Amazon with mostly grey-white hair. There was nothing wrong with her reflexes, or sight. She regarded me, her only student, with passionless eyes. She had me sit down cross-legged, she did the same opposite me, and we spent an hour talking about the philosophy of knife-fighting.
Knives were hardly ever the first weapon of choice. That was part of the lesson; knowing when to choose a knife to fight with. We talked about all kinds of blades, focusing on the short, hilt-less blades every Amazon carried. I had to get one special-made. It was the size of my palms. If the blade was too small, it would cut up my hand when I used it.
Except for a few hand motions, it was verbal instruction. Knife from an advantage, knife from the front, and knife at a disadvantage. Each had its own set of rules to follow. It was cool. Me having a penis didn't bother her in the least. At the end of the lesson, I asked if I could call her Zen Master. She said 'no', her name was Pamela.
I then asked if I could call her Zen Mistress Pamela. Smiling, she said 'no' again. My last attempt was 'Blossoming Petals of Death Pamela' at which point she laughed and told me to give it a rest. I found myself with a free hour so I raced down to the pool and took in a few laps. It was a crime against nature that all the Amazons were one-piece bathing suits.
Here I was in my Speedo and no one to play with. That wasn't really true. After my first lap, two Amazon lasses tried to engage me in a race without actually talking to me. As they were turning back they realized I was keeping to my same strong, casual strokes in my own little World.
That annoyed them so the next time around, one got into my lane, turned to face me and stopped. Right according to plan, or if you prefer, like stealing candy apple kisses from a lady. I almost ran into her. At the very last second, I pulled up, letting my body coast up against her. She was treading water and looking vibrant.
Her treading water meant I didn't have to. One hand settled on her mid-back (friendly enough), but the other one cupped her right ass and immediately probed along her cleft and to her wet tunnelfrom behind. Her 'Happy Choice' pop-up indicators went off and I had a winner. I was sure I could have pointed a shotgun in this woman's face and she'd have spit on me.
With my pelvice bumping up against her crotch, my finger wiggling around her suit for her tunnel, and my other arm keeping her close, she looked totally flummoxed.
‘‘What are you doing?’‘ she whispered. I was sure she wanted to have that sound authoritative, not like plea for an instruction manual.
‘‘How about this,’‘ I replied quietly, ‘‘you keep your hands moving and I'll kick so that you can wrap your legs around my waist?’‘
‘‘Why would I want to do that?’‘ she asked; while her legs wrapped around my waist. A little positon altering with my hand and I was having her pulse against me.
‘‘Deena?’‘ the other Amazon called out. She was swimming in close proximity now.
‘‘I;’‘ Deena responded to her comrade. ‘‘You are taking liberties,’‘ she chastised me even as an erotic smile graced her lips.
‘‘Please don't turn me in,’‘ I murmured to her. My lips were a few millimeters from hers.
The other woman could clearly make out our physical relationship between us.
‘‘Stop that,’‘ the unnamed woman demanded.
‘‘Ah;’‘ Deena moaned as I slipped two fingers past her swimsuit and into her slickness. The stranger tried to separate us, but Deena shook her head. ‘‘No; we are okay.’‘
‘‘Stop it,’‘ I whispered. ‘‘Don't make me; don't make me; don't,’‘ and kissed. Total lie for the sake of our voyeur. Deena wasn't currently capable of making me doing anything. Why was I doing this? Out of control libido plus stress plus I still had Yasmin and Felix to deal with. Oh yeah, Deena being cute, firm and just curvaceous enough to be Grace Kelly feminine didn't hurt.
‘‘Why are we doing this?’‘ Deena murmured sexily.
‘‘Am I making you happy?’‘ I posed. She thought about it then nodded.
‘‘I thought being with a male would be more difficult,’‘ she countered.
‘‘Stop looking so athletic,’‘ I teased her, ‘‘and it will be easier for me to get away.’‘
Calling an Amazon 'pretty', or even 'beautiful' would have limited, if any affect. Better words were 'impressive, swift, healthy, fit and athletic, because that's what they valued in one another. Even 'scary' and 'frightening' were turning out to be good words to use. They never got enough male input to matter.
‘‘You are very healthy for a male,’‘ Deena purred back.
‘‘How healthy?’‘ the other one asked. She was now more curious than offended with my audacity.
‘‘He's VERY healthy, Sharona,’‘ Deena smiled. ‘‘He has strong fingers as well.’‘
I knew the look Sharona shot me. It was the 'why her and not me?' The answer was clear to her; Deena had been bold, thus won. It was traditional Amazon culture. I was easier to blame me because I was the guy. All three of us knew the score. More kissing and kitty-petting ensued. It became even more rewarding when I eventually bumped into Deena's clit.
I didn't have to do much. My finger rubbed against her nub, Deena really liked that and started humping my finger before I could do anything. Public sex had never been a stimuli for me. I didn't mind it and by the number of Amazons circling, or watching from poolside, they didn't mind what Deena was 'doing' to me either.
There was no screaming, thunderclap of joy, or even a violent physical spasm. Deena pressed tight, made several yipping noises and came down whimpering happily. She was a truly content little camper; that was for sure.
‘‘You had sex!’‘ one of the bystanders called out. I looked into Deena's eyes.
‘‘If you say 'yes', I'll wake up tomorrow morning in Baku Faso,’‘ I whispered.
‘‘No; no we weren't,’‘ Deena gave me a sultry look. ‘‘We were practicing lifeguarding techniques. Did I save your life?’‘
‘‘I'm Cáel,’‘ I breathed on her lips. ‘‘Yes, I feel like a whole new man.’‘
‘‘We will have to hone your skills; real soon,’‘ Deena winked. That was not a request. That was 'come back, or I'll hunt you down'.
‘‘I normally cannot make it before five,’‘ I informed her.
‘‘That works for me,’‘ Deena pulled away. She gave a warm sigh as my fingers slipped out of her. I made for the side. As I pulled myself out, my equipment straining at the seams, several wonderful ladies surrounded me.
‘‘Do you think you are leaving?’‘ they confronted me.
‘‘I have a five o'clock end-of-day meeting with Katrina,’‘ I calmly explained. Katrina was my 'Get out of Jail' free card that allowed me to escape the pool and the shower without becoming a scratching post. Amazons aren't animals; I'm just that sexy. Yes, I could pick up almost any girl at a club. I also had various Amazon pre-ordering collars with my name on it. By now my neck size was common knowledge.
(Wednesday Evening)
The stuff of my nightmares: I walk out from the end of day meeting with Katrina and the new hire ladies two see a gaggle of other women waiting for me, I assumed. I knew them all. Farah Winters recruited me from Bolingbrook, Umami Lhasa who was Tessa Carmichael's right-hand woman, Tessa herself; and Yasmin Palhavã, my Brazilian hottie and workout date.
‘‘Hi Cáel,’‘ they all greeted me.
‘‘Hey ladies,’‘ I did my best to look happy. ‘‘What's going on?’‘
‘‘Havenstone has offered me a job,’‘ Yasmin grinned. How could this possibly go wrong? Yasmin thought this place was run by a crazy cult, so why did she look at ease?
She could be trying to infiltrate Havenstone; bad idea. She could have had a conversion; I hope her son would be okay. She was; high on drugs; okay, the last one was weak.
‘‘What department?’‘ I kept going.
‘‘We are trying to convince her to start out in Security Services (the guards) then move her up to Financial Investigations due to her expertise with the Policia Federal in her homeland,’‘ Tessa said.
‘‘Cáel, by the look on your face, I know you are concerned. Ms. Carmichael; Tessa, has told me some things that put the situation in perspective,’‘ Yasmin gave me an all so sexy look. ‘‘You are far braver than I thought you were.’‘
‘‘What? That I invested the entirety of my 401K on the comeback of Baleen Oil?’‘ I joked.
‘‘My Son will be okay,’‘ Yasmin patted my hand. Was I that much of an open book?
‘‘Do you have an instinct to protect children?’‘ Umami inquired.
‘‘Not before I got here, but then I didn't know anyone who would casually kill children either,’‘ I responded. I had to ask the next question. I couldn't be me and not.
‘‘Tessa, can I ask you a serious question?’‘ I began. Tessa nodded. ‘‘Why was Yasmin 'read in' to Havenstone? I don't doubt for a second she's a qualified as an investigator, but this strikes me as highly unusual and even reckless for your; people.’‘
‘‘It was this, or kill her,’‘ Tessa answered. ‘‘By the way, that was Yasmin's first question too.’‘
‘‘Precisely, my question was 'are you going to kill me for that crazy cult stuff that went down last week?'‘‘ Yasmin corrected. ‘‘She said I had to answer two questions to decide that.’‘ In a bizarre, Amazon-style way, that made sense. Yes, Yasmin would beat her husband nearly to death for cheating on her; and shooting her, and she would willingly have sex again.
I knew this because Buffy told me her backstory and it had Katrina asking her the two questions as well.
‘‘Yasmin, let me clarify this right now,’‘ I held my ground. ‘‘I'm cheating on you. Please don't hit me. It has been a bad day and the pain has just begun.’‘
And all the psycho-bitches laughed.
‘‘Let's go practice, É o meu P.A.,’‘ Yasmin chuckled. No one was going to tell me what the damn phrase meant. I dare not look it up on-line because if I did, and Yasmin saw that flicker of understanding in my eyes; bad things would happen to me in the bedroom. No, I needed an alibi witness.
To be honest, I thought the bedroom was Paradise until some ladies (I'd cheated on; surprise, surprise) tied me to one. Having my body waxed by sadistic amateurs was only recently exceeded by being shot with an arrow on my pain meter. It is not something I like to talk about. They dyed my hair bright pink too.
I ended up nailing the new assistant at the College infirmary, so it wasn't a total loss. Oh, and less I forget, they both took me back later, at the same time, without telling each other. It is a wonder I'm still alive. In an effort to keep that going, I took us to the non-blooded gym this time around.
It wasn't as nice as the full-blooded one, but it was still very full service. The biggest difference I had noticed earlier was the lack of archaic weapons on the wall near the training mat. Yasmin and I decided on a 40/20 split; forty minute of working out and twenty minutes on the mats. Around 5:30 pm, Felix showed up. Like me, he automatically drew attention and he'd clearly been cultivating his aura.
He barely spared me a glance, being absolutely confident he had the advantage in every aspect of our contest; both physically and socially. Within minutes a subliminal ripple moved through the crowd. I was spotting Yasmin so it took me a bit to figure out what was going on; full-bloods had entered. One by one, I picked out Daphne, Paula, Dora, Tigger, Violet and Oneida.
They weren't coming at me; that would have kept things calm. No, 'my' ladies were circulating and I didn't need ESP to figure out what they were saying. In the ladies' wake, evil looks where shot Felix's way. Once more, he felt the undercurrent but misunderstood it. He thought I was seeding the crowd against him.
One Amazon 'Runner' cleared up the nature of the disturbance, if not reason for the outrage.
‘‘Did you really take a woman's underwear to use as a trophy to throw in Cáel's face?’‘ the disbelieving woman asked. Felix was fearless.
‘‘Of course not,’‘ he assured her. ‘‘One of Cáel's many one night stands stopped by my place, slept and forgot; something. That's all.’‘
Good play. Since I wasn't in on sabotaging Felix, I had no counter and I wasn't going to get into a he-said/he-said contest that would leave me looking petty. Poor Felix, he kept forgetting we worked for some really smart women. Around thirty women into Felix's counter-propaganda campaign, Daphne struck. She was confronted by a pro-Felix lady.
‘‘Really?’‘ Daphne announced loudly. ‘‘Let's clear this up why don't we.’‘ She pulled out her phone, hit one number and said, ‘‘Please project that footage to the 'Runner' gym.’‘
Ten seconds later, Felix and my conversation was projected to every TV suspended around the room. Yes, even Felix's boast and getting in my face.
This wasn't solely Daphne's doing. She didn't have that kind of weight. Oneida on the other hand; Felix barely missed a beat.
‘‘Nyilas, you pulled that all out of context,’‘ he growled. The best defense is a great offense.
‘‘Felix, I'm a guy. No way in Hell I have the kind of access to security tapes,’‘ I held up my hands, proclaiming my innocence.
Felix missed the 'I'm a guy' part. The women didn't. Most of them know I skated the rules, but never broke them. Yes, Katrina liked me. Would she give me access to security? That was laughable. Felix was about to pack on the stupidity.
‘‘Fine, you had one of your cheerleaders do it,’‘ Felix counterthrust.
Cheerleader was not a 'positive' Amazon role model. Cheerleaders were women who promised sexual reward to male warriors that defeated their enemies (a bit of a biased view). The bipolar normal world reaction to cheerleaders aside, I knew cheerleaders were athletes who worked hard to pull off relatively complex routines. Telling the Amazons this was pointless.
If any woman in this room had known a cheerleader before surrendering their old existence to become lethal man-killers, they probably didn't like them. If they had been a cheerleader, they were keeping their mouths shut.
‘‘Are you implying we have lied and altered the official record of events?’‘ Daphne sizzled.
See, lying to me and Felix was expected. Lying to their fellow Amazons, despite the Blood Prestige rift, wasn't going to happen. Trust and loyalty were fundamental virtues here. I imagine Felix had read that passage in the Handbook. I hadn't believed it for the first two days either. I'd been educated since then.
‘‘I wouldn't put it past you,’‘ Felix glared right back at Daphne. Foolish; stupid.
‘‘Yasmin, I gotta go,’‘ I hissed to my Brazilian MILF then rushed to get to Felix. I wasn't doing it for Felix, the douche. I was doing it for Katrina and her New Directive. Felix had not officially fucked up; he was just being a jerk.
Daphne sent Felix a wicked smirk. She'd kicked his ass. Felix knew his ass had been kicked yet still couldn't grasp the underlying principles behind his defeat; he was in a Woman's World.
‘‘Felix, let's warm up,’‘ I urged him once I was close enough to be heard.
‘‘After that stunt; you can go fuck yourself,’‘ Felix glowered.
‘‘Dude, it wasn't me, I swear,’‘ I met his gaze.
‘‘I'm here. You find your own space,’‘ Felix indicated another portion of the mat.
‘‘Felix, these ladies are about to kill you. You do not want to send me away,’‘ I whispered. Felix formed a rebuttal then looked around.
‘‘Why?’‘ Felix whispered back. Felix was finally acknowledging he'd lost. Now he wanted to know why.
‘‘I can't explain it right now, but let's say 'cheerleader' was the wrong descriptive to use,’‘ I continued. ‘‘Calling them liars only dug the hole deeper. It is the way it is.’‘
Felix didn't understand my words, but understood the intent. He was in Oz without any knowledge of the tornado that had taken him there. We didn't spar together. I did stay close enough to make my intent clear; there would be no ambushing of Felix. You had to understand Amazon psychology to figure out why they weren't angry with me.
I was exhibiting loyalty; especially to a person I hated. Amazons had blood feuds, the specifics I hadn't figured out. You could probably kick your opponent's ass. If you stabbed them in the back, there was no rock on the face of the Earth you could hide under.
‘‘He practices Muay, Thai, and Savate,’‘ Oneida snuck up on me. ‘‘I lend you my spirit,’‘ she added with deep compassion.
I turned on her and placed my hand between her breasts.
‘‘No. No cheating in this fight,’‘ I insisted. That drew many stares. ‘‘Hold your spirit for the battles that matter, not for the resolution of male grievances. Your heart is fierce and I appreciate that, Oneida. No one's spirit is infinite, so marshal your resources carefully.’‘
Yes, I was lecturing Oneida; bad move. Yes, I was safeguarding her spirit, as would any of the other Amazons in the room; good move. Cloaking my lecture and concern in mystical terms; the win.
‘‘I care deeply for you too,’‘ Oneida gave me a demur look, ‘‘my Ash Man.’‘ Kill me. Kill me now.
This culture didn't have a 'ready-set-go'. When one person was ready, they attack without warning. I almost forgot that and blind-sided Felix. I didn't hold back for him. I held back because I didn't want him to be a whiny baby about this whole thing. I gave him a nod, he nodded back then he attacked.
Two piston kicks by Felix backed me up. He switched up with a reverse roundhouse. That was his mistake; I slipped inside his kick range. I came at him; left jab, left jab, and a right cross in such a rapid blur the audience later told me their brains didn't register the hits until after the fact. It was lights out for Felix. His body made a wet, thumping noise at it hit the mat.
There was a hush. Everyone expected this fight to go the distance. I was more renowned for my stamina than punching power. Welcome to the world of light heavy-weight boxing. My problem with Madi had been I couldn't touch her. I hadn't even gone all out with Rhada and I dropped her with two jabs.
A good number of 'martial artists' think of boxing as a primitive fighting form. It is. It has also been around forever because the principles are rather simple and effective. Either don't get hit, or soak up the hit (particularly for heavier fighters), set your opponent up and clobber then. Felix had meant to control me with his powerful kicks.
Both Savate and Muay Thai have excellent fist and elbow blocks and strikes. It is simply difficult to switch your focus from kicking to blocking in the blink of an eye. That was less time than what I gave Felix. Most people think of boxers as freight trains, not snipers. In truth, we are both; locomotives approaching the speed of light (somewhat).
Double back to all the options Savate and Maui Thai boxers have. They would never be afraid to take a risky kick because they can block in so many ways. Suddenly the issue became one of distance and balance. The boxer was at the kicker's ankle at the moment of supposed impact and closing. By the time the kicker realized the kick's over-extension the boxer was at his knee.
The kicker still had a plethora of elbow, arm and hand blocks and grapples; except all his power has gone down that kicking leg, leaving him with on point of balance; his other leg. Sure he could get an arm up, but it only had the strength and weight of that limb to call upon. The upcoming hit? It had the mass times acceleration of the boxer's body coming at him. Good luck.
Felix could have beaten me, except it would have taken time. Closing would have allowed him to use all those nifty elbow, palm and hand strikes. It would have also allowed me to do what boxers to best; box. This wouldn't give me an advantage, just leveled the playing field a bit. He didn't want to grapple. I had an entire school devoted to grappling while it was an addendum to what he did.
Felix's saw me go to a boxing stance, and like most practitioners of Savate and Muay Thai, he laughed inside. He was going to make a mockery of me because my style sucked and his styles were the ones that best broke your enemies and caused them pain. He was going to knock me back with his kicks then close in and pummel me with every part of his body before I could slip into jujitsu. It would be lightning fast and bloody.
Nice in theory; bad in practice. He should have worn me down with his stronger legs. Things fell apart when I stopped running away after the second kick. I couldn't do much about the piston kicks. The reverse roundhouse on the other hand; allowed me to get close. I put him off-balance with two jabs, not letting him escape and out came the right with my entire mass behind it. I've hit a guy with that before who didn't go down.
He was 160 kg, almost 2 meters tall, a jaw made of chromium-steel and a bar bouncer. When he picked me up off the floor and helped me outside he told me I had a good punch. He wasn't even angry with me. He was amused. I am far luckier than I deserve. His name was Amos. When I found out he had a sister, I got a good look at her picture to make sure I never, ever hit on her.
Felix wasn't that guy. He also wasn't getting back up. 'Best' of all, no one was going see how he was. I hoped I hadn't killed him, or broken his neck. Before I could go to him I heard a voice behind me.
‘‘Is this the part where you take his underwear as a trophy?’‘ Dora asked.
‘‘For the love of G; the Goddesses, tell me you are joking,’‘ I gasped.
‘‘I got you!’‘ Dora snickered.
‘‘Is someone going to help Felix?’‘ I inquired. I sensed a bit of combat etiquette I was ignorant of. My previous Amazon opponents had always came to me when the fight was over and I'd lost.
Usually they stood over me until I regained consciousness. Felix wasn't getting that courtesy. He was being studiously ignored and I would have been separating myself from the 'lioness pride' to help him. It was moral judgment time; Felix wasn't worth the grief I'd get for disregarding the lesson the rest of the Amazons were administering.
I waited at the closest mat edge, doing my cool-down with Yasmin and a few of my female; I guess I had to consider them friends now. What Felix did in front of them was bad, but they had gone above and beyond in coming to this gym and shattering his sexual anima and turning the crowd against him.
Worse, while the 'new' hires couldn't justify an official corporate campaign against Felix, at the gym he was vulnerable to a propaganda blitz. By lunchtime tomorrow every woman in the building would know of Felix and his predilections toward the female gender. Amazons would still desire him alright. Felix better watch his precious Henie though in case someone decided to explain to him who was really the boss.
After eight minutes, Felix stirred. He leveraged himself, took in his surroundings before letting his gaze settle on me. Any anger over my rudeness was dissipated by the social hostility focused on him. I silently offered up a water bottle. Felix hurriedly sprang up then blew the macho display by nearly tumbling back over.
Felix took the water, splashed some in his face then drank the rest.
‘‘That was fast,’‘ he finally spoke. ‘‘Damn fast.’‘
‘‘It was what it was, Felix,’‘ I stayed neutral. ‘‘I hope this settles matter between you and I.’‘ I could read it in his eyes; no way in Hell was this over.
‘‘I'll stay away from Brooke,’‘ Felix conceded. ‘‘Until next time.’‘
‘‘It was never about Brooke, Felix,’‘ I sighed. ‘‘It was about using a woman to get at me. I never cared about anything like that before yet I do now so just don't do it.’‘ Felix snorted in amusement. He took up a towel and began drying off as he exited the gym.
‘‘He should be;’‘ Oneida got out. I took another gamble.
‘‘No, Oneida,’‘ I rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. ‘‘He did what a thousand other men would do. He's an egotistical pain in the ass. He is also a fighter, brave and he refuses to accept defeat easily. You can't instantly dissect his good qualities from his foul ones.’‘
‘‘It takes time,’‘ Daphne supported me. She was also soothing any anger over the over-familiarity I was showing to Oneida. ‘‘Along with the rest of us, Cáel is showing Felix the delicate position men will hold in our world. It is a learning process for all of us.’‘
‘‘Felix is not a good man,’‘ Oneida stated, ‘‘not like our Cáel,’‘ she added, clearly crushing on me. Eek!!
‘‘Umm; ladies, thank all of you for your help this evening,’‘ I looked over the group around me. ‘‘Having the room divided over Felix's predations wouldn't have done any of us much good. I'm glad this morning's encounter was brought to light. Thank you all.’‘ If someone does you a favor, thank them.
If it is a woman, make doubly sure you tell them exactly what they did and risked for you. They will appreciate it; it strengthens your bond aka the promise of sex. Yes, I'm a sex-obsessed bad little piglet. The looks my Amazons were giving me told me how well my words were working, except for Yasmin, who seemed terribly amused by the whole romantic spectacle.
The resulting shower scene was its own interesting ballet. As a male, I couldn't be in the center. As a gravitational point in space, the tightest group of Amazons decided on who got into which orbit. Yasmin, despite me being on 'date' with her, was exiled to the periphery. I wasn't going to get into a shoving match over a six minute shower.
Exiting the building was its own paranoid experience. Yasmin and I were leaving together. She was going to take a taxi home, check up on her son, then circle around to my place. We'd figure out 'where to go out to eat' from there. Before Yasmin could stop me, I paid the cab for the trip, the wait and the delivery to my place.
(The Ash Men; a history dump, for those not interested)
I strode into my apartment, bike on my shoulder, when I realized I wasn't alone. Elsa and Katrina; sigh. Breaking and entering? Disrespecting my domicile? This was not the time to be petty, or a stickler for boundaries. I put my bike in its customary place.
‘‘Can I get you something to drink?’‘ I offered as I made my way to the kitchenette.
‘‘Lemonade would be nice,’‘ Katrina stated.
‘‘What is that orange stuff?’‘ Elsa inquired. Yeah, they searched my place already.
‘‘Dark orange, or light orange?’‘ I countered.
‘‘The darker one.’‘
‘‘That's carrot juice,’‘ I informed Elsa.
‘‘I'll try some of that,’‘ she said. I fixed three drinks in tall glasses, handing them out before I joined Katrina on the sofa. Sipping my own lemonade, I turned to face Katrina.
‘‘Oneida is becoming a problem,’‘ Katrina began. ‘‘She's told you some things she shouldn't have.’‘
‘‘The Ash Men,’‘ I sighed. ‘‘You two being here makes this nothing but bad news.’‘
‘‘Not so,’‘ Katrina corrected me. ‘‘It is a shameful episode in our history; so disgraceful we keep the truth of what really happened a closely guarded secret. Unfortunately, it is something House Arinniti has always felt strongly about and teaches their young.’‘
To be continued in Part 15
By FinalStand for Literotica.