As Shayne slipped under the ropes into the ring, he held his arm up, and the crowd went wild. I could see that Maury, who was standing behind him outside the ring, looked less than pleased at Shayne’s showboating. I wasn’t sure what he expected. It was who Shayne was when he was playing the role of Ice. The fans loved it.
Shayne bounced on his heels and tossed his head from side to side. He seemed unconcerned by the glare of the huge monstrosity of a man across the ring from him. Maury stepped into the ring long enough to help Shayne out of his robe, and then I saw the two of them drop into what appeared to be a deep conversation. Maury looked like he had just bit into a lemon when he exited the ring a moment later.
The ref came out and made the announcement that the fight was about to start, and the crowd finally started to settle down.
“God, he’s even better looking in person,” I heard the woman behind me say.
“I know. I wouldn’t mind having that between my legs tonight,” another woman replied.
I didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to know they were talking about Shayne. I had to admit that he looked good. He looked better than good. His muscles rippled under the lights as he finished his warm-ups. It was as if everything was happening in slow motion when the bell rang, and the fight started.
He moved like a panther across the ring. His expression was calm but full an intense concentration. I knew that look. He’d had the same look when he stalked me in the ring last night. There was little doubt that when Ice Malone knew what he wanted, he went after it with everything he had. I felt a rush of pleasure as I squeezed my legs together. When the first contact was made between the two fighters, I yelled right along with the crowd.
This match was entirely different than the one I had watched with Stacey. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I understood the whole thing a lot better than I did then. It was obvious from the beginning that Ice and Hammer were much more evenly matched. Hammer was older than Ice by several years and had been on the MMA circuit longer. Ice was the up and comer, though, and favored despite the fact that the last time they’d met in the ring, the Hammer had taken him down.
I had nosed through some of Shayne’s medical records that I found under his client file on the firm’s share drive. I knew I probably shouldn’t have done that, but my curiosity had gotten the better of me. After his first fight with Hammer, he’d been out of commission for almost a month. Bruised ribs. A split lip. A concussion. The doctor said he was lucky it wasn’t worse. I felt the anxiety in the pit of my stomach again as the two men in the ring jabbed and swung at each other. Each hit that landed on Shayne’s body caused me to flinch. I started to scream louder.
I thought about our short match in the ring the night before. He had been kind in humoring me, but he also knew that I wasn’t any threat. I think that’s why I had been able to surprise him and take him down to the mat. I had a feeling if we mock sparred again, he wouldn’t underestimate me.
The first round passed without either fighter gaining any advantage over the other. Halfway through the second round, though, the cadence changed. Hammer grabbed at Shayne’s throat and was able to gain purchase. He pulled him in closer. Shayne tried to beat at his hands but couldn’t quite get the other man to let go. I watched in horror as Hammer started to push Shayne up on his tiptoes. Shayne’s face flushed as he started to choke. The crowd hushed.
Was this about to be the end? Time seemed to stand still. Then Shayne brought up both arms and slammed them down on Hammer’s forearms. Hammer must have loosened his grip just enough that Shayne was able to twist his arm even as he grabbed Hammer’s wrist. My mouth fell open as I watched Shayne pivot around and yank on Hammer’s arm drawing him up and over his back.
He let the momentum of the weight of Hammer’s body fling him over his head, and then Hammer landed on the mat hard after a fall through the air of almost six feet. Shayne was on his chest a moment later with his knee dug into deep into the upper part of Hammer’s chest jamming up into his throat. He twisted Hammer’s arm and slammed it down to the mat. Then he drove his fist into the side of Hammer’s head. And again. And again. It was Ice’s personal variation of the ground and pound, and it was brutal.
Hammer’s whole body began to convulse, and then the crowd went crazy when Hammer’s other hand started to slam down on the mat indicating that he was giving up. The ref sprang into action and pushed Shayne off of Hammer’s body. A moment later, he yanked Shayne’s hand into the air and declared him the victor.