Free Black and Blue by Paige Notaro Page B

effect I’d come here for. I needed to see things clearly.
    The first round passed after a couple more tussles. They were just wearing each other down, it was clear. The two went back to their corners and I saw a couple of the guys that had been at the restaurant talking to Sean as he wiped himself down and drank water.
    “That was hot,” Jada said. “That white boy’s good.”
    “He is,” I said.
    “He held his own,” Jamal said. “Why don’t you go offer him a little incentive?”
    I scrunched deeper into my seat. “Not yet.” It was true. I might be firmly in Sean’s corner, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do about us .
    Just then I spotted one of Sean’s friends in the crowd. He was the guy with the suit - a manager maybe. Right then he was being passed a thick handful of bills by some greasy looking guy
    For a flash, I wondered if the match was rigged, but then another couple men walked up and handed Sean’s manager other wads of cash.
    He was a bookie. That’s where the other cash was coming from. I doubted it was strictly legal, but it was a far cry from the gang-banger I’d built Sean up to be in my head.
    Some bikinied girls came and left and round two started. Right away, Sean slipped up. Lamar and he tussled in another engagement and I saw both take body blows.
    It was brutal, but I wasn’t feeling scared anymore, just the impacts. I was too in-sync. Each blow to Sean made me groan like I’d taken it, and each land of his fist made me want to jump out of my seat. There was more than just pure brawn at work in Sean’s head. He was following some rules for points and landing his attacks where they needed to go.
    The two men separated and when they came together again, Sean suddenly dropped to the floor. Lamar dropped on top of him and started raining fists.
    “What?” I screamed and turned to Jamal. “Can he do that?”
    “Until Sean stops defending? Sure.”
    I couldn’t see anything below Lamar’s furious face. I jumped to my feet. Screw whoever was behind me.
    Sean had his arms raised, but barely. Suddenly his legs whirred, and Lamar toppled over. Sean flipped on top and coiled around him like an anaconda. It looked really erotic. All I could think of were his muscles binding me instead.
    “Oh shit,” Jamal said. He was on his feet alongside me. The whole audience was.
    “What?” I asked, but I could already see. Lamar was jerking and pressing to get up, but Sean had left no room to move. The referee hovered close to both of them, signaling something with his hands. I saw fingers counting down.
    Lamar bellowed like an outraged animal, and then his whole body slumped. He tapped the mat.
    Sean leaped upright, arms thrust in victory. Some of the crowd groaned but the rest shook the roof, chanting Sean’s name. I was yelling right along with them.
    Lamar staggered to his feet, and Sean clasped his hand. The referee raised Sean’s fist into the sky.
    “Winner by submission,” he boomed.
    The crowd chanted his fighter name: I-rish ti-ger, I-rish ti-ger. Sean glowed at each side of his arena in turn, then paced towards the exit.
    I leapt from my seat and ran that way.
    “Gabi,” Jada’s voice called, but I was far away already.
    A lane had opened along the exit and rough-looking men crowded along it, eager for a glimpse of their champion. I thought I’d never get through, but one guy spotted me and pulled his buddy aside to make room.
    I slipped through just in time to see Sean pass.
    “Sean!” I screamed.
    He froze, looking around as if he’d heard a ghost. I yelled his name again, and he turned directly to me.
    His blonde hair stuck slick to his head and sweat dripped off every cliff on his chiseled face, but it lit up with a glow.
    He stalked up to me, clasped my chin wordlessly and fastened his lips to mine. I tasted the salt and sweat, and ran my hands through his damp hair. The crowd whooped around us.
    He pulled away, still smiling. “You like what you saw then?” he