Silver and Chrome: A Bad Boy MC Romance (66 page)

Joel stomped through the
city towards the YMCA, his shirt already wet with sweat. He had originally
planned on taking a bus, but after the fight with Amber he decided to walk off
his frustrations. He had plenty of time before he needed to be at Rock House
anyway.

He kicked a loose piece
of concrete hard, sending it skittering into the road. An oncoming car swerved
to miss it and honked at him angrily. He threw up his middle finger and kept
walking. The one feeling he hated more than any other was that he owed someone
something. His parents had kicked him out with only the clothes on his back,
and from then on he learned to rely only on himself.
 
If you rely on other people for
things, you're in for disappointment.

He owed Amber more than
anyone. She was the one that helped him that night he was injured. She was the
one that found the tournament and sought him out to convince him to try it. She
was the one that paid for his membership - although at least he had been able
to pay her back for that. There wasn't a lot he could do about the others; it
was harder to pay back gestures.

But she was right. He was
basically living with her rent free, which was just racking up his debt to her.
The fact that they were... what? Seeing each other? Boyfriend and girlfriend?
They had never defined it - but anyway, it didn't matter. It was still
freeloading and it had to stop. Unfortunately, he was just about broke. Paying
her back the $300 to join Golden Dragon had taken most of his savings, and he
had used the rest to buy some of the training equipment that Shawn had told him
he would need before starting at Rock House.

The equipment was what he
needed from his locker. He hadn't brought it back to the apartment because he
didn't want Amber to ask questions about it. He knew she would offer to pay for
them or something, which would have just ended them up in the same fight they
just had. The whole argument was unavoidable, with no money it was bound to
come up sometime.

He could see the YMCA in
the distance now, it would only be another 20 minutes or so before he got
there. He considered having another quick shower to clean off the sweat and
then change into another shirt, but there was no point. He'd just get sweaty
again once he started training.

Was this relationship
with Amber really going to work? They were so different. She may live in a
crappy apartment, but at least it was a stable roof over her head and her own
bed at night. And at the end of the day, if things went bad she could always go
back home to her parents. She had a safety net, and she couldn't comprehend
what life was like without one.

And yet, he wanted things
to work. Even though deep down he knew he didn't deserve someone like Amber,
not by a long shot, he still wanted her. She was kind hearted. More so than
anyone he'd ever met. And when she turned that kindness towards him, it made
the bleakness of his existence just a little bit brighter.

It didn't hurt that she
also gorgeous. Especially naked. A smile crept across his face as he pictured
her. It had been a long time since a girl had offered herself to him the way
Amber did - exposed and vulnerable. Even in bed she was giving, always putting
his pleasure above her own.

It made him feel guilty
sometimes, adding to an internal debt tally that just grew and grew with no
hope that he could ever repay it. Adding money to that list as well, something
he
could
 
repay if he was
more successful, just made him feel even worse. Maybe if life had given him a
few more breaks instead of just constantly finding new ways to remind him of
his failures.

That was what had made
him so angry at the apartment. He hadn't even considered the fact that he was
freeloading, living with her this past week while she continued to pay the
rent, the bills, even buy all the food. She may not have been accusing him of
it, but bringing it up made him realize he was just digging himself in deeper
with her, and he really had no plan to even things out.

Shawn Rock had offered to
train him, but that wasn't going to earn Joel any money. And even if he could
find a job, there was no time for it now since he'd be training during the days
and needing his sleep at night. There was only one thing he was qualified to do
anyway. Joel squeezed his fists.

He'd promised Amber that
now that he was going to train at Rock House he would give up fighting at
nights. But if he did, he'd have no money at all. Yet he really did want to
live with her - he just wasn't willing to do it for free. He needed to pay his
own way. If he couldn't, then he didn't see a lot of hope for a future between
them.

Surely breaking that
promise was better than breaking their relationship. That rationalization
solidified the decision in his mind, although he knew he had to keep it to
himself, at least for now.

First thing he had to do
was track down Randy, the organizer of the underground fight club. He had an
idea of how to do that, but it would have to wait until after today's training
session.

Amber spent most of the
rest of the morning angry and confused. How did a morning that started off with
a sexy shower end up in a fight like that? It had all happened so fast, she was
confused about what exactly it was even about. Joel was quick to anger, she
knew that about him, but she thought they had been getting to a good place and
he was really starting to trust her. Now he was painting her as a gold digger
looking to dip her hands into his pockets. That wasn't what she meant at all.

She had been paying rent
on this place on her own for almost two years, she didn't need him to chip in.
Sure, it would help in the sense that then she could save for an even better
place, with him, but that wasn't even her goal. It had really just been an
innocent suggestion. Why did he fly off the handle like that?

What burned her the most
was his comment about her "head start". She bit her lip in
frustration. What did he know about her home life, anyway? He never once asked
about it, and she knew better than to dare and ask about his. Her parents
didn't give her anything to help with this place, if that's what he meant. They
hated that she lived here, but it wasn't like they ever offered to help her
find anything else. They lived in their own little bubble, making comments
about everyone else's life and affairs without ever lifting a finger to change
anything. Full of advice and no action.

Still, Amber had a
feeling she did know what Joel was talking about. She had suspicions that
Joel's home life was pretty bad. One didn't end up living in shelters and
fighting for a living after growing up in a happy and positive environment. She
couldn't imagine what it must have been like, but she hoped one day he would
open up and tell her. For now she would leave it alone. He had mentioned once
that the shitty apartment she lived in was at least in a better
neighborhood
than where he came from.
When he told her where that was, she had to agree - he grew up in the worst
part of town.

But other than a rough
idea of where he had grown up, the only other thing she ever really got out of
him was that his parents were gone now, although she wasn't even sure how long
ago they had died. If it was relatively recent, then that could be part of his
touchiness. Joel had told her he'd been on his own and in shelters for the last
few years, though, so it couldn't have been that recent. It was sad that he
ended up on the streets after they died. She couldn't imagine not having anyone
else he could have turned to in all this time. Then again, she had no idea how
much of that was his choice.

What frustrated her the
most was that if she just understood more about his past, and it was really as
bad as she supposed, then it would go a long way toward excusing his current
behavior
. But since she was in
the dark, she wasn't sure how mad she should be at him.

Was he acting
unreasonably and just being a jerk? Or was there a very good reason he was so
touchy about things like money, debt and his family. She was his girlfriend,
for god sakes.
 
Wait, was she?
 
They never really had a conversation
about it. She wanted to bring it up a few times, but she was always concerned
about how he would react. The truth was, she wasn't sure at all what he felt
about their relationship.

She resolved to bring it
up the next time she saw him, whenever that was. He was already pissed off at
her anyway, she may as well get this subject out there as well and deal with it
all at once. It would help to know where she stood. After all, if he was just
thinking about her as a fun little diversion, or a place to sleep where he
didn't have to worry about getting robbed in the night, then it was better to
end it now anyway. But she hoped she was more than that. A lot more.

According to the clock
next to her bed, Joel's training should just be starting. Neither of them had
any idea how long it would go, but now it sounded like he wasn't even planning
on returning when it was finished.

Fuck him
. She had to work tonight
anyway. Friday night was a big tip night, and the money was always needed.
Still, tips often reflected the frame of mind she was in, which meant that by
the end of the night she might actually owe somebody money. Guys typically wanted
their hot bartender to be perky and friendly and flirt with them. If any of
them so much as made a comment about her mood tonight, though, they'd be lucky
not to end up with a drink in their face.

She needed a distraction.
Someone or something to take her mind off of Joel for the night. Her mind
immediately went to her gay bar-back, Simon. He was always asking her to go to
an after-hours place to get shit faced once their night ended, but she was
usually too tired. But she had no reason to run home tonight, or to get up
early tomorrow morning. Better to sleep away a hangover than deal with
obsessive thoughts about where Joel was and whether he was still mad at her.

Amber got back into bed
and pulled her sheet up to her chin, despite the heat in the apartment. If she
was going to go out late tonight, she could use a nap. She was up too early
this morning, giving out surprise shower blow jobs. Look how well that turned
out. She closed her eyes, waiting for sleep to lull her back into
unconsciousness. At least then she could stop thinking about Joel and the
oversized chip on his shoulder.

Joel showed up about 20
minutes early to Rock House, carrying his workout and sparring gear in an old
knapsack slung over one shoulder. He was impressed as soon as the building was
in sight.

Rock House was a massive
structure. It looked to be a converted warehouse, with the outside painted a
dark and textured gray that he assumed was supposed to make it look like stone.
In front of it was a huge sign on a pole at least 50 feet in the air. Rock
House Training Center - Mixed Martial Arts.

Joel pushed past the big
double doors and was immediately hit by the familiar smell of sweat and heavy,
wet air. He breathed it in deeply, finding it strangely comforting and hoping
it would help him relax a bit and shake off the fatigue and overall grumpiness
that he was still feeling after his restless night and early argument.

Inside was just as
impressive as outside. The place was huge, made up for the most part of a vast
open area with simple thin mats along the floor. At the back, he could see a
full size MMA style octagon cage, as well as a regular wrestling ring next to
it. On the opposite end, there was work out equipment. Mostly free weights, but
a few bikes for cardio as well. Draped along one of the walls was an immense
American flag.

It was also immediately
clear that not everyone was told to start at nine. There were at least fifteen
guys in the place. Some of them had obviously just gotten there and were
standing around talking, but others were already working out. A couple were
sparring on the mat, some others were using the equipment and one was pounding
on one of the many heavy bags that hung along the perimeter of the big open
space.

His eyes were wide as he
scanned the room, still taken aback by how immense it was. He wondered how much
a place like this would cost to train at if he had to pay. Certainly more than
he could ever afford. He gritted his teeth as it reminded him of how much he
really owed to Amber that you couldn't really put a price on. If it wasn't for
her, he wouldn't be here. He was a fool for taking out his frustrations on her
this morning. That was definitely no way to start repaying his debt.

"Joel!"

He turned to see Shawn Rock
walking toward him. The big MMA former champion grasped his hand and shook it
firmly in greeting. "Good to see you. How's the head?"

Joel instinctively lifted
his hand up to reach around and touch the injury which had now healed over
pretty well. Shawn had sent the team doctor over to Amber's place the night
after the tournament and he had confirmed it was a concussion, albeit a very
minor one. He had been more concerned about the cut at the back of his head,
putting in five stitches to close it up, telling him to wait ten to twelve days
to fight again. Joel had pushed to start as soon as he could. Today was the
earliest he was cleared. "Great," he said.

"Cool, cool. Okay,
well let's introduce you to a few people and then get you started." Shawn
motioned with his head for Joel to follow and he walked over to the group of
men that weren't training yet. There were four of them standing together and
talking. They stopped as the two men approached. A couple of them nodded at
Shawn. One of them looked at Joel as if he'd just bitten into a lemon.

"Boys, this is Joel
Slater, the guy I was telling you about that shoulda won that Golden Dragon
tournament. Lucky for us he didn't and we stole him away from Tiger Strike. He
has a keen eye for weaknesses in his opponents, so watch out what you show
him." Shawn laughed, as did a couple of others. Sour mouth just glared at
Joel.

"Anyway, this here
is Chris Leeman," Shawn patted a broad shouldered man who had short, curly
blond hair that was streaked with red dye. Chris reached forward and shook
Joel's hand.

"Kingston
West," Shawn said, putting his hand on the shoulder of a large black man.
He was even taller than Joel by at least 2 inches, and had muscles of midnight
stretching his tight white T-shirt. He smiled without showing any teeth, giving
a little nod in Joel's direction.

"Rorie
McMahon." Rorie was shorter than Joel, and leaner as well. But his body
was sinewy and tight, without an ounce of fat to be seen. He had short red hair
and hard green eyes.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi."

"And finally, Blake
Edwards." Sour puss took a quick look at Shawn and then nodded at Joel,
but as soon as Shawn turned away his face curled back into a sneer. Blake
looked to be about Joel's height, but thicker. He was bald, with tattoos running
up and down both of his arms, likely extending to the rest of his upper body as
well but they were obscured by his shirt.

"I've asked these
guys to come in today to help show you the ropes around here, they're all part
of my core group that I have the highest hopes for in terms of making it all
the way. Don't be surprised if you see any of these guys fighting on TV pretty
soon. Hell, you'll probably see all of them eventually. It's somewhere I think
you can get to as well, Joel." Shawn started to walk. "Come on, let
me show you the locker room."

The two men left the
group of fighters and walked to a set of doors near the back. Shawn opened one
up and motioned Joel through, following after him. The locker room was fairly
small, but it still held about 50 lockers. Attached was a washroom and a few
shower stalls.

"Just find a place
to store your stuff and put on your gear. Head on out to the guys and they'll
get you started. Like I said, I expect good things from you, Joel. Rock House
is one of the hardest gyms around, but we get results. I've brought half a
dozen guys up from nothing to fighting at the highest levels in the last six
months alone. But you have to put in the time. Two or three times a week isn't
going to cut it here. I expect you to be here five, maybe six times if you
expect to get results."

"No problem,"
Joel said. He had no intention of slacking. This was his dream, and he wasn't
planning on fucking it up."

"Cool, cool,"
Shawn said, turning back to the door and pulling it open. "One more thing,
though. I know you got that injury fighting with an underground club. That
stops immediately. You fight with Rock House, at Rock House, or where Rock
House tells you to fight. Training here means not jeopardizing yourself
anywhere else. We're putting time and resources into your body, and it's no
longer yours to risk - not if you want to continue with us, anyway.
Understood?"

Joel nodded. "Of
course."

Shawn nodded and then
left.

That would be a problem
.