Caged Heart Read online

  "How are they?

  "They're really good, thank you again." she said as she chewed on the soft fruit. "You haven't even tried them yet!"

  "I was waiting on you to test them out first." he laughed. "Oh by the way, I have your book. I hadn't read that one yet and wanted to take a quick look at it."

  "Oh, do you wanna borrow it? I usually read two books at a time. Weird I know!"

  "Are you sure? When I leave I'm gonna need something to pass the time on my flights... and I was thinking of buying one of his books."

  "You can take it with you. It's an anthology of his newer stories, so you probably won't get bored for a while."

  "That's awesome, thanks. I'll take good care of it."

  "Hey...I know I probably shouldn't ask you such a stupid question...but aren't you nervous about the fight?

  "Nah. It’s just another fight; I've had plenty before it. You are worried about me aren't you?” he asked looking a little happy.

  "Well... yes I am. I mean, like I said before, watching someone you care ab... I mean I wouldn't want to see one of Tony's friends get hurt."

  She had done it again and was mortified. How was she going to escape that one?

  "Well, we can be friends can't we?"

  "Oh yea... sure." she said bashfully.

  "Don't worry so much. I'll be okay. I've been around for a long time and I know what to expect. Volchev's a good fighter but everyone has a weakness. I just need to stay focused that's all."

  Selene looked at him with sad eyes. It was hard enough to watch Tony getting punched and kicked when he fought, now she would have to watch Dorian go through the same thing. She didn't want to see him hurt even though he had been through it a million times before.

  "Hey... don't look like that."

  "Oh I'm sorry... I was just thinking." she said quietly.

  "Tell you what... when I win, we're gonna celebrate with more strawberries and champagne." he smiled.

  She laughed at how confident he was and took comfort in that thought.

  "Is that a promise?"

  "I'll do one better, dinner with strawberries and champagne..." he smiled "... and no Tony to get in the way."

  "Alright.” she said nonchalantly, even though she wanted to scream for joy.

  It seemed she had landed a proper date with Dorian.

  "So I guess I won't be seeing you for the next couple of weeks, right?"

  "Well... yea. I've got new Tae Kwon Do and Jiu Jitsu coaches and they're very strict. This is the last time I'll get to kick back before the fight. After the fight I'll get some time off to recuperate."

  It was almost 1a.m. and she was starting to feel sleepy. The two had talked for a good while and the champagne had relaxed her even more. She could tell that he was just as tired and suggested that he get some sleep.

  "Are you trying to get rid of me Selene?"

  "Dorian you're tired. Go to sleep dude!" she laughed.

  "What are you gonna go do?" he asked sleepily, running his fingers through his dark hair.

  "Probably the same…I haven't been sleeping much lately." she said, hoping he wouldn't ask why.

  "Okay well... yea you should catch up on your sleep. I've got the dishes. You can head in."

  "No come on, go to bed. You look much more tired than I do. I got it. I'll see you in the morning."

  "But..."

  "I've got it! Go!" she demanded, pointing to his room.

  "Okay, okay... well goodnight."

  "Goodnight." she laughed and proceeded to wash the dishes.

  He smiled and left her alone.

  Selene knew that she probably shouldn't get her hopes up for the planned date. He could easily find someone better in between that time. He was nice enough not to embarrass her about what he caught her doing and she was happy about that. She finished the dishes and walked into the empty hallway. He was in the shower now and she stopped at the bathroom door for a few seconds, wishing that she could join him. She knew it would never happen but it couldn't hurt to dream. It was time to get to bed and this time, she made sure that her door was properly closed.

  Chapter Three

  The two men twisted and locked in a dangerous embrace on the blood splattered floor of the Octagon.

  Their bodies glistened with sweat, as the fierce warriors attacked each other with the only weapons they possessed; their fists. Tony was out of breath and his face was badly bruised as Dorian held him down. His arms were clenched tightly around Tony's neck and face, blocking off the air passageways.

  Tony's face was flushed as he desperately held on to consciousness, all the while trying to pry Dorian’s hands off his face. The cheering of the crowd was deafening as they witnessed the highly anticipated fight and all were on their feet. Tony was weakening and tapped on Dorian's forearm, signaling his submission to the referee. Dorian was the winner and he sprang to his feet, arm raised in salute to the energized fans.

  Tony was sprawled out on the floor. The medical examiner and corner-men got him to his feet and made sure that he was alright to move. Dorian came around, gave him a hug and congratulated him on a great fight. It was Tony's first loss and he had a disappointed look on his face. Still, he clapped along with the crowd as the announcer officially declared Dorian the UFC Heavyweight champion.

  Even though Dorian was out of breath, he looked extremely happy and seemed like he could go another three rounds. He thanked his fans, his team and Tony for being a great opponent as he applied a little pressure to his bloody lip. Selene clapped and jumped up and down on her bed as she watched the re-run of the fight in her room.

  She missed the fight and wanted to see what Dorian was capable of. Of course she felt bad for Tony as she watched him in Dorian's strong grip. However, there was something extremely arousing about watching Dorian's muscular body partially naked on the blue floor of the cage. She was also impressed by his humility. It can be easy for fighters to fall victim to arrogance.

  Dorian's next fight was in two nights. She was still a little worried about what he was about to face but her confidence in him was growing after she saw his agility and strength on display. She didn't want Tony to know that she was watching this fight because he would have probably taken offense. That loss was a huge blow to his ego and it took him a while to spring back from it.

  She never saw Dorian again after he gave her the gift. She’d overslept and by the time she awoke the next morning, both he and Tony were gone. She wished she could have seen him one last time. The disappointment of not finding him in the apartment the next day was equal to heartbreak.

  She was looking forward to saying goodbye and wishing him good luck. He had to focus on his training now and would become a recluse before the fight. It was most likely that he was in Vegas by now and preparing for the days ahead. Tony had gone with him as part of his supporting team and Selene was left alone in the apartment. She loved solitude but after getting to know Dorian, she yearned for his company.

  This was dangerous for her and she knew it. Fame can corrupt people and every fighter, no matter how strong can fall prey to the temptations of the spotlight. Thinking of him was not something she took pride in. She was still on defense because of her past disappointments with men and she wanted to get rid of her crush. He seemed to like her and she was aware of it but anything or anyone could steal his attention away from her in a heartbeat. It would be a great struggle for her and she hoped that she wouldn't emerge with a bruised ego.

  Her thoughts were all dismissed by a sudden monotone ringtone. She quickly fished through the bed sheets for her hidden phone.

  "It's probably Tony." she thought as she held it up to see the number.

  She didn't recognize the number and ignored it. The ringing stopped and she got up to turn the TV off. It was late and she was bored. There was nothing to do except go to bed. She turned off the lights and lay on the cool bed, only to hear her phone ringing again. She began to wonder if something had happened to Tony and one of his peers was c
alling to let her know. She quickly grabbed the phone and answered the call hoping it wasn't any bad news.

  "Hello?"

  "Hi... Selene?"

  "Yeah...who's this?" she asked in a concerned voice.

  "It's Dorian."

  "Oh hi... Is something wrong with Tony?"

  "No, no he's passed out and in bed right now."

  She was relieved and also happy to hear Dorian's voice. She hadn't spoken to him since their last night together.

  "You're a worry wart aren't you?"

  "I can't help it. How are you? Everything alright?"

  "Yeah, the fights coming up and I'm ready for it." he said confidently.

  She shook her head and laughed even though she knew he had good reason to feel that way.

  "Cool, I wanted to wish you good luck but you were gone when I woke up."

  "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I wanted to say goodbye to you too, but I had to go."

  "Listen, I meant to tell you this before... but about all that meat-head stuff I said, I didn't mean it. I just have a stupid sense of humor, and I didn't know if you took that personally. Tony and I always poke fun at each other and sometimes I guess I get a little carried away."

  He laughed at her admission and she waited for his response.

  "You don't need to apologize, I can take a joke. It's no fun being serious all the time."

  "OK... so umm how's Vegas?

  "It's great! I ran into a lot of fans and they can't wait for the fight. I'm really pumped."

  "Cool! Well I'll be rooting for you."

  "Still worried?"

  "No... well not as much as I was before. Don’t tell Tony but I just finished watching your fight with him. I was impressed!"

  "Nice. Well don't worry, I'll be careful Moon goddess."

  "What? Did you just say Moon goddess?"

  "Yup...your name comes from the Greek moon goddess, Selene."

  "Oh... wow I didn't know that." she laughed.

  "Yup, so I feel lucky to meet you before the fight. I have a good luck charm now."

  She was flattered that he would say something so sweet and felt even worse that she had reinforced the stereotype of fighters being meat-heads. She didn't deserve such a beautiful compliment.

  "Oh I don't know if you should call me that. I don't deserve it for what I said."

  "Relax ...I say you're my good luck charm and that's that! Besides, you wouldn't want me going in there without my good luck charm would you? If I lost, it would be your fault and I don't think you would want that on your conscience Miss!"

  "Okay, Okay fine." she laughed. "Thank you Dorian."

  "Thank you!"

  He paused for a minute, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. She was also at a loss for words. She wanted to tell him how badly she missed him, even though they just met. Two weeks went by without a word from him and he never left her thoughts.

  "Hey...Selene, we've been avoiding this for a while but..." and she knew where this was going.

  He was about to bring up that night, and she wanted to hang up. She was frightened and didn't know what to expect. After all, she wouldn't be able to deny what she had done. A cold chill went through her entire body as she waited.

  "... I'm sorry that I spied on you. I came to your door to ask you about the book and to make sure you were okay after I hit you. Your door was open and I was about to knock when I uh... heard you... and then you said my name."

  She wanted to cry. Never had she been so embarrassed in all her life. She honestly thought that he wouldn't bring it up because it was a sensitive issue, but she was wrong.

  "I just wanted to tell you that I was sorry. I know you're probably embarrassed about it and I hate to think of you feeling like that."

  "No I'm sorry, umm... the wine got to my head and..." she didn't know what else to say.

  "Oh so you usually do that when you're tipsy?" he asked, very amused.

  "N-no I...uh..." she stammered.

  "Well don't feel bad. I thought you were really sexy."

  "You did?"

  "Yea, I thought it was really hot. I didn't want you to stop... but then I hit your door by accident and I think I scared you. I thought you would be upset with me and I left right away. I was expecting you to curse me out the next morning but you didn't."

  "I'm not like that... I usually give people the impression that I'm a tough bitch because of all the things I've had to deal with growing up... but I'm really the opposite. I was scared you would think badly of me and say something to Tony."

  "Hey, I would never hurt you like that. It will be our little secret okay?"

  "A-alright."

  "Do you still want to go out to dinner with me? If you don't feel comfortable being around me it’s okay. I should've asked you this a long time ago but I didn't know how to bring all this up."

  "I'm glad you brought it up. I guess there was never any running away from it.” she said feeling a little more relaxed.

  "Yea... I wanted to get it off my chest and I really want to take you out. You don't seem like you get out much and you deserve a break."

  "Yea, I guess I do."

  "Alright then! As soon as I get back we're going to have some fun."

  "Alright Dorian..." she laughed. "... and thanks for being so nice about all this."

  "No problem. I gotta get some sleep. Is it okay if I call you tomorrow night?"

  "Yea sure, that would be nice."

  "Okay well have a good night Moon goddess. I'll talk to you soon."

  "Alright Dorian, goodnight." she laughed.

  That went well. She hadn't expected him to be understanding and she felt like she could let her guard down a little. She drifted off to sleep with thoughts of him on her mind.

  ***

  That night Selene had a terrible nightmare. In the dream she was in a dark hallway, standing outside of a door, watching Dorian masturbate. She was turned on by the site of him stroking himself under the thin covers and she was about to walk in when she saw a moving shadow on the side wall. She stopped in her tracks when she saw a very fit and petite blonde woman with huge firm breasts standing over him.

  She was topless, with only a thong on and she jumped on top of Dorian. The two began making out and groped each other while Selene watched in secret. Selene wanted to turn away but she couldn't move... and then they looked back at her, knowing she was there and laughed. She woke up feeling sick to her stomach. Maybe this was some kind of warning not to get involved with him.

  This ominous feeling stayed with her all day and she couldn't shake it off. She still wanted Dorian to win the fight but knew how many women would be vying for his attention if he won. It had been the same with Tony. There was nothing else to do but accept this fact. She was grateful for having spent time with him before he left and she would try her hardest to let him go. He didn't call her back that night and she expected this. It was the night before the fight and Dorian's time would be consumed with interviews, conferences and photo shoots. She could only wait to see him fight.

  Chapter Four

  The time had finally come.

  Selene, as well as millions of fans were about to see a battle between two great fighters. Volchev was the first to come out. He had on a black silk boxing robe and a grimace on his face as he walked towards the Octagon. He was only 32 years old but his rigid face and wide jaw made him look a lot older, probably due to his extensive weight training. When he disrobed, his tanned, muscular chest and arms appeared intimidating to say the least.

  Volchev looked like he could take on a whole army and this made Selene nervous. Her heart sunk as she envisioned Dorian bloody, bruised and not being able to withstand the impact of Volchev's punches. She began to bite her nails as Vochev and his entourage entered the cage.

  The lights suddenly dimmed and bright flashes of green, blue and purple theatrical lights blazed overhead. Dorian was on his way out.

  The crowd got to their feet and cheered loudly as the cameras fo
llowed him out. There he was; her man. She couldn't help smiling and clapping. She felt proud of him for coming out with such energy. He was a crowd favorite and the cheering never stopped as he approached the cage. He did by no means look like a wimp or nervous. Dorian looked ready to take on anyone and her confidence in him came to life once more.

  Before entering the cage, it was customary for the fighters to remove all articles of clothing except for their boxing trunks. Dorian quickly disposed of his shirt and sweatpants, exposing his gorgeous muscular body to the world. She hadn't noticed at first, but Tony was part of his entourage and stood right by his side. Dorian gave him a hug, as well as his coach and the rest of his team before he approached the cut-men. They proceeded to pat his body down and then applied Vaseline to his face. Dorian put on his mouth guard and was now ready to fight.