Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 79870 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79870 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
The room he led me to was large with lots of windows and French doors. I was glad of that. I needed lots of windows, or else I felt caged.
“I’m gonna run grab my mouth guard from my room,” Marco said. “Back in a sec.”
I gave him a thumbs up and set my bag down next to the king size bed. It was low to the floor, with a thick down comforter. Before I did anything else, I snatched the comforter off and tossed it into the chair in the corner. No way would I be able to sleep under that torture device. Then I slipped into a pair of blue workout shorts. I didn’t bother with a shirt. I doubted if I’d wear one the entire time at camp, except maybe to eat.
Cheering came from outside, followed by a big splash, then more cheering. I walked over to the French doors and stepped out onto the balcony. I had a perfect view of the pool directly below me, where three beautiful girls in skimpy bikinis were sitting on the side of the pool with their legs dangling in. Jason had shucked his clothes and jumped into the water in nothing but his boxer briefs. He was trying to coax the girls into joining him, splashing water up on them, and they were laughing and squealing.
Three other girls lounged in chairs, their trim model bodies oiled up and glistening. Like the UFC’s Octagon Girls, these girls were all gorgeous white girls of the same body type— thin enough to look good when the camera added ten pounds. They were cookie cutter copies of each other, right down to the hair that fell in gentle waves to their shoulder blades, with the only differences I could see being the color of their hair and the color of their bikinis.
A couple of guys I assumed were my other training partners sat close to the lounging girls, casting hungry glances toward them as they talked. I found myself wondering how one might go about choosing between the clones based on looks alone.
Marco knocked lightly on the partially open bedroom door and came on in. “What do you think?” he asked.
“I don’t know, man. Seems a little too chill for my tastes. I’m trying to get prepped for a fight, and these guys are trying to get laid.”
“My thoughts exactly.” He looked over my shoulder at the frolicking guests. “So I’m guessing you’re not planning on utilizing the ladies while we’re here?”
“Fuck off, Marco.”
He gave one of his rare laughs and clapped me hard on the shoulder. He and I had sort of a don’t ask don’t tell situation. I’d never confided in him about my private life, but I was about ninety-nine percent sure he knew the deal. Since Jamie had come along, Marco had been making some overtly suggestive comments, as if he wanted to make sure I knew that he knew.
“Do you think these guys are going to be able to focus,” he asked. “Or do I need to say something to Ray?”
“Who’s Ray?”
“Ray Roberts, the owner of this house. Big time coach. He’s going to be guiding us and arranging things.”
“And he’s the one who brought in the girls?”
Marco nodded.
“Well, then I’m not sure how much confidence I have in Ray. I think I’d feel more productive if I was in that desert barracks I was imagining, doing drills in a minefield or something. Maybe a little mild waterboarding to get the aggression up.”
Marco chuckled. “What the hell were you thinking camp was going to be like? It’s not supposed to be a prison. It’s just a place to get away from the distractions of the real world and focus on one thing: getting ready for a fight. You’ve got a good setup here, Kage. You’ve got me, and you’ve got Ray, and you’ve got three training partners. There’s a gym on the bottom floor with everything you could possibly imagine, a pool to swim laps, a dietitian in the kitchen who’s going to make sure you eat what you’re supposed to be eating. He just had a brand spanking new octagon installed down there. It’s sweet, man.”
“Okay. We’ll just play it by ear. But if the girls get in the way, we’ll just ask Ray to send them away, right? I mean, hell, I want the guys to enjoy themselves. If they can blow off a little steam at night, maybe it will benefit me during the day.”
Marco agreed. “I think everything will be fine. And if it’s not, we’ll make it fine.”
Downstairs in the gym, I finally started feeling good about camp. I met Ray, who was physically imposing, with linebacker shoulders and a large nose that had been broken more than once. He was loud and heavy handed, nearly buckling my knees the first time he pounded on my shoulder in greeting.