Shattered

•Eight•

NOW

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, Katrina proudly beaming behind me.  She stood tall and winked at me.

"Jack is gonna love it.  Girl, he's gonna be all over you!"  She nudged me and I appeased her with a soft chuckle.

I reached up, feeling my now shoulder length hair, turning my head to view each angle in the mirror.  It was slightly higher in the back.  "You did a great job," I told her.

Jack had prepaid for my appointment over the phone, shelling out a generous tip, I learned, as Katrina couldn't keep her mouth shut.  It was obvious she thought the sun shined out of my husband's ass.

I took a deep breath and accepted my new look, thanking her.  Stepping out into the afternoon sun, I closed my eyes and faced the warmth.  It was a Friday and I had the entire afternoon to myself.  Jack had a lunch meeting with a client and when he discovered that Trish was unavailable to "babysit" me during my appointment, he let me go alone anyway, making me promise to stay safe and go straight home afterwards.

Opening my eyes, I turned and pulled my phone out of my purse to call for an Uber using the app Jack had set up for me when a sign in front of me caught my eyes.  The sun was hitting the metal pole it hung from, bouncing the light into my eyes.  I blinked and moved until I could see it clearly.

Curly's Gym.

I pulled the door open, the smell of sweat immediately noticeable.  There were several boxing rings spread throughout, a few of them occupied with men sparring.  Along the brick wall in the back were punching bags lined up, a few of them taking a beating.  I had no idea if Tom would be there and I considered walking out as quickly as I entered.  Then I saw him in the ring across from me, his fists up, bouncing quickly from foot to foot. 

At first I was surprised to see him.  He was shirtless, tattoos down his arms, and across the expanse of his back.  As he bounced from foot to foot and made use of the ring, I noticed he had tattoos across his chest as well.  The tattoos didn't surprise me.  He seemed like the type to be covered in them. 

Tom was sparring with another guy, one who appeared to be much larger than him.  Like Tom, he too had tattoos; the most noticeable one being an angry bear across his shoulder.  A few gym members were hanging along the sides of the ring, cheering them on, sometimes taunting.  Tom struck his opponent quickly in the cheek and he stumbled back, jerking from left to right as he recovered from the hit.  Tom watched him carefully, his arms up, ready for defense.  Then, without warning, Tom lunged forward, getting him in the shoulder, then the hip.

"Come on, Grizz!  Don't let him corner you!" One of the spectators shouted.

I felt out of place.  I was clearly the only woman there.  A few of the men around the ring noticed me and kept glancing my way.  I ignored them and kept my eyes on Tom. 

Grizz took a few shots then wound his arms around Tom's waist.  Tom elbowed him sharply in the back, causing Grizz to release his hold.  Next, Tom kneed him and as Grizz fell backwards, Tom pounced, getting a good grip on him from behind.  He had him in a headlock for a few seconds before Grizz tapped on Tom's arm, signaling the end of the spar.

The men around the ring cheered, a few of them groaning, disappointed.

"Who's next?" Tom teased the spectators.  He looked around, his arms out wide.  "Derek?  All that smack talk, let's get you in here."

Derek threw his hands up, laughing, "Nah man!  I ain't going down like Grizz!"

Tom then glanced my way and his hands dropped as he grinned.  Grizz pat Tom on the back and they shook hands quickly.  Tom excused himself and climbed out of the ring between the ropes.  He dropped down to the hardwood floor and made his way over to me, removing his gloves.  He tucked his gloves under his arm and took his mouth guard out.