Chapter 4

’Grounded for life.’

Those three words echoed in Sophie’s head as she enjoyed her honey oat-milk flat white at her favorite café in the downtown area.

“Mommy, what’s wrong with that lady’s hair?” a small boy asked.

Children were the worst. They had no filters when they saw her tattoos, piercings, and hair shaved on the side. But at least they were honest about it. She would rather face it head-on than the side glances and whispered remarks adults made.

“I see you escaped house arrest,” Paige Brian, her BFF, said, scaring the crap out of her.

“I told you not to sneak up on me.”

Paige gave her a dismissive look.

“I didn’t think I would see you for a while. Your mom was in rare form last night.”

When Bartolomeu ‘Bart’ Ward, her other BFF, had called her stepbrother a douche, it had been too much for her mom to take. In short order, she’d given Sophie a look she rarely got, the one that said ’You are about to die.’ Her mom had on more than one occasion said, “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.”

If she’d been given a do-over, Sophie would have at least given Rory a chance. It wasn’t his fault he’d landed here. She’d just been in a bad mood because one of the guards in juvie had touched her, which she thought was inappropriate. Turns out they can get you to comply with what they want, and slapping a guard gets you extra time. Even her high-priced lawyer was no help with that.

“I snuck out,” Sophie admitted. “Mom took my stepbrother to the gym, and then she and my stepdad went to work. They won’t be home until tonight, so no one was there to tell me I couldn’t treat myself to a coffee and Danish.”

“You deserve it after having to spend three weeks in juvie.”

“The coffee sucked in there,” Sophie shared.

“What’s going on with he who can never be named?” Paige asked.

Sophie had been furious with her ex when she’d made that rule. He’d picked her up to go to a party, and they’d been pulled over on the way. Someone had clued in the cops that he was bringing drugs to the event. Sophie had known that he sold, but not to that extent. If not for her stepdad’s lawyer, she might be facing serious time.

If getting arrested because of him wasn’t enough, the idiot had tried to pin the drugs on her. That was when she’d made the mandate that she didn’t want to hear his name ever again.

“He pleaded guilty to a Class D Felony. He’ll serve 12 to 48 months and has to pay a fine of $5,000.”

Paige shook her head in disgust. She’d never liked Sophie’s boyfriend, and looking back, she’d been right about him.

“Let’s talk about the big change. How’s your new stepbrother?” Paige asked.

“Get this: my parents actually took him to a fundraiser at the country club. I think they see him as the child they always wanted and are trying to assimilate him into the craziness of The Valley.”

“Was that why he was dressed like that?”

“No. Rory’s working at the studio, helping my mom find talent.”

“What? Why?” Paige asked.

“He told them he wanted a job.”

Neither girl could wrap her mind around that. Why would any teenager work if they didn’t have to? And it was no secret that if you lived in the Luv household, you didn’t need the money.

“Is he trying to suck up to them or something?” Paige asked.

“I don’t know, but he did make breakfast this morning, so maybe.”

Paige didn’t seem to have a witty comeback to that statement.

“I should go home before I get caught,” Sophie decided.

She didn’t need to compound her troubles with her mom.

“Want some company? We have a lot of catching up to do.”

Her mom hadn’t said she couldn’t have anyone over.

“As long as it’s just you, I don’t think my mom will care,” Sophie decided.

Paige jumped up and grabbed her hand.

“Let’s go.”

The gym had a padded practice cage that West led Rory to.

“I thought we would spar today so I can get an idea of your capabilities. It’ll help my dad figure out who would be your best opponent for your first fight.”

They got into the cage, and West ordered them to begin. Rory found his sparring partner was sneaky-fast, and they were both surprised when Rory survived West’s initial attack. Rory’s old coach, Chris, had drilled him on how to protect himself, and he’d grown enough that he could avoid most of West’s initial onslaught.

On the second attack, West stopped holding back his punches. Obviously, he outclassed Rory by a wide margin since he was at least five years older and had grown up in his father’s gym. To add to his advantage, West was a good four inches taller than Rory and outweighed him by at least fifty pounds.

Rory felt himself relax. He was used to fighting much bigger opponents. His advantage was that he was quick and had better stamina. If he could keep the match going, he might have a chance. Chet, West’s father and the owner of the gym, stopped their practice.

“It looks like you’re giving West a hard time. What if I told you I had a fighter drop out of the Chariton vs. Escarra undercard match this Friday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena? Would you be interested in filling in?”

There were three main venues in Las Vegas for major fights. The MGM was one of them, and even though he was from Illinois, Rory was aware of it.

“What weight classification?” Rory asked.

“Welterweight.”

That meant his opponent was a weight class above his lightweight classification. His opponent would be at least five pounds heavier, if not twenty. That was a huge disadvantage for him in an actual bout.

“Is he any good?” Rory asked.

“He’s nine and oh as an amateur. If he wins this bout, he’ll be turning pro,” Chet said.

“You’re talking about Birney?” West asked his dad.

Chet nodded in answer. Rory could see the pained expression on West’s face. Everything inside him said he would be overmatched, and this Birney guy might kick the crap out of him. At that moment, Rory knew Chet wasn’t someone he wanted picking his fights in the future.

Rory was sure they would underestimate him. He’d been the underdog all his life and many times came out on top.

“I’ll do it,” Rory finally said.

“Good. I’ll want one of your parents to come down and sign the contract. We also need to get you a corner and a cutman. You might have to hire someone to do that. Can you afford it?” Chet asked.

“I’ll talk to my dad and see. When do you need him to sign the contract?”

“Today, if he can. I have to let Birney’s people know who his opponent will be,” Chet said and walked away.

“My dad is going to kill me, but you should back out. Birney’s no joke. He’s been out of the military for two years; when he was in, he taught men hand-to-hand combat. Before that, he was a three-time high school state wrestling champion,” West shared.

“Any ideas on how I can beat him?” Rory asked.

West burst out laughing.

“Besides quitting now...?”

Rory nodded, which sobered West.

“You’re really going to do this?”

“I think I am.”

“Okay, then I can give you two pieces of advice. Don’t let him get hold of you. His grip is like a vise from his wrestling days, and you’re not getting away if he does grab you.”

“Good to know. What else?” Rory asked.

“Don’t let him get you on the ground. I would turn your bout into more of a kickboxing match and keep him off me. Even then, he’ll probably kill you,” West said.

“You say that like you know him.”

“He trains here, and my dad manages him. He’s kicked my butt regularly since he got here.”

Yep. Rory would be a heavy underdog.

Rory called and talked his dad into picking him up for work. He had him come into the gym and sign him up for the fight. When they got into the car, Tyler had some questions.

“If the fight is Friday, it seems like an awfully short amount of time to get ready. Are you sure about this?”

“It’s a terrible idea, but it’s a chance of a lifetime to fight at one of the greatest venues in MMA and have it on pay-per-view. Most fighters never get something like this their whole career,” Rory said.

“I’m probably a terrible dad for letting you do this. What do you need to make this happen?”

“I need you to fly Chris and his family in as soon as possible. He’ll be my cornerman, and Katherine can be my cutman ... cut woman ... or person. Whatever you call it,” Rory said.

“Is she qualified?”

“She’s been patching up everyone at the gym for as long as I’ve been going there. I trust her to keep me going if I need her,” Rory said.

“I’ll call Chris and get it all set up. To change the subject, are you ready for porn class today?”

“I was up late studying,” Rory joked.

“Crystal was right. You are funny sometimes.”

Rory found out that today’s class was divided into boys and girls. That was girls—plural—because Crystal had another hire from the previous week who’d picked the porn name ‘Kitty Jam.’ She was five-five and showed nice curves that had the other guys lusting after her. She was rumored to be a dancer in one of the floor shows on the strip. Rory had to admit that she had great legs, but she was in her mid-twenties, which he considered too old.

Crystal was teaching the girls today, and the guys’ teacher was Rory’s dad. The amusement came when ‘Dick’ and ‘Rod’ didn’t know Tyler was his father. Rory enjoyed listening to their gossip about his dad.

“Wow. It’s Tyler Luv,” Rod said when he came into their room.

“I heard he’s made over a thousand movies over his career,” Dick said.

“Anyone who has gotten that much pussy has to know what he’s talking about,” Rod added.

Tyler had them all sit down in a semicircle.

“Before we get started, I want to warn you that we’ll be talking about your equipment today, and you will be required to participate in the activities,” he said and then turned to Rory. “That means you’ll have to expose your dick.”

Rory’s first instinct was to bail, but his father had just signed a form to let him fight, so he thought better of it.

“No problem. I just don’t want to embarrass them, so if you want me to sit out...”

“Right,” “Bite me,” and a few not-so-kind words were thrown his way.

“Go ahead and take your pants off because the first part of today’s class is about enhancing your package,” Tyler said while he also shed his pants and underwear.

“Despite what you find on the Internet, most, if not all, the products you see advertised will not make your dick bigger. There aren’t a lot of professional studies on what does work to give you a clue as to what’s worthwhile and what to avoid.

“Over time, we’ve put together some exercises that seem to help. I’ll want you doing these several times a day if you want to see results,” Tyler said.

“Do you think these exercises will really help make my cock bigger?” Dick asked.

“I do, but like the ads all say, results may vary,” Tyler answered.

“I don’t see a downside,” Rod decided.

“Okay, get yourself semi-erect and stand up. If you’ve ever worked out, you know that stretching before you do any workout is a good idea. I want you to cup the underside of your member and lift it up so it’s horizontal to the floor. Hold it for thirty seconds, then allow it to fall back down. Do that four times to get started,” Tyler said and then demonstrated.

“Next, we’re going to do the best—and only permanent—natural solution for premature ejaculation. We will do PC muscle clenches or Kegels. The clenching helps you be aware of the sensation that comes before cumming. Here’s the best part. If your muscle is strong enough, clenching it at the right moment can allow you to orgasm without shooting off,” Tyler taught.

“That’s a good thing, right?” Rod asked.

“Very,” Tyler agreed.

“How do you clench it?” Rory asked.

“It’s the same muscle you use to shut off the stream when you pee.”

“I understand how that will keep you from shooting off, but how does it help make you bigger?” Rory asked.

“Good question. If you clench that muscle for a minute, blood will flow into your penis. Once you see a difference, let it go. You can do this exercise almost nonstop, but like any muscle, it needs rest and recovery time if you want to see real results,” Tyler said.

Rory knew what working out too hard did, and doing that with his PC muscle was something he wanted to steer clear of. Any pain in his dick region was best avoided.

“The next best method to increase your size is called jelqing,” Tyler taught.

“I know this one,” Dick said. “When you’re hard, wrap your thumb and forefinger firmly around the base, tight enough that you feel the blood pressure build. When your shaft is super hard, push the blood from the base to the tip.”

“Show them,” Tyler encouraged.

Rory could see it made his dick look thicker as it filled with blood. He would have to trust his dad that it would help with length.

The last exercise was called spinning. Rory was disappointed when it wasn’t what Rod called the helicopter, which was a stripper move. Tyler had them grasp the tip while erect and rotate their members ten times clockwise and then ten in the other direction. It was supposed to increase blood flow.

They put their boxers on and took a break, and the guys talked about their day. Rory was glad that no one made it awkward and spoke about each other’s equipment. The guys were all mature enough to feel that what they had was fine. Rory mentally noted that he might, in fact, be bigger than his classmates, while his dad was downright huge. If he continued to grow into something like his father’s size, he might truly scare women.

Rory told them about his fight.

“What the heck? You could kick my butt?” Dick asked.