Chapter 16

"Good Morning, James Robinson, Home Office."

"Oh, Hello, Mr Robinson, I'm a friend of Angela. I'm afraid she's not too well today and won't be able to come in. She should be fine by Monday. Had a nasty fall and she's a bit bruised and shaken up. She'll be good as new in a day or two"

"Hello, Katie O'Brien's office, Jean here"

"Hi, Jean, Katie here. I'm not feeling too well, I had a bit of a tumble, yesterday and I've a few cuts and bruises and a splitting headache. I'll be fine by Monday. I can take calls at home, BYE!"

"That's that taken care of" said Katie, replacing the phone on the bedside table.

"Darling Angie"

"Darling Katie, careful how you kiss me, but don't stop. My face is so sore, thanks to you"

"Mind how you hug ME!" said Katie, "My ribs are so bloody sore thanks to you"

"Katie"

"What, love?"

"Do you think we'll ever be better?"

"Cause we will"

"Katie?"

What, darling?"

"That beach gets awfully crowded in the summer. Where can we go to fight, then?"

"We'll have a truce for the summer"

"What a frightful bore!"

And Angie fell asleep in Katie's arms.

Katie looked down at her friend's naked body. Her ribs were bruised and there were some nasty cuts under her lovely, battered breasts. Those sturdy thighs and well turned shins were covered in cuts and grazes, her whole body was a mass of angry red marks and ugly bruises.

"Just like mine", thought Katie. "That was quite a day!"

And she fell asleep, still lovingly cradling Angie.

"Back to normal today, eh? Bozo. Peace has returned"

John stood, exactly on the spot where yesterday's fight had taken place. The sand was smooth, now, having been washed by the tide. No more signs of blood, though there been plenty yesterday! There were still a few drops on the shingle, where victor and vanquished alike had continued to bleed as the one carried the burden of the other up those steps and all the long, weary way to the car park. He had half hoped that the girls would come to recuperate at his house, but they had gone straight home.

One of the two bikinis was still on the shingle, where the victor, in her triumph had left it, having gently and tenderly helped her beaten friend to dress.

"What a strange pair they are, those two! You like them don't you old boy?"

Bozo wagged his tail and barked his agreement.

"I like, them too old boy. Specially Katie - but I'm a married man. Oh well."

Katie alternated between sleeping and waking. In her waking moments she went over all the details of yesterday's duel.

As the two adversaries stepped back from each other after their last loving kiss, Katie had time to admire her friend's face and body in the half second before Angie, impetuous as ever, struck the first blow and forced Katie to concentrate on just staying on her feet and out of trouble.

Angie was the same height as Katie, but heavier, a long-haired brunette with a handsome, prominent nose and high cheek bones. She had stronger and more muscular thighs than Katie and slightly larger, well arched feet with long, delicate toes. Angie could kick like a mule and had used that ability on a previous occasion to break Katie's sweet little button of a nose.

Her body was thicker than Katie's and her stomach muscles could withstand a lot more punishment than our heroine's. Angie's arms and shoulders were significantly the stronger... Angie's breasts were bigger and Katie resolved to make them one of her chief targets, now that both were totally unprotected. All in all she was a bigger stronger girl and outgunned Katie in every department bar speed. Katie had always needed her superior speed to gain her victories over Angie. She had only lost once against her best friend after an early kick had slowed her down and Angie had put her in bed for a week. Neither girl knew the meaning of the words "mercy" or "surrender."

"That ref should have stopped us long before he did", Katie had said afterwards and a contrite Angela had agreed.

This time there was no referee, no surrender and no mercy!

Angie's first savage kick was aimed straight at Katie's nose. No originality, this girl! Katie moved aside in the nick of time and the deadly blow hit her on the shoulder, spinning her around and causing her to stumble marginally out of the ring. "SHIT I'm going to have to keep at close quarters from now on or I won't last five minutes. Not a good idea, that circle - YOUR stupid idea and it's going to cost you the fight!"

Katie came back nearer the centre, but Angie signalled her to go back and stay only a few millimetres inside. "The bitch is going to try and push me out again. This is not the way I planned it!"

Katie stood, legs apart and wondered where Angie would aim. The higher up, the better the chance of moving out of the way. Bet she tries for my pussy!

And so she did, but Katie was able to swivel around in time and collected a painful bruise on her pelvis instead.

"Still inside the circle! Well done Katie", she told herself and moved closer to her friend. This of course meant that she was forced into a close combat exchange of kicks and punches out of which Angie was coming off appreciably the better.

One kick hit Katie square on the cheekbone and she tripped and fell. She was up on her knees, when a kick in the mouth sent her crashing back down on to the sand. Ignoring the rain of kicks which Angie directed to all parts of her body, she rolled rapidly over and over almost to the circle and was on her feet before Angie had time to kick her again.

"Got to make full use of the little space I allowed ourselves. WHY did I draw such a stupid little circle.

Too many more blows like that and she'll be carrying me off in a few minutes."

This new tactic worked for a while and Katie was able to keep out of harm's way and kept darting kicks and tapping in punches, restoring a bit of the balance and turning her friend's body into the same hurting aching mass of bruises that hers already was.