Another old story of mine, which in the "Jennuniverse" (to borrow a phrase from one of my fans) comes after the school stories (more of them coming) and before the others I've posted here.
"Jenn, you gotta check this place out!"
"Why Joan? What’s so good about a place with a brass plate out the front." I read the plate "Ritchies" I shook my head. "What’s that for all I know Ritchies might be the name of a stock broker. It’s the right sort of area, right in the middle of the Loop."
"Jenn it’s a club."
"So what the hell makes you think the doorman is gonna let three girls from the South Side into a club on the Loop, its probably for stuck up brokers and bankers. Come on let’s go somewhere sensible. It was a mistake to come downtown anyway. I don’t know why we did. Its boring."
"Jenn you’re not with it are you? This place is famous, it’s a cat fight club."
"Oh come on you expect me to believe that crap. I’m not that stupid"
"Jennifer Peccavi, I am hurt. Do you really think I’d lie to you about that, or anything else for that matter"
I looked at Joan, she was white faced. She was heaps angry. She never called me Jennifer unless she wanted to make a point, she knew how much I hated it. "No Joan, I don’t think you would lie to me."
"Well then what did you mean then?"
She had me now. I didn’t know what to say.
Angela had been silent up till now, but piped up "Jenn I dare you to go in, don’t be such a wuss."
I looked from one girl to the other. "OK let’s give it a go." I opened the door and stepped inside.
All my fears about the place were confirmed in the first few seconds. The bouncer –no they would call it a doorman, too upmarket to have a bouncer- took one look at us and shook his head. I knew what he was going to say even before he said it. He looked at each of us in turn. Angela, black, slim and almost elfin Joan, average height and average build and then at myself plump, my tummy showing a bit over the waistband and all of us dressed in jeans, tshirts and mock leather jackets and calf length boots.So different to the crowd there, well some were wearing jeans but they were designer label not ‘union made’ .
"So what do you girls want? This is a private club you know." He looked at us again.
"How do you join" I asked, staring back at the man. Nothing got up my nose quite as much as someone trying to slap me down.
"I don’t think you would be suitable candidates for membership" he snapped twitching his nose as if someone had just farted.
"Why not?" I snapped back.
At this time the street door opened and a trio walked in behind us just as Joan said "Jenn here" she pointed to me "fought hard at school she was never beaten."
"Is that so? " sneered the doorman. "That you might have been a bit of a brawler at school hardly qualifies you to come here."
“Oh why don’t you let the girls in" said a voice behind us. I turned, the speaker was well dressed and middle aged, he had on one arm a redhaired girl no older then me and dressed despite the coolish weather in no more then shorts and a spandrex tshirt.-she looked as if she had come straight from the gym. On his other side was another girl about the same age but dressed in a blouse and skirt. Both were hot, stunningly sexy and they knew it. "they might be amusing in the amateur section later on."
"But Mr Cooke" the doorman began, unsure of himself now. I think he didn’t want to upset the middleaged man, surely a regular of the club.
"They are my guests" the middleaged man said, "I will sign them in"
"Yes Mr Cooke" the doorman admitted defeat.
"Now which of you girls is the fighter?" said Mr Cooke
"Me" I stepped forward.
"You are in here on one condition that you fight later on. We have an amateur section. I want to see you in that. Go put your name down next to the ring." He pointed to a desk.
I don’t like taking orders but the man had been good enough to let us in. I didn’t like the idea of singing for my supper either. I thought to myself that I would go to the desk make some inquiry and come back, Cooke wouldn’t know whether I had put my name down or not.
As the night wore on I got a bit bolder. Some of the fights were real matches, I could see they would wipe the floor with me, but some were as stagy as WWF. I had a bit to drink, partly because when I went to buy drinks my money was waived away; the barman saying "its on Mr Cooke’s tab". That made me cagey, I was sure Cooke had something in mind, something I probably wouldn’t like. But the booze was free.
I sauntered down to the ring. There was a match on between two fit looking girls, one brunette and one red head, the same redhead who had been on Cooke’s arm when we came in. Both were in their early 20s and both were already going stongly. I sat down to watch glass in hand.
They circled each other looking for an opportunity... The redhead moved in , trying to surprise her opponent. But to no avail for the brunette dropped down, locking her legs round the redhead’s ankles. She twisted her legs from her hips taking the redhead down hard on her tummy. The redhead bounced once or twice on the mat as the brunette tried to work her legs up against the redheads torso.
The redhead squirmed round, reaching for the brunette. Grabbing at one of the brunette’s arms she yanked hard on it pulling the brunette towards her and thrusting her other arm into the brunette’s tummy. She broke the brunette’s hold. As she did so the brunette got her in a side headlock and rolled, trapping the redhead beneath her.
But the redhead squirmed around again worming herself between the brunette’s legs, lying on one and forcing her enemy’s apart in her own legs. The brunette tried to squeeze her enemy’s head harder but the redhead, using one hand to brace herself against the brunette’s shoulder pushed and squirmed and pummelled the brunette with her other hand till the brunette slackened her grip on the redhead’s head and concentrated on trying to close her legs around the redheads. She was still pressing her opponent down beneath her, pinning her to the mat.
By now the crowd was cheering for their favourites, and I realized the red head was Sasha the brunette Rhonda. Sasha tried to maintain her leg spread on Rhonda and smashed her arm into Rhonda’s head. Rhonda screamed and rolled away onto her back and sat up, trying to clear her head. Sahsa got up first and stomped on the brunette’s belly. The brunette scurried off to the ropes. Sasha followed her but in her haste to capitalize on her success so far she didn’t keep a proper guard up. A chop to the neck punished her severely for that mistake.
A renewed Rhonda swept in headlocking her foe again and then dropping to her knees made Sasha follow. Rhonda opened her legs then snapped them shut around Sasha’s stomach. Suddenly Sasha was pinned by both a headlock and a scissors lock round her middle.
Sasha tried vainly to break the hold. I could see how much effort she was putting in but all her struggles just didn’t work. Rhonda was squeezing the redhead more and more tightly. Her fans were cheering and whistling as she shook the redhead around by swiveling her hips.
\I thought Sasha was done for but she came back with a gut busting punch. Rhonda had probably thought she had won and was showing off a bit. But Sashe came back fighting. The punch tore into Rhonda, and almost winded her. Sasha was able to get out of her foe’s clutches and scramble back to the side of the ring.
Rhonda came after her but this time Sasha was ready and had her guard up. She kicked out catching Rhonda ‘s thigh. IF Rhonda hadn’t moved as fast as she did the kick would have landed squarely in her gut. As it was the kick clearly hurt the brunette who limped back to the centre of the ring. Sasha followed her and tackled low. The two girls crashed to the floor. They rolled around clutching at each other’s hair, pounding each other’s sides and trying to kick out. Neither girl seemed to be getting an advantage till Sasha managed to get on top of Rhonda and slam several quick punches into the brunette’s face.
Rhonda looked as if she was weakening. She clutched at Sasha’s hair jerking it back and forth trying to drag the red head off her. But that didn’t work either. The fight had changed so much in the last few minutes. Sasha got to her knees above her enemy. She bounced once on Rhonda’s belly. Rhonda groaned as the air rushed out of her lungs but didn’t give up. She swung her legs up, outside of Sasha’s body then locked her ankles together in front of Sasha’s face. Rocking back and forth Rhonda was able to push Sasha off her.
But the struggle had clearly weakened the brunette who lay gasping for air. Sasha moved over and as Rhonda pushed herself into a sitting position up by her hand Sasha swung her own legs around in a scissors lock on the brunette’s stomach.
The crowd cheered for the redhead who was taking the fight to her enemy using her enemy’s tactic of a short time ago. But again Rhonda was tough. She slowly got to her knees, and then managed to grab hold of the ropes and haul herself up so that Sasha was almost upside down. Sasha realizing her problems were about to begin let go and rolled away and got to her feet. But as she did so Rhonda planted a massive drop kick in the redhead’s belly, it was a kick that the redhead couldn’t take. She fell backwards on the ropes.
Rhonda didn’t waste any time. She yanked the now weakened redhead by the hand, hurling her into the ropes on the other side of the ring and , then as she rebounded into a perfect clothesline. The redhead crashed to the floor with a resounding thud. She bounced once or twice. I thought the fight would end right there, almost as it had started with Sasha on the floor but the brunette had other ideas. She went down on her knees and lifted her opponent by the hair with one hand and between her legs with the other. With a tremendous jerk Rhonda lifted Sasha to shoulder level then stood up. She began to turn round and round, slowly but increasing the speed. A few seconds later she released Sasha in the airplane spin, a move I had often heard about but never seen. Sasha whirled through the air and crashed to the mat.
The ref counted her out.
"That" I said turning to Joan who had come to sit next to me "was one hot fight."
We sat and chatted then I went to the bathroom, I needed to piss my bladder was bursting. On the way back I stopped at the bar and ordered a drink. "So girl, when are you going to put your name down?"
I turned to see the speaker was Sasha.
"None of your business girl" I retorted
"Oh yes it is!" she snapped back. "You only got in because you said you’d fight in the amateur session and I know you haven’t put your name down." She stepped closer
"Been checking up on me have you girl?" I stepped closer too.
"Someone has to , I don’t trust trash who just breeze in here!" she closed the distance yet further, our breasts were but a couple of inches apart.
"So what’s it to you anyway?" I wasn’t going to take any more insults from this losing bitch. I glared, pushing myself till my body pressed against hers. "and your sugar daddy had told the bouncer to let me in before he tried to tell me what to do. No deal. Now get out of my way unless of course you’d like to fight me. That one deal I would be happy to make." I smirked knowing I could take this tired, battered woman who had lost big time not half an hour ago.
"Oh I don’t think that would be fair do you?" A new voice cut into the conversation. I wheeled round. it was Rhonda "I beat poor Sasha and now you want to fight her, probably just because you know she is hurt –especially from when I threw her on the mat. Well I might have some trouble lifting you fat girl but the result would be the same. Saaha and I fight from time to time , sometimes she wins sometimes I win. But fat girl I would beat you all the time. " I looked at Rhonda and hated her, she was so superior, so self confident. This bitch kept calling me fat girl. I hated it, partly because it was true. I knew my face was flushed, I felt my nails dig into my palms. She went on "Fat girl, don’t you even think of welching on your promises. Fat girl I heard you , you know you and your trash friends got in here because you agreed to fight, and now you want to back out. Are you scared of me fat girl? O I am sure you are. Fat girl ,you have three choices, kneel and kiss my ass, walk out of here and never come back or fight me."
"Jenn, Jenn, " Joan tugged at my sleeve, I hadn’t seen her come up. She must have heard the argument. She whispered in my ear "Don’t let them rile you, you don’t have to fight unless you want to, And remember they are professionals, you aren’t. What training have you had" A couple of self defence classes! That’s all, she will eat you alive."
"Hey fat girl" Rhonda sneered, "What is your friend saying, is she trying to help you talk your way out of the mess you got yourself into? Like I said, there is a way, all you got to do is kneel and kiss my ass. That won’t be too hard for you fat girl, cuz I bet you kiss ass every day of your life."
"Shut it Rhonda- yeah I know your name- I will fight you and when I am finished with you, you will be kissing my butt." I said with as much bravado as I could muster.
"Jenn!" Joan muttered in my ear "Don’t listen to them they are only trying to make you angry. Listen to how she calls you fat girl all the time, its just done to make you wild. Don’t let them get under your skin. They are not worth it."
"No Joan I said I’d fight and damn it I will." I turned to Rhonda, "You got a change room, I can’t fight in this gear. And hey for that matter can I have a pair of shorts?"
"Fat girl it may be a bit hard to find a pair your size but I will give it a go. The change rooms are over there." She said pointing.
I walked over to the change rooms and stripped off my coat and jeans. Someone found a pair of shorts and gave them to Joan who brought them in. She was still trying to persuade me to go away. "No Joan shut it, I won't be called a coward, I won't be called trash, damnit they think they can insult me, treat me like shit and get away with it."
"But Jenn she is a trained fighter"
"Well then I guess I'll take what I get. Anyway whose idea was it that we should come here" I looked hard at my friend who went white again. Perhaps looking back I shouldn't have said this - Joan had been my friend from primary school- but I was so shitting furious at the time.
She bit her lip and said "Sorry Jenn"
"Damn it I am not sorry. I am going to teach those bitches they are not better then me just because they have better clothes and more money,"
I walked out to the ring. "Where is Rhonda?" I looked round "She hasn't piked has she?"
And then I saw her, she seemed to stumble and fall as she walked down the stairs to the ring. "Nothing ventured nothing gained" I thought and raced across to where she was on her hands and knees. A well aimed kick to her tummy left her squealing in pain. I followed that with a knee to her side and a punch to her face as she tried to get up again.
The referee, a blonde girl who was surely chosen for her big boobs and not for any skill in managing fights came down and told me off but the fans had loved it. They cheered and hollered. I sxxxxxxxed, I was sure that Rhonda was not a favourite of theirs.
She got to her feet hissing with rage, and – I hoped- with pain. I got back to the ring and she climbed in too. She charged towards me her hands raised ready to punch my head. She was too furious to see I crouched to one side so she went almost straight past me. I caught her with a solid gut busting punch. She groaned.
Rhonda might have been furious and now, I thought from the cry and the whoosh of air from her lungs when I hit her, hurt, but she knew what she was about. She buried her hands in my hair, her nails digging into my scalp. She twisted her fingers, shaking my head from side to side. My scalp had never hurt so much. And from where I was I could hardly reach her hair myself. But I was able to punch her midsection again. She groaned, turned her body side on, trying to reduce the target. I still got in another punch, this time to her side.
She let go of my hair but kicked out hard at my right ankle as I stood up. Thank god I was wearing boots or I would have been gone then! As it was I limped back. She closed just as I decided to attack. We clinched. I was able to send a few more punches to her mid section. She was hampered in responding when I shoved forward hard, catching her off guard.
We locked hands, each trying to push the other back, each pushing our arms up high in the air, each unwilling to let go. I ended that clinch by stepping back and raising my knee to Rhonda’s tummy. She groaned, let go and staggered back. She bounced back, again hauling on my hair. Our breasts mashed together as she stomped on my foot. I squealed in pain and tried to pull back again. I was reminded just how well the bitch knew her stuff when she seized my hair, dragging me forward and right into her upraised knee. "Two can do that" she jeered. I dropped back gasping for air. Rhonda sailed forward landing punches on my face and upper body. I blocked most but those that got through did me damage. I needed to find a circuit breaker fast.
I swept toward her, slamming my body into hers. She seemed surprised by this, and I saw I could take the advantage. I snaked my foot out behind her and flung my arms round her waist. We fell over on the mat, myself on top. We rolled around the mat slapping at each other, tugging at each other’s hair for a moment or two until Rhonda broke away, scrambling to her knees.
I swung my legs and grabbed her in a scissors lock. I was so lucky; she didn’t expect that move. I swivelled and swung her body back to the mat. She squealed and slammed her fists into my tummy. She edged back. I held grimly on. I squeezed as tightly as I could. She struggled for breath. She slammed her fists into my tummy again. I grunted and as she edged again I felt my legs open. I tried to keep them tightly closed but her third slam prised them open. I couldn’t take the blows to my undefended gut. I got to my knees too. She tried to circle around behind me but I followed her slamming punches at her. Some missed but those which hit told. I saw she faltered a couple of times. She came on strongly though, seizing my waist, I think she tried to pin my arms to my sides but I got them out of the way first. I managed to slam a headbutt. It didn’t connect properly, hitting her shoulder not her face but she let go and stepped away getting to her feet.
I followed her and we circled warily for a few seconds. She came in trying hard to land punches on me but I blocked most of them. She seemed tired and slower then she had been- this was her second fight that night and I had roughed her up a bit beforehand. I was sure she was frustrated and I hoped to play on that. I kept bobbing away from her and she couldn’t land a punch. Then I stopped and stood still. She took the bait. I ducked her punch by almost squatting and at the same time unleashed a piledriving punch to her tummy. She gasped and fell back. I attacked, landing a few punches till I got her in the corner, her back against the turnbuckle. Then I raised my knee to her belly.. It hit, she gasped and fell forward doubling up and I grabbed her head between my thighs.
I inched my way back toward the centre of the ring with Rhonda’s head still wedged between my thighs. All the way Rhonda tried to break free. She punched at my tummy she clawed at my tits and arms but nothing worked. I squeezed tightly then let myself fall to the mat. Rhonda crashed hard to the floor. She struggled as I tightened the neck lock still further.
She abandoned her struggles and instead grabbed the ropes with one hand and tried to lever herself up. I wasn’t sure what she was trying to do. I swung my legs round trying to knock her back but she slowly got to her knees and began to rise. The penny dropped and I knew what she wanted. I let go of the scissors lock and got to my feet myself. We stood for a moment then I advanced, with a drop kick which hit her tummy hard. AS I got to my feet I saw she was staggering, she was groggy, and I knew she was mine for the taking.
I stepped forward and launched a punch to her chin. Her head snapped back, her arms came up defensively. I delivered a knee to her tummy and she swung forward all but winded. I seized her hair and smashed her face on my upraised knee.
Rhonda slumped to the floor. I put my leg on her back and raised her head in a camel clutch hissing at her "Give in bitch give in. "
She tapped the mat.
I stood up smirking widely. "So bitch, not so clever are you?" I stepped on her back and then walked to the ring side letting myself out. I walked up to Angela and Joan, "Let’s have a beer. After all we aren’t paying"
It had been a good night.
