Well, that was some evening. I certainly wasn’t expecting to find myself in bed with my hosts. Surely there were no further surprises in store, were there?
(This is the final part of ‘Back to basics’ – if you haven’t read the rest you’ve got a bit of catching up to do ;-) )
I woke late by my standards, around seven thirty, to find Shannon and Tee sleeping soundly beside me. There was no sign of Sian. Shannon was between myself and Tee, her right arm wrapped around the brunette and her left draped across my chest with her left hand on my right breast. I gently moved her arm off me, slipped out of the bed, put on a robe and went down to the kitchen where I found Sian nursing a cup of coffee and looking surprisingly sad.
“What’s up, hun?” I asked.
“Oh, hi Ellen, nothing really. Just starting to come down a bit from the weekend, it’s just been so great.”
“Yes it has. I’ve really enjoyed myself, even though I lost both my fights. Thank you for arranging things and inviting me.”
“No, thank you for coming, I’m sorry about Lesley. I really wasn’t expecting that.”
“Me neither but I guess she had a lot of pent-up frustration for both of us. I can guess why she’s mad at me but she really beat you up as well. What have you done to upset her?”
“Nothing, that’s just the way she is I’m afraid. She likes to dominate her opponents and I’m nowhere near the fighter I used to be so I was an easy victim for her. Back in the day I could beat her but I haven’t managed that in 20 years.”
“You know, the one thing that has surprised me is just how tight knit our little community is. I never really knew anyone outside of CLAWS until I met Jan. I had no idea you were all so connected and intertwined.”
“Honey, you’ve only seen the tip off the iceberg here. You need to talk to Gabi and Jay, and even your little girlfriend Erica...”
Why does everyone always refer to Erica as ‘my little girlfriend’? She’s not that small, she’s five foot five and a hundred and thirty-five pounds, and she’s in her mid-thirties – she’s not exactly a kid.
“...they’ll fill you in on much more. For example, that Pauline you’re planning to box soon…”
“How do you know about that?”
“We’re all friends, Ellen, and girlfriends like to gossip. That first time you fought Jan in that school gym years ago, did you know that it was Pauline who supplied the venue?”
I was speechless. Sian nodded, understanding my momentary confusion.
“Yes, that student teacher you wrestled all those years ago? She went on to have a successful career in education. She also kept on fighting, although she kept her hobby in the dark – mainly doing private matches but occasionally coming to us. These days she’s known as ‘the Headmistress’. That was her school gym you were fighting in. She fights there and lets Jan use it as well. She’s well known on the apartment fighting circuit. Just ask Terri.”
I was completely thrown off balance. After all the revelations of the weekend this seemed like one too many. I quickly changed the subject.
“I still can’t believe that Shannon wanted to take on Tee like that. I mean why? She’s been like a sister to her for her entire life, hasn’t she?”
“Yes, I guess she was just getting a little frustrated by the attention that I’ve been giving her. Like she says, we’re fighters, it’s what we do. Fighting Terri was all about establishing her place in the pack and, probably, trying to win a slice of Terri’s heart at the same time. Still, no harm done. I think it ended well. A great fight, nobody lost and they certainly buried the hatchet last night.”
“You raised her well, Sian. Like mother, like daughter.”
“Thank you. You seem to be getting on well with Terri as well.”
“Yes, and I have to thank you for that. This is the first time I’ve really had a chance to get to know her. She’s lovely.”
“Isn’t she, but she’d never admit it. She doesn’t understand why we all love her so much.”
“I still can’t get used to all of you calling her Terri though, to me she’s always been ‘Miss Tee’.”
“And we’ve always known her as Terri, although I don’t think that’s her real name. When she first arrived here, she said ‘call me Terri’ so I did. But when she came back a few years ago she said ‘I’m known as Tee these days’. I introduced her as that on the night you were fighting Mitzi but it sounded wrong. For me she will always be Terri.”
She looked wistful for a moment, clearly lost in her memories, so I changed the subject again.
“You mentioned that you’ve fought your daughter in the past. Did you fight much?”
“No, just a couple of times. Mothers and daughters always row and we are fighters so rows are bound to end in fights. The first time she hadn’t long turned 18 and I was 42. It was only her second fight at the NBFC. She was getting a little bit above station, as teenagers tend to, and I decided to teacher a lesson. Afterwards I felt terribly guilty about beating up my own daughter. What would social services say? Anyway, the next time she was a few years older, probably 21 or 22, and she had become quite a confident fighter in the short time she’d been at the NBFC and I was starting to lose my edge. She certainly taught me a thing or two. That was about ten years ago, we haven’t fought since.”
“Did you never spar with her.”
“No, not as such. I taught her all the basic moves when she was in her early teens, how to roll with a throw and land safely – that sort of thing, but I’ve never sparred with anyone at home, not even Terri.”
My next question was something that had been on my mind for the past few days:
“Do you think Mandy will still fight me? She seemed pretty pissed off with you on Saturday. In fact, pretty pissed off with everyone.”
“Understandably so, she had that fight in the bag until Terri pissed in her face. But Shannon was right, she tapped out so Terri won the fight. Don’t worry about Mandy, she’s a bit of a prima donna, I’ll give her a call in a week or so. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
“Do you think so?” I was a bit dubious. Secretly, I felt Shannon had been wrong to award the fight to Tee, knowing she was almost certainly beaten at that point, but I didn’t say anything to Sian.
“Ellen, trust me. I know Mandy. If it wasn’t for me, she’d never have started fighting and she loves it. We were lovers for a while, years ago. It didn’t work out but we’ve stayed friends. She’ll come round, trust me.”
There wasn’t really any answer to that. I could only hope Sian was right.
We chatted about this and that until, around half eight, Shannon and Tee appeared wearing nothing but robes and satisfied smiles. I had no doubt they’d enjoyed each other’s ‘company’ again after I got up.
Shannon took one look at the clock and said: “Shit! I need to get a move on. I told Sarah I’d be at the stables for ten to get ready.”
With that she disappeared off to the shower leaving Sian to explain: “Shannon works with a girl who runs a pony trekking business about ten miles from here, I think they have a few clients today.”
Breakfast over, Shannon grabbed her things and headed for the door, calling over her shoulder: “’bye all, I’ll probably stay over with Sarah tonight so we can muck out first thing but I’ll be back before Terri and Ellen leave tomorrow.”
Later in the morning Sian headed into town to get provisions for the guests who were arriving the next day. Leaving Tee and I alone. We spent the afternoon walking in the hills, talking occasionally but mostly lost in our own thoughts. It was beautiful, so different to where I live. At one point Tee pointed out some people on horseback in the far distance: “That’ll be Shannon leading her trek.”
The news that evening wasn’t what we’d wanted to hear. Covid cases were rising and, with the summer drawing to a close, it looked like we might be faced with more restrictions. I could imagine that Gabi and Jay would have their work cut out over the next few days assessing the impact on the health clubs. For us here at the farm it seemed we might not be able to meet again as planned in December. Time would tell.
My final night at the farm was spent alone. Tee had opted to spend her final night here with her old friend and lover and, as she’d indicated, Shannon stayed over with her friend at the stables. I had time to reflect on the past few days and consider what the future might hold. I’d now had three fights in Sian’s barn, all of them comprehensive defeats for me. I could only hope it would be fourth time lucky when I met Mandy but, based on what I’d seen, if it did go ahead as planned, I would have my work cut out.
****************
On my final morning at the farm, I woke refreshed and checked myself in the mirror before showering. My split lip was mending nicely and the bruise around my left eye was hardly noticeable. A little foundation makeup and I’d be fine to face customers in my shop the next day. After showering I packed my bag and joined Sian and Tee in the kitchen for breakfast before helping them with the chores again.
Shannon returned in the late morning and, with guests expected in the afternoon, Tee and I accepted the offer of a light lunch before getting on the road and heading south. It was around one thirty in the afternoon when we drove out of the farm gate, mother and daughter waving joyful goodbyes behind us, and started the long journey home. We were in no hurry and Tee took a few scenic detours to show me some of the places she’d discovered on her rambling journey years before.
You’d think we’d have run out of things to talk about by now but, as we cruised down the motorway, we chatted about various things, including future fights. I asked Tee how she felt about her upcoming fight against Jen. The final round of qualifying for the senior wrestling tournament was now just a couple of weeks away. As things stood Tee, Jen and Judy were all on 11 points. To make the final and defend her title, Tee need to score enough points to make the top two. If she didn’t beat Jen, she would be relying on Judy getting less points that she did. If she did beat Jen, then the odds were she would be facing one or other of them for the title.
“Do you think you’ll keep the title?” I asked.
“I hope so,” she replied hesitantly, “but you know I’m never very good against those busty girls…”
“What?”
“Girls with big tits. Jen, Judy, Peggy, Suzi – they intimidate me.”
I laughed, I couldn’t help it, “Seriously Tee? You’re worried you can’t beat them just because they’ve got big boobs?”
“They make me feel inadequate and self-conscious.”
“Tee! You’ve got lovely tits! They may be small but they’re beautiful – don’t be intimated by big boobs. Be proud of your own assets, they won’t sag in your old age.”
For a moment she seemed close to tears. I took her left hand and squeezed it. Quietly, almost to herself, she said: “I’ve lost to them all, I haven’t beaten a single one. Peggy and Judy both knocked me out. Ellen, I’m scared I can’t do it.”
She looked over at me and, for the first time since I’d met her, she looked small and vulnerable. I felt an overwhelming desire to hug her, but not in the fast lane of the M6. I held her hand and did my best to reassure her.
“Tee, of course you can do it. I’ve beaten Peggy several times. I even beat Jen back in the day. If I can do it, you can.”
She sniffed back her tears and changed the subject:
“So, you’re going to be back at Sian’s in a couple of months to take on Mandy. Do you mind if I tag along to your next fight?”
“You can come with me to Sian’s in December if it’s allowed but I have another fight planned before Mandy and, I suspect, that will be a private affair – it’s a challenge from an old friend.”
“Oh, do tell!” Tee said excitedly.
“OK, but in strict confidence – only four people know about this and we haven’t set a date yet. I’m going to have a boxing match with Pauline. I wrestled her years ago but I didn’t box back then. She’s been on at me to take her on with the gloves on ever since she found I’d taken it up.”
Momentarily taking them off the wheel, Tee clapped her hands together in excitement and exclaimed:
“You’re boxing the headmistress! How wonderful! That’s a fight I’d love to see. I’ve boxed her myself, she’s pretty good.”
Even though Sian had warned me, I was, once again, struck what a small world it was. Until a few days ago I hardly knew Tee outside of our encounters in the ring but now I was discovering that we had many common acquaintances and a long, shared history – how we’d never met before was beyond me.
I asked her the question that I’d avoided asking Sian the day before: “Do you think Shannon was right to award you the victory over Mandy?”
She answered honestly: “No, I was beaten, I wet myself because I was finished. If anything, she should have disqualified me for pissing on her mum’s ring, or Mandy’s face, or both. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful she ruled in my favour but I don’t consider it my finest hour and I’m sure Mandy will be gagging for another rematch soon. All I hope is that I’ll put up a better fight against the fat cow next time.”
Finally, I plucked up the courage to ask the question that had bothered me almost since I set out with Jan and Jill five days before: “To me you’ve always been Tee, Miss Tee, but Sian, Shannon and the others call you Terri. Is that your name?”
Tee laughed: “Oh god no, I wish it was. I hate the name my parents gave me, I always have. Over the years I’ve gone by many names…”
“Including Princess Vicky?” I asked, remembering the strange in-joke from Friday evening.
Tee let out another hearty chuckle: “Oh, that was Harry’s little fantasy years ago. When I was fighting at Catz Club I turned up one day with my hair in two plaits, the way it was on Monday.”
She glanced over at me and I nodded to show I understood.
“Anyway, Harry went a bit crazy when he saw me and started shouting ‘Princess Vicky’. It turned out that, a few years before, there had been a pro-wrestler in the US, a Canadian, who went by the name of Princess Victoria and wore her hair in two plaits. Harry had been obsessed by her but injury had forced her out of the game. Harry thought I looked like her when I had my hair tied that way although, hair aside, I couldn’t see it. It seemed he’d fantasied about her fighting topless. He paired me up with another girl, a blonde called Helga, who apparently had a passing resemblance to another US pro-wrestler of the period, Joyce Grable, and we had several topless matches.
When Helga suggested we fight nude, Harry got even more excited. I wasn’t sure, I’d never fought naked before, but when Harry offered us 5000AS each – that’s about £500 – a lot of money for me back then and a lot more than he usually paid, I agreed. Another girl, Monica – the girl who first told me about Catz Club, refereed the match. She was topless and Harry sat watching.
It turned out Helga was a bit of a lesbian and she repeatedly tried to finger fuck me during the fight. I wasn’t too impressed and got a bit aggressive in response. In the end I knocked her out and that was that. We never fought again and I left Harry’s soon after that. As for Harry, he definitely spilt his load a couple of times during the fight and I’m sure he still watches the film regularly to this day.”
I was speechless for a moment and just breathed a quiet: “Wow!”
Tee continued her story: “Anyway, when I first knocked on Sian’s door, I was calling myself Terri. Later, at college, I was Toni, or Tanya if I was fighting. When I worked with the lads in Ireland, they called me Miss or Miss T and that rather stuck. I’ve been Tee for about twenty years now but I always liked Terri, maybe she’s really me, maybe I should go back to being her. What do you think?”
I thought for a moment and then said: “Miss Tee is a hard bitch. Now I’ve had the chance to get to know you properly I can see you’re not her. Terri the tomboy suits you much better.”
“Splendid!” She cried, clapping her hands together again. “Decision made. I shall be Terri again!”
She seemed almost relieved; the question of what to call herself had obviously been weighing on her mind for a while. I was still curious as to what her real name was but I was pretty sure she wasn’t about to tell me.
With the mystery of her name at least partially resolved, it was Terri‘s turn to ask probing questions and her chosen subject was my sexuality.
“Ellen how long have you been gay?” She asked in her rather forthright manner, which I’d started to get used to over the past few days.
“I’m not gay!” I protested, “I’m bisexual, like you.”
“Really? I think you’re more lesbian than bisexual, if you don’t mind me saying. So come on, when did you first find out?”
I thought about it for a moment and then said:
“It’s kind of strange. Back in my league days I was never particularly attracted to the girls. I was very straight back then. Even fighting nude, I didn’t really get that turned on by the physical contact and, with the exception of that one match against Jane, I was never really sexually aroused in the ring. It was only much later in life actually started being attracted to the female form. I guess it was about 10 years ago. Erica was teaching me how to box and I remember one time she pulled off her T-shirt and I couldn’t help staring at her tits. ‘My God’, I remember thinking, ‘she is beautiful!’ I just couldn’t take my eyes off them. I guess that was the first time.
Over the next year or so Erica and I got very friendly with each other and, perhaps inevitably, ended up in bed together. She was my first and, initially, I thought it was just her. But then somehow Jan must’ve got wind of my leanings because one night she invited me round her place for a dinner party with Jill and, before I knew it, we were in bed in a threesome. A year or so after that I had my cat fight with Jan in the CLAWS ring and, for the second time in my life, I orgasmed in public.
I have to admit I was starting to find women sexy. The following year I had a private match with Peggy which ended with us making love. After that, pretty much every fight we had ended with us going to bed afterwards. I guess since then I’ve put myself around a bit but I still enjoy my love-ins with Erica, Jan, Peggy. A few others have become occasional partners as well, not to mention what went on over this weekend.”
“See?” said Terri triumphantly, “With you these days it’s all about the women. You say you’re bisexual but when did you last have a man?”
“Oh, now you’re asking. I guess the last guy I screwed was Larry. That was probably about five years ago now.”
“What Larry at CLAWS? You shagged him? I guess I don’t blame you, he’s quite cute in his way. But I thought he only went for the younger girls?”
“Larry’s an old man now. He goes for anything that takes his fancy, and his fancy is female fighters. He’d have you, you’re just his type.”
“I bet I am but he’ll have to work for it.”
“He had to work for it with me as well.”
“Is that what took so long? I mean surely you knew him 30 years ago, didn’t he shag you then?”
“I don’t think I ever got on his radar back then, there was a lot of competition. As I’m sure you know, he was with Jay for years…”
“She says she still loves him…”
“…anyway, they split up and he moved on to Clare and then Christine, but she was discovering her true sexuality and he lost out to Leah, Sian’s ex. When I joined CLAWS he was with Sylvie. Then he got back together with Jay but, a year later, he left and went to work in Germany for a few years. By the time he came back Gabi had bought the gym and things had changed between him and Jay. He had a brief fling with Gabi but it didn’t last. Rumour has it he met her in Germany a year or two earlier and he was the one who persuaded her to come to England and buy out the Robertsons. After Gabi he moved on to Suzi. In all that time I don’t think he even noticed me. When I retired from fighting I definitely dropped of his radar, if I’d ever been on it.”
“So how come you ended up fucking him over twenty years later?”
“When I came back as a senior fighter he noticed me and took a shine to me. I wasn’t interested, I knew his reputation and I wasn’t that long divorced, but he’s a persistent sod and I enjoyed flirting with him.”
“How do you mean?”
“Well, every year after the last fight of the senior tournament he’d interview me. Usually when I was straight out of the ring and half naked. I could see him eyeing up my body, so I played him along. You know the sort of thing. Let my gown slip open so he can see my boobs, moon at him, that sort of thing. I knew he’d been in the audience watching but that’s different to being right next to you when you’re hot and sweaty and oozing pheromones. The year I beat Peggy for the title we finished naked. It was a close match that went to a sudden death finish. I was on the mat being counted out. She thought she'd won and was showboating. At eight I launched myself at her and managed to pin her."
"Way to go, Ellen - victory from the jaws of defeat!"
"After the fight I came straight from the ring in just my kimono to do Larry’s interview in the chill out zone. I was shattered, I just plonked myself down opposite him, lay back and let my gown fall open so he could see the whole naked, sweat-soaked store. He controlled himself really well but when the interview was over he got up to give me a hug, cheeky bastard, and I could see the stain on his pants.”
Terri slapped my thigh, “Ellen Shaw! You are such a tart!”
“Anyway, a couple of months later he finally admitted he wanted to fuck me. He actually took me on a dinner date and suggested it over desert. Can you believe that?”
Terri did her best Larry impression: “‘Hope you enjoyed your dinner babe, I suppose a fuck’s out of the question?’ - ugh.”
“It wasn’t quite like that, he was asking me about Carole, you know, big Carole?”
“Yes, she was the one I replaced in the senior wrestling tournament.”
“That’s right. Anyway, she’d seen me fight Peggy and she was in the dressing room after I’d done that interview for Larry. She challenged me there and then and I accepted. She was about 225lbs back then and several years younger than me. It was a great fight but, unsurprisingly, I lost.
A couple of weeks later Larry invited me on this dinner date and I thought why not? We talked a lot about fighting. At one point he asked me why I’d agreed to fight Carole and I said I liked a challenge. Then, rather stupidly, I suggested he would have her given the chance. He thought I meant fight her but I said something like ‘no, fuck her, stupid’. He realised what I meant and asked if I’d fucked her. I admitted I had and he admitted he’d rather fuck me than her. So I threw him a challenge. I said ‘if you can beat me in the ring, you can fuck me’. And so, a few months later, we had a fight. The only mixed fight Gabi has ever allowed at CLAWS.”
“And he won?”
“No I won, but I decided to fuck him anyway.”
“Way to go Ellen, but that was five years ago. You had your first girl ten years ago and you haven’t had a man in five years? And you think you’re bi? You might have been five years ago but you’re gay now, sister, just face it.”
“Okay,” I conceded, “how about you? You seemed to enjoy the ladies the other night. How about the men?”
“I’m definitely bi. I still have a man and I still get it from him on a fairly regular basis, but I love my ladies too. I was straight until I met Sian. She was my first lesbian affair and, for a long time, the only one. It was only when Aidan started growing up and I had time with girlfriends back home that I actually developed a taste for women again. But I’m also highly sexed, as you saw when I had my cat fight with Jan. When I orgasm, I’m like a machine gun, I just lose control and keep cumming. Oh, and in case you’re wondering – Monday night was my first time with Shannon as well, I guess we needed to fight before we could make love.”
I was curious now. “How about Lesley?” I asked, “were you never drawn to her?”
“Not back in the day, no – like you I was straight when I was younger, but since I got back into fighting I’ve had a couple of private matches with her and one ended up in the bedroom. She’s very dominant, which I don’t like. I’m not the submissive type. I wasn’t just going to lie back and let her fuck me. She had one of those Rabbit vibrators at her bedside. I grabbed it and gave her a reaming, I thought she’d enjoy it. Instead she got really arsey and we started fighting again. This time she knocked me out and, when I woke up, she was ramming a huge dildo into me. I didn’t enjoy it and I won’t do it again – particularly as I seem to be on her hit list.”
I thought about my own encounter with Lesley the month before and how, despite winning the fight, I felt like she was in complete control of everything that followed. I had to concede Tee was right. She glanced across at me.
“You did it, didn’t you? You let her have her way. Miss Ellen Shaw just lay back and thought of England while the bitch from County Cork had her way with you.”
I blushed: “No, it wasn’t quite like that. It was tender. There were no dildoes. But I admit she did dictate things, I just went along with her.”
“Ellen Shaw submits again!” Goaded Terri, with a chuckle. I knew she was just winding me up but I thought I’d change the subject.
“How about your relationship with Jay,” I asked, “how did that come about?”
“Well, Mrs. Marchant is another lady who’s discovering her bisexual tendencies quite late in life. But it’s interesting. I never made a move on her, she seduced me. In the chill out zone that night after I’d beaten you for the wrestling title.”
“That night you left me with a dildo stuck in my arse?” I said ruefully. She chuckled:
“Yes, she was waiting for me when I came out of the changing room. We talked and drank wine and then she invited me up to her apartment – did you know she has an apartment in the Marshall’s building?”
I nodded; I’d been there for a party on Jay’s sixtieth – the day Gabi gave her the keys to it.
“Anyway,” Terri continued, “initially she told me about the history of the club and her own fighting prowess and berated me for not joining her club sooner. I thought she just wanted to ask me to fight her, it wasn’t the first time she’d hinted at it. She did, but then she kissed me and put her hand up my sweater. Before the evening was out we were in bed together and by the time we did get in the ring we were having a regular relationship. I guess that’s been going on ever since. I don’t think she’s told her husband but I’m sure he probably has an idea something’s going on between us.”
“How about your man?”
“Oh, Jeff knows. I’m very honest with him. I get up to all sorts of things but I don’t think he worries too much. He loves me, he knows I love him and he wants to see me happy. Also, he’s a good bit older than me and I guess he just doesn’t have the same sex drive that I’ve got these days.”
Eventually the journey came to an end and the car pulled up outside my little cottage just after sunset. I turned to Terri and ask her:
“Where are you headed next? Back to Jay’s or are you going home to your long-suffering partner?”
“I think I’ll go and see the old man. After all these girls, I fancy a little meat between my legs and besides I haven’t seen him for a couple of weeks. But Ellen, if you ever fancy getting together again, for love not war, just let me know.”
I thanked her. She reached across and kissed me and we fell into a tight embrace for a few seconds before I opened the car door, stepped out, grabbed my bag from the back seat and blew her a kiss. Just before I closed the door a last thought went through my mind:
“Hey Terri, what does Jeff call you?”
She chuckled, “Nice try Ellen. To him I’m Tracey, he doesn’t know my real name either.”
With that she drove off into the dusk.
Walking up to the cottage, I was pleasantly surprised to see lights on. As I opened the door I was assailed by wonderful cooking smells coming from the kitchen and a sweet voice with a slight German accent called out: “Welcome home, liebling. Did you have a good time? Let me get you a drink and you can tell me all about it.”
Erica!
That’s all for now folks, I hope you enjoyed it.
