Bring the Pain -- Bri/Sass

[LOGAN TATE]

One of the new contenders was getting a little too full of himself in the ring and Logan could see it and he knew damned well that the rest of the guys in the circuit were getting downright pissed off with his attitude. It worked out perfectly enough that the guy that he'd been scheduled to fight that night had been hurt pretty badly in a previous fight the night before. Logan needed a stand in and he had just the right person in mind for it to teach the little bastard a lesson.

Himself.

"You're really going to fight him then?" Logan looked at his manager with an arched brow. He backed off instantly. "'Course I'm gonna fight him. Why should one o' the other lads have to teach the bastard a lesson when I'm perfectly capable and far more qualified to do it for him?" He asked. His manager gave a good chuckle and then nodded. "All right. Just don't send him to the hospital." He commented with a shake of his head. Logan just grinned and pat his manager on the back. "Tape my hands up. Don't wanna ruin my knuckles with the impression o' the lad's teeth now." He commented. It was all in good fun in the moment.

There was always a bit of an ego that came along with being one of the fighters in the circuit, but this guy took it above and beyond. He was the kind of guy who's brawling extended well outside the limits of the ring and bled over into real life. The guys in the circuit were here for their own damned reasons, but civilians didn't need to be subjected to that shit just because the asshole had a mean streak. Logan would do well to make sure that he remembered that there would always be someone bigger and badder than him. Even Logan lived by that rule.

He watched as the new girl they'd hired to walk the ring before each match as she came out in a skimpy little bikini and a pair of killer heels. He couldn't deny it... the very male and attentive part of his brain did backflips as he watched her. She was stunning. But he turned his attention to his opponent a moment later. While the guy in front of him was the man who had mentioned the job to Bri in the first place and, ultimately, was responsible for getting her in there, Logan had one hell of a bone to pick with the kid in front of him. His manager got up on stage, put a hand on each of the opponent's chests...

Ding, ding, ding!

While the kid did have speed, he didn't have near the experience or expertise that Logan had. Within a few rounds, he had him down for the count. Logan peeled back the tape on his hands, shaking out his left hand while his manager worked to get the kid back up off of the mat. And that was that. He hoped it added a dose of reality to the lad's high. He sincerely did.

Later that night....

Logan was locking down the warehouse that they'd been in for the night. He counted up the club's earnings, paid off the fighters and shut down the lights. As far as he knew, he was the only one left around. But as he stepped outside, he could hear the cursing of a familiar voice. He sounded pissed right off. And he could hear a woman involved as well. Logan frowned as he came around a corner and saw the kid he had flattened earlier with a hand wrapped around the bicep of Bri. She was trying to get away from him and putting up a damned good fight, but the asshole was a little too big for her. "Hey!" Logan said, getting more than a little pissed.

"Mind your own fucking business!" Logan dropped his bag right there on the floor. "Mind my own fucking business? This is my business, ya bloody arse! Let the lady go. Now." He said. The guy, literally, flipped him off over his shoulder. "Oh I was hopin' ya'd do tha'. Haven't wiped the floor with ya enough yet tonight, I see." He muttered. He grabbed the kid by the back of his shirt, yanking back on it hard. The kid gagged as he stumbled back, having been strangled by the collar of his own shirt. "The ring is one thing. This is a whole other level o' scumbag." The kid brought his hands up, but Logan ignored it, going in for a few hits in quick succession that the kid didn't see coming. In a matter of seconds, he was on the ground. Logan tossed a hundred on the kid's chest. "Take yer fuckin' money. I don' wanna see yer face 'round here again. I do... Well... you'll be wishin' that they had a body bag to take ya out in."

The kid got up off the ground and, literally, scrambled away from the pair. Logan paused a moment to look Bri over. "Ya okay?" He asked, looking her over with a sceptical eye.

[BRIELLE JENKINS]

Brielle wasn’t one of those women who started stripping as a job to earn a paycheck then fell in love with the freedom of it and the expression of her body or whatever the hell women liked about it. She was only working that way to get the money she needed to pay her bills and not disrupt her schooling since she was in college to become a teacher. She needed to be able to go to her classes during the day so it wasn’t a process that was drawn out over six years instead of four. She wanted to get through college, get her teaching license and get a decent job that she could keep her clothes on for since stripping in a school got you put onto some sort of sex-offender list she didn’t want any part of. She worked some nights as a waitress but not enough, and it didn’t pay as good as the tips from stripping though or the bonus she got for being willing to give private dances so long as there was a bouncer at the door to the room and she wasn’t expected to actually have sex with a guy. Show off her body yes she could do that but actually fucking the creeps who came in? Not a chance in hell. She did have her limits and that was one of them.

She’d started seeing a guy who’d come into the club, he’d actually stepped up and stopped his own buddy from getting inappropriate and had apologized to her for his friend afterward which had led to getting drinks and getting familiar. She had her guesses though that maybe it was a staged thing, show the stripper you’ll step up for her and it will lead to getting into her panties since you didn’t get in them at the club. So she was cautious in getting too far into things with him, but he stuck around and he’d actually offered her a chance to get a third job, this one still involved her being near to naked but she didn’t have to dance just walk around inside a ring where sweaty men bashed their fists against other sweaty men in hopes of somehow coming out the winner. She knew there was more to it than that, she’d taken self-defense classes after getting mugged so she could actually appreciate the skill and strength these guys had and how much training they must do to get this way.

Making the trip around the inside of the ring was simple, the shoes didn’t even bother her since she was used to doing a hell of a lot more than just walking in these beasts. Plus she got to watch them fight which was something she found herself enjoying. She was picking favorites in her mind and hoping they would win in truth because they seemed the more skilled out of the guys there. When it came time for the guy she was sorta dating to fight she could tell he wasn’t a favorite just by people’s attitudes toward him. She in a way couldn’t blame them since he was cocky and over-confident, and generally an ass she was learning. Still he’d gotten her a third job and had been, well mostly alright to her at least so far. Watching him get knocked down though was something and the guy he was up against became her new top favorite mentally because of the way he handled himself. Strong and he definitely knew what he was doing, it was impressive to watch.

When things were said and done she’d pulled on sweats and a top over the bikini to wear home and waited around for him to be ready to go since he had driven her there. She had asked him to just give her the address and she’d bring herself but he’d wanted to show off by bringing her in or maybe the place was a secret of some sort who knew so she’d let him drive her but now she had to wait for him so she could get home. When he was finally ready to go she followed him out to the parking lot looking him over as she went. ”You sure you don’t have a concussion or anything? Probably should go to the hospital since he put you down pretty hard.” she said casually since she was honestly a bit concerned. Not seeing it coming she wasn’t able to avoid the grip he got on her as he got up in her face pissed off in a blink and looking like he’d be happy to hit her if she spoke again. ”Listen you little bitch you’re bad luck, I shouldn’t have brought you and you need to just shut the fuck up right now.” he snarled at her and she took the best defensive position she could in case he decided to try something. She knew she was pretty much hopelessly outmatched here but she would do her best if it came to it. ”Listen you giant asshole I wasn’t the bad luck, your getting your ass kicked in there was all your own fault and I wasn’t asking to rub anything in your face. I was asking because you look a bit like you got run over by a train and I was concerned.” she said back and felt his grip get tighter on her arm knowing she’d have a nice hand-shaped bruise there in the morning.

Hearing someone call out she looked over and saw the guy who’d already beaten him down once standing there looking none too happy. She sighed as the guy mouthed off to him and shook her head. ”Smart aren’t we?” she mumbled and tried pulling her arm free of his grip growling when he just held even tighter. She pulled again just as Logan tugged him and stumbled back a few steps at the sudden release a little worried about her balance in these heals before getting herself under control and watching as he was dealt with once again and then kicked out for good. Watching him scramble she sighed and let her arms flop against her sides for a moment before looking at Logan. ”Yeah..i’m alright…thanks for that by the way.” she said mustering up a quick smile as she considered her options on getting home now. ”Beer then home.” she mumbled to herself out loud without realizing while thinking of which bars were open between there and home that she could walk to.

BIKINI :: MEL/LOGAN :: DONE

[LOGAN TATE]

Logan couldn't believe the nerve of some assholes. As strange as it was, he did have a moral code of his own. Getting into the ring was one thing. MMA was a strange compilation of mind and body in the sense that you trained your ass off for it and you conditioned yourself relentlessly. So long as your mind was in the right place, it was incredible how much pain the body could take before it finally revolted against you. Logan had learned that a million times in the past and it was all a part of the lesson that he tried to pass on to the guys that he wound up training for the actual MMA leagues. But there was always a line. There was a line between the real masters of the fight - something that he had been called a time or two - and kids who were just quick on their feet and better suited for dancing in a fucking ballet production than being in a ring.

Long story short. The kid couldn't take a hit.

Another thing he hated... A guy who pulled his tough guy act outside of the ring. Another part of the fights he ran was that it actually helped normally aggressive males to shed their aggression in the ring. But there were just some assholes who didn't have their priorities straight. Not worth a damn. Again... the kid was one of them. Logan would never hit a woman in anger. He'd defend himself if one attacked him, but he'd always wind up using as little force as possible to subdue them at the heart of the matter. Truth be told, he'd been afraid of breaking women more than once in his life. Needless to say, seeing that lad getting physical with the woman in front of him had irked him a great deal.

He shook his head when she thanked him. "No need to thank me. I'm just sorry that this lifestyle attracts that kind of trash 'round 'ere." He murmured as he grabbed the bag he'd been carrying out of the club once more. He had to laugh a little when she just muttered 'beer then home'. "Looks to me like ya could use more'n just a beer right now, Lass." He commented. He tossed his head in the direction of the blue pick up truck parked just behind them. "I can give ya a ride somewhere if ya need. Shouldn't really be out walkin' this late at night anyways." He offered. Not to say that she couldn't take care of herself, but this place was pretty damned seedy and who knew what kind of animals out there would recognize her as the woman from within the fight ring.

"Besides... I could use a drink myself. Usually have one to unwind after a match." He admitted with a shrug. "And... I suck an' don' even think I got yer name earlier. I'm Logan, by the by."

[BRIELLE JENKINS]

Brielle wasn’t a fighter; she knew defense and more basics of fighting for her own protection but not the fine art of it like this, the skill the guys had in that ring. She had appreciated seeing it there but wasn’t appreciating the show outside of the ring in the parking lot with him being a douche and the grip he had on her. She could hold her own against a normal guy for a bit, she would either go down fighting or maybe hold her own and come out on top. It all would depend who she was against, why she was fighting, and the whole situation really. Watching this though she knew she’d never even get close to this and that was just fine really, she was happy watching them fight and being just someone on the sidelines. She was proud of what she could do since she’d impressed her old instructor who’d given her extra classes when she’d asked because she hadn’t felt safe enough with just the very basics. She learned fast and worked hard, things that applied in all parts of her life and she liked it that way. Standing here with this asshole who looked like the sort of guy who’d hit a girl in this moment she wished she’d learned more.

When Logan stepped in she was glad for the help, not one to ever let her pride get in the way of being safe. She’d take help when it was offered and especially in situations like this where she could end up seriously hurt without it. Watching the asshole get dealt with she couldn’t help but be glad he was once again being put in his place, he seemed like the sort who needed it and she asked herself why once again she’d gotten hooked up with a total dick. It was a bad habit she’d have to break this picking the guy most likely to hurt her in some way sort. Watching the guy moving fast to get away she was glad to see him go but not glad to see her ride disappear like that since she did still need to get home somehow. That way would have to be walking it seemed and she could handle that she just wished they were a little closer to her crappy apartment and she had heels that weren’t going to murder her feet in the process.

Looking at Logan when he shook his head at her and said there was no need to thank him she shrugged a little and gave a half smile, ”Who knows what he’d have done if you hadn’t stepped in, so yes I do need to thank you. And yeah with a fight you’re gonna get brawlers who don’t know when to keep it to themselves…sucks but that’s just part of what you’ve got going on I’d assume.” she said reaching up to push her hair out of her face when a breeze pushed it in front of her eyes. She laughed when he said it looked like she could use more than a beer and glanced at the truck with his offer to give a ride if she needed it considering the options before nodding. ”You’re right about the more than a beer and about how I probably shouldn’t be walking. Gonna count on your help once again and accept the offer for a ride if you really don’t mind.” she said thinking it sure as hell beat walking right now. She looked at him as he spoke again, curious about the accent and pretty sure it was Irish or maybe Scottish? She didn’t know enough to pick up on the differences in dialects to be honest. ”Well then let me buy you a beer? Least I can do since you got rid of that ass and are giving me a ride. Name’s Brielle, shorten it however you want, and it’s nice to meet you Logan.”

BIKINI :: MEL/LOGAN :: DONE

[LOGAN TATE]

Logan knew all about attracting the wrong kind of people. He wasn't saying that what he was doing was right in any capacity, save for the fact that it provided the guys working the circuit more money for their families. He knew how tight money could be on some families and he knew that a lot of the guys relied on the money they got from the fighting to bring in a little extra cash. One of his best friends was one such man. With a new baby and a fiance and younger brother to think of at home, it made money tight among them and Logan was more than happy to do what he could for the other man, but he had to wonder how long it'd be before he wound up getting caught by his fiance. The woman wasn't stupid. Not by a long shot. "It happens." He commented. There reallyt was nothing else to say about it because it did happen and there wasn't a whole hell of a lot to be done for it.

"No worries." He said with a shake of his head when she said that she was going to be relying on him for a ride now. "Well I don't think I left you much choice, what with the argument I just posed." He commented, flashing her a small grin as he headed for the truck. It didn't bother him in the least to give her a ride wherever she needed to go. He felt like he was partially responsible for the fact that that asshole had been manhandling her. He knew he probably wouldn't have been nearly so pissed off if Logan hadn't kicked his ass. Likewise, Logan did his best to try and weed out trash like that where his club was concerned because they were exactly the kinds of assholes that attracted unwanted attention from the police. And that was something that he couldn't risk.

He nodded when she said that she could buy him a beer. "Sounds like a plan." He said. He didn't have a problem with that plan in the least. On one hand, it meant that he wasn't going to be drinking alone like the complete and utter tool that he normally was. He was pretty sure that half of the regulars at the bar he tended to go to late at night thought he was some kind of shady freak... which he supposed wasn't entirely far from the truth, but at the same time, he could just imagine how it looked. Big guy. All alone. Comes in and has a drink or two virtually every night while catching up on whatever late night sports game was on. Never said much of anything to anyone because he'd never actually bothered to make acquaintances. Yeah. He probably looked shady as hell.

"Bri sounds good, and it's nice to meet you too." He commented as he hit the button for the lock on the doors of the truck. He tossed his back into the back of the truck and then climbed into the cab, starting it up and turning a little heat on. It didn't look like she was quite dressed for the weather at the moment. "You have a personal preference on where we go? I have a favorite spot, if you don't mind me picking the location tonight, Love."

[BRIELLE JENKINS]

Brielle could mostly understand why a guy would want to run something like this, the chance to work out some frustration/anger on another guy’s face plus getting that stuff out here instead of at home or in work or whatever. Sounded like a good plan if everyone followed the rules and actually kept their aggression here instead of walking out as sore losers like this asshat had done. She got wanting to win and hating it when you were shown up in front of other people but you needed to handle it properly or you just ended up making yourself look worse. She had to wonder how they stayed outta trouble for gathering as a group and pounding on each other though, was there paperwork that could make it legal or did you just pull a fight club and keep it secret where the first rule is you just don’t talk about it? Assuming it was the whole fight club type of thing was easiest course and so she wouldn’t mention this little side job to anyone to be safe. She nodded as he just said “it happens” and shrugged her bag a little further up on her shoulder letting it settle there.

Looking at him as he said no worries she couldn’t help but laugh lightly and shrug, ”Guess you are right about that part…You made a solid argument and you win…again.” she said referring to the fights he’d had that night and how he just didn’t seem to lose. Following him toward the truck she spent a moment wondering if she was absolutely crazy going with some guy she’d literally just met tonight in a car. Plenty of people would tell her she was crazy for it but she didn’t care really since it was that or a really long walk home and she wanted a beer. She would worry about the “stranger danger” stuff later if she needed too but for now she was just going to accept a ride from a guy who’d kinda saved her ass twice since walking home was sure to not be pleasant if she was doing it alone. She knew the streets here weren’t like New York but they still weren’t the safest place for a woman to be at night walking around alone.

She nodded as he said her buying him a beer sounded like a plan and smirked a little, ”A guy who doesn’t argue the “I’ll buy” part from a woman even when you’re just being nice…refreshing change.” she said with a little laugh knowing most guys went for the “I can buy my own and let me buy yours too” thing with women and it frustrated her because she earned her money by working too so why the hell couldn’t she pay? She’d been out with friends who were guys just to hang out and they’d pulled that card like it was some date and they were supposed to be treating her to drinks or dinner even when that wasn’t the case. She knew not all men were like that but she also knew the ones who were all the time could be really annoying. She didn’t argue it all the time, she wasn’t one of those women but now and then she wanted to pay and she would no matter what anyone said.

”Nice to meet you too, Bri’s most common so it works.” she said knowing most people shortened her name down to that even when she didn’t tell them to shorten it however they wanted. Climbing into the truck and setting her purse between her feet she shook her head as she buckled in. ”Nope no preference…I’ll go anywhere as long as I can get a cold beer and maybe some nachos or everything fries.” she said thinking food would be a good thing since she hadn’t eaten before coming because she’d lost track of time. Knowing leftovers were in the fridge she could eat those but if they were going somewhere they’d probably be able to find something less than healthy to munch on.

BIKINI :: MEL/LOGAN :: DONE

[LOGAN TATE]

There were checks and balances in their little community. Most of the guys would only stand for someone being an asshole for so long before they put him in his place. Likewise, Logan was the check and balance for the guys that got seriously out of hand, like the one that had just been manhandling Brielle. He didn't take to a man manhandling a woman like that at all and he knew damned well that one of his best friends, Dean, didn't either. And the pair of them teamed up were one hell of a force to be reckoned with. For the most part, everyone that was in the circuit knew that and knew Logan's reputation out there in the world. It worked to his advantage and, for the most part, they didn't want to wind up being kicked out of the ring by Logan to begin with. Most of the guys were doing it for much needed extra cash, after all.

He laughed a little when she said that he won again. "Lord. Hearing a woman say that is like music to my ears." He smirked, looking at her. He couldn't recall the last time a woman had actually let him win an argument point blank like that, but he wasn't about to complain in the least. He would have understood if she would have declined a ride from him in all honesty, but he probably would have called her a cab and paid for it himself at the heart of it. No way in hell was he about to let her walk through the streets in a shittier part of town all on her own. Especially not when she was as beautiful as she was. That was asking for a whole wealth of trouble that he didn't want for her. And whether he liked it or not, he felt responsible for her in some capacity. She was technically working the circuit as well, just in another way.

He shrugged a shoulder when she made a comment about him not being the type of guy who played the whole 'I'll buy' card on her after she had already offered. "Equal measures, Love." He said in that same thick accent. "You buy this time around and who knows... if there's a next time, maybe I'll be the one buyin'." He shrugged as he got into the truck. Who the hell knew what would wind up happening after tonight. For the time being, it was just a drink between two people, but he had no way of knowing if she'd wind up becoming a friend or if they'd wind up talking again at all in the future. Either way, he wasn't going to complain too much. She'd won the right to pay fair and square when she'd all but called dibs on it.

"Right then." He said as he pulled away with the truck. "There's a pub about five minutes from here that I usually go to once I'm all finished up here. Looks like yer gonna 'ave the privilege of figurin' out where my hideaway is." He smirked over at her. Not that it was a huge secret or anything of the sort, but it was one of his favorite places to go and unwind after a match or after a night worked. It was fairly central to all of the spots they held the fights for the most part and he was thankful for its central position. It meant he never really ever had to drive more than fifteen minutes to get to where he wanted to be.

It wasn't long before he was pulling up in front of the pub. He got out of the truck and pocketed the keys, waiting for her by the front door. "So what kind of a girl are ya? Please tell me you'll at least drink imported beer and no' shitty American beer. It's a point o' contention with me more often than no'." He admitted with a smirk. "And understandably so. I'm Irish, after all."

[BRIELLE JENKINS]

Brielle couldn’t help but wonder what inspired a guy to start and underground fighting ring type of thing, she didn’t think it was just common-knowledge so it seemed like an underground type of thing to her. Yeah it was good stress-relief but it had to take a lot of planning and organizing so it was a handful to do to hold a few fights for guys who had the urge to punch someone without just picking fights with strangers. It was interesting though, watching them fight and being part of that world even if she was just a woman in a bikini for men to ogle while waiting their turn. She wasn’t sure how long girls normally worked with his group to be honest, or how long it had even been going on but she’d stick it out for as long as she could since it was extra money and not bad because she got to ogle as well while they fought. The guy who was in charge wasn’t bad either since he’d actually stood up for her tonight and she could respect his choices on how to handle the dick she’d been with.

Looking at him when he laughed she smirked a little and shook her head at his words laughing a little herself, ”Not all women are incapable of admitting when they’re wrong or when a man gets it right. I’m one of the few who can say “you win” without it being sarcastic. Everyone deserves the words when they’ve earned them and you did.” she said with a shrug moving her arm quick to catch the bag sliding off her shoulder and put it back in its place. She was willing to admit he’d won and she was willing to risk it and climb in the car for the ride since he didn’t seem to be one of the bad guys and had saved her ass already so why screw her over now? Sure that logic had been the downfall of plenty of people through the years but life without a little risk could get pretty damned boring so she’d take her chances.

Looking at him as he shrugged to her saying it was refreshing he accepted her offer to buy she was glad to avoid that “macho man me pay” fight guys felt the need to do. She lifted an eyebrow at his words about “if there’s a next time” and his paying she nodded a little and shrugged. ”We’ll see if there’s a next time where you get your chance to pay.” she said not sure if there would be but willing to leave that door open to be explored. Maybe they’d end up being friends or something and they’d have that chance or maybe tonight would just be a one-off and they’d never have to worry about who’s paying again. He seemed interesting enough so she wasn’t going to close a door that could be fun to go explore through.

Settling into the truck with him she didn’t have any specific place she wanted to go, she normally just found somewhere that seemed good and went inside or hit a bar she’d been too before if something there had caught her attention. Looking over at him as he explained about the pub that was his “hideaway” she laughed lightly and nodded, ”Well I owe you so your secrets safe with me.” she joked figuring with the group of guys that were at the fight someone had to have seen him wherever they were headed since it was a pretty mixed crowd. She wouldn’t say anything to anyone anyway since why would she? There was no point to telling someone “hey did you know logan drinks beer here?” anyway so his “hideaway” would still be a hidey spot for him even if others didn’t already know.

Grabbing her wallet from her bag she tucked it into a pocket along with her phone before leaving everything else behind as she climbed out of the truck after him heading toward the door and laughing at the question he asked. ”Guinness or Stella Artois are my two first picks but I’m open minded about trying new beers. You order whatever you think it is I should try for the first round deal?” she suggested willing to try whatever it was he thought was the best beer out there.

BIKINI :: MEL/LOGAN :: DONE