Chapter Text
Banquet room with a makeshift stage and a row of long rectangular tables, separated by a podium. Beyond the stage, the rest of the room was filled up with chairs for the press. On the side and in the back, a row of video cameras stood while photographers snapped shot after shot. Like a game of whack a mole, one after the other reporters shot off questions. Feeling bombarded, his eyes hidden under his black cap as he stood by the podium. Chugging another ice-cold water, he waited to answer at least one of the questions that was clear to him.
“Tora, how did you feel fighting against Andie Collins?”
“Did you think Andie looked tired before entering the ring?”
“Tora? Who are you fighting next?”
“How does it feel to be the heavyweight champion?”
“How are you going to celebrate?”
Now, dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants, he glanced over to Quincey, who encouraged him to speak. Leaning into the podium, his large hand wrapped around the small microphone. He inhaled. “It felt...pretty good to be back in the ring. Andie brought his fucking A-game and...” He paused. “Uh, don't mind fighting the mother fucker again. Of course, once those black eyes heal up. It's good to be fucking king. After all this shit, I plan on eating a fucking juicy lamb.” He quietly chuckled. Some of the reporters chuckled along with him.
He adjusted his cap as he heard more questions. Looking towards the back of the room and saw Andie walking in. Keeping that Cheshire cat grin small, Tora watched as the press turned and shouted off more questions to his opponent. The large ginger-haired man, rolled his shoulders as his eyes were already swollen. Proudly standing his ground, he pointed his finger to Tora. “Bring it, pretty boy. I'm fucking ready!”
Raising his arms beside him, opening himself to everyone, Tora smirked. “Let's go, Ginger. I'll beat ya ass all over again!”
The flashes of light kept going between them as the press were overly excited to hear it from their own words. More questions spooled off. The conference continued for another half hour before Tora was done talking. Walking off the stage with Quincey and his trainer, Cordy by his side.
Walking with security, Tora laughed to himself as he still towered over some of the heavy-set men. Leading him through the hotel, Tora heard as fans screamed his name and signed a few autographs. Stopping to take a few pictures, he didn't care for it but Quincey insisted that he stay in favor of his fans. It was a better look for him. Amused that women threw themselves at him, he wasn't in the mood. Instead, he was determined to have a big meal.
Looking over to Quincey, Tora smirked. “Let's go eat.”
Cordy scoffed and shook her head. She knew Tora naturally was a heavyweight but with the recent fight, she had caught him breaking his diet. The man loved his dessert and it was pure hell trying to get him to stop. He was lucky enough that he did win it by the eleventh round. She had noticed that his breathing was heavier towards the end and could tell that he was tiring quicker than anticipated. Now, here he was, capable of eating out the whole restaurant in one sitting.
Luckily for Cordy, she had already talked it over with Quincey and both had agreed that his strength and conditioning coach, the man responsible for maintaining Tora on a strict diet, had not been paying close attention to the late-night snacks. Though Tora's weight gain had not shown in his stomach, the muscle gain was a struggle. Within nine months, Tora had moved from a cruiserweight into a heavyweight, something that Cordy had to declare because the man didn't fit into the weight limit anymore.
“At least save some food for the rest of us huh.” She rolled her eyes as the three of them made their way to the restaurant inside the casino resort. It was fancy and only those with a lot of money went there to dine.
Looking around, Quincey walked closely and could tell Tora would do whatever he wanted now. The fight was over and he could splurge on anything. He knew Tora loved the lamb and the fish at this restaurant but after his victory, the seared piece of lamb tenderloin was calling Tora's name.
Upon walking into the place, they were seated in a private area and automatically served champagne. Having the waitress bring out appetizers, Tora made her strictly remember to not skip out on the dessert.
Shaking his head, Quincey sighed. “You and your dessert booboo.”
“What. I want my fucking dessert.” He didn't see the problem. He enjoyed eating their strawberry mousse and couldn't get enough of it.
Cordy shook her head again. “If you plan on fighting Collins again, you have to quit that. You're fucking lucky that you beat him today.”
He looked at her and growled. “I still fucking beat him.”
“Yeah, barely. Tora, I saw you breathing harder than usual. Collins may have looked tried walking into the ring but if he landed that punch to your face on the tenth round, you would have gone out, like that.” She snapped her fingers.
Turning his head away, Tora didn't want to spoil his victory with that. He should have just ditched them and headed to the club with his other boys. At least there, he would enjoy a good smoke. But then again, he quit that habit and didn't want to start up again.
Clearing his throat, Quincey looked at Tora with all seriousness. “Tora, you have to maintain your weight. Martin did his best since you started but he's out.”
“Good. The fucker was starting to get on my nerves.” Tora was glad. It was time for Martin to go. He could not blame the man for family issues but during training, it was critical to stay focused and the man would constantly drill him over the top. Make him do exercises that didn't help his new body shape.
“Tora?”
Looking at his best friend and manager, Tora sighed.
“Collins' promoter already spoke with dad. They want another match. This is going to happen. We better get started, so you can retire at the top and not be knocked out.”
He knew they meant well, he just wanted to have a little more fun. He knew breaking his diet had to do with boredom. Being away from home and hardly any contact but his team day in and day out, he became frustrated. The pressure to stay champion always on his mind, another reason for his overeating.
Glancing from Cordy to Quincey, he sighed and rolled his head back. “Fine. Get me a new strength and conditioning coach. Someone who has a better hand at what they're doing. The shit Martin had me on me was useless. Always left me fucking hungry.”
Cordy smirked as she already had someone in mind. Someone she had worked with a while back before she came to work on Tora's camp. “I already have someone. Need to make a few calls but I don't think there will be a problem.”
A string of waiters and waitresses came around with different plates and filled their table with food. Tora didn't care if they were hot, he was starving and dug in like a neanderthal. “Then let's get this fucking fight with Collins set up. I want to beat the fucker one more time. He better fucking stay down next time.”
****
As time went by, a whole month had passed. The second fight between Tora and Andie was announced and before they knew it, every sports channel, social media, and so forth was ready for the fight between fighters. Inside Tora's camp, with new sparring partners and feeling better, Tora knew this time was going to be different. A week had passed since his training began. Cordy had him on a detox diet to make sure he was clean and level-headed for when the new coach came. All he knew was that Cordy had all confidence in the person. He just hoped that it brought better results.
On the eighth day of his training, he went about eating a healthy and bland breakfast. Curious to know what the new coach would have him eating, he prayed whatever it was, better be a hell of a lot tastier than his mushy oatmeal. Once done, he went for a light run around the property lines, staying away from the gym. He had to kill some time somehow before the meeting with Cordy and the newcomer. So he focused on his road work.
Meanwhile, inside the gym, the door pulled open letting the morning light enter the personalized equipment room. Hair split into two dutch braids, dark sunglasses hanging off her nose as she strolled in a pink tracksuit jacket, pink mesh leggings, and black crop t-shirt. Quietly walking in her workout shoes, Poppy found the lights to the gym. She had been granted access to the gym way before she met with her old friend Cordy and potential client, Tora.
She knew of him and followed his career as a fighter but had never gotten the chance to meet him. Working with many fighters, she was well qualified to get them to their goal. After many calls between Cordy and Quincey, Poppy was all for helping. They agreed to her conditions of checking out the gym and kitchen beforehand, so she could give them a precise plan of what she was going to have Tora do.
Now as she walked the perimeter of the ring, she found the weights and treadmills. She tested the equipment and grabbed her notepad. Making notes of what needed to be replaced and what was missing. Her hands touched the slip rope used for training and was satisfied that it was in great condition. By glance, everything looked top-notch except the punching bag. She eyed the four extra ones laying in the corner near the current one. She could see the wear and tear on each one. Letting her fingers run across the texture. Something wasn't sitting right. She dropped her notepad on the bench nearby and took her sunglasses off. Inside her jacket pockets, she carried extra wraps and a measuring tape. She zipped off her jacket and expertly wrapped her hands.
Eyeing the small dents of footwork on the mats, she could tell where Tora stood. Looking up at the retractable hook, she followed with her eyes from the ceiling to the wall and found a control button. Lowering the bag to her stature, she tested the bag before finding her stance. Jab. Jab. Then a cross. Jab. Jab. Another cross. The bag swung as she threw her punches. Moving around in a circle, she got a feeling for it, furthering her analysis.
From the outside, the hit echoed and Tora could tell someone was inside the gym. He had rounded the house to the gym and paused. That he knew of, his sparring guys wouldn't come until after the strength and conditioning coach arrived. Looking at his sports watch, he controlled his breathing and wondered who would be inside the gym.
Nearing the entrance, he found the door propped open. He peeked inside and found a pinkish blob. Focusing his eyes on the movement, he became curious. A tiny woman beating the shit of out his punching bag. Watching the bag swing away from her, not getting a break. Standing by the entrance, he leaned on the frame.
Seeing her suddenly stop, he saw her move to the speed bag, he smirked. She had to push up on her toes to reach it but was shocked that even she could hit it in rhythm. Deciding to step inside, he slowly made his way over to her. Getting a splendid eyeful of her ass, he arched a brow. Wondering who the hell she was, he was definitely interested in her backside.
Feeling like she was being watched, she threw a hard punch at the small bag and heard it swing rapidly as she turned and came into eye contact with the mountain of a man. Putting her hands on her hips, her breath was a little heavy from her handwork but a small gasp escaped her as she could see how attractive he was. Television and photos do not do him justice.
Tora froze upon seeing her eyes. His chest rose heavily, his muscles twitched and the rest of his body stirred at seeing the beauty before him. Trapped in her stare, he felt like a glow surrounded her. Her skin appeared soft but the small toned arms and curves solidified her conditioned body. She was not perfectly toned, though. There was definitely some meat on her bones and that intrigued him.
It must have been a long time before she snapped out it and held her hand out to him. “I'm Poppy Wilkes. Your strength and conditioning coach.”
Tora saw her move and it brought him out of his daze. He eyes her wrapped hand and slowly took her hand before shaking it. “Ya gotta be kidding.” He smirked.
She tilted her head at him. “Uh..no.”
He continued to hold her hand. “Ya fucking tiny. What do ya know about strength and conditioning? Ya can barely reach the speed bag.”
Taking her hand back, she then crossed her arms over her chest. Taking a good look at him, she scoffed. “I know that you, buddy boy, are about five pounds off from reaching your weight division limit. You planning on going super heavyweight? Or do you want to stay where you are? Because Collins will be coming after you hard. That belt is good as his if you keep breaking the rules.”
He arched a brow at her. He was stunned that she could tell right away. Since his last fight, he had gained more weight and no matter what, the weight remained. “I'll beat that pussy to the ground if I have to.”
“And you'll be hurting yourself more than him.” She looked over to the ring and sighed. Flexing her fingers, she then uncrossed her arms and proceeded to unwrap her hands. “Look Mr. Noyouko.”
“Tora, s'fine.” He sighed as he knew she was right. “So what do ya suggest?”
Turning around, she walked back to where she left her stuff. Rolling the wraps back to how she had them, she thought about the fight plan. “What have you been eating so far?”
Stepping closer, he watched her bend down and get her notepad before straddling the bench. Looking up at him, she waited for his response. He cleared his throat as he felt his dick stir. Focusing on her questions, he moved to sit beside her. “Cordy's been having me on light and healthy meals. Oatmeal, wheat pancakes without syrup...mmm. Lunch is mostly hearty foods and dinner, mostly lean meats.”
Poppy wrote it down and nodded. “No desserts right?”
He groaned. “No. I'm not allowed that.”
“Of course you are.” She said as she didn't look up from her pad.
He snapped at her. “No shit?”
She put her pen down and looked up at him. “I plan for you to enjoy seven meals a day with still maintaining your goal weight and without losing so much muscle mass. But you have to stick to my regimen or I'll walk. No bull. Cordy and Quincey are aware of this and are in full agreement.”
He looked away and stared at the wall of weights. He nodded.
“Say it.”
He snapped his eyes back at her.
She arched a brow at him.
“I'll. Follow. Your regimen. No bull.” He smirked. Moving his eyes down to her notepad, he noticed the unicorn pen and girly paper. She straight-up looked like a little kid to him but her tone and speech made him think twice.
Glad that he understood, she wrote out her suggestions. “I checked out all your equipment, you mind if I change stuff around. I feel that we need to give this place a new arrangement. The ring will stay in place but everything else feels out of balance.”
He shrugged. “Whatever you say, sweetheart.”
“First rule, no cutesy pet names. You say one and you bet your butt, I'm giving you worse ones.”
He grunted, hiding the smirk on his face. Her being feisty was going to be a real treat for him.
“The second rule, communicate. You don't like something, talk. I don't respond to grunts, yells, or punches. You're not a neanderthal. You are a full comprehensive being. I work for you. Not the other way around. You don't like certain exercises, routines, or meals, tell me. I'm pretty resourceful. So I can find something that works for you.”
He stared at her and was grateful to be sitting down already or he would have fallen on his ass. Amazed at this angel, he was pleased that she was willing to work with him and not dictate him as Martin did.
“Anything else?”
“Yeah, third rule. Find something that stimulates you. I've proven that fighters keep focused and are content when they have a little hobby that doesn't pull attention from training. Hobbies help relax the mind. You have a hobby, Tora?”
He thought and shrugged. “I used to play guitar. Haven't done it in a long time.”
She nodded. “Well try picking it up again. If not, you could read, paint, or write. I enjoy reading a good page-turner. So if you want to read, I'll lend you something.”
The moment she had finished her sentence, they both heard footsteps and knew they were no longer alone. Turning their heads to the gym entrance, they watched as Quincey, Cordy, and a couple of the sparring guys walking in.
Cordy came and immediately greeting Poppy. Quincey shook hands with her and so did the other guys. Tora glared at the guys. He noticed they were checking Poppy out and already didn't like it. Establishing his alpha presence, he saw his sparring guys back off. Satisfied, he went back to watching Poppy. She told him to find something to stimulate him. If it weren't for the no-sex rule, he would have found the stimulation in her. Catching Quincey's eye, he turned away, trying to look like he wasn't doing anything.
Secretly smirking, Quincey looked at Poppy. “I see you met our champ here. I hope he behaved himself.”
Poppy smiled and nodded. “Like a true gentleman.”
Tora turned to look at her. Even if he was a tad rude, he was surprised she lied for him.
Cordy rolled her eyes. Shaking her head, she instructed the guys to gear up and Tora as well. “You don't need me in here right?” Quincey asked, “I can show Poppy where she's staying and let her have a go at the kitchen.”
Cordy shook her head. “Nah, we can hold the fort here.”
Poppy grabbed her things and looked over to Tora who opened his locker by the little office. “Hey Tora, when you're ready, drop down and give me five sets of twenty. Need to work off those sweets.” She smirked.
His mouth opened in surprise. He quickly shut it before sighing. “Yes, ma'am.”
Cordy chuckled as she heard it. Quincey was stunned as well. Poppy felt right at home already as she wasn't shy about her job. She was in work boss mode. Looking over to Cordy, she said, “If you have him on the punching and speed bags, switch them out. They're feeling a bit soft. I'm taking out the mats, they're completely worn out. We need to replace them.”
Saluting her, Cordy smiled. “Aye Aye Captain.” She had glanced over to Tora, who was occasionally looking over to Poppy. Oh, how she knew Poppy would keep him focused and still get results. The champion would remain at the top because of the short bossy woman.
Poppy walked with Quincey and took one last look at Tora as he took off his shirt. Feeling her cheeks warm, she turned away. He was sculpted like a Greek statue, even if he was large. She would have him happy and ready for his fight in five months. She let Quincey lead the way up to the house and they talked about her thorough plans. Feeling good about it, Quincey also wondered how good Poppy was for his friend. By glance, things were going to be interesting.
The end.