“Are you sure we should be here?” Coral asked fearfully. Right now, she was at Connie’s side, and they  just stepped inside a boxing gym.

“It’s a business, Coral. They train boxers, and sell gear to the boxers they train. I want to buy some gear, so this is the first place I want to check.” She knew this gym quite well. Her father trained here when he was younger. He used to bring Connie, and her two brothers, with him from time to time. She spent most of her childhood in this very gym.

“Hey, lady! This ain’t a place for girls to play in!” She looked at the trainer on the side of the ring.

“Is Mr. Mitchell around?” She asked with a smile. He faltered. The only way she could know the owner’s name was because she knew who he was, or was familiar with someone in the gym.

“In the office.” He watched her nod, and head in the direction of the office without a blink. “She knows the boss.” He said in a low voice.

“Hey, Eric, who was the chick?”

“Someone you shouldn’t keep your eyes on. She knows the boss, and has been here before. You know how he’ll react if you eye up a lady.” The boxer paled and went back into the middle of the ring.

He knew alright. The boss would find him, somewhere he didn’t expect him, and remind him to keep his eyes in his head, or have his brains rearranged. In other words, beaten to within an inch of his life.

For some unknown personal reason, the boss was quite protective of women.

*****

“Enter.” Connie opened the door and smiled as she saw familiar eyes lift. Mr. Mitchell trained her father in the ring, and when she was a child, he also spent some time training her and her brothers. He was a cranky old man when she met him, but now, she could see that he was a hard ass when he was young as well.

“Mr. Mitchell, I need some sparring equipment, and a heavy bag.” She said with a smile. He frowned.

“What makes you think I can get that stuff for you?” He asked. He didn’t fold his arms over his chest, but looked back down to his paperwork. He didn’t even get out of his chair to speak to her.

“You’re a businessman. You sell gear to your boxers, and use the profits to groom your talents.” She saw a bit of respect enter his eyes.

“Yes, for my guys. Ones who train here. I don’t sell gear to ones who can’t use it.” He watched as a smile spread on her lips.

“That which has no purpose, has no reason to exist.” When she said that, his eyes narrowed. It was a personal motto, and one he used for relationships. If a business relationship had no purpose, he did not pursue it. If a boxer had no purpose in the ring, he would not let them train there.

“How much do you train?”

“A minimum of an hour each morning. Weights. Running. I have more stamina than a corpse.” She watched his eyes, and saw him nod.

“Here. Prove it.” He threw her a pair of gloves that should fit her. They were only sparring gloves, and not meant to be taped up for a fight.

“The heavy bag in the corner, or the one in the ring?” She asked. She watched him start to grin.

“Oh, I like you.”

*****

“I’m fighting a chick?”

Connie didn’t put on the headgear, though the boxer in the ring had his on. She stepped over the middle rope, and though she didn’t have proper footwear on for the ring, her sneakers were good enough for what she had to show the boss.

Immediately, in spite of the jeering from the boxer in the ring, she put up her guard, and quickly went on the attack.

*****

“Boss, I never expected that.” Eric said in shock.

“When she said the heavy bag in the corner, or the one in the ring, I had a feeling she knew how to throw a punch.” He looked at the one laying on his back, and how Connie stepped away without turning her back. “She’s had training. Never turn your back on an opponent.” He smiled. “It’s too bad there isn’t a league for female boxers yet. She could stand toe to toe with a few pros I know.”

“Mr. Mitchell. Can we do some business?” Connie asked as she stepped out of the ring, then looked at Eric. “Get your boy to stop judging his opponents by perceived strength. That’s a terrible way to fight. If he’s not ready to give it his all as soon as someone steps into the ring, he shouldn’t be in this ring.” Mr. Mitchell grunted and looked at Eric.

“She’s right. Put in a few heavy punchers, in his class, and teach him a lesson. Ones that don’t look capable. If he won’t learn, take him off the list.”

*****

“So, two heavy bags, a speed bag, two jump ropes, mats, and four pairs of gloves, two for you, and two pairs for this little lady?” He asked, a familiar frown on his face.

“Yes, Mr. Mitchell. I’m training this young woman so she can defend herself. Like my father and brothers trained me, so I will train her.” He nodded.

“But why the two bags?”

“My father was a boxer. My brothers learned some martial arts and combined the two skill sets. The second heavy bag is for what they referred to as ‘ground work’. In a street fight, opponents don’t often stay on their feet. They taught me how to move a top mounted fighter to the bottom, and beat them into submission.” She watched the emotions slide through his eyes.

“Yeah, I can understand. I don’t like the idea, from a professional standpoint, but I’m getting the idea that this isn’t meant for professional fights. It will take me a couple of weeks to order it in.” She smiled.

“Perfect. Here is my number. Call me when it comes in. Also, would you like the deposit now, or will you wait for full payment when it comes in?”

*****

“Why did he say cash when it comes in, Talia?” Coral asked, a bit of a frown on her face.

“He can write it off as a gym expense for equipment. If there is cash, there is no paper trail, and he doesn’t have to pay sales tax. If he collects sales tax and pays it to the state, then it isn’t a write off on his expenses.” Connie explained as she drove out of the lot.

“Oh. So, what now?” She asked, and wasn’t quite sure if she followed the thought properly. She would ask Connie to explain it later.

“Now, let’s go back to that shop and have a snack. I want to look over my sketches, and adjust them based on what we learned yesterday. When we get home, we’ll make a list of the materials we need, then start our renovations.” Connie said with a smile. If she wasn’t so focused on the road, she would have seen Coral’s cheeks turn slightly red when Connie used the term ‘home’, and ‘we’ instead of ‘I’.

Connie looked down at her lap, and the hand that just appeared on her thigh. She lifted her eyes quickly, and forced herself to focus on the road.

Coral smiled. She was giggling like a girl inside because Connie didn’t remove her hand, so she moved it slightly closer to her hip. She gave her thigh a gentle squeeze, which she followed up with a slow back and forth stroke on that firm upper thigh she really liked to touch.

“Coral, please be good.” Connie said raggedly. Coral sighed sadly, but then felt Connie’s hand lay on top of hers. “It’s hard to drive when you distract me like that. Just keep your hand still. Please.”

“Okay.” Coral smiled at her, and blushed. “I’ll be good.” Connie didn’t realize that when she held Coral’s hand in place, and didn’t remove it, she basically gave her permission to put her hand on her thigh in the car. Or in other places.

‘Those puppy dog eyes are not fair!’ Connie cried out in her mind. ‘Lethal! Lethal!’