The Alpha’s Rose

Rose’s POV I pull my car up to the back of the club and park in my usual spot. Right next to the dumpster. I am still an hour early for the fight, but I prefer to be early. It gives me time to really think. That’s the best kind of thinking when you know your adrenaline and energy are going to be so high so soon. The true calm before the storm. I get out of my car and pull my hood up over my head. It’s dark and the freezing rain sends a chill down my whole body. I grab my bag from the back seat and hurry to the back door. I swipe my key card and the back door unlocks. I dash in and close the door quickly behind me. Alton is standing there. “Good evening Rose. Ready for your fight tonight?” He asks. Alton is one of the bouncers at the club, he’s been here as long as I have. “I’m always ready for a good fight.” I say shaking the rain off my coat and flashing him a cheeky smile. “I know you’ll win. I got my money on you tonight.” He tells me, which I know is a lie. Employees can’t bet, they are too close to the action. I give him a wave, like I know he’s full of it, and head downstairs. Upstairs is a gentleman’s club and downstairs is a fighting club. It might surprise you to know I started out as a dancer in the gentleman’s club. But after my third altercation, they thought it best to move me downstairs. That was over 7 years ago. I make my way down the long hallway to my changing room. I actually don’t mind the fights anymore, I can take on as many or as few as I want, the pay out is nice especially if you win, you don’t get a cut of the bets though. I don’t have to deal with sweaty men all over me. Currently I’m doing one fight every two weeks. At the beginning, I was fighting every other night. You need to do that when you first start out to get yourself out there and garner some fans. My body almost gave out on me. I needed a month of recovery, and all the money I had saved up was spent on it. Not worth it. But if you win a lot and can turn out a big enough crowd, once every two weeks can pay the bills. I’ve struck a good balance now. I get to my changing room and get ready for my fight. I french braid my hair down and start wrapping my hands. A knock comes from the door. I walk over and open it. There stands Nick. He’s the current owner of the club, but everyone knows his dad is still keeping a close eye on the place. His dad passed it down to him not too long ago. “What is it Nick?” I say as I walk back to my stuff. “I just came to check on you, is that a crime?” He walks into the room and closes the door. Nick has always had a thing for me, ever since I was a waitress upstairs. Back then I was too scared of men, now I can’t stand being around them. “If you are going to be here then help me.” I hold out my wrap. He walks over and takes it. Don’t get me wrong Nick is a nice guy, in fact as mobsters go, he’s probably the nicest one out there. Which is another reason I never got involved with him. “How come I only see you around here on nights when you got a fight?” Nick wraps my right hand. “Because those are the nights when I need to be here.” I reply. If I could never come back here, I would. But unfortunately, I’m still in contract, and you don’t break a contract with these kinds of people. “I miss seeing you around. You should let me get you back on the weekly schedule, you don’t always have to fight.” “I’m not a waitress anymore Nick, and I definitely couldn’t deal with the clientele.” I say. “You can do whatever you want Rose.” Nick finishes up. I know why he just wants me around, and I can’t give him what he wants. I can’t give anyone what they want. Unless it’s a one night stand with zero commitment, that I can do. But Nick, he wants a relationship, he wants commitment, he wants everything. “Nick, you know I appreciate what your family did for me when I was younger. I put on a good show don’t I?” I ask. “Yeah, you’re one of our highest bet nights.” Nick says. “But I have 3 years left in my contract and then I plan to get out. I can’t fight forever.” I tell him. He looks defeated, just like every other time I’ve turned him down. “Good luck tonight Rose. We have some high roller VIPs coming tonight.” He says before leaving the room. I sigh and finish getting ready. I’m doing us both a favor by turning him down. Come on, get your head in the game. I shadowbox to try and hype myself up and get into the right head space. I hear a knock at the door. “Come in.” Murray, another bouncer, walks in. “They are ready for you.” He says. He leads me to the cage. We walk in and the crowd starts cheering. I can feel my adrenaline start to pick up. My heart is beating in my chest. No matter how many fights I do. I will never get used to the pain. It hurts just the same every single time. I get in the cage and the other fighter is there. I typically fight fighters from other clubs. The other mobsters try to bring their best female fighters to fight me. I just feel like an animal in a cage. The girl I am fighting tonight will be easy. She leaves her left side too exposed when she throws a punch. I’ve only lost a few times but it hasn’t happened in a few years. The room is full of men shouting as the announcer introduces us. Finally we can get this over with. The bell rings and we move around each other in the ring. She makes the mistake of coming for me first. She swings and I duck out of the way. I pop up and give her a right hook to the jaw. Not hard enough to knock her out, just enough to stun her. It wouldn’t be a good fight with a round one knock out. The full match is five rounds. After the third round of letting her beat me around, it was finally time I can unleash on her. When the bell rings for the third round I let her come to me. I can tell she is getting tired. My eye is bleeding and I know it’s getting a bit swollen. She comes at me with a punch, but I duck below it and punch her hard on the side breaking a rib. She stumbles back but gets back into stance. Because of how often I fight, I can’t afford to get seriously injured like that. I can see the pain on her face, but we have to keep fighting. She lets me come to her this time and I swing and she dodged, but I kept myself covered. She tried to land a jab, but I block and send a punch right to her face. Blood pours from her nose and the crowd cheers. I send another punch to her cheek and another to her eye. The ref pulls me back as the girl falls to the ground. The ref starts the 10 second count down. She doesn’t get back up. The bell rings three times, signaling the end of the fight. The crowd cheers with excitement and the ref holds up my hand. I look out at the crowd, but can’t make out their faces with all the lights, and my swollen eye. I’m taken out of the cage and Murray leads me back to my changing room. There’s always a medic waiting for me in the room to tend to my cuts and assess any broken bones from the fight. Murray helps me take off my hand wraps while the medic looks at my eye. The door busts open and Frank walks into the room. “Three rounds Rose?! That’s it?” Frank is Nick’s father, and he’s pissed. I knew three rounds wouldn’t be long enough. “I could have knocked her out in round one. Who are these wimps?” I know I shouldn’t get sassy with him, but my adrenaline is still pumping. “Don’t get smart with me Rose. I take you off the streets and I give you a job and this is how you repay me?” Frank says. Oh I have had enough of this sob story. I pull back from the medic and look Frank in the eyes. “I get my ass beat more now than I ever did back home.” I say. Frank walks over to me and Murray and the medic take a step back. “You listen to me you little b***h. You still have three years left here. Don’t make me put you back upstairs and let those guys have you in the private room.” He points his fat finger at me. Someone clears their throat from the doorway. There is a man in a dark suit standing there. Frank turns around and his whole demeanor changes. He must be one of the VIPs. “Mr. Thomas, what a surprise to see you here.” Frank says. Kiss ass. The medic comes back to tend to my eye. “It must be a surprise, with the way you were just talking to her.” The man’s deep voice vibrates through the whole room. Frank nervously laughs. “If my fighter was as good as her, I would treating her like a queen.” The man says. “Mr. Thomas, I don’t mean to be rude, but” “Then don’t be.” The man says cutting Frank off. I could tell Frank was about to lose his temper. I don’t know who this guy is, but he sure is bold to talk to him like this, or extremely stupid. “Now I will not have you speak to me like this in my establishment.” Frank says. “I thought this was your son’s establishment.” The man raises an eyebrow. Frank is getting flustered and walks past the man in the doorway and leaves. The man doesn’t say anything, he just winks at me and leaves. “Who was that?” I ask Murray. “Dean Thomas, he bet big tonight and Nick is trying to work out a business deal with him to open another club.” Murray is always up on the gossip, you wouldn’t think it by looking at him, but he’s always watching.