Warm Up  
 
More Sue Graham! This is the second of two interludes, and from 
here on we get down to some serious action. Honest. Hope you 
like this, though. Comments welcome, as always. 
 
                                               - Bomur 
 
Warm Up 
======= 
 
    I don't go round to Jenny's mansion straight away. 
Some people get very testy about being woken up in the 
early hours of the morning, and Judo Jennifer is one of 
them.  Besides,  I want to be in the right frame of mind. 
I'm not in the right frame of mind now.  I'm tired.  I've 
had rather a full evening, and I think I'm entitled to some 
rest. 
 
    I drive back to my hotel room and fix myself another 
shower.  I wish I'd broken Lewis's arm for real.  It would 
have cost me my job, but it's the thought of the incredible 
satisfaction it would have given me.  Ha!  My imaginary 
fights mean more to me that my real ones.  Ol' Jungle Bunny 
would be somewhat annoyed by that, I think. Oh well. 
 
    The shower is hot, the bathroom immaculate, and best of 
all, the bed is firm but still pleasurable to lie in. 
There's nothing worse than a soft bed to mess your back up, 
and in this job that's another one of those things I prefer 
to avoid. 
 
    Two things need to be done before I go to sleep. 
First, I go over Jenny's contract again.  Mrs. Metzen 
explained all the important points to me, and I've got a 
good memory for things like this.  Still, one more time 
never hurts.  I check some of the minor clauses to make 
sure there aren't going to be any surprises.  I don't 
suppose it's necessary,  Mrs. Metzen knows her stuff. 
 
    I phone reception and ask for an early wake-up call, 
which is my other important thing to do.  I don't want to 
sleep in tomorrow.  Er, today.  Whatever.  Um.  Time to 
snuggle down. 
 
    ....... 
 
    I wake to the sound of the telephone ringing.  I don't 
recognise it straight away,  because it sounds different 
from the one I've got at home.  You'd have thought that 
after all this time of staying in hotels I'd have got used 
to being woken by unfamiliar phones, but noooo........ 
 
    A chirpy little voice on the other end of the line 
tells me what the time is.  I suddenly have this urge to 
march downstairs and pull her tongue out, and then slowly 
realise that she's only doing what I asked for before going 
to sleep.  Luckily, I don't break the phone when I put it 
down. 
 
    I go to the bathroom and do my necessaries,  then 
switch on the radio and do some stretches. I'm not due for 
a match for a good couple of days,  but being stiff never 
helped anyone.  In fact, I wouldn't mind having a workout 
in the gym at the Arena.  It's well equipped, clean, and 
usually empty - which is always nice.  Not surprising, 
really, since only League wrestlers are allowed to use it, 
and only about half of the girls do weights.  Some have 
their own gyms. 
 
    I phone Jenny.  A strange girl answers, and tells me 
her name's Marie.  That rings a bell. She asks me to hold, 
presumably while she goes and checks with the boss.  This 
gives me time to remember where I've heard about Marie 
from.  Hmmm.  Can't think.  It'll come to me, but it's not 
really important at the moment.  Just the sound of her 
voice tells me what I need to know.  She's the quiet one. 
 
    Marie comes back on the line, and says that Jenny will 
expect me in one hour, which doesn't give me much time.  I 
agree and put the phone down. 
 
    I don't want to use the same suit I wore last night, 
but I've got little choice.  This is a business meeting, 
and Jenny might get offended if I started talking business 
in casuals.  She's very particular about things like that, 
I think.  Still, a change of blouse and shoes won't hurt. 
I check myself in the mirror.  Looks passable.  Time to get 
a move on. 
 
    I get down to the car park double quick.  I barely have 
to push the key into the ignition and my wonderful car 
bursts into life.  I really love this girl. 
 
    As I'm driving, I remember about Marie.  Barney told me 
about it a month or two back.  It seems that Jenny's two 
girls had decided it was time to leave their love nest, and 
Jenny didn't argue with them.  All fairly equitable.  Mind 
you, she didn't waste time in finding two replacements. 
Same general characteristics as the previous two.  And the 
two before that.  And the two before that.  I suppose once 
you've hit on a winning formula, you're loath to change it. 
 I can imagine Jenny thinking that. 
 
    I suppose I'd better spell it out for you if you 
haven't got the hint by now.  Jenny likes girls, not boys. 
She's gay, ok?  She doesn't let it affect her wrestling, 
she's too professional for that, and what she does off the 
mat is her own affair.  She does private matches, 
different rules, but strictly nothing to do with the 
League.  I've heard a few things about those, but I really 
would rather not know. 
 
    I hope that's clear.  She's gay.  And she always has 
two girls.  And they're always the same. There's always a 
quiet, considerate, clever one, and a brash, tough, 
stubborn one.  Marie is the quiet one.  Just that short 
phone call was enough to tell me that.  Hmmm.  I can't 
remember if Barney mentioned what the other one's name is. 
Maybe it'll come to me. 
 
    Thinking about Barney, I pick up my car phone and call 
him.  No answer.  Somehow I'm not surprised.  I imagine 
that Lewis had arranged for Barney to be doing some errand 
that would stop me from talking to him.  If Lewis's plan 
was going to work, he certainly didn't want me talking to 
Barney. Wasted effort, Lewis.  I sussed you out all by 
myself. 
 
    I switch on the radio.  Crap.  I change to another 
station.  Crap again.  I need something to put me in the 
mood.  I need something.....  classical.  Yeah.  Long time 
since I listened to some decent classical stuff.  I find a 
station playing some.  Nice.  I don't know what the hell it 
is that they're playing, but at the moment it's just what I 
need.  I wind my window down a little and put the volume 
up.  The breeze on my face will keep me from nodding off. 
 
    I check the clock.  Hey, I've got more time in hand 
than I thought.  Traffic is light this morning, which is 
great, because I'd rather not be late.  Jenny considers 
lateness 'a vile sin'  and will say as much if you've kept 
her waiting. 
 
    I remember the first time I saw Jenny's house.  I 
couldn't get over how huge it was.  In its own grounds too. 
 I don't like to think what Jenny does so that she can 
afford a house like that.  I know she can't do it on what 
the League pays.  I know they pay her more than me, but not 
that much more. Maybe she comes from a rich family.  I 
don't know,  I never asked, and she never mentioned it. 
 
    The League has a rule about girls fraternising.  The 
rule says you can't.  Jenny invited me over to her place 
anyway.  It was shortly after our match.  She was very 
polite, even respectful, except for the way she called me 
Suzy, which I hate.  I think she does it as a reminder, 
just a small one, of who won.  She introduced me to her two 
girls, who were on their best behaviour,  and we spent a 
pleasant afternoon walking around her house and grounds, 
chatting and laughing.  In the evening, she sat me down in 
a private little room, just the two of us, and asked me 
straight out what my sexual leanings were.  I told her.  I 
often wonder what would have happened if I'd lied. 
 
    I've been back to her house twice since, and it's 
always the same, respectful and polite.  But that one 
subject has never been brought up since.  I'm pleased to 
visit, but there's always a slight sense of tension.  An 
undertone, I guess you could call it. 
 
    But that match we had was a good one.  It was close, it 
could have gone either way.  I know that you can say that 
about any match,  but it was especially true of that match. 
 I won't bore you with the details,  but Jenny got the 
submission out of me after I twice nearly got a submission 
out of her. It could have been me that won, and Jenny knows 
it. 
 
    Kelley.  That's the name of the hard one.  It just came 
to me.  Kelley and Marie.  I remember something clicked in 
my head when Barney mentioned it to me before.  I didn't 
know why then, and I still don't know why now.  Perhaps 
they were the names of a tag team or something.  Could be a 
pop group for all I know.  I'll ask Jenny.  She's bound to 
know. 
 
    I pull up to the gates of Jenny's estate with five 
minutes to spare. They're shut.  A tinny voice from the 
intercom off to the side asks me to identify myself.  It 
could be Marie again, but the distortion is so bad it's 
impossible to tell. 
 
    The tinny voice gives me detailed instructions of what 
to do when the gates open.  I'm obviously not talking to 
someone who knows I've been here before, so that rules 
Jenny out.   Hold on, that's odd.  I ask the voice to 
repeat.  It repeats.  Downstairs?  I've never been 
downstairs in Jenny's house before.  I wonder what's going 
on.... 
 
    The gates open and I drive through.  The house is set 
quite a way back from the main road,  so I have a little 
bit more time to gather my thoughts.   I wonder if this is 
because it's not a social visit.  No doubt Jenny knows why 
I've come, she's usually well informed, and she would have 
been expecting Lewis to make some sort of move by now. 
 
    I park near the front of the house.  It's still big. 
Maybe even bigger.  I walk to the front door, expecting 
someone there to greet me, but as I approach it opens by 
itself.  I walk through and close it behind me. 
 
    Nobody about.  Curiouser and curiouser.  Hallway to the 
left, my instructions said, so that's the way I go.  A 
little way along, there's stairs going down.  These are the 
ones I want. 
 
    At the bottom of the stairs there's another hallway, 
although this one is much shorter.  Left again.... I can 
hear something.  It sounds like a..... match? 
 
    Down the hallway is a door on the left.  The sounds are 
definitely coming from behind it. Hmm.  Perhaps I should 
have used the League gym before coming here.  If Jenny 
wants to play, I'm really not ready for it.  Still, what's 
done is done.  I open the door and go through. 
 
    I immediately curse myself for not having thought of 
this sooner.  Of course.  Jenny's got a mat down here. 
League size too.  I bet on the other side of that hallway 
she's got a gym. 
 
    I see three people.  Jenny is grappling with a 
dark-haired girl on the mat, and there's a blonde off to 
the side.  All three are wearing Judo jackets and bare 
legs,  like Jenny always wears for her matches.  I bet all 
three have white bikinis under them too. 
 
    The blonde walks motions me over.  I walk towards her, 
keeping one eye on the two on the mat.  They're a tangle of 
arms and legs at the moment, hard to tell who has the 
advantage. 
 
    "I'm Sue."  I say to the blonde.  Now that I see her up 
close, I'd be willing to bet money that this is Marie. 
Funny how sometimes you can tell what a person is going to 
be like just by the shape of her face. 
 
    "I know,"  she says, "we spoke on the phone.  I'm 
Marie." 
 
    Maybe I should try my luck on the horses.  I might end 
up with a house like this. 
 
    "This.... isn't what I was expecting,"  I say, looking 
at the mat. "I've got something fairly urgent to discuss 
with Jenny." 
 
    Marie looks a little embarrassed.  "They had an 
argument over breakfast.  Jenny decided that this was the 
best way to settle it."  She looks at the two on the mat, 
then at me.  "Have you come from Lewis?  Jenny wants to 
discuss terms so that she can get the match contract drawn 
up." 
 
    I forgot, this is the clever one.  It makes sense that 
Jenny would make use of her. 
 
    "Lewis sent me, although I'm not exactly acting for 
him, or his interests.  I've got something for Jenny to 
examine."  It's the truth.  I've found it's usually best to 
be truthful with clever ones.  In fact, I'm finding it 
rather difficult to concentrate, because I'm watching the 
two on the mat. 
 
    "Jenny says she knows you."  There's an odd tone to her 
voice,  which drags my eyes from the mat to her face. 
 
    Oh dear.  She's got a pretty face, but it's too 
expressive.  Clever ones can never hide their feelings, 
and I can immediately see what she's thinking and feeling. 
She's thinking that I'm another lover of Jenny's, and she 
worried I might steal Jenny away from her. Sigh. 
 
    There's a sharp cry from the mat, and I turn back to 
the action.  Jenny is sitting on her backside, looking up 
at  the brunette,  who is standing in front of her. 
Without warning,  the brunette kicks Jenny in the face. 
Hard.  Jenny's head snaps to the side. I don't think she 
had time to ride the blow.  The brunette aims another kick, 
but Jenny is already moving, rolling away.  She gets to her 
feet while the brunette stays where she is. 
 
    "Is that Kelley?"  I ask Marie. 
 
    "Yes.  We haven't been with Jenny very long."  she 
answers,  that look of fear messing up her face.  I'd 
better put her out of her misery before she bursts into 
tears. 
 
    "I know. Jenny and I do the same job.  The League."  I 
look at her meaningfully.  "That's all."  I hope she gets 
the message. 
 
    It takes her a couple of seconds,  as if she's parsing 
my words for all the possible levels of meaning.   She 
smiles.  I look back at the mat. 
 
    Jenny and Kelley are circling.  By the look of their 
jackets,  Jenny's been getting the worst of it.  Hers is 
all pulled about, almost completely out of the belt.  By 
comparison,  Kelley's is hardly touched. But maybe the 
jackets aren't a good indicator. 
 
    "Thanks."  whispers Marie. 
 
    "Don't mention it."  keeping my eyes on the mat. 
 
    Jenny and Kelley are approximately the same height, 
which would be about up to my chin.  Jenny's thicker set, 
though.  Muscle, not fat.  Kelley is lithe, built more for 
speed, but still shapely in the way that a lot of men 
appreciate.  Also,  Kelley has the advantage of youth.  She 
could just about be young enough to be Jenny's daughter. 
 
    Jenny closes, but Kelley gets in first and delivers a 
stunning knee to the sternum.  Jenny goes down backwards. 
Kelley immediately follows up with a stamp to the inside of 
Jenny's thigh.  Cripes, she doesn't mess about, does she? 
Jenny tries to get away, but Kelley nails her again with a 
knee drop to the belly.  Jenny tries to grab her, but Kelly 
dances out of the way. 
 
    Hit and run tactics.  This is very familiar.  Wear down 
your opponent so that she won't have the strength to resist 
when you put the telling hold on her.  Kelley knows she 
probably doesn't have the raw power to break Jenny straight 
off, so she's wearing her down.  It looks like the tough 
one has brains too. 
 
    Neither of them has said anything.  Apart from that cry 
I heard earlier, neither of them has made a sound.  Unusual 
for a heavy contact match like this.  Jenny, at least, must 
be hurting a little. 
 
    They're circling again.  Jenny tries another grab, 
Kelley evades but kicks Jenny in the thigh again.  Jenny 
takes it without a sound, but it's got to hurt.  I can tell 
that Kelley isn't holding back. 
 
    As Jenny gets up, her Jacket and belt part company, 
the belt falling apart at Jenny's feet.  Kelley, I guess 
thinking that Jenny will be distracted,  charges, but 
Jenny's waiting for her!  The two collide at the centre of 
the mat, and suddenly Kelley is on her back.  Not wasting 
the opportunity, Jenny knee drops her in the belly.  Kelley 
doesn't make a sound.  Brave kid.  Jenny isn't holding 
back, either. 
 
    Kelley gets up,  Jenny grabs her by her jacket and 
throws her over her hip.  Kelley lands with a thump.  She's 
slower getting up this time. Jenny throws her again,  this 
time by sweeping her feet from under her.  Again,  Kelley 
is slow in getting up.  Jenny has her hands on her before 
she's properly to her feet.   Monkey climb this time, 
although it's probably called something different in judo. 
Kelley goes down even harder.  She still hasn't made a 
sound. 
 
    Jenny walks over to where Kelly is lying and pulls her 
into a sitting position.  She grabs Kelley's arms and 
crosses them at her throat, holding her hands behind her 
and putting a knee between her shoulder blades.  Still no 
sound from Kelley, although she's started to struggle. 
Jenny jerks on Kelley's hands,  choking her with her own 
arms and impaling her back on that knee.  Kelley arches 
slightly, but can't escape the pressure. 
 
    Jenny looks over towards me.  "Hello Suzy, didn't see 
you there!" 
 
    I wonder how true that is.  She probably knew who I was 
when I stepped into the room. "You're looking well, Jenny. 
Have I come at a bad time?" 
 
    Jenny rolls onto her back, still holding Kelley's 
hands, and presses a foot into the back of Kelley's head. 
As Jenny puts the pressure on, I think I hear Kelley make a 
little choking sound.  "No, not at all.  Just a little 
domestic disagreement.  Well on the way to being settled. 
Was there something you wanted?" 
 
    "I've got something for you." 
 
    "Oh goody, I just love surprises."  Tiring of her 
vicious choke,  Jenny puts both feet into Kelley's back 
and, still holding her hands in the choke, rolls Kelley 
into the air and holds her there.  This looks nastier 
still.  Not content,  Jenny starts to pull Kelley's hands 
down, increasing pressure on both the choke and the 
backbreaker. 
 
    "Do you want to look at it now?"  I ask. 
 
    "Just give me a minute to finish off mademoiselle 
here."  Jenny  shows no sign of releasing the hold, and I 
doubt Kelley could submit it she wanted to. 
 
    "She can't say it, Jenny."  I decide to point out the 
obvious. 
 
    "Oh, she can say it if she wants to.  Does baby want to 
submit?" 
 
    No sound comes from Kelley.  Her legs are just 
dangling.  I wonder if she's still conscious. 
 
    "Ok then", sighs Jenny, "let's see if we can find a 
hold you like!"  and so saying,  Jenny releases Kelley's 
hands,  who flies off of Jenny's legs like a stone from a 
catapult, landing face first on the mat.  Jenny gets up and 
walks over to her.  Kelley doesn't move. 
 
    Taking Kelley's hand,  Jenny applies a straight arm 
bar.  "How about this one?" she asks, which gets a small 
groan from Kelley.  But no submission. 
 
    Jenny sighs again.  "I can do this all day, and not use 
the same hold twice.  Why not give up now?" Without waiting 
for a reply,  Jenny drop the hand and goes instead for 
Kelley's ankles, putting  them under her armpits and 
applying a standing boston crab.  No submission.  Jenny 
sits on Kelley's back and pulls her legs up, lifting her 
hips clear of the mat.  Kelley cries out. 
 
    Whoah.  Straight arm lock..... Boston crab?  This is 
too much like the match I had with Lewis. No, imaginary 
match.  I must remember that.  It wasn't real.  Still, 
it's too fresh in my mind for me to feel comfortable 
watching this. 
 
    "Let her go, Jenny.  She's had enough." 
 
    "Oh, you're no fun."  says Jenny, letting go of 
Kelley's legs and standing up.  "Still, I think one more 
little demonstration is in order."  Jenny rolls Kelley onto 
her back and sits just above her head.  Pulling Kelley's 
head into her lap,  she wraps her left calf around Kelley's 
throat,  locking the foot behind her right knee, completing 
a figure four headlock. 
 
    "You'll appreciate this, Suzy." Jenny says with a smug 
little grin. 
 
    I watch as Jenny's thighs bite into the sides of 
Kelley's neck.  I guess what she's trying to do, but it 
requires such muscle control.... suddenly Kelley starts to 
struggle, so it looks like Jenny has got even deadlier legs 
than I thought!  Christ.  Cutting off the flow of blood to 
the brain via the carotid arteries means sliding the 
protecting muscles in the neck out of the way first, 
something  Jenny can do with her legs! And then to hold 
those muscles, while crushing the exposed arteries.... 
Kelley goes limp, and her eyes roll up so only the whites 
are visible. 
 
    Jenny lets her go, and stands up. "She's a stubborn 
little charmer, this one.  She wouldn't have given in even 
if I'd stuck a red hot poker up her fanny.  Once she learns 
to submit,  I think she's got potential for the League." 
 
    Praise indeed.  Jenny doesn't dish out compliments like 
that to everyone she beats up.  Bit of a shame that the 
recipient doesn't appreciate it.  Still, someone might tell 
her when she wakes up. 
 
    "If you're finished here,"  I say, trying to sound 
businesslike,  "we have something to discuss." 
 
    "Fine by me.  That was a pleasant little workout. 
Marie,  see to Kelley, will you?  I'm going to be busy for 
a while." 
 
    A voice from the door shouts "HAZEL!", and I turn to 
see a tall mousy haired woman standing there.  She's 
dressed in a rather drab raincoat and looks quite cross. 
Who the hell is Hazel? 
 
    "What do you want, Monica?"  This from Jenny.  She 
seems to know this woman. 
 
    "A return match.  You're going to pay, Hazel. Pay for 
showing me up in front of my friends.  You said I could 
have a match any time I wanted one, and I want one now." 
 
    Ah.  This Monica knows Jenny as Hazel.  I knew Jenny 
wasn't her real name,  quite a few girls in the League use 
aliases, but Hazel...?  Parents can be cruel.  Better that 
than Bambi, I suppose. 
 
    Jenny turns to me. "This won't take a moment,  Suzy. 
Help Marie get Kelley off the mat, will you?  I think I'm 
going to need the space."  Then she turns to Monica.  "All 
right, Monica.  You can find some outfits to wear at the 
cupboard at the end of the corridor. 
 
    Monica sneers, something she shouldn't do unless she 
enjoys looking unpleasant.  "I've got the outfit I need 
right here."  With that she undoes and takes off her 
raincoat.  Underneath she's stark naked.  Not particularly 
well-defined, but not flabby either.  Jenny should be able 
to take her easily in a match.  Thing is, I suspect that an 
ordinary match is not what Monica has in mind. 
 
    Jenny arches one eyebrow.  "Are you sure?".  Ouch.  I 
could feel the disdain in that question from three yards 
away. 
 
    "Let's get it on, bitch!" and so saying, Monica strides 
confidently to the centre of the mat. Jenny sighs, then 
starts taking off her jacket and bikini. 
 
    I go over to where Kelley is lying.  Marie pulls her up 
into a sitting position, but Kelley isn't conscious yet.  I 
wave Marie to one side and pick Kelley up in a fireman's 
lift and carry her to the edge of the mat.  Marie motions 
me over to a nearby door and holds it open as I walk 
through. 
 
    This is the most luxurious locker room I've even been 
in! There's even a sofa in the corner. I head for that and 
dump Kelley on it.  She groans.  Good.  If she's coming to, 
then Marie can look after her, and I can go back and keep 
an eye on Jenny.  Marie goes to Kelley and puts a cushion 
behind her head.  I go back to the door. 
 
    What the hell is going on here?  What has Jenny been up 
to?  I want answers, but all I can do right now is stand 
and watch as two naked women circle on the mat. 
 
    Jenny looks even more impressive with her clothes off. 
Full figure, defined abdominals,  muscular arms and 
shoulders.  I've already seen what her legs can do.   What 
on earth does this Monica think she can do against her? 
And naked?  A catfight?!   Jenny can't afford to take much 
damage, not with a very serious and lucrative match in the 
offing.  League girls are prohibited from getting into 
catfights, because it's all to easy to end up disfigured, 
even if you win.  No,  Jenny can't afford this.  And that 
might be the advantage that Monica thinks she has. 
 
    Jenny stops circling and rushes Monica, stopping short 
and dropping to one knee. She scythes her free leg at knee 
height, felling her opponent like a tree.  As Monica hits 
the mat, Jenny pivots and rams her knee into her opponent's 
nearside breast.  Monica's mouth opens wider that I would 
have thought natural, but she doesn't make a sound, which 
is even more frightening.  Jenny pushes down again with her 
knee, which makes Monica's entire body shudder, the quickly 
gets to her feet and gives Monica a savage kick to the 
lower ribs.  This time Monica does cry out.  Loud.  She 
also rolls over. 
 
    Jenny leans over and grabs the prone woman by the hair 
at the back of her head, and pulls her erect.  Monica looks 
as limp as a dishcloth.  Already.  I don't know why I was 
worried. 
 
    She turns Monica's head so that she can hold it in both 
hands, and headbutts her in the face. Monica's nose makes a 
splintering sound, and her wail echoes around the room. 
Jenny lets her fall, then steps over her and sits down 
heavily on her chest.  She quickly grabs the beaten woman's 
hands and pulls her arms out at right angles to her body, 
then moves up to position herself over Monica's face and 
folds her arms so that her hands are trapped behind Jenny's 
knees.  I watch with horrified fascination.  This isn't a 
match.  It's an orgy of violence and pain.  I feel sick. 
 
    As Jenny lowers herself onto that broken nose, she 
turns to me.  "From here on it gets a bit unpleasant. 
Better wait next door."  So saying, she reaches back and 
pushes one hand between Monica's legs. 
 
    I don't need to be told twice.  I'm walking for the 
door before I realise what I'm doing. 
 
    In the locker room,  Marie is sat on the sofa, cradling 
Kelley's head in her lap.  Both look up at me with the 
expressions of a pair of startled rabbits.  I get another 
sick feeling in my stomach that I've just interrupted 
something rather intimate.  Lewis, I'm going to break your 
legs for getting me into this. 
 
    "I'll wait for Jenny upstairs.  She'll know where to 
find me."  I imagine the expression on my face doesn't 
invite argument.  Not that it matters, because I don't give 
either of them the chance to say anything. I immediately 
walk to the door I think will lead back to the hallway. 
 
    Bingo. I guessed right.  I suppose I'm lucky not to 
find myself in a broom cupboard, which would have been 
rather embarrassing.  Better get upstairs.  I could do with 
a drink. 
 
    Upstairs, I quickly find the small comfy room where 
Jenny and I once had a very private conversation.  At the 
drinks cabinet, I ignore the slimline mixers and go 
straight for the brandy. I don't drink alcohol very often, 
but when I do, it's usually for medicinal purposes.  I pour 
myself a glassful and sit myself down. 
 
    I wait for a while.  It occurs to me that maybe that 
maybe Jenny might not immediately think of this room.  This 
is a big house.  No matter, she'll find me eventually.  I 
maybe be well and truly sozzled by the time she gets here, 
but she'll find me.  I fix myself another drink. 
 
    I get the contract from my pocket and start checking it 
again.  Make sure there's nothing I've missed.   What's 
taking so long?  I don't want to think about it.  No. 
Concentrate on the business at hand.   As well as telling 
Jenny what she needs to know, the contract also pretty much 
spells out what's going to be offered to Jackie as well. 
If Jenny accepts the contract and Jackie doesn't like hers, 
 both contracts will have to drawn up again.   Tricky. 
Still, Mrs. Metzen probably considered that.  I imagine 
that Jackie is going to along with anything Jenny agrees 
to.  The numbers certainly look acceptable. 
 
    What if Jackie doesn't want to play?  It was Jenny's 
challenge that started this.  It's possible that Jackie 
feels she's not ready yet.  She's only had a handful of 
matches.  All wins, but still... 
 
    The door opens and Jenny enters,  wearing her Judo 
jacket and bikini.  "I thought I'd find you here.  Do you 
want a drink?  I know I do."  She sounds almost cheerful. 
 
    "Got one already, thanks."  I put my glass on the 
table.  I don't think I'll have any more. 
 
    "Righto."  She gets herself a slimline mixer, then 
comes round to stand in front of me.  Her body is covered 
in a thin film of sweat.  I really don't want to think 
about she's been up to.  If I didn't know better, I'd think 
she's just had sex.  Maybe she has.  No.  Don't think about 
it.  Her body is really impressive, though.  I almost feel 
intimidated.  Almost. 
 
    "Sorry to take so long, but I had to phone the cleanup 
crew."  Jenny sits on the sofa opposite me, hooking one 
foot behind her other knee. 
 
    "Pardon?" 
 
    "There's a pile of offal on my mat.  They know what to 
do.  Kelley's gone upstairs, and Marie will be joining us 
shortly.  We have things to discuss, I think." 
 
    I hand Jenny the contract.  She takes it and puts down 
beside her, unread.  "Marie said something cryptic about 
you not exactly representing Lewis's interests.  Tell me." 
 
    Fair enough.  "Lewis doesn't want the match quite yet. 
He wanted me to make the arrangements in such a way that 
I'd mess it up.  Only I haven't, I think." 
 
    Jenny gives me a hard stare.  "Tell Lewis that if he 
wants to discuss a delay,  I'm certainly willing to discuss 
it with him.  On the mat. With him in an Indian death lock." 
 
    There's a knock at the door. 
 
    "Come in, Marie." says Jenny,  still staring at me. 
 
    Marie is wearing a Japanese silk dressing gown.  Looks 
expensive.  She stands off to the side. 
 
    Jenny holds out a hand to her, and, to my surprise, 
Marie sits on Jenny's lap with Jenny putting  a hand on her 
shoulder.  Marie looks quite relaxed.  Jenny picks up the 
contract and gives it to Marie. "I've left my reading 
glasses somewhere" says Jenny with a slight smile. 
 
    Marie appears to read rather quickly.  After a short 
while, her eyes narrow, then she takes a quick intake of 
breath.  She turns and stares at me in much the same way as 
Jenny has been doing.  "Is this genuine?" 
 
    "Mrs. Metzen drew it up."  I get a slight satisfaction 
from the startled expression on Jenny's face.  "She sends 
her regards." 
 
    "Jenny, this might actually be acceptable.  Does this 
figure look acceptable?"  Marie points to something on the 
contract, holding it so Jenny can see. 
 
    "Hold it still."  Jenny transfers her hand from Marie's 
shoulder to around her waist.  Jenny reads, then looks up 
at me. 
 
    "How is the old bat?"  Her expression softens quite 
considerably. 
 
    "Fine.  This contract is based largely on the contract 
from your first challenge match." 
 
    Jenny snatches the contract from Marie and reads 
furiously.  So much for the reading glasses. Well, Jenny, 
unless I missed something, you should find everything you 
want in there.  Hope it makes you happy. 
 
    "There's one potential problem."  I say.  Jenny ignores 
me, still reading, but Marie looks at me, questioning. 
 
    "Jackie.  The contract, apart from specifying Jenny's 
terms,  also lays down certain terms which will be the 
basis of Jackie's contract. If she finds hers unacceptable, 
then this one is worthless." 
 
    Jenny, although still reading, says "She'll accept. 
She'd accept a fraction of what she's going to be getting." 
 
    That's a surprise.  "How can you tell?" I ask. 
 
    "I phoned her yesterday."  Jenny looks rather smug. 
 
    Jesus.  Lewis would pass a housebrick if he knew Jenny 
had Jackie's phone number.  I really don't want to think of 
the implications. 
 
    Jenny gives Marie a squeeze around the waist, then 
hands her the contract.  "Go over this again.  I want you 
to find anything, anything, that might lower the initial 
figure." 
 
    Marie doesn't hesitate.  "There isn't anything." 
 
    "Sure?"  Jenny looks into those innocent, trusting but 
competent eyes. 
 
    "Yes.  Lots of added extras, no charge. That's what it 
says." 
 
    Jenny smiles. "Ok.  Go and fix yourself something to 
eat.  Kelley too.  Later, we'll celebrate." 
 
    Marie looks very pleased.  She gets up and goes, 
closing the door behind her.  Jenny turns her eyes from the 
door to me.  "You're an angel.  This match means lot to me, 
and thanks to you it's going to happen a lot sooner than I 
could have hoped for.  I don't know how to repay you." 
 
    "Skip it, Jenny.  I'd have done the same for any 
friend."  I actually feel a little embarrassed. 
 
    "Yeah."  Jenny gives a rueful little grin.  "You never 
know, you might have liked it." 
 
    I blush, I'm sure of it, but say nothing.  Jenny gets 
up and goes to the window.  "I'm going to slaughter her." 
she says, looking out onto her acres of grass and trees. 
 
    "Jackie?  What, like you just did to Monica?" I didn't 
mean to sound flippant, but somehow it just comes out that 
way. 
 
    "Worse.  Oh, I'll play by the rules, of course, but I'm 
going to hurt her.  Badly.  Monica's nothing.  Monica was 
just a little warm-up for what I'm going to do to Jackie. 
I'm going to make her suffer so much she's never going to 
be able to have another match."  Jenny's got her back to 
me, so I can't read her expression, but she sounds deadly 
serious.  I shudder to think about what Jenny has planned. 
Her repertoire of holds is enormous.  Some of them don't 
get used very often, because the victim tends to suffer 
permanent damage.  I get the feeling that those are the 
ones that Jenny is going to be dusting off and getting 
ready for use. 
 
    I don't need to ask why, but Jenny tells me anyway.  "I 
didn't challenge her. I answered her challenge.  She 
challenged me the first time she walked on the mat wearing 
this jacket.  She knows it. She thinks she's ready.  Fine. 
I have to make an example of her.  If  I don't, there'll be 
others." 
 
    Jenny pauses, then continues, almost at a whisper.  "Of 
course I understand what she's thinking.  I was where she 
is now, once.  She's young and hungry.  But I won't show 
her any mercy, once she's on that mat.  She knows that, 
too, but she doesn't care.  After all,  I didn't." 
 
    "She might beat you." I say, but without much 
conviction. 
 
    Jenny turns to face me.  "Not a chance."  She's 
grinning.  I don't think the possibility had occurred to 
her before now. 
 
    I stand.  Time to go.  "I've got to be going, Jenny. 
How soon can you have that contract back to me?" 
 
    "Oh!" Jenny looks startled. "Oh, silly me.  Marie's 
still got it.  Let's go and find her, and you can take it 
with you.  With my signature on it.  But first..."  Jenny 
walks up to me and puts her arms around me. 
 
    Involuntarily, I flinch.  The last time we were in this 
position, Jenny was trying to crush the life out of me. 
But I recover quickly, because she's just displaying 
affection in the most physical way that I'm likely to find 
acceptable.  I put my arms around her and hug her as well. 
 
    As I've already pointed out, Jenny's shorter than me, 
so she has her head against my shoulder, while I rest my 
chin against her head.  I hear a whispered  "Thanks, Sue." 
and all of a sudden Jenny seems terribly small and 
vulnerable in my arms and I feel a rush of affection for 
her.  Protective, even. 
 
    Without warning,  Jenny increases the pressure of her 
hug a hundredfold.  Then doubles it.  Then doubles it 
again.  I throw my head back and cry out.  Bunny had me 
like this last night, and my ribs are still sore.  This is 
worse. 
 
    Jenny lets me go and steps back.  I look at her 
incredulously. 
 
    "That," Jenny says with an impish smile, "is for 
suggesting I might lose.  Now, let's go and find Marie." 
She walks for the door. 
 
    Jenny has a wicked sense of humour.  My ribs aren't 
laughing.  But I smile anyway, and follow Jenny through the 
door. 
 
Copyright (c) Bomur 1996