The Scars of Us Read online

  “Hey,” I greeted. “Welcome to Self-Defense.”

  “You’re the instructor?” she asked in disbelief.

  “I am,” I grinned.

  Mumbling something indiscernible, she set her gym bag down on the hardwood floor against the wall before making her way toward me. As she neared, I saw small cuts on her face, and I couldn’t explain the anger that filled me at the thought of someone hurting her.

  “What happened to your face?” I all but spat. Calm down.

  Her eyes widened, my question taking her off guard. “Why do you care?” she retorted defensively.

  Why does she have to be so stubborn? “Just tell me. It’s suspicious that you want to start my self-defense class after getting those cuts on your face.” Yeah, that’s the only reason I want to know.

  Her face relaxed as her features returned to normal. “Uh, my cat scratched me.”

  Her voice lacked confidence. I didn’t believe her for a second, but I didn’t want to press the matter. If I wanted to get closer to her, have any kind of chance with her, I needed to gain her trust. I couldn’t push her away by interrogating her, even though I really wanted to know what happened.

  “I think you need a new pet,” I joked.

  She gave me a small smile as she fidgeted nervously with her hands. But without missing a beat, she changed the subject, “I’ve never taken a class like this before. Can you tell me what to expect?”

  “Well, we start off with warming up on the bags,” I answered, gesturing to the standing punching bags along the walls of the room. “I demonstrate different combinations you can use, and you perform them on the bags. Having the foundation of knowing basic punches and kicks will help you in any situation because you can’t predict what an attacker will do. I want to give you as many tools as possible to help you defend yourself, and kickboxing is a great platform for that.

  “Then, we have an open request forum. I take requests from the class and show techniques on how to defend yourself in specific situations, which you will then practice with me or one of the other instructors.”

  Her eyes widened apprehensively, showing fear from my words. I had to stop myself from trying to comfort her. Why do you care?

  “Everything okay? You look conflicted.”

  “Maybe this isn’t for me—I don’t like to be touched, especially by strangers.”

  Interesting; she didn’t seem to mind me touching her the other night. Well, until the end. I wonder what the story is behind that. I shoved my concern for her away as I stated, “If you don’t like to be touched, you need to know ways to prevent it from happening, to protect yourself from the people that don’t care what you want.”

  Uncomfortably sighing, she asked, “Can you work with me? I don’t think I’ll be comfortable with anyone else.” Her eyes widened, her cheeks flushing red as she stammered, “Only because I already know you. Not because I want you to touch me or anything.”

  I chuckled before replying, “Whatever works for you—I want you to be comfortable. If you’re not comfortable, then you’re less likely to come back.”

  She nodded before exhaling a heavy breath. “I’m really nervous.”

  “Don’t be—we’ll take it slow. I try to give specialized attention to all the students based on their strengths and weaknesses. I’ll help you every step of the way.”

  A small smile graced her beautiful lips, causing my stomach to tighten.

  “Thank you. I really appreciate it,” she said softly.

  “No problem—just doing my job. Go ahead and get stretched out before we get started.” I turned to walk away, but stopped and asked, “Do you have gloves?”

  “I didn’t know I needed them. Can I still take the class without them?”

  “Yeah, I have some. They’re old and worn, but they’ll work until you get some of your own,” I said as I walked to the small closet in the corner of the room. Rifling through my storage of kickboxing supplies, I found some gloves that I thought would fit Kaiya’s small hands.

  When I exited, Kaiya was bent over, touching her right foot gracefully with her fingers as she stretched. Her ass was to me, and I couldn’t help but imagine entering her from behind, sinking my dick inside her pussy as I pounded against that sweet ass.

  Fuck, stop. Focus—you’re about to teach a class.

  I cleared my throat before I spoke, my voice slightly cracking, “Here are the gloves.”

  Straightening, she turned and took the gloves from me, barely brushing her fingers against my palm. “Thanks.”

  Giving her a slight nod, I turned away and walked back to the supply closet again, trying to distract myself from thoughts of Kaiya and sex.

  Minutes later, the other students began to trickle in, along with the other instructors, Mark and David. They were there to give the students real life models to practice with, ensuring they became accustomed to what a typical man’s body feels like when they attack since a man’s weight and strength were huge factors in overpowering women. All the techniques I taught would be almost useless if they didn’t have training utilizing them against a man.

  After I had demonstrated the first combo, I walked over to Kaiya to see if she needed help while the others started. She attempted the maneuver, but her form was off. Way off. She’d probably never been in a fight before.

  “I’m doing it wrong, aren’t I?” she asked, blowing a strand of her hair off of her face in frustration.

  I laughed lightly, “Not completely. You’re doing a lot of things right, but your form is a little off. Let me show you again.”

  Repeating the combination again, I said the moves aloud for her to hear. “Jab, punch, palm strike, elbow, elbow, knee, front snap.”

  “What’s the difference between a jab and punch?”

  “Well, a jab is basically just a quick punch using your front hand. A punch is thrown from the back hand, and has more power than a jab,” I demonstrated as I answered her.

  “Okay, jab is front hand, punch is back hand,” she said, copying my moves.

  “You got it. Let’s try the combo again.”

  As I showed her once more, I could see her mimicking me out of the corner of my eye.

  “Remember to always keep your hands up to protect your face when you’re not punching. One good hit to the head and it’d be over for you.”

  Bringing her fists up in front of her face, she asked, “Like this?”

  “Yes. You also need to twist your body when you punch—it gives you more momentum, thus giving you more power. Try again.”

  Doing as I requested, she executed the combo, hitting the bag more forcefully.

  “I do feel more power that way,” she commented enthusiastically.

  “With any method of self-defense, just a small adjustment usually can make a huge difference, whether it be positive or negative. Any mistake could result in injury, while perfect execution of a technique could save your life.”

  “I’ll make sure to remember that. Thank you.”

  “No problem. Switch legs and keep going, alternating each time.”

  Nodding, she changed her stance to her left leg before starting again. Each time she completed the combo, her movements became more fluid, her hits delivering more power as they connected with the bag. I couldn’t stop the smile that spread as I watched her. The determination was evident on her face as her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Plus, the fact that she was getting all sweaty and flushed turned me on—a woman was so sexy when she worked out.

  Once we finished several more combinations on the bags, we switched to freestyle techniques.

  “Five Minute Freestyle! Give it all you got!” I announced.

  Everyone knew what that meant, except Kaiya. As everyone started pummeling their bags, I walked over to her, surprised to see that she was already punching and kicking her own bag.

  Her eyes locked with mine, causing her to miss landing her punch and stumble slightly. Her already flushed cheeks reddened more as she gave me an e
mbarrassed smile. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

  “You’re doing great. Just keep doing the moves you learned today however you want for the next five minutes. Don’t stop, no matter how tired you are.”

  She turned her attention back to her bag before slowly repeating several of the combinations I had taught today. I couldn’t wait to see her once she got more comfortable, once she let go and allowed that warrior to break through that I glimpsed every so often when she argued with me.

  Once the five minutes were up, I gathered the group on one of the mats. “Awesome workout, everyone. Before we start the self-defense techniques, I want to introduce Kaiya. She just started working out here and is testing out our class. Please give her a warm welcome.”

  The other students greeted Kaiya, who blushed profusely from the attention while glaring at me playfully. She waved her hand to everyone as she shyly said hi.

  Redirecting everyone’s focus back to the class, I asked, “Anybody have an attack you’d like to practice defense against? Even if we’ve already learned it before.”

  One of the older women raised their hand. “Can we practice when a guy traps you on the ground? That still scares me, and I think we can never have enough practice with those escape techniques.”

  Murmurs of agreement flowed through the class, except Kaiya, who remained quiet and still. When our eyes locked, I could see the apprehension and anxiety in her strained face.

  “Okay, everyone pair up with your usual partners,” I said before making my way to Kaiya. “I need to catch you up on some basics before we start the escape techniques, okay?”

  Nervously nodding, she replied, “Okay, sure.”

  “Before we start anything, there’s one thing that I must stress. Always protect your face—do not get knocked out. Most attackers will immediately try to punch you and knock you out before anything else. If you’re unconscious, they can do whatever they want to you—kidnap, rape, or murder you. Got it?”

  She gulped before meekly replying, “Yes.”

  “Okay, the first move I’m going to show you is called the Shrimp. You mu-”

  “The Shrimp?” she laughed, interrupting me.

  “Yes, the Shrimp. Let me finish,” I chastised playfully before continuing. “You must master this move before we can start any other techniques. Lie down.”

  Surprisingly, she did as I requested without argument. That’s a first.

  When she was flat on her back, I instructed, “Bend your knees. Good, now, when you’re being attacked, you need to determine which direction you are going to try to escape from. If you want to go to the right, your right leg is going to remain planted to the floor, along with your left shoulder. If you want to go to the left, then it’s the opposite—got it?”

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  “Which way do you want to practice first?”

  “Um, the right.”

  “Okay, keeping your right foot on the ground, I want you to push your body back with it, twisting while picking your left foot off the ground. As you slide backwards, keep your left shoulder pressed to the ground while lifting your right shoulder up until it is directly above the left. Your body should form the shape of an L. We refer to this as shrimping out. I’ll demonstrate first, then you’re going to try.”

  I modeled the technique slowly several times, showing both directions before directing Kaiya to try. She executed the move very sluggishly at first, but after multiple attempts on each side, she finally was able to fluidly carry out the maneuver.

  “Congratulations, you’ve mastered the Shrimp.” I smiled, slightly teasing her.

  Returning my smile, she asked, “What’s next?”

  “Now, I’m going to walk you through the steps to get away when an attacker traps you on the ground.”

  Lying down on the floor, I continued, “Get between my legs and press against me as close as you can.”

  “Wha… what?” she stammered, her cheeks flushing pink.

  She’s so sexy when she blushes.

  “Kneel in between my legs.” I paused, waiting for her to do as I said. “Now, scoot up and press your pelvis against me.” Fuck, it’s so hard to be professional with her this close to me. All I want to do is rip her clothes off and fuck her.

  Giving me a skeptical look, she slowly inched her way towards me until we were barely touching. I sat up and gently grabbed her by the hips, pulling her flush against me. Her lower body was cradled by the inside of my thighs, and her knees were framing the outside of my hips. “Like this,” I stated.

  Her blush deepened as our eyes locked. Having her pressed against my dick caused it to start to harden.

  “What now?” she asked, her voice cracking slightly. I didn’t know if she was turned on or just responding to the sudden feel of me.

  “Now, place your hands outside my shoulders. This is the most common form of attack against women, and it usually escalates from this position, so it’s best to stop it as soon as possible. The first thing you want to do is brace your hands against your attacker’s shoulders, keeping your arms straight, like this.” I demonstrated. “This hinders their movement, and prevents them from coming down on your body. Notice how off balance you are?”

  “Yeah, but you’re like ten times stronger than me. How am I supposed to keep a man off me that’s stronger and heavier than me?”

  “You only need to keep them off you for a brief time. Once you have them in this position, use the Shrimp technique.” I modeled, pushing into the formation and propping my elevated foot against her hip. “Let me show you again.”

  I demonstrated the move again before moving on to the next step. “Now, keep your foot on their hip as you slide your hands down to your attacker’s elbows, like this,” I said as I grabbed her elbows. “Next, twist back to the center, bringing both knees up and pressing both feet against their hips. The typical reaction for an attacker is to pull away, so when they do, slide your hands down to their wrists, bring your feet up, and kick the shit out of them. Then, run away and find help.”

  I sat up, and we both pulled apart. “Any questions?”

  “Where should I kick?”

  “Anywhere— the groin, stomach, and face are the most vulnerable and effective targets to kick. Are you ready to try?”

  Exhaling, she gave me a quick nod, “Yeah, I’m ready.”

  “I’m going to walk you through everything, so don’t worry. Lie down and open your legs,” I instructed.

  Briefly hesitating, she did as I requested.

  “I’m going to get between your legs now, okay?”

  When she nodded, I scooted up, placing my knees on the outside of her hips as I draped her legs on my thighs and pressed up against her. My mind briefly transported us to my bed, where she would be naked, open and ready for me, waiting for my dick to slide inside her.

  Concentrate on the technique. You’ll have her soon.

  “Now, I’m going to try to come down on you. Stop me by bracing your hands against my shoulders.” I started to move my upper body down toward hers, and she threw her hands up, stopping me by grabbing my shoulders. “Good, now shrimp out and place your foot on my hip.”

  That move was more difficult for her to execute, so we practiced it several times until she felt like she got the hang of it before moving on to the next step. The constant contact and rubbing had hardened my cock more, but Kaiya didn’t say anything. I knew she felt it by the way she tried to adjust when it pressed against her, causing her face to redden.

  “From here, slide your hands down to my elbows and move back to the center while bringing both knees up and putting your feet on my hips.”

  “Like this?” she asked as she trailed her hands down to my elbows and propped her feet on me. Her touch was light as her skin grazed mine.

  “Yes, now slip your hands down and grip my wrists as I pull away. I’m going to move my head to the side so you can practice kicking upwards. Go ahead and kick.”

  We practiced the routine
a few more times, and Kaiya moved more fluidly each time. I could tell she was becoming more comfortable with me as her body relaxed throughout the exercise. As class ended, I gathered everyone on the mat again before I closed. “Great class today, everyone. I love the enthusiasm, and I want to thank you for your active participation. Remember, we can’t predict exactly how an attack will happen, but practicing these techniques will definitely help in any situation. Always fight back—punch, kick, scream, scratch, anything to protect yourself. See you Tuesday.”

  Everyone filed out of the room, except Kaiya.

  Glancing shyly as she approached me, she said, “I just want to thank you for working with me. Like I said, I don’t do well with strangers touching me.”

  “No problem. See you Tuesday? For the next class?”

  Biting her lower lip in contemplation, she didn’t say anything for several seconds before she replied, “Yes. I’ll be here Tuesday.”

  “Great, I’ll see you then.”

  She turned to walk away, but I stopped her. “Wait.” I wanted to keep talking to her. Something about her intrigued me, maybe the fact that she didn’t just give into me like other girls.

  “Before you go, let me give you my number, in case you need to get a hold of me for class or something.” Reaching my hand out, I gestured for her to give me her phone.

  Rolling her eyes, she questioned, “Do you give your number to all your students?”

  “Only VIP ones,” I joked. I didn’t normally give out my personal number to students, but I wanted an excuse to get Kaiya’s. I kept my hand out, and she finally placed her phone in my palm. Keying my number in, I called my phone so that I’d have her number, too.

  As I gave her phone back, I said, “Let me walk you to your car.”

  “You don’t have to do that—I’ll be fine.”

  “Just let me walk you to your car,” I insisted.

  “Fine,” she huffed before smiling.