Sweet Submission: Jenny and Max Complete Series Plus Bonus Short Story by Eden Greenwood Page B

porch all night. I couldn’t sleep, and would occasionally peek out of the window to check on him. He sat straight up, staring out from our house, barely blinking. There was no sign of fatigue on his face.
    Though I trusted Max when he said he wouldn’t let anything happen to us, we couldn't live like this, staying up all night to stand guard, worrying about Lily at school. I didn’t think I could stand the paranoia and stress for much longer.
    I tossed and turned in bed, waiting for sleep to come. It was after midnight when I finally gave up. I opened the front door, and Max turned around suddenly. When we saw it was me, he relaxed.
    “I couldn’t sleep,” I said, sitting in the rocking chair beside him.
    “You don’t need to worry about a thing,” Max said. “No one’s getting past me.”
    “I know, I trust you,” I said. “But I was wondering, maybe you can teach me a few moves so I at least know how to defend myself.”
    Max took my hand and kissed it. “I think that’s a great idea.”
    We moved the coffee table out of the living room and stood in the middle of the rug. Max gave me basic self defense instruction, and showed me how to protect myself in a variety of situations. I paid close attention, listening to every word he said, making sure I completely understood.
    The lesson ended when Max had me on the floor, holding me down. I tried desperately to get up, but I was so overpowered.
    “I submit,” I said, laughing.
    “Oh, do you?” Max said. His hand wondered up my shirt and grabbed my breast. He bent over me, still pinning me to the ground, and kissed me.
    *
    The week leading up to the fight, Max and I behaved like we usually did for the sake of Lily, though I was a nervous wreck. Every car that passed by our house alerted my attention. When we walked to school, I grasped Lily’s hand tightly in mine and hurried her along the sidewalk. The only thing that helped was Max’s self defense instruction that had started to happen nightly.
    I was getting more proficient in the moves he’d shown me, and was gaining confidence. I could even get out of some of his holds. But the lessons always ended the same way, with him pinning me to the ground until I gave up. It was a sweet surrender, though, because Max would pick me up from the floor carry me off to the bedroom.
    No matter how much I begged, argued, or pleaded, Max forbid me to go to the fight. He said it was too dangerous, and that was right. But how could I let him face them alone? What if he needed my help?
    The morning of the fight, Max took Lily and I to my friend, Susan’s house, which was an hour drive from where we lived. Susan agreed to let us stay in her guesthouse, and best of all, didn’t ask any questions. Once we were settled in, Max checked his watch and said he had to go. I clung tightly to him by the door, not wanting to let him go.
    “I’ll be back,” he said, pulling my arms away from him. “I’m coming back.”
    “Just be careful,” I said.
    “Of course I will,” he said. “You take care of Lily.”
    We kissed one last time, and he was out of the door. I watched his car pull away, knowing for certain that this wasn’t the last time I’d see him.
    I’d see him at the fight.
    I called Clara, Susan’s housekeeper, and asked her to keep Lily while I ran out to get some ice cream. I felt guilty, lying to her, but I couldn’t tell her the truth.
    “Her bedtime is eight,” I told Clara as I was going out the door.
    “That’s three hours from now,” Clara said. “Won’t you be back by them?”
    I smiled instead of responding, and kissed Lily goodbye. Susan let me borrow her car, and I raced out to Chaos Stadium.
    The crowd chattered excitedly around me as I took my seat. I envied their blissful ignorance. The lights dimmed, and the crowd hushed. Techno music pumped through the silence, and everyone jumped to their feet. Max marched to the ring, quickly and with determination. He didn’t do a lap with his arms