Mason:Inked Reapers MC(82)

"I'm afraid so," Carl sighed. "They said they're looking to go in a new direction with the brand this year."



"That's bullshit!" Jasper raged.



"I know," Carl sympathized, nodding. "The problem is that now we've lost  Event Sports, others will follow, like a domino effect. You risk losing  Power Quench and Protake."



"I can't lose my sponsors," Jasper was holding his head in his hands.  The money from competing alone wasn't enough to even cover his mortgage.  He replied on the income from his numerous sponsorship deals. To lose  them now wasn't even worth thinking about.



"I don't know what to tell you." Carl's gaze had drifted to the tiled floor.



"It's because I've been losing, isn't it?" Betrayal burned through  Jasper as he asked the question. How could these companies be so fickle?  To stand by him while he was on top but the second he takes a tumble to  cut him loose, it was so cruel!



"Probably." Carl didn't sugar coat his response.



"Shit," Jasper groaned. "I just … I don't even get why I'm losing. I'm killing myself at the gym every day."



"I know."



"Carl, what do I do?" Jasper felt like the naïve teenager he'd once  been, feeling lost in the world of professional sports. This was  supposed to be his arena, where he was champion, but all too quickly he  was losing his grip on everything. His success was slipping through his  fingers like grains of sand.



"We prove them wrong," Carl told Jasper confidently.



"How do we do that?"



"By winning."



Jasper's shoulders sank. He'd been desperately trying to win, but for some reason he just wasn't up to it anymore.



"If you win, you show Event Sports how wrong they were to replace you,"  Carl insisted, his voice rising as he started to get fired up by his own  words. "We have to reclaim your champion status!" "And you can do this,  Jasper! You're the guy who came up from nothing; you're definitely  capable of being able to win back what was once yours."



"Yeah!" Jasper clapped his hands together, Carl's enthusiasm was  contagious. And he was right  –  Jasper had built himself up from nothing,  and he could do the same again. He was a born fighter; it was in his  blood. He was just going through a tough patch, everyone did. He'd come  out the other side of it, of course he would, he was Jasper Duboix  championship fighter.



"And in the meantime," Carl's tone became more serious, "I suggest  easing off on your spending for a while. At least until things are more  balanced and we can be certain that we won't lose any more sponsors."



Jasper nodded. He was still reeling from the news about Event Sports,  but he knew better than to dwell on it. Negative thoughts would only  bring him down which was the last thing he needed when training. Before a  fight mental preparation was equally important as all the physical  input.                       
       
           



       



"A week from Friday I've booked you in for another fight. That gives you  almost two weeks to train. You've got this, Jasper. You can do it."



Jasper was almost humbled by his agent's confidence in him.



"Thanks, Carl."



"You're Jasper Duboix," Carl came over and slapped him on the back. "You're a born champion  –  don't you forget that."





Chapter 75



Jasper bounced on his feet as he moved around the ring, pausing only to deliver strong punches in quick succession.



"Good, good!" His trainer complimented encouragingly.



Jasper smacked the pads the American was holding up with such force that the trainer stumbled back.



"Woah," he smiled, revealing his perfect teeth. "Take it easy there,  champ. I'd hate to be whoever you're imaging when you're throwing these  shots out."



Jasper gritted his teeth and punched again. He was imagining Event  Sports, taking out his anger towards them on the punching pads. With  each blow, he came closer to feeling over their decision to drop him.



A hard jab right, followed by a swift upper cut from the left. Jasper  was on fire. His entire body tingled with adrenaline. If he fought like  this a week from Friday there was no question as to whether or not he'd  win. He'd floor his opponent in just a few rounds.



"Whatever you're doing, keep at it!" His trainer enthused. "You're on fire today, Duboix!"



Jasper grinned and then delivered more punches.



"Okay, okay," his trainer stepped back and dropped the pads he'd been holding. "Let's take ten, okay?"



Jasper nodded, too breathless to talk.



The two men sat on a bench beside the ring as Jasper drank greedily from his bottle of energy drink.



"You're certainly back on form," his trainer told him with a smile.



"Thanks," Jasper gasped. "I've been pushing myself to get back to my best."



His trainer looked down at Jasper's knee which was covered in a supportive bandage.



"How's the leg?"



"Getting stronger," Jasper lied. The moment his pain relief wore off,  his knee burned with a fiery agony. Jasper was becoming increasingly  convinced that it wouldn't be long until he had to have surgery on it.  It was liable to give way at any moment, but he had to ignore that. He  had to ignore everything and just focus on winning. It was all that  mattered. He needed to save his career before all that remained were  tatters and faded memories.



"Good," his trainer nodded. "Listen, Jasper, I've loved training with  you, and it's great to see you back on form, but sadly this is our last  day together."



"What?"



"I'm sorry, man," his trainer reached over and patted him on the back.  "I wish I could stay longer but your agent, Carl, said that you can't  extend my contract anymore. So this is where we part ways."



Jasper's heart started to beat in a mad panic in his chest. He knew  finances were bad, but he didn't think that Carl would start cutting  such vital corners as getting rid of his trainer. The same trainer who  had been specially flown in to England to train him just over a month  ago.



"Carl didn't mention anything to me," Jasper said through gritted teeth.



"He probably didn't want to worry you," his trainer suggested breezily.  "You've got enough on your plate with your next big fight coming up."



"Yeah," Jasper sighed in agreement. The fight had become so big it  looked set to decide his fate in the world of professional fighting.



"Hey, look, come next Friday, win or lose, you're a champion, Duboix. I've seen first-hand what a powerhouse you are."



"Thanks, man."



They shook hands. Jasper didn't want to see his trainer go. He needed him now more than ever.



"How about we throw out some more punches before I leave?" His trainer  glanced up towards the vacant boxing ring in front of them.



"Sure." Jasper eagerly climbed back in to the ring; he was keen to throw  more angry punches whilst thinking of Event Sports who had now just  cost him his trainer.





Chapter 76



"I am beat," Kait rested her head against the back of Jasper's plush  sofa. Her entire body ached as it sank against the soft leather. She  could easily remain on the sofa for the rest of her life it was so  comfortable. She wasn't sure how Jasper ever managed to leave it. If it  was in her apartment, she'd just spend all her time sprawled across it,  savoring its softness.                       
       
           



       



"Busy day?" Jasper asked from the other side of the sofa.



"The busiest," Kait sighed. "I was literally in back to back meetings."



"Here," Jasper patted the space on the sofa beside him, and Kait scooted  over. He maneuvered her so that her back was to him and then began  massaging her sore shoulders.



"Ooh," Kait uttered in glee, "that feels amazing."



"Whenever I ache, a massage can work wonders."



"Ooh, yeah," Kait agreed, currently feeling the benefits first hand. As  she relaxed, her stomach growled, reminding her that it had been hours  since she'd last eaten.



"Urgh, I'm starving," she moaned. "Shall we order in a pizza?"



Most evenings when they were both too exhausted to cook, they'd order something in.



"It's okay, I'll cook something," Jasper was still massaging her shoulders.



"But you've been at the gym all day. Aren't you tired?"



"Yeah, but, I like to cook."



"No, you don't," Kait laughed. "You always say you'd rather just order something in."