Her Way or No Way

By Carson Mackenzie

O'Hagan's gym has been a part of the south side community of Chicago for decades. Kearney O'Hagan's family has owned the gym since his great-grandfather emigrated to the city from Ireland. Most men in his shoes with only a daughter to carry on the tradition of turning out some of the best fighters would worry about the end to a legacy—but most men didn't have a daughter like Teagan.

 

Teagan O'Hagan grew up in her father's gym. She was used to taking a ribbing from the men who train there, and it never has bothered her. At least not until the two friends joined and questioned Teagan's role at the place, leaving her wondering if it is their questions or the fact, she is attracted to them that has her temper flaring.

 

Maximum Masetti and Nicolo Asaro are best friends and cousins who train together, each for a different weight class. The small-time fights bring them extra cash, but they have their sights on the big league.  However, to get there, they need a trainer/manager and a gym to back them. When they think they have found the perfect place, their attraction to the fiery redhead who works in the gym could be their personal downfall, one they are willing to take.

 

While the attraction grows into more than either party expects—Teagan shows Max and Nico that if they're going to succeed in the MMA to the next level, it will be Her Way or No Way.

 

****This is a Reissued/Reedited/Extended Version of the previously published book.****

• Language: English
• Publisher: CM Books LLC
• Release date: Aug 25, 2021
• ISBN: 9781952184147

Carson Mackenzie

Carson Mackenzie enjoys writing romance with a real feel inside the stories. She writes with the belief not every man is a jerk and not every woman needs saving. Carson lives in the South with her son, a Great Dane and two adopted shelter dogs that keep the household in line. Books have always been a part of her life. There is nothing better to her than curling up and relaxing with a good story and losing herself in someone else’s world for a few hours. Writing stories and growing as an author with each book is her goal. She wants to reach the level where a reader knows when they see her name on a cover, they can trust in the fact there will be a good story as they flip through the pages. Carson’s journey into writing has only been for a few years. As she’s finally starting to settle in, she can’t believe she waited so long to start.

Book preview

Prologue

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Teagan

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The crowd was minimal at the civic center for the amateur tournament. I’d been there most of the day watching the fights.

Hey, babe. Is O’Hagan’s looking for some fighters to recruit?

Stop calling me babe. And I could ask you the same question. Christoph Kiev sat down in the seat beside me.

Such a hard ass, Teagan. But yeah, I’m here to scope out some fresh talent, same as you. I take on a couple new fighters every year. Have to keep things fresh. He leaned back in his seat.

Yeah, must be tough to handle your business and meet the demands of the circuit. It hadn’t been a question, but the sarcasm would be lost on Christoph. I had never met anyone whose ego surpassed his, and I spent my days surrounded my men.

It is. If I had a decent trainer who could work my guys while I was competing, it would make shit a lot easier. When is your old man going to sell to me? If it’s the boxing side, hell, I told you I’d set an area aside just for him to do that at my gym. I’m more interested in getting you as a trainer for the MMA guys. You’re outgrowing your dad’s gym, Teagan.

Ah, was that a compliment? I’m touched. I could probably get my dad to go for it... That got the asshole’s attention. ...sometime between now and say fucking never.

You wound me, Teagan. Christoph placed his hand over his heart to emphasize his hurt.

Yeah, right. Why are you really here? Other than to aggravate me. His smirk told me he had an interest in the last two fights of the day because I hadn’t seen him milling around earlier. I knew he had to be interested in at least a couple of the last four fighters. Christoph’s arrogance wouldn’t allow him to keep his motives to himself. Being the schmuck he was.

The fighters for the light heavyweight took to the ring. And I looked them over. As my eyes hit on the dark haired one, my stomach tightened. He was tall, maybe six one or two with a broad chest that narrowed as it led down to his waist, the ‘V’ prominent even with the shorts on. One thigh was bigger than my own waist, and that was saying something considering I wasn’t a delicate flower.

I followed his movement as he bounced on the toes of his feet, his skin already showed signs of exertion with the slight sheen to it. When he reached down and adjusted the front of his shorts, I blinked. He seemed to be big all over.

The jock must be pinching his family jewels, Christoph’s voice had me turning in his direction.

Seriously, that is what you focus on? He had to have been watching me as I scoped out the fighter.

Asaro, he has the strength but lacks in the basic techniques every fighter needs. He will win but only at this level. Unless you are interested in his other attributes. Christoph smirked, and I wanted to smack the look right off his face.

Grow up, Christoph. Don’t you have somewhere else to be, like I don’t know, another planet? Or Hell?

Only if you will come away with me. Come on, Teagan. Your knowledge, my ability, we would be unstoppable in this industry. And on a personal level...I think we could be explosive. When are you at least going to take me up on the offer of dinner?

Yep, the bile was working its way up.

How the hell do you fight, even walk, with the size of your head? I turned back to the fight in time to watch Asaro take the other fighter to the mat. The move could have been smoother, but the result was the same.

Because the size of my other head helps balance me. Well, the tingling I got from watching Asaro take down his opponent left in a flash. It was replaced with acidy bile. I had to uncap my water bottle and take a drink to wash the nasty taste down.

Go away, Christoph. I’m sure you can find another woman, or ten, who would jump at the chance to jump you. I’m just not one of them.

He leaned toward me. Teagan, we’ll see how fast that changes when O’Hagan’s doesn’t get sanctioned, and you are looking for a place to go. You think if you fill your gym with fighters from the different weight classes that you’ll have a chance. That is only part of it, O’Hagan’s is outdated. My offer will be there, Teagan, both of them. He winked and stood. Heard Daly is ready to fight. He will get the only shot at my fighter, Crav, before his first sanctioned fight. You know, since your man will never get that far. You need true talent, not these types. He lifted his chin toward the ring, They will only ever be amateurs. He turned and started to walk away.

Whatever. Later, Christoph. He turned his head and gave me a chin lift. I turned back to the ring to watch the two fighters land on the mat. This time the other one was unable to buck Asaro off. Asaro straddled him, and with a beefy forearm position at the other’s throat and a few punches to the guy’s ribs, he gave up and hit the mat. The win to Asaro in two rounds. Lack of finesse maybe, but some skill—Christoph was full of shit. It was there. Asaro just needed to fine-tune his mechanics a little, and then he would be a force.

The ring was cleared and then readied for the last fight, the heavyweight matchup. I noticed Asaro took a seat off to the side of the ring instead of going to the locker rooms. He held an ice pack to his cheek from a blow to the face he had taken. The two heavyweights entered the ring, and the one looked over at Asaro and gave a chin lift. Asaro gave him a thumb’s up in return, and the fighter grinned. Their looks were similar enough the two could be brothers, but when the announcer gave the introductions, the heavyweight’s last name was Masetti. Maximum Masetti.

Masetti was big. I estimated between two thirty or two fifty. He had to be pushing the weight max. He was tall, too. I’d guess at least six three or four. When the announcer read off the stats, I had hit close on his height and was barely off on the weight as he came in at two forty-eight. My stomach tightened just as it had when I looked Asaro over. Masetti’s chest was wide, his shoulders broader. His arms were massive, and he had tree trunks as thighs. The ‘V’ leading into his shorts wasn’t as pronounced as Asaro’s but still impressive. I needed to get my mind off the two fighters’ bodies and remember what I was there for. Fighters to train, that was all. The urge to run my fingers through his hair was as ridiculous as the thought of the taste of his skin.

The fight started and was over in under the first three minutes. Masetti had only taken two solid hits and a kick from his opponent when he lunged straight for the other fighter. He wrapped the guy up and slammed him to the mat, his own body followed, and he landed on top. After he had pushed himself to a sitting position, he drawn back his arm and with a forward motion, he landed the blow on the fighter’s chin before the fighter had a chance to block it. The fighter’s head was turned to the side by the force of the blow. Masetti had knocked him out.

I sat in my seat and watched the referee give the win to Masetti. After everyone around me had started to make their way to the exit, I watched Masetti give Asaro a man hug. The two men grinned wide at each other, and I was stunned. The expression changed their looks from handsome to downright gorgeous. No man should be allowed to look that hot. I shook my head, stood, and started toward the exit. The day hadn’t been a total bust, I’d found some raw talent.

At least in two fighters.

By the time I left and reached my vehicle, I wasn’t sure how they would fit in at O’Hagan’s Gym, which made me mad at myself, because I didn’t know if I had come to a conclusion solely on their ability or their effect on me. Feeling that way was new territory for me.

What I did know as I started my truck—they would benefit the gym. However, my gut said the cost to me could outweigh the benefit.

Chapter One

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Max

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The noise from the crowd was ear-splitting to the point the floor vibrated in the United Center as Nico and I waited for the fighters to enter the ring. We’d watched the three previous fights for the lower weight classes but had two more left before the weight classes we competed in took to the ring.

Damn, I’ve not seen one fighter so far that we couldn’t hang with, Nico said and turned toward me.

Yeah, but we’ve only seen the lower weight classes. The light heavyweight and heavyweight fights are the last of the night, I said just as the welterweight match was announced to start in twenty minutes.

Max, we’ve seen all four of the fighters in those two matches before. You know, and I know, we are just as good. We just haven’t had the opportunity to fight them to prove it, Nico said and opened the program to read the bios and fight records of the two men who were up next.

I heard of Matvi Crav, he’s from Kiev’s Gym, which shouldn’t be a shocker considering they always have a fighter in one or more of the classes, it’s typical. Especially since Christoph Kiev owns the gym. The Daly guy, I’ve never heard the name before. You? I asked as Nico continued to flip through the flyer.

Nah, but the gym that sponsors him, I have, so have you. Don’t you remember my dad talking about it a couple months back at Sunday dinner? I shook my head no, and Nico continued. O’Hagan’s Gym, the one on the south side, it’s one of the oldest around. The owner/manager there was some up-and-coming boxer back in the day. Can’t remember what Dad said happened. Anyway, he stopped competing and started running the gym full time. He’s turned out quite a few boxing contenders over the years, too. They’re trying to get sanctioned by the MMA, but rumor has it they’re having a hard time, some of it has to do with them doing things old school. You know, basic equipment, not like the innovated equipment most gyms offer.

Yeah, I do remember that. Didn’t Uncle Vinnie say something about the old man having a new trainer? I asked, and Nico rolled the program and shoved it in his back pocket.

I don’t recall. Man, I hope this fight and the next one goes by fast, because we’ve got work in the morning, and I don’t want to be here ‘til midnight, Nico said with a yawn.

Yeah, Mom and Aunt Angelina weren’t happy when they found out we were working on Sunday. I shook my head and then chuckled because I knew my dad and Nico’s dad were going to hear about that for the next few months. In our mothers’ eyes, Sunday was for family.

Our families owned M&A Construction, the M for Masetti, which was my family, and the A for Asaro, which was Nico’s family. My dad, Frank, and Nico’s mom, Angelina, were brother and sister, making us family on top of being best friends. We even shared the same birthday, having been born only fifteen minutes apart.

All that damn rain last week put us behind. We have to get the rest of the frame up so we can get that bitch under roof, I said just as they announced the names of the fighters for the next bout.

We should be able to do that in the next couple of days. I just hope we get caught up and back on schedule. The bonus in the contract for coming in on time or early with the build would be nice, Nico said, and we turned our heads to watch as Matvi Crav and his crew made their way to the ring.

"It would be. It will also help once we officially start training. I hate to leave the family shorthanded, but there’s no