Lust Meter System: Conquering Beauties-Chapter 114: Holding Back

Liam pulled the Honda Civic into the empty lot and killed the engine.

He sat there for a moment, adjusting his collar in the rearview mirror. The black suit he’d worn to Hart Industries was already feeling restrictive. He’d need to change soon.

He pushed open the door and stepped out, the late afternoon sun hitting him immediately.

Shay was leaning against the chain-link fence, arms crossed, watching him approach.

Liam walked around to the back of the car and popped the trunk, pulling out a black duffel bag he’d packed earlier. Inside were a t-shirt, sweats, and sneakers.

"Looking sharp," Shay called out, pushing off the fence. "You able to finish your plan?"

Liam closed the trunk and walked over. "It went better than I expected."

"Yeah? How much better?"

"I found the problem in under an hour. His whole team missed it."

Shay grinned. "Damn. You really are good at this."

"I try."

They started walking toward the back of the lot where they’d trained last time.

Liam adjusted the bag on his shoulder, his mind already shifting gears. Business was done. Now it was time to work on not getting killed if X actually came after him.

As they rounded the corner of the old warehouse, Liam stopped.

There was someone else there.

A guy stood in the center of the lot, hands in the pockets of a gray hoodie, black joggers, and beaten-up Nikes. He had the kind of build that said he’d been in plenty of fights and won most of them.

Damian.

Liam’s stomach dropped.

"What’s he doing here?" Liam asked, his voice flat.

Damian turned at the sound of Liam’s voice, and his expression didn’t change. No smile. No greeting. Just that same unimpressed look he always had when he looked at Liam.

Shay glanced between them. "He’s here to help."

"Help," Liam repeated.

"Yeah," Shay said. "When I told him you needed training, he jumped at the opportunity. No questions asked."

*’Of course he did,’* Liam thought. *’Now he gets to beat me up legally.’*

Damian pulled his hands out of his pockets and walked closer. "You got a problem with that?"

Liam met his eyes. "Depends on what kind of help we’re talking about."

"The kind where you stop throwing punches like someone who just learned how yesterday," Damian said. His tone wasn’t playful. It was matter-of-fact. Blunt.

Liam’s jaw tightened.

Shay stepped between them before things could escalate. "Look, Liam. You can move when you need to. I’ll give you that. But your punches are still sloppy. No power behind them. And when it comes to actual fighting? Reading attacks? Knowing when to weave and when to block? That’s where Damian comes in."

"And why does it have to be him?" Liam asked.

"Because he fights different than I do," Shay said. "I can teach you how to brawl. How to take hits and give them back. But Damian? He fights smart. He’s flexible. He can show you things I can’t."

Liam looked at Damian, who was just standing there, arms crossed now, waiting.

There was no warmth in his expression. No friendliness. Just cold patience.

"You sure about this?" Liam asked Shay.

"Yeah. I’m sure."

Liam let out a breath. "Fine."

Damian tilted his head slightly. "You gonna stand there in that suit all day or are you gonna change?"

Liam didn’t answer. He just walked over to the side of the warehouse and set the bag down.

He could feel Damian watching him as he unbuttoned his suit jacket and shrugged it off, folding it carefully before setting it on top of the bag. The tie came next, then the dress shirt.

He pulled on the t-shirt and swapped his dress pants for the sweats, moving quickly.

When he turned around, Damian hadn’t moved. He was still just standing there, arms crossed, like he had all the time in the world.

Shay walked into the center of the lot. "Alright. Let’s get started."

Liam walked over, and Damian followed.

"So here’s the thing," Shay said. "You can move when someone’s coming at you. I’ve seen it. But you’re not used to blocking. You weave everything, and that’s fine when you’ve got space. But in a real fight? You’re gonna get cornered. You’re gonna get tired. And when that happens, you need to know how to block without getting your guard broken."

Liam nodded.

"Damian’s gonna help with that," Shay continued. "He’s gonna come at you with combinations. You’re gonna learn when to weave and when to put your hands up."

Damian cracked his knuckles. "Simple as that."

Shay looked at Damian. "Hold back a little."

Damian raised an eyebrow. "How much is a little?"

Before Shay could answer, Liam spoke. "Don’t."

Both of them looked at him.

"Don’t hold back," Liam said. "If I’m doing this, I’m doing it right."

Damian’s expression shifted slightly. Not quite a smile, but something close to interest. "You sure about that?"

"Yeah."

"Alright then." Damian’s voice didn’t change. Still flat. Still unimpressed. But there was something else there now. Like he was sizing Liam up.

Shay stepped back. "This is gonna hurt."

Damian and Liam faced each other.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then Damian came forward.

No warning. No tell.

Just movement.

Liam weaved to the side instinctively, letting the punch slip past him.

Damian followed up immediately with a hook aimed at Liam’s ribs.

Liam tried to weave again, but Damian was already adjusting, cutting off the angle.

The punch caught him in the side.

Hard.

The air left his lungs in a rush, and he stumbled back, gasping.

*’Fuck.’*

Damian didn’t say anything. He just reset and waited.

Liam straightened up, still trying to catch his breath.

Damian came in again.

This time with a jab aimed at Liam’s face.

Liam slipped it, but barely.

Damian threw a cross immediately after.

Liam tried to weave, but his feet weren’t set right.

The punch grazed his shoulder and spun him slightly off balance.

Damian followed up with a body shot.

Liam brought his arms down to block, but too late.

The punch landed clean in his ribs.

He doubled over, coughing.

"Alright, stop," Shay said.

Damian stepped back immediately.

Liam stayed bent over for a moment, trying to catch his breath.

Shay walked over. "You’re weaving everything. That’s good when you’ve got the space. But Damian’s not giving you space. He’s cutting off your angles. You need to block when you can’t weave."

Liam straightened up. "I tried."

"You were late," Shay said. "You waited until the punch was already coming. You need to see it earlier. Read his body."

Liam wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Alright."

Shay turned to Damian. "Show him how it’s done. Come at me."

Damian shrugged and stepped forward.

He threw a jab.

Shay didn’t weave. He brought his guard up and blocked it with his forearm.

Damian followed up with a cross.

Shay slipped it this time, letting the punch go past him.

Then Damian threw a hook.

Shay ducked under it and came up with a counter punch that stopped just short of Damian’s jaw.

Damian stepped back, and Shay grinned.

"See?" Shay said, turning to Liam. "You mix it up. Block when you need to. Weave when you’ve got the opening."

Liam watched, but something felt off.

He looked at Damian. "Not fair, You were holding back."

Damian’s expression didn’t change. "You’re the one who said no holding back."

"Yeah, with me," Liam said. "But you just went easy on him."

Shay frowned. "He wasn’t holding back."

"Ask him," Liam said.

Shay looked at Damian, confusion flickering across his face. "Were you?"

Damian was quiet for a moment.

Then he shrugged. "A little. I know you can handle it."

Shay’s frown deepened. "A little?"

"Yeah."

Shay crossed his arms. "Alright. Go all out this time."

Damian raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Yeah. I’m sure."

Damian’s expression shifted. Just slightly. Like he’d been waiting for this.

"Alright then."

They both reset.

This time, when they moved, it was different.

Faster.

Sharper.

Damian came in with a jab, but it was quicker than before.

Shay slipped it, but barely.

Damian followed up with a low kick aimed at Shay’s leg.

Shay checked it with his shin and countered with a straight punch.

Damian ducked under it and came up with an uppercut.

Shay leaned back just in time, and the punch grazed his chin.

Liam watched, his eyes wide.

*’They’re actually fighting.’*

Damian moved like water. Every attack flowed into the next. No wasted movement. No hesitation. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Shay fought different. He blocked more. Absorbed hits and gave them back harder. He was a brawler, but he knew how to defend himself.

Damian threw a spinning back fist.

Shay raised his arm and blocked it, then grabbed Damian’s wrist and pulled him forward.

Damian stumbled slightly, and Shay took advantage, sweeping his leg.

Damian went down, but he rolled with it and came back up immediately.

He came at Shay again, this time with a combination that was almost too fast to follow.

Jab. Cross. Hook. Uppercut.

Shay blocked the first two, slipped the third, and caught the fourth with his forearm.

Then he stepped in close and threw a hard body shot.

Damian took it and grunted but didn’t back down.

He threw a knee aimed at Shay’s ribs.

Shay caught it with both hands and pushed Damian back.

They reset again, both of them breathing harder now.

Liam realized he was holding his breath.

’This is insane. They’re both incredible fighters. I can see why Shay put Damian in charge of security—dude’s legit.’

They went at it again.

Damian feinted left, then went right with a hook.

Shay saw it coming and ducked under it, coming up with a hard cross that caught Damian on the shoulder.

Damian spun with the momentum and threw a back kick.

Shay sidestepped it and grabbed Damian’s leg, pulling him off balance.

Damian hit the ground, and Shay was on him immediately, pinning him down.

"Alright, alright," Damian said, tapping the ground twice. "You win."

Shay let go and stood up, grinning. "Still got it."

Damian sat up, rubbing his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah."

Liam just stood there, staring at both of them.

Shay turned to him. "You see that?"

"Yeah," Liam said. "I saw it."

"That’s what you’re working toward," Shay said. "Not today. Not tomorrow. But eventually."

Shay looked at Liam. "Alright. You’re next."

Liam blinked. "What?"

"You heard me," Shay said. "You wanted to learn. So let’s go."

Damian got to his feet and brushed himself off, a faint smirk forming on his face as he looked at Liam. "Finally."

Liam looked at Shay. "With you or him?"

"Him," Shay said. "I want to see how you handle someone who fights like Damian."

’Cool, so right after I called him out, you just demolished him. And now it’s my turn. Awesome.’

Liam let out a breath and stepped forward.

Damian rolled his shoulders. "Been waiting for this."

Liam didn’t respond. He just met Damian’s eyes.

Damian’s smirk widened just slightly. "Don’t worry. This won’t take long."

’Why do I feel like he’s not joking?’

Liam’s jaw tightened. "Alright. Let’s go."

Damian came at him.

And Liam knew immediately he was fucked.