Chapter 29
Chad made it into the locker room with one minute to spare before he remembered that he didn’t have his gym bag with him.
He looked around, wondering what he should do.
There were several alphas in various states of undress around the room, but none Chad knew well enough that he could ask to borrow a pair of shorts.
Fuck.
“Hey Chad, what’s with the face?”
Chad turned, surprised to hear his friend Mick’s voice coming from right next to him.
“Mick, hey,” he said, smiling. “I forgot my bag. You wouldn’t happen to have an extra pair of shorts I could borrow, would you?”
Chad and Mick had been recruited together, and though they weren’t close, they had bonded as the two new guys on the team.
“Sure, but they haven’t been washed after I last used them.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’ve got,” Chad checked his watch, “thirty seconds before my class starts.”
Mick laughed and zipped open his bag, reaching inside and pulling out a loose pair of basketball shorts. “All right, though I expect you to wash them.”
“Thanks.” Chad took the shorts and changed into them as fast as he could, leaving his T-shirt on. “You’re a lifesaver.”
He threw his coat and jeans into an empty locker and ran out of the locker room. He rushed to the room where they were holding the advanced hand-to-hand combat class and slipped inside with a fervent hope that he wasn’t late.
He was in luck. There were four other alphas milling around the room, stretching and warming up, but the class hadn’t started.
A few of them looked over when he entered, but not like they were judging him for being late.
Chad walked inside like he had all the time in the world and started stretching.
A few seconds later, the door opened again and another alpha walked in. Chad finished stretching his quads and dropped his foot to the ground, turning around.
Fuck.
He should have stayed in bed with Peter.
The alpha stepping into the room, sauntering in like he owned it, was Peter’s asshole friend Aiden.
Chad knew the moment Aiden noticed him, because the alpha’s mouth turned up in a surprised grin.
He studied Chad for a few seconds, a mix of derision and lust in his eyes, before walking to the front of the room.
“Okay guys, you know the drill. Pair up,” Aiden said. His voice was brisk and professional, and Chad hoped that Aiden wouldn’t be an asshole now that he knew Chad worked for Tank Security. “Chad, you’re with me. Come up here.”
Chad forced himself not to wince. The other alphas seemed surprised that Aiden knew his name, casting him considered glances like they were trying to figure out who he was.
Once Chad had made it up to the front of the room and came to stand on the mat next to Aiden, the older alpha ignored him. Chad even relaxed as Aiden launched into an explanation of what they would be practicing.
He obviously knew what he was doing.
“Okay, now let me demonstrate. Chad, you’ve had basic training here at Tank Security, right?”
Chad nodded and Aiden grinned. There was a mean gleam in his eye that didn’t bode well for Chad.
“Great. Come at me like you’re going to take me down.” Aiden spread his arms and took a step back, opening himself up for an attack. Chad knew how Aiden was going to deflect him, but that didn’t help him at all. He had no idea how he could prevent Aiden’s counterattack from working.
“Today, Chad,” Aiden barked, impatient. Knowing that there was nothing he could do, Chad moved forward just like he’d been taught, hoping that Aiden would hold back when he took him down.
No such luck. Moving almost too fast for Chad to follow, Aiden deftly blocked Chad’s assault and then flipped him over so that he went crashing down on his back. The breath knocked out of him, Chad stared up at the ceiling as humiliation coursed through his veins.
“Okay, let’s try that again, but this time in slow motion. I want everyone to see exactly how it’s done. Chad, get up.”
Chad pushed to his feet, wincing as a sharp pain shot up from his hole. He forced his face into a neutral expression, but when he looked at Aiden the alpha’s eyes were narrowed suspiciously.
“Whenever you’re ready,” Aiden said, stepping back and spreading his arms again.
Chad moved in for a slow motion attack, which was harder than he’d thought it would be.
Every mistake in his bearing and technique was laid bare, and still there was nothing he could do as Aiden effortlessly brushed him aside and countered with an attack of his own.
Since they were moving in slow motion, Aiden didn’t get to slam Chad down on the floor, but the easy way he outmaneuvered him was almost worse.
Aiden had skills that Chad simply couldn’t match, and that was even more obvious now that they were moving at a speed where every move they made was carefully calculated.
Chad ended up with his arm twisted behind his back, Aiden pushing it up high and nearly wrenching his arm out of its socket. Done with the demonstration, Aiden turned to the four alphas watching without letting go of Chad’s wrist.
“Anyone have any questions?” he asked, his calm control doing more to humiliate Chad than any display of aggression could have.
The four alphas all nodded that they understood.
None of them seemed to find Aiden’s treatment of him objectionable—or maybe they just didn’t want to antagonize an alpha clearly more dominant than themselves.
“Good. Start practicing—slow at first until you get a feel for how you’re supposed to move.”
Aiden let go of Chad’s wrist and spun him around, walking to the center of the mat and gesturing for Chad to follow.
“Okay, pretty boy. Do you understand what you’re supposed to do?” Aiden crossed his arms and stared at him, everything about his voice and stance that of a consummate professional. Chad couldn’t help but feel wary.
“I think so, yeah,” he answered.
“Good. I’ll come at you, and you deflect and attack. Ready?”
Chad nodded, bracing for Aiden to rush him.
“Slow, Chad,” Aiden admonished, moving forward at a glacial pace. Chad watched him come, and much to his surprise the move Aiden was teaching them actually worked. He deflected Aiden’s initial attack, moving out of the way of Aiden’s fist, and almost managed to execute a counterattack.
Then Aiden moved his leg, and suddenly Chad found himself being spun around—in slow motion—his throat caught in the crook of Aiden’s arm. Aiden squeezed down, and Chad wondered if he was really going to choke him out right there in front of the class.
“I like having you like this,” Aiden whispered, subtly grinding his hips forward. Chad could feel the bulge in Aiden’s sweats pressing into his lower back, but Chad wanted no part of it.
Aiden let him go seconds before he lost consciousness. Chad fell to his knees with a gasp. When he looked back at Aiden the line of his fat cock was visible against his right thigh, but the combination of what had to be some pretty tight underwear and his loose sweats meant that it wasn’t obvious.
“Again,” Aiden ordered. Chad pushed to his feet, a glance at the clock on the wall telling him that he still had an hour and a half to get through before class was done for the day.
There was nothing he could do but stay calm and bear it.
***