Chapter 6
Time for sparring
After some debate that led to me really wanting to punch this man in the face, we headed back to the office. This time, I didn’t drive behind him, so when he tried to go the slowest speed possible, I zoomed by him, and out of my peripherals, I saw him laugh at me.
I beat him back to the office, parked, and waited for him by the door.
As he pulled into the parking lot, he slowed down even more before I crossed my arms and huffed.
I watched him ease into the parking spot, put his car in park, and then sit there pretending as if he was looking for something.
When he finally got out of the car, I just rolled my eyes.
He then went to his trunk and pulled out a duffel bag, which I assumed had his training gear in it.
“See? We could have just driven together,” he said as he casually strolled over to me.
“Don't tell me you honestly think I would have been able to ride with you.” I pointed at his car.
“But I drove so safely.” He pretended to pout. “Isn’t that what you wanted from me? Now I see why Deonta was so upset. I don’t know how to please you, woman. Jericha, I’ll do anything to please you!”
“Ugh, I'm going home.” I moved toward my car. “Spar on your own.”
“Don’t be that way.” He grabbed my arm and stopped me from storming away. “All right, all right! I’ll stop. I'm just joking. Can we get this done now? I drank some pre-workout on the way here. I’m ready to go!”
“Apologize,” I demanded.
“Seriously?”
“Yes,” I pursed my lips, imagining the pre-workout making him itch without exercise because that’s what it did to me. “Apologize for teasing me and then we can go inside.”
He hesitated, considering if he really wanted to give in to me. Then, after the frustration sparked by my stubbornness kicked in, he apologized.
“Ms. Brown, I apologize for teasing you about your crazy stalker.” He fluttered his eyelashes, making me notice those green eyes. “Can you please find it in your heart to forgive me?”
“Yeah.” I waved him off. “Quit your pathetic begging and come on.”
Raymond headed straight upstairs to get started in the gym while I went into my office to change.
I always kept a few spare outfits for working out in the closet.
I took my time getting ready. He had made me wait for his slow ass driving; he could wait while I made the hard choice between my purple fit or my turquoise.
And what shoes would I wear? I had a few options—of course I had to give it ample thought.
When I made my way up to the gym dressed in the purple workout set—a pair of shorts, and a form-fitting tank top—he was already doing some stretches and warming up, so I joined him.
“What's your style?” I asked him as I stretched my calves. They had been giving me some issues, and I wanted to make sure I didn't catch a cramp while we worked.
“My style?” He raised a brow.
“Hey, you asked me to come spar. What kind of sparring are we doing? There are different styles, you know—wrestling, taekwondo, karate…” I mimicked each as I listed them off.
“How about some basic grappling? Does that work for you?” he asked. “We can see where it goes from there.”
“If you want to keep it simple, that works for me.”
“Right…” He trailed off, raising a brow. “You’re going to try to hurt me, aren’t you?”
“I would never do that.” I finished stretching then got into my starting position. “Come on, make your move.”
“I think you should go first. I don’t want to hurt you.” He winked. “This is supposed to be friendly, so show me what you got. I’ll adjust to it.”
“Just like a man.” I rolled my eyes. “You think I can’t take you? I run this business, remember? I know what I’m doing, so, come on.”
He came for me, and I proved my point quickly. As he reached for my shoulders, I dropped down, initiating a double leg takedown that landed him flat on his back. He hit the mat hard, and I smiled as I heard the air escape from his lungs.
“Oh, shit.” He coughed as I got up, giving him room to breathe. “You’re stronger than you look.”
“Not the first time I’ve heard that.” I stepped back, readjusting the tie around my hair. “Don’t go easy on me, big boy.” As soon as he made it to his feet, I punched him in the jaw.
“You want a fight, huh?” he laughed. “What happened to friendly sparring?”
“Hey, you said I needed a release.” I shrugged. “That’s how I get it.”
“As long as you promise not to hold it against me if you get hurt.” He grinned. “I mean, I wouldn’t want you being upset with me.”
“I can handle myself. Let’s go!” I got into a fighting stance.
Raymond didn’t hold back that time. He rushed me, lifting me from my feet and slamming me to the ground in one, swift move. Payback.
“Damn!” I shifted my hips, put my foot into his chest, and kicked him away from me.
“You said not to go easy.” He shrugged.
“And I meant it!” I did a kick flip up from the ground, took two rushing steps, and kneed him in the gut. I followed up with an elbow to the spine.
From there, it was a full-on fight. We both launched our attacks, meeting most with skillful counters, but now and then, a hit would land. The longer we went, the less the big guy held back. Before I knew it, he was tossing me around the gym like I was a grown man, just the way I liked it.
Eventually, he got the advantage over me. I was strong, but I still had to hold back. Sure, I could have used my ability to give me an advantage, but that wouldn’t have been fair. So, I tucked those magical abilities into my back pocket when he went for a move that once again landed me on my back.
Instead of quickly shifting into the next move, Raymond lingered.
His breathing was quick, sweat dripping from his brow.
He looked down at me, and boom. There it was: that tension everyone expected when two grown adults of the opposite sex claimed they’re just friends.
When my eyes met his, green and consuming, I felt my body respond.
Oh, hell no! The thought flashed through my head just as that heated look reached his eyes.
I shifted my weight; the muscles in my legs burned, but I was determined to get out of the compromising position.
The shock worked in my favor as I flipped him, grabbing his arm and locking in a tight armbar.
While I had caught him off guard, it wasn’t enough to stop his instinctual response.
I hadn’t had the submission hold long before he displayed strength I hadn’t seen in a man before.
With me still locked on his arm, he lifted me in the air and crossed the room.
His locs slapped me in the face, adding salt to the wound as he slammed me back down onto a stack of mats.
Cushioned blow or not, that shit still hurt. Once again, I tried to shift my weight to escape what was basically a pin, but he overpowered me.
Girl, get the hell out of this!
My mind screamed at me to flee while that lower brain was saying, no, don’t stop him!
I listened to the mind led by logic. This was a man I worked with!
I couldn’t be having moments edging on sexual tension.
I ignored my increased heart rate, told myself it was because of the workout and not my raging hormones.
It took some doing, but I slipped from his hold and pushed him across the room. Once again, I repeated an earlier move.
The moment he was away from me, I leaped to my feet, ran to the opposite side of the room, then turned and headed back toward him with a jump, knee aimed for the face.
Raymond caught me midair and slammed me down again.
This time, he had me on the floor, all his weight pushing me down as he grinned.
“You want another one?” he asked through heavy breaths. “I can keep slamming you all night. Just say the word.”
That time, I tapped into my power, just enough to give me the strength to lift him from my chest. I rotated beneath him so our bodies were crossed then lifted my leg, slamming it into the side of his head.
Raymond rolled away, popped back up, and tackled me.
We rolled around, shifting between different holds, slams, and sweeps.
In the last move, I ended up on top of him, my legs straddling him. I used the strength of my thighs to lock him in place beneath me. I held his shoulders down and grinned.
“Gotcha!” The sound of joy that escaped me surprised both of us.
“Yeah, you did.” He chuckled, and then I felt his hand move. He could have knocked me off, but he didn’t. He placed his palm flat on my back as his eyes glanced down at my position on top of him. “You want to keep going?”
And there was the instant response from my lower half. My walls tightened, Kegel style, and I squeezed my eyes shut as I hopped off him.
“No, I think I’m done!” I raced out of the gym, leaving him on the floor. I didn’t shower or even lock up before I left. He knew the protocol. I headed straight to my car and raced home before I did something I would regret.
I made the drive from my office to the house with the windows wide open.
The cool air was supposed to help me calm down, and at first, it did.
That was, until the chill reached my nipples.
After that, every bump in the road sparked a jolt in my bra.
I squirmed in my seat, and tried my best not to break any laws.
Make it home. All I had to do was make it home, and then I could fix this.
The problem was the scent. A mixture of his cologne and his sweat was all over me.
The smell filled my car even with the windows open.
It was like a cloud hanging around me. I touched the top of the jar that hung from my rearview mirror.
It was full of scented oil that coated my fingertips, and I rubbed it beneath my nose to try to mask the smell.