Chapter Two – L is for Likosa #2
Come on, girl. You can do five lousy minutes. Keep your shit together! Are you no better than a man?
It was then I realized I was in fact no better than a man. Because when L bent over to get into a deep stretch, pushing her ass in the air and her face down between her elbows, I got so caught up in looking at her ass, I lost my footing.
The tip of my shoe caught on the gym mat, and I went stumbling forward, falling right into her. My pelvis met her soft ass, and I gripped her hips for support, trying my best not to fall over and hurt her.
I couldn’t pull away fast enough. Hell, my mind couldn’t even process what had happened before the energy spiked between us. All impulse control went out the damn window as I held on to her a little too tightly, my mind racing straight to all the places I had been trying to avoid.
Sex. Water. Sex. Magic. What was she? Why did she affect me the way she did?
“Um…” L looked back at me, and her eyes glinted that weird pink again before settling. “Is this a part of the stretch? I don’t believe I’ve ever seen it done that way before.”
“Shit, I’m sorry. Lost my footing.” I looked into her eyes, suddenly mesmerized by her.
“No problem.” She nodded.
I stared at her too long, watching the bead of sweat on her lip as my thoughts tiptoed closer to the edge of the danger zone.
“Are you going to keep hanging on?” Her eyes dropped to my hands still holding her waist.
“Oh damn.” I pulled away. “Um, keep that position for sixty more seconds, focus on your breathing, and then we’ll be done here.”
“Yes, ma’am,” she said with a joking lilt to her voice and then returned to her stretch.
While she continued the stretch, I put myself in timeout.
I focused on tidying up towels that didn’t need it and turning the heat down while trying to both keep my face from blushing and my lips from smiling.
When I glanced at the clock again, I was relieved.
The hour was up. Time to cool down and run away from L.
“This was great,” L said as she gathered her things and sipped from the bottle of water she’d brought with her. “Thank you for being so…thorough.”
“Of course.” I ignored the innuendo. “You’re a little stiffer than I expected, but I think with consistency and proper hydration, you’ll loosen up in no time.”
We spoke as we exited the building. I should have headed for the showers, but I wanted to get out of there. Maybe I was afraid she would ask for a second hour, maybe I just didn’t want to stay in the space where we’d been so close. I needed fresh air and a shower she couldn’t walk in on!
“I booked another session,” L called from behind me after I turned to head to my car. “So I’ll see you next time.”
“You did?” I turned back around to face her. “Oh.”
“Yes.” She moved closer, and everything went silent. “Is there a problem?”
L started walking toward me, and suddenly, I could hear nothing else.
It was like someone hit the mute button on my life.
The cars driving by made no sound. The people shouting just a block away were suddenly no more than a whisper, a faint sound that tickled my brain.
Even the dogs who usually barked from the balcony across from the gym any time anyone left our building were silent.
“Is that okay?” she repeated herself when I said nothing.
Are you a damn deer? Wake the hell up!
“I don’t think it's smart for us to keep doing this,” I answered honestly and glanced at the door to the gym, suddenly afraid someone would find us together. How did we look? Would they be able to tell how much she affected me? “You should work with someone else.”
“Why is that?” she asked, and her eyes glinted with a pink light.
“Um…” I wanted to ask about her eyes, but even that felt like I was doing too much, playing with fire yet again.
“Shontae, is there a problem? You look like you’re going to be sick. Did I do something to offend you?”
“No, of course not. I just—it’s not professional for me to keep working with you.”
They said honesty was the best policy, right? I had to be honest with myself and her. Something told me she would be able to tell if I wasn’t.
“Am I a bad client?” She looked hurt, but there was still that strange glint in her eye.
“No, you’re not a bad client. I’m sorry if I implied that. But—”
“But what?” she smiled. “I like you, and I want to keep working with you. The client is always right. Isn’t that what they say?”
“Yeah.” The word came out despite every part of me screaming this was a bad idea, but that part inside me that had ached for over a year eased as I looked at her.
“Most times, they are right. But there is something happening between us I would like to avoid. I don’t let things like this slide.
If you want to continue coming here, I would love to have you, but it would have to be with another trainer. ”
“Well, in that case, I completely understand. Thank you for your honesty.”
“Of course.” I smiled.
See, that wasn’t so hard. You’re a grown woman!
“Does that mean you’re free to interact with me in other capacities?”
“I—”
“Don’t get choked up.” She smiled. “Just think about it.”
She stepped closer, as if walking by me, and leaned in, her lips close to my ear.
“Oh, and by the way, L is for Likosa.”
Her name sounded like a melody and felt like heaven. Everything remained silent for a few more minutes until things came back to a shatteringly loud volume.
“Boss woman, are you okay?” Tim, our engineer, stood in front of me. “You look like you saw a ghost.”
His green eyes stared at me beneath thick brows furrowed with worry.
“I, um.” I searched the area, but Likosa was gone. Damn, how long was I standing there, looking like a damn fool? “I’m good. Sorry, lost in thought.”
“You work too hard. You need to take some time off.”
“I’ll keep that in mind!” I laughed awkwardly as I headed for my car. When I looked back, Tim had already disappeared inside the building.
“I really need that damn shower!”