Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Layla
O ne week later…
I hated exercising. Yes, it’s good for people, but, holy shit, it sucked balls. I had to psyche myself up to do it, which I’m sure wasn’t normal.
When I’d started at Delicious Divas, I’d been so excited that I’d agreed to do something I hated once a week with them all. Thankfully, I’d been so busy last week that I’d managed to get out of it, but this week I had no excuse. And didn’t that just burn a hole in me? Given that my family were pros at excuses, I should have a list of convincing and unique ones ready, but I guess the ability got watered down through genes because I sucked at it.
It'd started with us doing a stripper pole class—aka, strippercise—and had moved on to using those hanging silk panels like they used in Cirque du Soleil. Now, we were doing Zumba, and Rockie was our teacher.
I’d incorrectly assumed he’d go easy on us, seeing as how he was such a relaxed and fun loving guy. Oh, the stupidity. Gone was the loving Rockie, and in his place was a drill sergeant with perfectly arched eyebrows and eyelashes to die for.
“Okay, now we’re moving to YMCA . I want you to use your bodies and feel the song's music and beat as the Village People take us away into the land of sexy men in different costumes. Don’t just move your arms to shape the letters. Get your body, from your head down to your toes, involved.”
We all watched him, various expressions of disbelief on our faces.
“How is he not sweating?” Naomi whispered as she leaned into me. “I’m sweating in areas I didn’t know it was possible.”
Shaking out my right leg and trying to do a discreet twist to unplug the wedgie from between my butt cheeks, I swiped at the sweat running down the back of my head.
“Why’s my hair sweating?” I didn’t mean for it to come out as a whine, but these things happen.
“Because we’re getting our hearts pumping and our bodies grooving,” Rockie shouted, making me jump.
Cyn looked like she was going to collapse as she joined us. “If I die, I’m suing. You said this was fun and lured me into a false sense of security. I’ve got sweat under my boobies. Do you have any idea how gross that is?”
Both of us looked at the area in question.
“You’ve got some sort of weird superhero slogan in sweat under them,” Naomi pointed out.
“No, that’s me begging to be saved. When you speak to a superhero, you do it in ways that look like one of their signs. If I just flashed a Bat Signal, only Batman would come to save me, and what if he was indisposed?”
I snickered. “Indisposed?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know what time of day he shags Lois Lane.”
“Ladies,” Rockie bellowed, the end of it going up into a screech. “When you get to the duh, duh, duh noises before they sing the chorus, I want you to do the hip thrust we learned in the last song. Hold your arms out in front of you or pump them in the air. Either way, I want your stomach muscles working with your tushie ones.”
It was fair to say it was the most miserable version of the YMCA dance anyone had ever seen.
“Right, we’ll do that one first to warm up next week. It breaks my heart seeing a group of women not giving it their all.” Rockie clutched his chest dramatically.
“You’ve made us work our asses off to no less than sixteen songs, man,” Jacinda snapped. “Do you have any idea how much I ache and how sweaty I am?”
That was the least of my worries. I’d had a killer wedgie for fifteen of those songs, and the sweat was making the elastic rub in places I didn’t want it to chafe.
I was just doing another leg and hip twist to try and get rid of it without actually reaching back and digging it out when something did it for me. I mean, I’m almost one hundred percent sure it was a hand because I made out fingers, but without seeing it, I couldn’t give it the full certificate of certainty.
“We’ve been watching for the last thirty minutes, and it didn’t seem any closer to popping out, so I figured I’d come and help,” Mark said as he lowered his mouth next to my ear.
I had a clash of emotions in response to the situation I was in now: embarrassment, excitement, arousal, and a wee dash of fear.
Not turning around, I murmured, “How many of you are watching us?”
“Five.”
“Did they—” I stopped and licked my lips as his fingertips skimmed across my hip. “Did they see the wedgie?”
“Given that they’re all involved with women in the group, I’d hope they had their eyes focused elsewhere. However, Reid, Kingston, Carson, and the new guys Eason and Jeremy, were here, too.”
The thought of a group of good-looking alpha males seeing my ass trying to eat my underwear made me want to die, so I did what any insane person would do.
I rambled.
“Did you know Heidi and Bond called their baby Kingston? Do you think they named him after him?”
“I can say with complete certainty that they did not.”
I already knew that, and it made sense given that the Klein men were proud of their Jamaican heritage, but it’d sounded good in my head.
I also knew that dentist Kingston was a really good guy because he’d apologized not only to Cole but to my whole family for what’d happened. He’d also gotten his team working overtime to put all their patients’ files onto a computer with a red flag system instead of relying on almost illegible paper files.
Cyn limped over and practically collapsed on the ground next to me. “Why do we do this? Why does anyone do this? It just doesn’t make sense to me.”
Mark snorted. “Because it gets your heart pumping and is good for your body?”
She weakly held a finger—not the middle one—up in the air.
“I beg to differ. I’ve never felt worse in my life. I have sweat running down areas of my body that are confusing me, my underwear is wet and rubbing against me, I hurt in all of my joints, and—” she stopped talking and put her hand on her chest, then shifted and started rooting around in her sports bra.
Pulling out her watch, she looked at the screen. “Oh, thank God. I thought I was having palpitations, but it’s just my sister calling.” Dropping it on her stomach, she patted around for something on the ground. “Is there any water around?”
“I need to go,” Mark said quietly before backing away and leaving me feeling slightly bereft. “I’ll see you later tonight.”
“Stay safe!”
He smiled warmly at my order and then turned and walked toward the locker room.
“Woman, sitteth thine arse down next to me and tell me what the hell’s going on there. Can I just begin by saying that I love seeing you both together?”
Nabbing two bottles of water from the table near us, I satteth my arse down on the ground next to her and dropped one of them on her stomach.
“Wench!”
I loved spending time with Cyn. Her sister was married to my cousin, Elijah, but they lived in Florida. Sadie was an absolute riot and was so good for Elijah, but Cyn had something about her that just called to my soul, so I’d adopted her and was keeping her.
Rolling her head to the side, she frowned when she saw me staring at her. “I’m not sure I like the expression on your face.”
“I was just wondering if I could utilize that weird saying about licking something or someone so they’re yours and you get to keep them.”
“The ‘I licked it, so it’s mine’ thing?” When I nodded, she raised an eyebrow. “What are you thinking of licking?”
“You.”
Instead of calling me weird or crawling away as fast as she could because there was no chance she’d be able to run after the hell we’d just endured, she shrugged.
“We need to work out the logistics of it. Do I need to shower first? Where exactly are you thinking of licking? Do I need to wear a sign after it so people know? I’m not into collars and being led around on a dog lead, so that’s definitely out—just so you know. What about Wick?”
See? It was for reasons just like this that my soul recognized hers. Cyn just went with the flow and took things lightly, and I loved that about her.
“I’ll think it over and let you know.”
She held her thumb up to me, then went back to what she’d said previously. “So, Mark?”
“He’s staying with me while they figure out what went on in the house he bought.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You need to fill in the blanks, missy. How does it feel to be living in a house with him? Are you working through your issues? Are you back together? Oh, are things going bump in the night?” She wiggled her eyebrows on the last one.
I answered them individually. “It was initially a bit awkward and uncomfortable living with him, but Mark makes it so easy that the discomfort left around day two. I don’t know if we’re working through our issues because we haven’t spoken about them yet. I think we’re getting used to being around each other again and working up a rapport before tackling them. We’re not back together, and we’re not apart, but things aren’t going bump in the night.”
Sadly.
Cyn pursed her lips. “That’s oddly disappointing for me, but I’m sure the bed will begin rocking with time.” Then, in a much softer tone, she asked, “How do you feel about it all? Are you coping okay?”
I. Loved . Her.
“I’m okay, honey, I promise. I’d done some thinking before Mark moved in and was just plucking up the courage to speak to him, so it’s not as hard as it would have been if Jacinda and Evie hadn’t knocked some sense into me. I guess I’m just frustrated that we haven’t spoken, and it’s all sitting there like a wedge between us. You know?”
She nodded. “Peace comes with time. Four years of hurt can’t be erased overnight, especially not without the talk that needs to happen, so you both understand each other. I was thinking it would be driving me insane if I were in your shoes, but thinking about it now, I think what you’re doing is probably best.”
“You do?”
“Absolutely,” she said firmly. “You need time to learn each other again because four years away means you missed out on a lot of growth for him and vice versa. Once you do that, the talk won’t seem like a battle, more of a resolution to the battle.”
Poking her in the side, I chuckled when she jerked across the ground away from me. “And what about you? How’s Detective Ortiz doing?”
Cyn’s easygoing manner left her like someone had flicked a switch. “That- that- that—”
“Detective? Man?”
“ Arsehole shall not be mentioned around me.”
I did love their battle. It was like a real life clash of the Titans.
“What’s Kapono done this time?”
“What hasn’t he done? I swear he stalks me and chooses the worst moments to make my life hell.”
I knew Kapono well, he was actually a great guy, but I also knew he had a wicked side to him and was likely doing what she was accusing him of.
“Did you see him, Judd, Kai, Keir, and Roque working out when we arrived?”
Cyn paled. “He was here?”
“Wait,” a voice said behind us, making us both jump and squeak. “Roque was here?” Sayla squatted down next to me, her face almost the same shade as Cyn’s.
“Yeah. Y’all didn’t see them when we came in?”
Sayla glanced around nervously. “Did they see us working out?”
“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “I was too busy not dying.”
When she sank down onto her ass, Cyn got up and crawled over to join us in a mini huddle. “Babe, what’s going on?”
This time when Sayla looked at us, I could see how drained and exhausted she was. “I was on a date last night, and we went to Brooklyn’s for dinner.”
“You went to Brooklyn? Last night?” Cyn asked, looking shocked. “How the chuffing hell did you get there and back so quickly? Wait, was it with him?”
“Brooklyn’s a restaurant on the outskirts of Palmerstown. It opened up two weeks ago and is meant to be a nice, quiet place to go.”
I gave Sayla’s hand a squeeze to get her attention. “So, what happened?”
“My date was one of the vets who works with Jeremy. He’s new here and just such a great guy, so I said yes when he asked me.”
Jeremy was Naomi’s half-brother, whom she’d only met a year ago. He’d moved to Piersville and had taken over the veterinary practice situated literally on the border with Palmerstown—and by literally, I meant half of it was in Piersville, the half was there.
“Anyway, after we sat down, I looked over, and Roque was at the table next to us with his date. She was a beautiful brunette with a body that had all of the waiters tripping over their own feet.”
I hated pointing out what I was about to, but this didn’t make sense.
“Honey, you’ve seen him on dates before.”
“Not with my neighbor, I haven’t. And then, to make matters worse, he dropped her off at her house and went inside it.”
“That little toss pot, wanking, bell end,” Cyn hissed. “Did he spend the night?”
Sayla was practically curling in on herself. “I don’t know. I was walking up the path to my front door when he shut the door to her place.”
“Does he know you saw it?” I asked gently.
“Well, he shot me a smug smile and a wink, so I’d hazard a guess that he does indeed know I saw it.”
Given that she’d been in love with Roque for years, that had to hurt badly. The question was: did Roque even know she had a crush on him?
Evie had told me once that at the beginning, it’d been a bit obvious because she’d either freeze up or blush when he was around, but after a while, she’d perfected the ice princess facade when he was around, so maybe he didn’t? I hadn’t even been able to guess until I’d seen her when he’d walked past us with a date while we were at the bar one night.
“Babe, I’ve got a pair of shoes with spikes on the toe.”
When we both looked at Cyn like she was a psycho, she glared at us. “Don’t look at me like that—they’re pretty, and they were a gift. I can’t remember what designer did them, but so long as I don’t accidentally kick someone or stub my toe, I figure it’s okay to wear them.”
She leaned in closer. “But if I kicked someone on purpose, I’d make sure it counted.” She finished her threat with a wink.
A bark of laughter burst out of Sayla. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Cyn looked satisfied with that response. “Do that.”
“So, what are you going to do about it? What if he starts dating her seriously?” I asked her, hating the thought of her being in that situation.
Straightening her spine, she breathed out like she was centering herself. Once she was where she wanted to be, she smiled tightly.
“Well, I’m only renting just now, so I went to the realtor guy this morning and asked him to find me a place to buy. I’ve been saving like crazy for a down payment, and I’m tired of it not gaining much interest in the bank, so investing it in a house of my own seems like a good plan.”
“Atta girl. Don’t let him control what you do, but you’re right to get away from him.” Cyn gave her a one-armed hug but looked pained once she realized what she’d done. “Apologies, I forgot I was a sweaty whorebag for a moment there.”
The stuff that came out of this woman’s mouth was just priceless.
I was intrigued by what Sayla had just told us. “Has the realtor said they’ve got anything available?”
She grinned at me. “Indeed he does, and guess where one of them is?”
I raised my eyebrows. It couldn’t be near my house because there weren’t any empty properties on our land. Unless they’d decided to sell her the land to build on, but would she need a realtor for that?
When I didn’t say anything, she rolled her eyes. “Two houses away from yours.”
I tilted my head. “They sold you land to build on? Why didn’t they tell us? This is awesome.”
She looked confused for a moment but then started laughing. “No, not that house, the one Mark bought for you. So long as you don’t have any wild orgies, we can lend each other cups of sugar.”
“Oh,” Cyn sighed, “that’s a good boundary to establish this early. You don’t want to borrow sugar if orgies or shit are happening in a house. You never know if it’s been played with or involved in dick dipping or something.”
Both Sayla and I stared at her.
Cyn looked between us. “What?”
“Dick dipping?” I choked out. “What the hell is that?”
She got up onto her knees and motioned with her pelvis like she was pushing it toward something. “You know, like when you have one of those lollipop and sherbet dipping bags. You suck on the lolly and—”
“Now, this conversation sounds interesting,” a deep voice said behind me. When Cyn just gaped at him, her cheeks turning dark red, I turned around to see who it was. Kapono. “Please, don’t let me stop you.”
Another voice spoke from Sayla’s direction, and when I turned back, Roque was now standing behind her. Where had they come from? They moved like freaking ghost ninjas.
“I was enjoying the conversation, too. What do you think, Sayla?”
My friend stayed silent and didn’t turn around, and I gave her a mental high five for her strength.
“Sayla?” he pressed, staring at the back of her head like he was willing her to turn around.
Instead, she stretched her legs out in front of her and hummed, “Hmm?”
Crouching down behind her, he leaned in until his lips were next to her ear. “What did you think of what Cyn was saying?”
She turned her head only slightly and gave him a bored look. “That it was a private conversation that didn’t involve you.”
Well, hell!
Cyn kept her attention off Kapono, but I could see both women were close to cracking, they were that tense.
“Hey, are we still going out on Friday?”
I’d booked a week off for my birthday ages ago, and I was starting it with a night out with the girls. Last weeks had been canceled due to Wick having a heavy cold, so celebrating both mine and Cyn’s birthdays at the same time seemed like a great idea.
We also didn’t have the night out planned for Friday, it was on Saturday, but I was hoping to distract the guys, and if they planned to turn up, we wouldn’t be there. I could be a good friend. If they wanted the guys to come, they could correct me and say where we were going.
Sometimes, I was so brilliant I scared myself.
Neither of them corrected me, though. Curses!
Sayla got up slowly and stretched. “I’m looking forward to it. What about you, Cyn?”
My other friend got up and then helped me up, too. “Yep. It’ll be a blast.”
I’d just turned to pick up my phone, so I saw Kapono frown at her. “What about Wick? Who’s looking after him?”
“Ah, he’ll be five in just under five months. I’m sure he can look after himself if I leave some food and water out for him.” Smiling at us, she waved her hand.
“I’ll catch you all later and then see you again….” She stopped and looked at her watch, which she’d been holding this whole time. “Today’s Friday, duh! Well, I’ll go home, do adult stuff like shower and get ready, then I’ll see you tonight. Later, gators!”
Kapono twisted to watch her as she walked away. “One of these days, I’m going to spank her ass.”
I burst out laughing and patted him on the back. “Good luck with that one. Cyn was telling us how she has a pair of shoes with spikes on the toe that she wasn’t afraid to use on someone.”
“Sounds like a threat to me, Kapono. What about you?” Roque murmured, getting a nod of confirmation from his colleague. “Might want to go and check them out and warn her about the consequences of assaulting someone.”
Sayla spun around and pointed her finger in his face. “You’re a big fat bully. Leave her alone.”
Roque looked from the finger to her face. “Wanna get that digit out my face, babe?”
“Wanna get out of my personal space, babe ?” she shot back sarcastically.
Maybe I should bring popcorn to the gym with me in the future?
Instead of backing up, he leaned in farther until his nose was about two inches away from Sayla’s face. “One of these days, baby, you and me are going to sit down and talk.”
Her lip curled, but she kept eye contact with him. “Nah, never going to happen. I hope you and my neighbor are happy together, though. Thankfully, the neighbor at my new place is hot and male, so you keep doing your thing, I’ll keep doing mine.”
His eye twitched slightly. “Your new place?”
“That’s right, with a sexy male neighbor to keep me entertained. Isn’t that right, Layla?”
I was such a good friend that I played along with it and lied out of my ass to the police. Then again, Mark was technically her neighbor two doors away, and he was sexy and male, so was it actually a lie?
“Yup, we just saw him earlier.” Not a lie. “You’re a lucky girl.” Also, not a lie.
Grabbing my hand, Sayla tugged me toward the locker rooms. “Anyway, catch you later.”
Not looking back, we went through the doors, and I about collapsed onto my knees once the door shut behind us.
“What the shit was that?” Cyn asked from where she’d done the same thing. “Where did they come from?”
“That’s what I was wondering, but then I realized they’re probably ghost ninjas,” I told her, shaking my hands out from where I’d had them tightly clenched.
Sayla was glaring at the door, though, her emotions still registering as extremely pissed on the pissed off scale. “The audacity of that guy. Who did he think he was going past the finger of scorn like that?”
Cyn and I looked at each other, and both burst out laughing.
“I use the finger of scorn on Wick,” Cyn snickered. “When he was a baby, he used to suck on it and smile at me. The mental image of Roque doing the same thing—” She stopped and fanned herself. “Okay, not so funny, but definitely hot.”
I’d just like to point out that had I been at home, eating Pop Tarts and drinking coffee like I’d suggested we do instead of coming to the gym every week, none of this stress would ever have happened.
Now tell me how healthy this place was.