Chapter 11 Jessiah
When the door opened again, I was expecting to see Helena in one of those getups that people like her wear to the gym—bright, expensive, and completely unsuitable for martial arts.
But she surprised me. She came out of the changing area wearing black gym pants and a tight black top that crisscrossed in the back and ended just under the rib cage.
My gaze wandered down to her toned stomach and the hip bones just visible over the top of her low-waisted pants, and for a moment I forgot what I was about to say.
In an evening dress, Helena had been staggeringly beautiful, but dressed like this, she was just really freaking hot.
It was undeniable—no matter her last name, or how snitty she could be.
“Ready,” she said, fixing me with the look—part irritation, part belligerence—that she’d worn since we’d met at the reception last week.
I nodded and took a breath. “Good. Let’s go.”
I’d only intended to have a go at a punching ball today, maybe do a couple of practice rounds with one of the other guys, but Demi had asked me to show a potential new member around the club as soon as I walked in the door—and Demi was a friend, so I’d agreed.
How was I supposed to know that the potential new member was Valerie’s little sister, of all people, who’d clearly decided to act the bad girl and try martial arts.
I’d have been less surprised to see the Queen of England walk through the door of Tough Rock than Helena Weston.
I hadn’t forgotten what she’d said about my not being there when Adam died—but I also hadn’t forgotten that furious spark in her eyes that exercised me in more ways than one. Maybe that was the reason I didn’t simply turn around and let her get on with it by herself.
“The training rooms are over here, separate ones for group classes and competition fighters… back there is the break room.” I pointed to a gray door at the end of the hall.
“Over there is the storeroom, where you’ll find all the equipment you need for various kinds of martial arts.
What did you sign up for?” Rafe taught different disciplines, so I couldn’t be sure.
“A class in none of your business,” Helena said, leaving me in no doubt that she didn’t want to talk. As if I wasn’t already aware. I mean, she’d made it abundantly clear what she thought of me the last time we met.
“Suit yourself.” I shrugged. “Did you know, by the way, that it’s illegal to enroll somewhere under a false name?”
I saw fear in Helena’s bright eyes for just a second.
Then her pride returned. “Go on, then, blow the whistle on me. Maybe there’s a TV channel you can sell the story to.
” She lowered her voice to imitate me: “I caught Helena Weston signing up to a gym with a fake name so she could hide the fact she’s learning Krav Maga for self-defense from her parents. Such a scandal.”
“That’s why you’re here?” I asked, skeptical. “Why do you want to learn self-defense? Just ask Daddy to get you a bodyguard. I’m sure you’d end up with a whole troupe of them just dying to take a bullet for you.”
There it was again, that ice-blue spark. “You ever think maybe that’s exactly what I don’t want?” The way she said it evoked some kind of response from deep within me. Just like the look in her eyes at the award ceremony. I pushed the feeling aside.
“So you want to shed your Upper East Side princess image?” I asked smugly, trying to cover up the fact that it had happened again.
I didn’t want to feel anything of the sort.
And certainly not for her. “How admirable… pretty pointless, though. What is it they say? You can take the girl out of Park Avenue, but you can’t take Park Avenue out of the girl? ”
Her eyes narrowed. “So that’s what you think? That I’m a princess?”
“What else?” She was the daughter of one of the most powerful families in the city, lived in the most expensive building east of Central Park, and was the sister of a—if not the—former queen of New York City’s elite rich kids.
At the thought of Valerie, I felt anger rising in me again.
Only, just then, it didn’t extend to Helena.
“Well, it clearly didn’t stop you from following me out of the Rainbow Room.” She tilted her head to one side. “Why did you do that, anyway?”
“I had no idea who you were,” I said defensively.
“You don’t know who I am now, either,” she shot back, raising her chin. “And it doesn’t answer my question.”
You looked like someone should ask you if you needed help, I thought. And I thought I saw something in your eyes that I feel, too. But I didn’t say any of that.
“I thought you were pretty,” I told her instead. “And I had no plans for the rest of the night.”
Helena laughed out loud. “I don’t know what’s more offensive—the fact that you take me for a typical society princess, or that you seriously thought I’d sleep with you. I would never, even if you hadn’t gone on camera and publicly blamed my sister for your brother’s death.”
I knew exactly what she was talking about.
After Adam died, my mother had processed her grief in her own way: she’d done the rounds of all the talk shows, making sure no one was left in any doubt about the fact that my brother would still be alive if he hadn’t fallen for Valerie.
She’d also goaded several of Adam’s friends—and me—into doing the same thing.
I’d refused to speak in public, though, about such a horrific loss—except for that one time, about a month after Adam’s funeral, when a bunch of reporters had lain in wait for me at night.
They’d hassled me, pressured me, tried over and over to get a rise out of me, with no let-up.
Finally, I’d exploded. My tirade about Valerie reached more than a million views on YouTube before it was deleted.
Of course Helena had seen it. And of course she hated me for it.
“No problem,” I said coolly. “I promise never to ask you again if you’re okay.”
“Well, that’s the first sensible thing you’ve said today,” she shot back caustically. “So where’s this warm-up room? I should get started.”
“Here.” I went to an open door that led into a small room with wall bars and floor mats. “Maybe get yourself a rope and do jumps for a few minutes. And you should stretch as well, so you don’t pull anything.”
“Like I said,” she parried, “I can manage.” With that she grabbed a rope and began to jump with fast, experienced strokes.
Okay, so it didn’t look like she was going to strangle herself by accident. High time I got out of there.
“All good with you guys?” Of course Demi turned up just as I wanted to leave.
“Rafe needs a bit longer, unfortunately; Tim’s injured himself, and we’re waiting for the doc.
I’m really sorry your first session with us has been so chaotic, Helen.
But Jess could do the basic program in his sleep—he can take over until Rafe arrives. ” And then she was gone.
“Sure, Jess would love to,” I muttered. My plan for this evening had been to work out for a bit, then maybe grab a bite with Demi and Simon. Playing trainer for a beginner who couldn’t stand me had not been part of the program.
Helena put the rope aside and placed her hands on her hips, suddenly not looking quite so repulsed as she had a minute ago; there was provocation in her eyes again now.
“Come on, then. Show me the basic program, Jess.” She stressed my nickname, like she’d decided to stoop to it just this once. “Or maybe we should get right into something more advanced. You know we high-society princesses like to get special treatment.”
“Sure you want to?” I asked. “It might hurt.”
“Oh, so you’ve finally stopped acting the gentleman. It didn’t suit you anyway.” She went to the middle of the mat and waved me over.
I shrugged my shoulders, accepting her challenge. “Okay, let’s try a front kick sweep, then.” That should take her down a peg or two. “Ready?”
“Always.”
Without a word I took Helena by the shoulder, stepped behind her, and, in a swift movement, took the legs out from under her.
But before she could fall to the mat, I slipped my arm behind her back and caught her, suddenly close enough to notice that her blue eyes were flecked with brown, and her nose had a faint sprinkling of freckles.
“You win that one,” she gasped, and a shiver ran down my back at the thought of what else that sound reminded me of. My God, what was the power this girl had over me? She was precisely everything I didn’t want, all rolled into one.
I pulled her up so she was steady on her feet again, let go, and was just thinking of something patronizing to say when she dropped into a crouch. Suddenly, I was hit full force in the back of the knees—and one second later I crashed onto the mat, flat on my back.
“Fuck,” I exclaimed, once I could breathe again. Had she just…?
Helena had a triumphant smile on her face as she leaned over me, resting her hands on her thighs. “Did I do that right?” she asked innocently.
“You’re not a beginner at all, are you?” It was less a question than a statement. She’d planned this the whole time. She’d been planning it since the moment Demi had asked me to show her a few moves.
“No,” she said, grinning. “I’m not.”
I waited for her to say something else snarky, but then she reached out a hand to help me to my feet.
It was even more of an insult, and she knew it.
Still, I grabbed her hand—but I didn’t let her pull me up.
Instead, I took advantage of the fact that I was significantly stronger than her and pulled her down.
I’d planned for her to fall on the mat next to me, but she twisted her hips instinctively inward to break her fall.
And landed directly on top of me instead.