Chapter 9 #2
I nod. “It’s okay. Man periods are hard to handle sometimes. You get all up in your feelings, and it’s . . . just . . . so . . . much . . . to . . . handle.” I stagger the words out emotionally, feigning snorting tears.
“Asshole. Get outta here before I change my mind.”
Not needing to be told twice, I head toward the showers. But I take the long way, the very long way that takes me right past the studio.
How did I not know that Courtney’s had a thing for me? Ross said it like it was common knowledge. But if it’s my job to know everything, how could I have missed this?
My eyes are immediately drawn to Courtney, and I’m seeing her in a whole new light. I wonder, does she know how she smiles when she dances, how carefree she looks when she stops trying so hard to do everything right and lets the music just flow through her body?
I’ve known for a long time that she was gorgeous, but the idea that she might have been interested in me the whole time blows my mind.
Prying myself away, I feel like I’m in deeper trouble than ever.
Making my way to the locker room, I hear an intense grunt before a tremendous thunk-boom reverberates through the room. Curious, I go outside to see which strongman is chucking the sledgehammers at the wall, but I find Kayla instead, heaving a double-bit axe over her head and letting it fly again.
“You tryin’ to chop the gym down, Lumberjack Jane?” I joke dryly as the axe embeds itself a good half-inch deep in the target. “Could’ve sworn I’ve heard you telling people that it’s about control, not just flinging the thing.”
Kayla goes over to the target and yanks her axe out with another grunt and gives me a grin.
“Please. If you think that’s flinging, you don’t know the first thing about axe throwing.
Oh, wait . . . that’s right, that’s why you hired me.
You don’t know anything about axe throwing. Want me to show ya?”
She gives me that dimpled grin, tossing the axe blade up into the air and catching it cleanly without so much as a glance. How does she make sweet and innocent look so murderous?
“Another time. I’m basically walking, talking overdone noodles at this point.” I wiggle my arms like jellyfish tentacles.
AJ walks up, laying a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Feeling the burn, Boss? You and Ross were going at it hard. I’m impressed.”
I smile at the compliment, not admitting that right now his hand on my shoulder is nearly enough to take me to the floor easily.
“Some folks are so easy to impress.” Kayla’s snark is bordering on obnoxious.
AJ responds by taking his hand off my shoulder and resting his forearm on Kayla’s head. She ducks out from underneath instantly. “Ugh, did you roll around in a sweat lodge filled with skunks? You reek!”
AJ sniffs his own pits loudly, nose buried against the Dri-fit material. “Ahh. Nope, that’s all man, baby. You forget what one of those smells like from teaching all those hipster guys in designer flannels how to throw an axe because their daddies never taught them to throw a baseball?”
Kayla is about to spout off with a humdinger of a comeback, but AJ’s eyes have jumped past her. Kayla and I naturally follow his gaze.
Missy is sauntering this way, hips bumping left and right in a strut that puts Jessica Rabbit to shame. Her eyes are missile-locked, a blatant beg of ‘fuck me’.
“Hey, Kaede! Can you help me with some TRX strap work?” she purrs.
“I’m hitting the shower, but AJ can.” I volunteer him as tribute, not wanting to spend even a second alone with Missy. Especially not until I talk to Courtney and we get our story straight. First rule of battle? Don’t go in unprepared.
AJ stutters, “Y–yeah. I can help you.” He guides Missy away, though she throws a raised brow back at me over her shoulder. I think she was trying to catch me looking at her ass, which is damn near hanging out of the bottom of her shorts. But I have zero interest in her ass or assets.
“Oh, great . . . there goes the blood to his secondary brain,” Kayla groans as AJ watches Missy start stretching out.
“That is so not safe,” Kayla complains as Missy turns the multi-strapped rig into something out of Fifty Shades of Grey, having AJ ‘spot’ her.
She’s got one foot in each loop of the setup, spreading her legs wide in a V that basically invites the whole floor into her pussy.
It’s an actual exercise, I’ll give her that, and AJ is cueing her properly, but does she have to do it porn-star style with fake orgasm faces and moans?
“I’m out of here before he jizzes in his shorts,” Kayla complains, and I have to lift an eyebrow. Kayla sounds jealous, or pissed, or maybe flat-out territorial.
“Not on my shortlist of Things I Want To See either. Catch you tomorrow?”
She doesn’t answer, turning back to the throwing alley. With a quick thunk, she hits another bullseye and stomps down to retrieve it like a pissed off evil fairy. I consider following to make sure she’s okay but decide I don’t want to get between her and her target.
Shower, it is.