Chapter 3
“Idon’t need a fucking tour, Avery,” I snap at the man next to me, just trying to stop his incessant chatter.
My attitude, as usual, doesn’t faze him in the least. “I know, man. I just…you’ve been gone for over two months, and a lot has changed down here.”
I know he’s not about to bring up the fact that I spent those two months searching the globe for my son when, in reality, the kid was shacked up right here on Faraday the whole time.
“It looks great.” I try to bring us back to safer territory. I don’t want another ruined morning thinking about Ainsley and what I’m going to do next.
I want to bask in the afterglow of last night.
That girl—woman, excuse me—was a goddamn delight.
The sight of her falling to her knees before me with that surprised and bashful look on her face. Getting to see the tough act fall to pieces as she practically begged for my next command.
Fucking hell.
None of that was acting.
You can’t make that shit up.
I know I have to file the whole experience, and the woman, in the never happening again drawer, but I’m not ready to do that just yet.
I’m allowing her to live in a dangerous part of my brain for a dangerously long time.
Longer than I’ve ever let anyone linger there before.
“Looks like a class is getting ready to start. Do you want to join?”
With a sigh, I leave my daydream and turn to Avery with a glower. “I thought we came down here to work out in the new facility.”
“The new group fitness program is a huge part of the grand opening for next week. We could check it out.”
“What’s the class?”
Avery squints at the schedule. “Pilates.”
“Pilates?” I’ve heard of it, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t involve barbells and heavy reps, so I’ve never taken a closer look.
We step aside to allow another small group of women to enter the studio, closing the door behind them.
“Yeah. It’s like yoga or something.”
“I don’t do yoga.”
“Fran says it’s like yoga but harder.”
Another group of tall, fit women in pastel leggings and matching sports bras pass us to enter the room.
Once the door closes behind them, I turn back to Avery with an unconvinced look. “How hard could it be, Ave, if these are the people taking the class?”
He laughs and claps me on the shoulder, already reaching for the handle as if I agreed to attend. “Exactly, man. Let’s just go in there and kick some Pilates ass, and then we’ll get brunch.”
He’s already halfway through the door, holding it open for me. I huff and follow him into the studio.
The room is gorgeous.
This is what I really came down here to see, and it’s worth whatever fluffy class we have to sit through to get to experience it.
When I was here last, this was just framed out plywood, awaiting sheetrock. Now it’s a glowing white and oak fitness studio, splashed with bright tropical colors in the form of jewel toned workout mats and hanging pendant lights. One full wall is mirrors, and there is a thin wooden bar railing across the opposite wall.
Directly in front of us is a large, two door closet where women line up to grab mats, resistance bands, and inflatable balls.
What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?
“Doesn’t it look great?” Avery is asking from beside me as we wait our turn.
“It does. The space really came together.”
The man puffs up like a rooster, pride written across his face. I shake my head and look away. While it’s true that this was his little pet project over the last year, I had as much say in all of it as he did.
The last woman ahead of us takes a seafoam green mat from an outstretched hand inside the closet, and we step to the front of the line.
“Okay…” the woman in the closet says, her back to us, as she pulls two more mats out of the shadowy corner. “We’re starting to get full, but I think there’s still enough?—”
She stops dead as she faces us, two fuchsia mats in her arms.
Well, if it isn’t Victoria, the lovely, dirty talking, cock-sucking woman from last night.
Her shoulder length black hair glimmers under the fluorescent lighting, perfectly framing her slender face. Those big green eyes pierce through me with the same intensity I remember from less than twelve hours before.
When she was mine.
“Room for two more.” She recovers quickly, although her color doesn”t return.
She passes the mats to Avery, not meeting my eyes.
He heads out to find a spot on the floor, not picking up on the energy in this closet, but I stay exactly where I am.
Victoria, to her credit, continues handing me workout equipment like I didn’t just give her the shock of her life.
“Bands and…balls.” She piles the items into my outstretched arms and then finally looks at me.
Our eyes lock for a long moment.
“Okay, that should be all you need,” she says finally.
“That’s it?”
“Yup, a mat, a band?—”
“No, Vic. I mean, that’s all you have to say to me? Not a good morning or anything?”
“I…I wasn’t sure you would want me to acknowledge…you know.” A blush hits her cheeks, and she looks at the floor once more.
“And what do you want?” I ask directly.
Those emerald eyes, the ones I was just fantasizing about shining up at me from her knees as she takes my cock between those sweet lips, finally meet mine.
I feel the request before I hear it.
“I want my first class at this fancy resort fitness center to go well.”
I give a nod and turn to join Avery.
“But we can…we can get coffee after class.”
I turn back to her, allowing the surprise from her statement to flash across my face.
“I mean, if you wanted to give me feedback about the class, or whatever.”
I don’t know why I’m so surprised that the woman who had the balls to pick me up at the bar last night is now asking me out for coffee, but something about her bravery really hits a note.
“Yeah. That seems appropriate.”
She flushes a darker shade of red, and I smile at the effect I seem to have on her. And thank the fucking stars the effect she’s having on me isn’t painted across my cheeks.
Or tenting my workout shorts.
Speaking of which, I need to get the fuck out of here before that happens.
Avery has our two pink mats laid out side-by-side and is chatting up a whole circle of rich-looking fitness ladies.
“There he is. Did you get our balls?”
I restrain myself from throwing one straight at his head.
“Rebecca and Samantha here were just telling me that this is their third class in the studio. They took spin yesterday and yoga earlier this morning.”
“The studio is beautiful,” one of the women gushes at me. “We’ve been looking forward to Pilates, though. It’s my favorite class back in the States and this teacher must be amazing if they hired her to teach here.”
My eyes dart to the front of the room where Victoria, dressed in skintight Lycra, is messing with her phone.
A sudden blast of music makes us all jump. Victoria jumps right along with us and then laughs. Once she has the volume down to a reasonable level, she turns to us, her smile bright.
“Welcome everyone. It’s so nice to see so many faces out there for my first class.”
The women around us return her greeting.
“Good morning.” I follow suit, but it’s too late and my deep voice rings out alone through the studio.
After a brief, but painfully awkward pause, Victoria recovers. “As you know, we are here for a mat Pilates class. Can I see some hands for people who have done Pilates before?”
All the women eagerly raise their hands.
“And first timers?”
Avery raises his hand, and after a moment, I do the same.
“Okay, a couple of newbies. Well, we’ll try not to break you.”
The women all laugh and exchange knowing looks.
I nearly take a page from my son’s book and answer with an eye roll, but I catch myself just in time.
Whatever these half naked women can do, I can do.
After an hour of trying not to get caught staring at Victoria’s ass as she leads us through a series of grueling movements, I am fully and completely broken.
I may never walk normally again.
The movements were so tiny, and there was no added weight at all, but here I am, forcing a smile as we wipe down our mats and roll them up to place back in the closet.
I can feel muscles in my core and hip flexors that I didn”t even know existed.
I briefly consider the possibility that I might die in my sleep tonight, my poor, aching body succumbing to the pain and throwing in the towel.
“What the fuck did she just do to us, man?” Avery hisses at me as we reach the front of the line to set our mats back in the closet.
“Just keep it together until we get out of here.”
He huffs a laugh but says nothing.
I briefly catch Victoria’s eye as we slink out the studio door, the intensity of her gaze zapping my last remaining reserve.
Terminally sore and desperately horny.
It’s not a combination I have much experience with.
We collapse onto a bench in the locker room, mercifully alone.
“That was some fucked up shit.”
I laugh at the way Avery can sum things up so perfectly. “Yeah.”
“I mean, she was like, hold the ball between your knees and tilt your pelvis, and I was like—hell, I’ll pretend I’m fucking Franny, but I couldn’t even pretend. It was so hard, I could barely even do it.”
I shake my head and huff out another laugh.
“And who knew we’d been doing planks wrong all these years? Jesus, when she came over and tucked my hips, I thought my arms were going to buckle and send me onto my face.”
The memory of Victoria putting her hands on Avery is not my favorite one from the class. I know he’s a committed man these days, but still. The rush of jealousy and possessiveness I felt in that moment caught me off guard. And I can still feel it hovering just inside my ribcage.
“We’ve been doing wimp planks our whole lives. And those chicks?” He breaks off, shaking his head. “Those chicks are hardcore. They just did all that shit and didn’t even complain once.”
“It was a humbling experience.”
Avery laughs. “That’s all you have to say about it?”
“I’m not going to be able to walk tomorrow.”
“That’s for sure. Want to grab brunch? I thought I would need to change, but I’m not really all that sweaty. Which is odd considering the fucking ordeal I just went through.”
I glance down at my own shirt, which is also free of sweat.
Interesting.
“No, I’m getting coffee with the instructor.”
I could not have surprised Avery more if I sucker punched him right in the face.
“You what?”
“Coffee. Pilates Teacher. Me.”
“Wha—why?”
“She wanted to meet up after class to see if I had any thoughts or suggestions.”
“Wait, so she asked you out?”
I nod. “You didn’t think I asked her, did you?”
“No, of course not. It’s just…I’m not sure what to do with this information.”
“You can take it and leave.”
Avery laughs, clapping me on the shoulder. “Sure thing, man. Have fun. Be nice, okay? That chick is hot, and no doubt hardcore as fuck if that’s her jam, but she’s young. Probably…you know…still building confidence in herself. Still figuring life out and whatnot. Be nice.”
“I’ll be fair.”
“Ben, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to find a great Pilates teacher willing to move all the way out here.”
“I said I’d be fair.”
“And I asked you to be nice.”
“Fine. I’ll be nice.”
My tone apparently does nothing to convince him. “Where are you meeting her?”
“So you can surprise us by joining? Nice try.”
“I’ll bring Fran. We can all talk about the class and what a great job?—”
“See you later.”
I exit the dressing room with him still calling after me.