Chapter Twenty-Seven
Hayes
“P ut your thighs into your swing,” I tell Olivia in the boxing ring.
It’s been three days since I told her about her mom and as much as I hated to tell her the truth, she needed to know.
Ashton has taken too much from her; she needed to know what really happened.
“That’s it. Imagine the bag is Frances,” I hype her up.
She had her cry and her pity party the remainder of the day after the news, but the next morning, she got up ready to go.
I have never met a woman with so much strength and determination; other than my mother. Knowing now what she went through losing her sister, yet I never knew, says everything I need to know about the woman she was.
And my father? I had respect for the man before but now, he is and will forever be my hero.
After finding Olivia in the alley with Dante and his men, I decided she needed a little more training before we try to take Ashton down.
She needs to know how to fight and that I won’t always be around to protect her.
Thankfully, boxing is one of my favorite pastimes, and I have my own gym and boxing ring in the basement of Club Rose. That’s where we are now.
Olivia does a right jab and then upper cut. I smile, watching her enjoying her training. We have been down here for about thirty minutes now and sweat is beading down her body; honestly, making me hornier than I already was before we got here seeing her that way.
“Will you stop,” she snarls.
“Stop what?” I ask, intrigued, with an eyebrow raise.
She gives a few punches on the punching bag, “Stop looking at me like you’ve seen me naked.”
I grin, walking over to the bag and grabbing it to steady it, “But I did see you naked this morning and I see you sweaty now. It pains me that I am not the one making you sweat like that.”
She grumbles and punches the bag only missing my head by an inch or less and I laugh, “Oh, don’t tell me you aren’t turned on too. Your blood’s pumping while you work out. I bet it is making that little sensitive area of yours throb,” I joke.
Olivia steps back from the bag and does a big kick, rocking the bag so hard it hits me, knocking me to the ground. “What, all talk and no bite big guy?” she says, testing me.
“You’ve done it now.” I tell her while running toward her and grabbing her around the waist, spinning her around, I stop suddenly, realizing we are not alone.
“Oh, sorry. I’ll come back later.” Ellie says.
“No, its okay,” Olivia says, getting out of my hold and I notice Ellie holds a stare down on Olivia.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
Ellie remembers I am in the room and looks at me with a big grin and says, “Just wanted to let you know, Mr Ricci, that I am putting in my two-week notice.”
I stand up straight. “Okay. May I ask why?”
She turns to walk out and says, “Found somewhere else that pays better.” And with that she leaves.
I turn to Olivia to grab her again and she puts up a hand stopping me. “Who pays better than you?”
“Who cares?” I say while waving Ellie off. “She will be back. She does this every couple of months trying to get a pay raise.” I never give in and eventually she comes back.
“Oh, okay,” she starts. “Speaking of job, can I start back again?”
I shake my head no. “Not until we know you aren’t in danger anymore. Ashton knows you are with me. I’m expecting to hear from him soon with a counter offer to try to get you back.”
She stops and her eyes widen, “What?”
“Don’t worry, I have a plan.” I say, trying to grab her again, but she stops me.
“And when were you going to debrief me?”
“I guess now,” I chuckle. By the right hook she gave me, I am guessing she did not think it was as funny as I did.