Chapter 4
FOUR
MACHINE
By the time Kade arrived, Evelyn had single-handedly resolved the cyberattack. At first, he ripped her and Lennie a new one for failing to follow protocol. He changed his tune when he learned that client files were almost leaked, not to mention more dangerous information nearly being discovered.
Now we were walking through the industrial-chic building of Dominos, trying to get back into Evelyn’s good graces.
Dominos was an elite gym for an elite clientele, and was also where my best friend’s hot obsession worked.
I was excited to finally meet the “badass” in charge of all the martial arts and self-defense classes.
Kade had told me enough about the chick, and I was dying to meet her.
After swiping our day passes, we headed to the weights room where we were greeted by one of the most breathtaking women I had ever seen.
Skin-tight navy-blue yoga pants covered her long legs, and a matching sports bra showed a hint of her peaked nipples. A high ponytail of blonde hair revealed her slender, tan neck. Her body was sculpted to perfection.
“Oh, hi Mr. Romano, nice to see you again,” she said with a beaming smile while holding out her hand.
Kade gave her a smile in return. I knew that smile. It was one that many women had fallen for.
“Nice to see you again, but please call me Kade,” he responded, shaking her hand.
“And you are?” she asked, looking at me.
I shot out my hand and said the first thing that came to mind. “Friends call me Machine. But you can call me anytime.” I gave her a wink for good measure. Women typically enjoyed my cheesy pickup lines. Judging by the look she gave me, she was immune to my charm. “What is your name, gorgeous?”
Out of my periphery, I saw Kade pinch the bridge of his nose. The blonde beauty rolled her eyes.
“Call me Badger.”
I would do no such thing. I took in her soft features and noted how innocent she looked. Like a bunny, not a brutish badger. My brows knitted together, and just as I was about to speak again, I felt Kade’s hand smack against my chest.
“Ignore him, Badger, I think he was dropped on his head too many times.”
I noticed Evelyn in the corner, chatting with some other women. Her smile faded to a scowl as she noticed us, and she crossed her arms as she walked over.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Just came to visit Badger here for one of her killer workouts,” Kade responded, giving her one of his signature smiles.
The guy was laying it on thick today. When I couldn’t take the awkward tension any longer, I butted in.
“He’s just sucking up because the new girl caught a cyberattack before him,” I joked.
Evelyn rolled her eyes before walking past us to Badger, who was now at the front of the room as people gathered for the class. Badger whispered something to her before giving fist bumps to the attendees.
“Alright, guys, line up,” Badger yelled, clapping her hands once.
All the side chatter abruptly stopped. “Now, in today's class we will be focusing on hand-to-hand combat, specifically getting out of difficult scenarios. We’ll pair up and practice getting out of different holds. Do I have a volunteer to spar with me?”
I raised my hand without thinking, needing another shot at talking to the beauty before me.
The other attendees kept their hands lowered and avoided eye contact with her.
Badger looked at me and placed her hands on her hips before she rolled her eyes.
My skin felt hot as I thought about the punishment I would give her for the disrespect; I’d have her eyes rolling for a different reason.
“C’mon, Tool. I mean Machine,” she said smoothly, emphasizing the new nickname.
I glared at my so-called best friend as a laugh escaped his lips before I walked over to Badger.
The defined lines of Badger’s muscles left no doubt that she could hold her own, but I easily had eighty pounds of muscle on her.
I joined her at the front of the class, towering over her.
The class looked at me with apprehension.
What was their problem? It's not like Badger was going to hurt me.
“C’mon, Bunny, give me your worst,” I teased, adding a wink for good measure.
That was when I should have known that I had fucked up.
Badger’s nostrils flared at the use of a wrong version of her name, and she charged me.
She lowered her shoulder, and before I knew what was happening, she swiftly flipped me over her, slamming me onto the mat.
I lay on the padded floor, shocked. I wheezed as I tried to catch my breath.
As I looked over, Badger gave me a stunning, triumphant smile before turning to face the class.
“Alright, guys, pair up. Oh, come on, Machine, I barely threw you.” She squatted down next to me and patted my chest. Her touch sent a shock through my system, making me lose my breath all over again. “Maybe next time you won’t call me Bunny.”
She gave me a sickly-sweet smile that told me what she was not to be fucked with. The look sent a shot of lust to my cock. Not now, buddy. Not in front of all these people. I gave her a sly smile in return, but kept my mouth closed while I struggled to regain my breath.
Badger turned to face the group once more, explaining the next objective. I stood up and got behind Badger, loving the sweet melon scent that wafted into my nostrils from her hair. The objective of the first position was to get out of a chokehold from behind.
“Try and get out of this,” I teased into her ear.
I didn’t need to see her face to know that I had struck a nerve. I wrapped my hand around her throat, and before I knew it, I was on the ground. Again.
Move after move, this chick was somehow getting the upper hand on me. I was the second-in-command to the Mafia, how the fuck was she able to do this? After the fourth take down, I was pissed and ready to show her who I was.
We switched positions so I was on the defensive. It didn’t seem like a realistic scenario given how small she was compared to me. I wasn’t expecting her to be as strong as she was. She gripped my throat effortlessly and began to squeeze.
“Give me your worst, Hammer,” Badger teased.
I practiced the maneuver with ease and flipped her onto the ground. She let out a soft grunt as I landed on top of her. I stared into her gorgeous blue eyes, and while I was distracted, she flipped us so she was straddling my lap.
Oh, for fuck’s sake, down boy, down! I internally yelled at my hardening cock.
Badger raised her brows in realization of what was happening before scoffing and standing up.
I stood behind her and adjusted myself as inconspicuously as possible.
Thankfully, everyone was already in position, so no one seemed to notice the tent in my gym shorts.
I massaged my tailbone as Badger walked around the room, inspecting everyone’s form.
I focused my gaze on Kade, who was on top of Evelyn.
It seemed like he was coaching her. In the blink of an eye, Evelyn flipped Kade over and pinned him to the ground, straddling his chest and holding his arms down.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at my best friend’s expression of shock.
A smug look spread on my face when I could tell that the pair was stuck in their own world, forgetting where they were.
“Kade, new girl can kick some ass, aye, bud? Probably a good idea not to piss her off at the office.” I called.
The class chuckled as my best friend closed his eyes and sighed. “Shut up, Machine. Badger has been showing you your maker this entire class.”
I rolled my eyes and ignored the laughter.
Several more positions were demonstrated to the class at my expense. I hadn’t been this sore for a long time, even though I sparred Kade daily. I could see why they called her Badger. She was lethal. Her footwork and movements were a sight to behold.
After the class had finished, Badger walked over to a fridge, grabbed two waters, and walked back over to me. She held out a bottle. I looked at her, confused, before taking it.
“Good job today, Screwdriver,” she said, holding back a laugh. “Don’t forget to ice that ego of yours.”
I rolled my eyes and walked over to my bag, waiting for Kade to finish up. I limped out to the SUV, rubbing my lower back.
“Fuck man, I think I broke my ass bone!” I complained.
Kade laughed. “Quit your bitchin’. You did this to yourself by antagonizing her.” He clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Maybe you’ll think before you speak next time.”
I repeated what he said in a mocking tone before getting into my Durango.