Chapter LEXI
LEXI
Even though the necklace was apparently finished strangling her, it was difficult for her to breathe.
Blinking, she broke from the trance his eyes had her in and pushed him back.
Lexi took deep breaths, still staving off the panic attack.
She thought she mumbled ‘I’m fine’ before turning away from them both to swipe her water bottle off the front counter.
Chugging her water, she didn’t notice Eddie and Grayson having a staredown.
Lexi should have guessed Eddie would run over. Since Eddie had been one of her first friends that had stuck around into their twenties, as well as her first employee, she didn’t think there was anyone who knew her better.
Seeing her pinned against a wall in a panic would set him right on edge, especially since he’d made no secret about being worried about her recently.
He knew about her claustrophobia, and most of the story where it started.
She’d never told anyone everything, but for her, Eddie was as close as she got to a best friend.
So she met his eyes and nodded, putting a hand up for him to ease back.
She was okay. Well, no, she wasn’t, but she would be.
Even when Grayson had finally gotten the damn necklace off, it had been difficult for her to breathe. Going back to a four-count breath, one, two, three, in; three, two, one, out, she turned back to both men.
Eddie looked pissed, while Grayson was calmly passing her necklace from hand to hand.
“I’m fine. Eddie.”
He snapped his head towards her.
“I’m fine,” she repeated and looked at Grayson. “Come with me.”
She held out her hand for the necklace and tossed it in a drawer behind the desk without looking at it.
“Thanks,” she said shortly, striding ahead of him across the mats.
He raised his eyebrows. “I need a few minutes to get out of this panic attack, and I’ll meet you at the ring if you want to warm up first.” She stopped at a treadmill and jumped on, hitting the Quick Start button.
He hit the emergency stop before the treadmill could really get going and said, “Look at me.”
She looked, waiting for him to leave so she could freak out like she needed to.
“I don’t know what just happened, and maybe I don’t need to. But I do need to know if you’re okay.”
“I’ll be fine,” she got out with gritted teeth. She’d be fine if she could just run, dammit. “I’ll be great as soon as we’re not standing around talking about it.”
He stared at her for a second, eyes going down to where she felt the stinging at her neck. She’d probably scratched herself. It wasn’t the first time.
Grayson nodded, stepped back a bit, and asked, “What am I doing here?”
She’s already hit the Quick Start button again and began walking. “You’re here for my idea for the Reverse Gladiator.”
She still felt the panic scraping at the edges of her brain, so she upped the pace as she talked. He was still standing there. Since he clearly wasn’t going anywhere, she snapped.
“Doms are the ones in charge, right?”
Grayson gave her a small smile.
“That’s the general idea.”
“Then Doms should have the final fight.”
His grin faded as he considered it. He shook his head.
“Then wouldn’t that be the same as the regular Gladiator room?”
She shook her head, falling into a rhythm on the treadmill.
“Not if you put in a points system. The subs can fight up to so many points, whether or not it’s full contact, and if it’s close enough, then the Doms do the rest. Subs need to have the option to be an option, so there could also be a secondary level, where instead of that, they or their Doms actually pay the winning fee.
Which could also save the club some money. ”
He wondered why she was wasting her head for business working at a gym as he thought it over. Her concept could have a serious impact on the vibe he wanted to give the arena, but it definitely deserved thought.
“So I’m here…?”
She flashed him a fast smile.
“You’re here so I can see if you can protect what’s yours.”