He shrugs, a half-smile playing on his lips. “Maybe that’s the appeal.” Aside from the shock of a rare joke from him, I swear he almost showed me his teeth. Though, if his little smile is any indication, I might come or faint at the sight of the real deal.
Chapter Five
Elijah
It’s been cool working with Jake; he just has this really interesting vibe about him. Like, he’s a Buddhist, but maybe don’t fuck with him. I’ve also never seen the man wear anything but black, but he’s actually kind of funny once he gets comfortable with you. Roly said he used to be Scout’s maintenance guy, but now he’s her operations manager and is a logistical savant. On top of that, he volunteers his time to run the yoga program here for the vets. Now, you’d think he’d have a hard time getting combat veterans to agree to yoga classes, but all Jake had to do was question whether or not they had the balls to do yoga and people started showing up to his classes.
I walk over and he’s closing his class with everyone seated in cross-legged meditation. I have to keep an eye on the front desk, so I’m not actually part of the class, but I do follow along as he repeats his mantras and positive sayings. Even better, the attendees are relaxed, maybe more relaxed than they’ve been in years. I remember a time when inflexibility was once considered an attribute, and today it actually feels really good to be around men who can be soft and pliant.
After class, I grab the yoga mats and move them into their new wall cubbies. I’d noticed he was bringing the mats in and out every time for every class, and it didn’t make sense for him to have to drag everything into place once or twice a week. I suggested a wall mount cubby system that allowed us to store the yoga mats neatly and also make them available to anyone who needed one during the week. I felt a bit of pride, seeing someone work on my suggestions. And made me feel like I was contributing.
I wave goodbye to the folks who participated, then run across the space over to the kitchen to grab something before the evening crew shows up. I walk out of the kitchen with a huge chunk of protein bar in my cheek and run straight into an extremely tall, extremely good-looking guy. Dennis. He’s a friend of Jean-Pierre’s, and he’s all right, I guess. Just very, very flirty.
“Oh shit, Dennis. My bad—next time I’ll look where I’m going.”
He puts his hands on my shoulder, letting his thumb slide down the sides of my neck. “No problem, baby boy. I don’t mind running into you at all. In fact, if you wanted to, when you get off tonight, we can run into each other on purpose.”
I know he doesn’t mean anything by it, not really. But he’s not my jam, and it makes me uncomfortable because I work here, and this job is not an option. I know Roly sometimes dips his toes in the client pool, but I can’t ever do that. I’ve got way too much riding on this.
“Sorry, Dennis. Gotta limit our run-ins to the accidental kind here at the gym. You already do your workout today?”
“Yeah, but I wouldn’t mind extending it, if you know what I mean.”
“Oh, I think we all know exactly what you mean,” Roly says, walking up to us. “And I believe that’s twice now he’s expressed that he will not be going out on a date with you or fucking you in any way. I like you, Dennis, but you need to take the hint.”
I feel awkward and I’d like to slip away from the conversation, or maybe just disappear into the wall. Dennis lifts his hands in surrender. “Hey, he’s a sweet piece of ass. Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
“But you can blame a guy for not taking no for an answer, so don’t be that guy. You might have a good twelve inches on me, but I’ll put you on the floor if I see you harassing my employee again.”
Damn, I love Roly. He’s like the tiny older brother I never knew I always needed.
* * *
Nick
“The fuckyou mean he wasn’t taking no for an answer?”
Roly shakes his head and holds out his hands. “Primo, don’t worry about it. I laid the smack down; he knows the score now. He can’t hit on Elijah anymore, and if he does, I’ll ban his ass.”
“Yeah, Roly, but what if you hadn’t been there? I mean, shit, I was running late. If you hadn’t been there, who knows what would’ve happened.”
“I don’t think it was all that bad; he’s not a predator.”
“Okay, fine. But he’s not exactly a good guy.”
“Who’s not a good guy?” Jean-Pierre asks, coming up on us so stealthily that both Roly and I squeak in surprise. It was a manly squeak, you understand.
“Your boy Dennis was harassing Elijah. Enough that Roly felt like he had to step in.”
“Oh, that’s just Dennis. He’s a player, but I promise you he means no harm. He’s just used to men and women throwing themselves at him.”
“Well, he can’t get used to that here.”
“I’ll make sure he gets the message. And I promise you, he would not have laid a finger on Elijah. He’s just not like that. I promise.”
I wasn’t fully satisfied, and not just because I didn’t like the guy. Frankly, the idea of him hitting on Elijah made a gnawing sensation rise in my chest, and Ireallydidn’t like that. At all.
Chapter Six
