“Why? If this is necessary for my training explain it to me.” I crossed my arms over my chest and stared.
She pursed her lips, lifting her head to the ceiling. “Must you fight me on everything?”
“Yes.”
“Fine,” she said, dropping her hands. “Yoga. Not only will it help with your flexibility and mobility. More importantly, one of your weaknesses in the ring is that you move too quickly. You’ve got superb reflexes, and anyone can see they’re honed. But you’re too reactionary. Looking to get it done too quickly. Patience is, more times than not, the name of the game. You’re quite impatient, Luke. Yoga might help slow you down a bit. And the flexibility will aid in your grappling.”
“I don’t need slowing down,” I countered.
“You do. I wasn’t kidding when I said if you had been paired with a better fighter that shit you pulled against Antonio wouldn’t have sufficed. That reminds me, we’re going to need to get you some better sparring partners. I’ve been calling around and I have a few who are interested in training here at Peak Fitness.”
Nodding, I said, “Bring ‘em down. We’ll see what they got.”
“And the yoga?”
“No fucking way.” I shook my head adamantly, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Great. I’ve already spoken with an instructor from a local studio. I used to attend his classes. He’s A1.”
“Did you hear what I just said?”
“I did, but I’m ignoring you because I’m your trainer not the other way around. And don’t you dare say something smart about you being my trainer in the bedroom or whatever you were about to say,” she commented sternly, pointing a finger at me with narrowed eyes.
A deep chuckle moved up my chest and pushed past my lips. Shrugging, I said, “I’ll save it for another time.”
“I bet you will.”
I grabbed the T-shirt I’d worn to the gym from the back of my chair and pulled it over my head.
“Hey, your masseuse will be here in thirty minutes.”
“I’m aware.”
“Good. I have to head to work. Oh, and we need to discuss this exhibition fight I want you to do. It’s next month.”
I blinked. “First you say I’m fighting too much now you’re setting me up fights before the title match? Make up your damn mind, Syd.”
“My mind’s made up. You’ll be taking on Luca Morelli,” she said as I plopped down in my chair.
“Why?”
“He’s a better grappler than you and we need to see how you do in the cage after what we’ve implemented so far.”
“That’s not taking on too much?”
“Trust me.”
I snorted, but didn’t say anything. Syd’s training had been unconventional up until that point. I couldn’t say for sure whether or not it worked, or if it would give me what I needed to win against Rodriguez, but I didn’t feel compelled to argue about it right then.
“Luke. What—” she yelped when I pulled her by the wrist, bringing her body to me. Sitting in my chair, I sat her on my lap. Syd, turned her head to stare out the window. I guessed looking to see if any of the other gym goers or instructors had noticed the semi-intimate move.
Fuck them.I thought. They’d inevitably find out sooner or later that our relationship had gone beyond trainer-trainee. Why not now?
“We haven’t been on a real date yet.”
Her eyes bulged at my whispered words.
“You date?”
