The room where she was going to give me her undivided attention, touching me, rubbing me, stretching me.
“Sit on the floor.” She pointed toward a black mat, all without looking at me.
Was she pissed at me?
Relieved nothing happened between us last night?
Regretful?
Once I positioned myself how she wanted, she waltzed over, her expression flat, giving nothing away. She sat directly across from me.
Trevor had done this stretch plenty of times, but having to touch Sophie, even in the most innocent of ways, was going to drive me crazy.
Why the hell had I hired her for this position?
If I could go back, I’d… well… I’d… make the same damn decision.
Fuck!
“I want to see how flexible you are.” Her extended hands waited for me to grab hold, and when I did, I pushed the barrage of feelings and images that infiltrated to the back of my mind.
We were heel to heel when she gently tugged me forward. Because I used my legs a lot, I made sure to work the necessary stretches into my daily routine, but I had no doubt this woman would push my limits. And I both welcomed and feared it, suspecting she would most certainly push other limits I’d set for myself as well.
“Now open your legs.” With her instruction, the images I’d shoved away knocked at the door, begging to be let in. Again, we were heel to heel, legs spread. She pulled me to the right and down, then repeated the same motion with my left leg. “Good.”
For the next half hour, Sophie checked off a list of stretches: from hamstring and glutes to hip flexors, arms, and shoulders. The closeness of some of the moves brought her only inches away, but I was proud of myself for not faltering. I remained professional, as did she. In fact, most of the time she refused to look me in the face, focusing more on the limb she worked on.
We’d just gotten to our feet when someone knocked on the door. Trevor walked in, his brows drawing together at seeing Sophie with me.
Oh yeah, I forgot to tell him I switched her job duties.
“Hi, Sophie.”
“Hey, Trevor.” Her lighthearted tone irritated me. Not because she flirted with him, but because she’d hardened toward me.
“Jackson? You almost ready to start,” he asked.
“I’ll be right out.” Sophie’s attention roamed around the room. I needed her focus, so I blurted the first thing that came to mind. “My shoulder felt a lot better after you massaged me with the oil last night.” Why did I reference last night? Why? Because I was a glutton for punishment, it seemed.
“I’m glad to hear it. I’ll use it again after your workout.”
“Thanks.”
“No need to thank me. It’s all part of my job now, right?” Her eyes finally landed on me, her head slightly tilted. She seemed to be assessing me, but I had no idea why.
“Right.”
Instead of lingering, she walked past me and headed toward the door. “Have a good workout,” she called over her shoulder, disappearing a moment later and leaving me standing there wondering if I’d made a mistake by hiring her after all.
20
I hadn’t been told yet who, if anyone, would be taking over my previous duties for the gym, so the least I could do in return for Lance taking a chance on me was to continue to oversee the books. It was while I was performing this task that someone unexpectedly entered the office.
“Sophie?” I lifted my head at the sound of my name, taking my focus away from the computer screen. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Trevor entered before softly closing the door. He glanced around the room, seemingly stalling for time. I had no idea what he wanted to talk to me about, but the longer he remained silent, the worse I feared our upcoming conversation might be. But to be fair, I didn’t know this man, so I could be way off base.
“Can I help you with something?” I finally asked, needing to break the lingering uncomfortable silence.
