“Oh,” I repeated, not quite sure what to say to that. “So, is it true that you have too much energy you need to work off, or is that just an excuse to have sex with countless women? No attachments. No obligations.”Oh. My. God. Seriously?Not only was my question unprofessional, it was inappropriate and none of my business.
Instead of turning onto his side like he’d done just moments before, Jackson repositioned himself until he sat upright, the towel shifting and barely covering his dick.
His gaze aligned with mine as he parted his lips. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had an overabundance of energy. Even after training for hours, I was still raring to go, and if I didn’t get rid of it, the energy would eventually transform into anger. And since I couldn’t risk getting into fights outside the ring, Lance suggested bringing in women to take that edge off. It worked.”
“Why not just masturbate?” I’d apparently bitch-slapped my inner voice, because I kept saying whatever popped into my head. No filter whatsoever.
His hand moved to rest over his groin. “I did. But it’s not the same thing. Not the same kind of release. Now, if we don’t stop talking about this, I’m not going to be able to stop my dick from getting harder.”
“Harder?”
He gripped the towel this time, the outline of his arousal prevalent.
The angel on my left warned me to abandon this conversation and to do it immediately, while the devil on my right encouraged me to pursue it, filling my head with the image of his fingers wrapped around his cock, teasing me, tempting me to let go of whatever reservations I had and fall into the depths of what he could offer me. Even if that offering was a solitary opportunity.
In the end, the angel won.
But the devil snickered beside him, making promises to appear again very soon.
21
I managed to escape the back room with a shred of my sanity, fleeing as soon as I’d finished rubbing Jackson down and helping him with several stretches. Something was happening between us, and I wasn’t sure if it was because we were becoming familiar with each other or if a baser need reared its tempting head, greedy for attention. From both of us.
Or perhaps Jackson was simply being himself, and I was changing. Getting involved with anyone wasn’t on my list, particularly my new boss, and especially not before my divorce was finalized.
With my head down, delving into a bombardment of thoughts, I hadn’t been paying particular attention when I suddenly slammed right into someone. My head shot up, expecting to see a member of Jackson’s team, but instead my gaze fell on someone else entirely.
A rush of heat wrapped itself around me, the quickening of my heart pulsing in my ear. A dot of sweat broke out along my hairline, and in the next five seconds, I was either going to have a full-on panic attack—something I’d only experienced twice in my life—or I was going to pass out. Neither scenario was ideal.
“Sophie?” Bruno’s fingers circled my upper arms, steadying me as I found my footing again. “I didn’t know this was your gym.”
Bruno was a good friend of my ex. They attended the academy together and even worked at the same precinct. He’d always been friendly, but something told me our encounter would fall into a different realm. I wasn’t sure what lies Mitch had told him about why we’d separated, but I had no doubt he’d spun the tale to suit him, to get his friend to feel bad for him.
Formulating what I should and shouldn’t reveal, I drew in a lungful of air and parted my lips, but before I could say a single word, Lance appeared out of nowhere, sidling up next to me.
“Hey, can you do me a favor and order another mat for the back room as well as some more cleaning supplies? I don’t know what the night guys are doing, but we’re almost out.”
Lance glanced at Bruno before looking back at me, his brows raised. I wasn’t sure he wanted his curiosity sated about who this guy was or if he wanted an answer to his question.
The only thing I could do was nod, which was enough to satisfy him, because he walked away, but not before throwing another look Bruno’s way.
“You work here?” he asked.
“Please don’t tell Mitch,” I blurted, unable to hold my tongue. After I warned Jackson my ex might try something to get me fired, he assured me my job was safe, but the last thing I needed was for Mitch to show up here and cause an issue.
“You know I can’t do that. He’s my friend.” He took a step closer. “Just talk to him, Sophie. I’m sure you guys can work it out. For you to just up and leave him because he works too much isn’t right. You know how dedicated he is to his job. To punish him like this, to make him choose between you and something he’s worked years for, isn’t fair.”
I wasn’t surprised Mitch lied about why I left, but that wasn’t important right now. As various responses ran through my mind, I realized none would convince Bruno not to tell Mitch about me working here. In the end, I remained quiet, hating the helpless feeling swirling through me.
He took my silence as compliance, flashing me a tight smile before patting my arm. “You won’t regret it. You’ll see. He’s a good man.”
More deafening silence on my part, but at least this time, he left me alone without continuing to ramble on in support of his buddy.
Expecting my phone to ring any second, as I was convinced he called Mitch as soon as he walked out the front door of the gym, I drew in one breath after another.
As I barreled around the corner, headed for the office, I ran right into someone. Again. Only this time, the person I slammed into was Jackson, and much like Bruno had done, he grabbed on to my arms to steady me, ensuring I didn’t fall on my ass.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, leaning in and locking eyes with me. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
