“Sure, that’ll work.”
After excusing myself to go change, I returned to the gym soon afterward, wiping down all the exercise equipment in the main part of the gym. I finished moments before Lance openedthe doors to the public, at least twenty people filtering in to get their daily workout in.
Every now and again, I’d glance toward the ring and catch Jackson looking in my direction. I smiled the first time our eyes met, but he shook his head and looked away. Needless to say, I wasn’t as friendly the following times.
After cleaning the bathrooms, I headed into the men’s showers. Confident no one would be in here yet, as most of the customers arrived less than forty-five minutes ago, I turned up the song playing in my earbuds and rounded the corner. Paying attention should’ve been high on my list because as it turned out, there was someone in here with me, and I didn’t notice him until the last second.
Jackson’s fingers disappeared beneath the waistband of his shorts, and as he started to yank them down, I ripped my earbud out and made a weird noise in my throat. It was part cough, part shout, part plea. The memory of him naked flashed through my mind, and although I wouldn’t mind feasting my eyes on all his gloriousness a second time, I reminded myself that this man wasn’t someone to lust after. He was a man to be avoided, possibly even feared.
“You gonna stand there staring at me all day?” The roughness in his tone zapped away my wandering thoughts, and a wave of embarrassment rushed through me at my blatantness.
“I didn’t know anyone was in here.”
“Pay more attention.”
“You were just in the ring,” I blurted, wondering why in the hell I was even bantering with him. I should just leave him to it and continue my work, but for some reason, my feet refused to move from their spot.
“Now I’m in here.” He tilted his head ever so slightly, his left brow arched in either amusement or annoyance. If I had toguess, I’d say it was the latter. “Unless you wanna see my dick again, I suggest you get out of here.”
Numerous responses rattled around in my brain, but I didn’t voice any of them. Instead, I turned on my heel and rushed out of the room so fast, I was surprised there wasn’t a trail of fire behind me.
I thought I heard him chuckle, but I doubted he was the type of man to find amusement in any type of situation.
After familiarizing myself with the bookkeeping software and taking inventory, I finally finished my work at six o’clock. After closing the office door, I headed back toward the gym, wondering if it would be okay if I joined the other members and used one of the two empty treadmills. I wanted to ask Lance before I took any liberties, but he wasn’t anywhere to be found. And neither was Jackson, which was a good thing. After our run-in earlier, he was the last person I wanted to see.
“Can I help you with something?” a man asked.
I turned around to see who’d spoken. I didn’t know his name, but I recognized him. He was the stocky one with gray hair and was probably forty-five or so.
“I’m Sophie. Lance hired me to help out around here.”
He extended his hand, his grip strong when I placed my palm in his. “I’m Elton. Jackson’s manager.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” A moment passed before he repeated his question, “Did you need help with something?”
“I’m not sure if I’m allowed, since I don’t have a membership, but I was wondering if I’d be able to use one of the treadmills. I’d go for a run outside, but it’s raining.”
“Of course. You’re part of the staff now. You can use the facilities whenever you want. Jackson is the owner, and he’d tell you the same thing.”
I doubt that.
His cell rang as he started to say something else. “I have to take this. Nice to meet you, Sophie.” He strolled toward the door as he answered his phone.
After disappearing upstairs to change into a different sports top and running sneakers, I reentered the gym, popped my earbuds back in, and selected the treadmill in the center row, deciding on an interval workout set for forty-five minutes. Adjusting the volume of my music, I lost myself to the beat of the first song, then the second, and so on.
Running had always been my way of escaping my life. The pounding of the pavement, or treadmill in this case, helped me when my marriage started to fall apart, which unfortunately began not long after I said, “I do.” The exercise was also a godsend after I was cleared to continue after…. Well, perhaps it was still too fresh to rehash, having happened only six months ago, right before I made the decision to leave my husband for good.
During the last two minutes of my workout, my steps slowed, allowing my body to start the process of cooling down. Sweat dripped into every crevice as my breathing also started to slow. My gaze had been locked on the brick wall in front of me, and it wasn’t until the belt stopped moving that I noticed someone to my left. Clicking the button on my earbud to pause the music, I turned to see who’d walked up next to me. A man stood beside me, his smile widening the longer he held my attention.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi.” A bout of silence descended. “Did you want the treadmill?”
“No. I just got done with my workout.” He gripped the railing of the machine I stood on, licking his lips and averting his gaze for a moment. “Are you new here?”
“I am. Today is my first day working here.”
