“Sorry,” she said. “I have a tendency to switch on like that when I’m pushed. I’ll try to control it better.”
“Don’t worry about that. It was scary but sexy. I’m still trying to decide if I want to wet my pants or if I’m turned on.”
The final tendrils of tension vanished like wisps of smoke, and she laughed. “I like you, Rune.”
“I like you, too,” he said. “You gonna show me around the rest of the joint?”
“I guess I should since you brought me food. Follow me.”
She took him through to the large conference room upstairs, pointed out her parents’ and sisters’ offices, and then led him back to the elevator.
The second floor was even more plain than the third, consisting mostly of small offices on the perimeter of the floor and cubicles in the center for support staff and administrative assistants.
The first floor was a bit more interesting because she took him to one of the client rooms and showed him the videos they often set up for new clients. She shook her head and tried to refuse when he asked her to show him one of the videos, but as he’d warned her before, he was relentless.
Finally, they watched the video and he found himself scribbling notes on the little pad he kept in his pocket.
“Do you always carry a notepad around?” she asked when he was finally done.
“Not always. But I take notes on my phone if I’m not carrying it.”
She nodded, a half-smile on her face.
“Let me show you the training facilities,” she said.
His head came up. “Training facilities?”
“Yes. We have equipment that our staff can use to train and prepare for jobs. Mostly we use it to keep our skills sharp because you never know what will happen.”
He tucked the notebook and pen back into his pocket.
“Lead the way,” he said.
“We’ll take the stairs this time. The elevators will go down to the basement, but they’re further away.”
“I don’t mind.”
As he followed her down the hall to the stairwell and down to the basement, Rune marveled at all she’d accomplished at her age. Even if her parents had established the firm, it was obvious that she was firmly entrenched in the running of the business.
She opened the door at the basement level and shot a grin at him over her shoulder. “Now, I want you to try to contain yourself,” she said.
“What? You think I’ll freak out?”
She laughed. “No, I think you’ll be like a kid in a candy store.”
“I’ll have you know that I can behave like an adult. I usually choose not to, but I can.”
Astra’s answering laugh floated up the stairwell, echoing. “Okay then.”
He followed her into the dark room, pausing for his eyes to adjust. Before they could completely, she flipped a series of switches to her right. Lights flickered and came on, dim at first before they brightened.
And his mouth fell open.
The ceiling was at least fifteen feet high, probably more, and on one side of the basement, there was a climbing wall that would rival any climbing facility for rock climbers to practice. There were ropes hanging from high bars in the corner, obviously for climbing as well.
Assorted weight equipment was along the same wall as the ropes, facing big mirrors. On the opposite wall, there were punching bags, freestanding dummies in the shape of a man’s torso, and body shields on hooks. In the center of the room was a thick mat with large squares taped on it. He’d seen set-ups like that at martial arts schools. They were rings for sparring.
“Wow,” he breathed. “This isgreat!” His eyes turned to her. “And I’m going to have to break my promise to act like an adult.”
