Chapter 2
Mia
The sweat gathering between my squished boobs was driving me nuts. It was barely eleven and I was already sweating and aching. After running an early morning aerobics class, a prenatal yoga class, and toddler Zumba class, I was more than ready for a nap. My stomach grumbled embarrassingly, reminding me it’d been hours since I’d stuffed a banana down my throat. With my only two other instructors calling in sick this morning, I’d had no other options. It was the thing I hated the most about owning your own business. Well, that and paperwork. That shit never ended.
Running my hands through my hair, I was thankful for the short cut. I didn’t have the time, the energy, nor the desire to maintain the long mane so many women had. I watched as they attempted to bounce around the studio, only to be smacked up the side of the face by a wayward ponytail. Taking a long gulp from my water bottle, I coughed and spluttered as my eyes connected with the most intense hazel eyes I’d ever seen. And the face they belonged to, well, fuck me sideways.
Wiping my suddenly sweaty palms on the bum of my black yoga pants, I stretched a hand out in front me, “Good morning. Welcome to ‘Motivation Is Achievable.’ I’m Mia. How can I help you today?”
“Hi Mia. I’m Derek Cartwright, we spoke on the phone.”
I should have been concentrating on his words, but I was having a hard time dragging my eyes from his smooth, firm jaw and his thin lips. My whole body shuddered and it scared the shit out of me. No one had made me react like this in such a long time I was beginning to think I’d never feel it again. Not that last time had left me craving it again.
“Are you all right?” he asked, his deep voice smooth like the finest, tastiest chocolate I could imagine. My mouth watered at the idea.
Shaking off the nonsense running through my brain, I remembered I was at work and I needed to at least act professional. “Right! Derek Cartwright. I have your information around somewhere,” I babbled nervously as I shuffled papers back and forth. The front desk was not somewhere I should be. Ever. The damn computer hated me almost as much as I hated it. There were Post-It notes with half messages stuck to every surface, including the phone’s handset. “Look, I’ll be honest. My receptionist is out today and it’s kinda crazy. I remember talking to you, though. As you can see, my filing system…well, it’s shit. Can you please just put me out of my misery and just remind me?”
Defeated, I tugged on the bottom of my too big shirt. It took a moment, then I remembered what I was wearing. A pair of skin tight, three quarter black yoga pants that had seen better days and a pink t-shirt with my pink runners. Fashion had never been something I’d been interested in, and since I run a women’s only gym, I dressed for comfort and practicality rather than to impress. Derek may have been the first guy to actually step foot in my reception area. Ever. Maybe that’s why my blood was boiling and I was having a hard time keeping my balance on my traitorous wobbling knees.
He chuckled, and I swear my whole body vibrated at the sound. “No problem. I wanted to see if you could fit Zoe into your self-defence class. You suggested four times a week, but we had to come down and have a look around and see if Motivation Is Achievable would be a good fit for what we need.”
“That’s right. Now I remember.” Green definitely isn’t my colour, but for some reason I was jealous of whoever the elusive Zoe was. Derek didn’t give anything away other than that she was important. She could be a sister, mother, friend, girlfriend, or even wife. Wife. The thought had me reaching for my water bottle and taking another long swig to wash away the bad taste. I never crushed on guys. Hell, I had some of my best friends questioning which team I was batting for these days. There was just something about this guy that was irresistible. But resist I would. I had to. “Is Zoe around?”
Without a word, Derek half turned and stepped to the side, revealing who I guessed was the mysterious Zoe. She scared the shit out me. She looked terrible. But what was worse, she appeared as though she’d tried to pull herself together to be there. No amount of makeup could hide the signs, though. They were there. Dull, lifeless hair pulled back harshly. Dark eyes. Oversized clothes, that I’d bet the gym on were Derek’s. She clung to his arm like he was her oxygen. But it was the fear in her eyes that made me want to do anything to help her. I didn’t know if I could. I didn’t know if I was strong enough, but I’d damned well give it everything I had trying. Not for the gorgeous hunk of man she hugged, not even really for her. This would be for the Mia I was five years ago.
“Hi,” she squeaked.
“Hi Zoe. Welcome. Do you want to come with me? We’ll take a look around, and see if this is somewhere you think would work for you. Then if it is, we can get the paperwork sorted and get you enrolled in a few classes.”
Her eyes darted to Derek, and he nodded his encouragement. To anyone who didn’t know what to look for, they would have missed it. I didn’t. She was looking for assurance. Some would mistake it for approval, but theirs wasn’t that type of relationship. After five minutes in the same room as them, even I could tell that much. “O…okay.” I watched, curious as she intertwined her fingers with his. I knew she wasn’t afraid of him, but I couldn’t pick who they were to each other. What pissed me off the most was that I was trying to. It shouldn’t matter. I shouldn’t care. But I’d be full of shit if I didn’t admit it.
Together, they took a step towards the frosted door.
This was going to be harder than it had ever been before. Turning back to face them, I realized how tiny I was compared to Derek. He towered over me, and I knew I should feel intimidated, not only by his height, but by the way he filled out his fitted grey shirt. His biceps bulged, stretching the fabric, and it strained across the wide expanse of chest. He obviously spent quite some time in the gym himself.
“I’m sorry, Derek, but unfortunately you can’t come back here. This is a women-only gym, and some of these women need the privacy and safety that offers. You’re more than welcome to take a seat and wait here if you like. We shouldn’t be any more than fifteen minutes.”
As the words rolled off my tongue, I felt like the world’s biggest bitch. Zoe physically recoiled behind Derek with each word, but he didn’t quiver.
“That’s fine. I completely understand. Is this the only way in?” he asked, pointing at the doors.
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
It took me a minute to understand what was going on. But when he lowered his bulky frame to Zoe’s eye level, I fell head over heels in love with him. If he’d asked me for my heart in that moment, I would have handed it over without hesitation or question. It was stupid and irrational and completely unlike me, but he was this gentle giant who obviously cared more about the frightened rabbit in his arms than himself. I wanted someone to care about me like that. Fuck, I wantedhimto care about me like that.
“I’ll be right here, Princess. No one’s getting through that door while I’m standing here. I promise. You’ll be okay. You got this.”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she nodded softly and untangled their fingers before wrapping her arms around her chest and shuffling towards me. I wanted to know what the fuck was going on. What had happened to make a fully-grown woman this fragile. This broken. But it wasn’t my place to ask. And I sure as shit didn’t want to make anything harder for her.
Plastering a fake smile on my face, I turned to address Zoe, “Let’s go in. This place is completely secure. We have cameras everywhere, except the change rooms. Even they have pin codes that you use to enter. Each member has a unique code which grants them access.” Moving towards the security panel on the wall, I made sure both Derek and Zoe saw me type in my code before the electric doors slid open and we stepped through, leaving Derek with his hands stuffed in his pockets and a grimace on his gorgeous face.
When the doors clicked shut behind us, Zoe jumped slightly. “Zoe. I know you don’t know me and you have no reason to trust me, but you are safe here. This place might be a gym, but it’s as secure as it can be. It’s not just you. You’re not alone in whatever it is you’re going through. That I can promise you.”
Zoe fell in step beside me, almost too close, but I wasn’t about to push her away. This girl was obviously going through some heavy shit, she didn’t need me to make it any more awkward. I showed her the cardio equipment, where a few women sat on bikes peddling hard while reading the latest trashy gossip magazines, before we moved onto the free weights. Zoe nodded politely but remained stoically silent. She was going to be a tough nut to crack, but I got the impression she was worth it.
“We’re not together, you know,” Zoe stated matter-of-factly.
