Prologue
From: Pink Collar Temp Agency
Reply to: fallon@pinkcollartempagency
Date: April 17, 2022, 9:00 am
Good morning Simon. I have a job for you tomorrow if you're interested at Harmony Yoga Studio. The instructor got hurt, so this will be for a few weeks while she is out. I know you wanted to take the weekend off, but I've got no one else to cover it. Let me know.
Fallon at Pink Collar Temp Agency
Simon Kane
April 17, 2022, 9:30 am
Good morning, Fallon. Oh shit, I hope Harmony is okay. I've been there before, and it's a fantastic yoga studio. No worries, man, I'll take it. I'll just take time off after this job. Just send me all the details, and I'll be there.
Simon Kane
Chapter One
Some days you eat salads and do yoga. Some days you eat cupcakes and refuse to put on pants. It’s called balance.
I’m grimacing as I pull up to Harmony Yoga Studio with my Nana. She’s snickering at me from the passenger seat. I swear she’s one more laugh away from me shipping her off to a nursing home. I won’t do it, but the threat still stands. My Nana is the only family I have, and some days I feel like I’m the parent. She’s the wild child. She even has grey hair with purple highlights, and well, I’m boring as hell. I prefer the solitude of the library I work at. Nothing like getting lost in all the stacks of books. Maybe one day I’ll let loose and finally get a life. Sadly, I don’t see that happening anytime soon. You could say that I’m lonely.
I was never one of the popular girls at school, so I kept to myself with my head always in a book. I never really went on a date or found the one true love I’ve read about. I want someone who’s going to look at me with stars in their eyes, and they know I’m the one for them. That all-consuming love that my Nana and Papa had all those years before he passed away. I’m a 24-year-old virgin. I’m 5’, with long blonde hair, hazel eyes, and a curvy body. I know I look good. Over the years, I’ve embraced my curves and no longer feel shame about how I look. So I’m not sure why I haven’t found someone yet. It could be because I hardly get out. All my friends are already married and have started a family. At least I still have my books. Those don’t let you down. Looking at the yoga studio again, I can’t help feeling the guilt for what happened the last time I was here. Poor Harmony. I did send her a basket of goodies since she will be off for a while, thanks to my clumsy ass.
I told Nana it wasn’t a good idea but did the old goat listen to me? Nope, before class was even over, it ended with an ambulance being called and a sprained foot. I’m not coordinated enough. Hell, I just don’t bend that way, so really, it’s not my fault. I trip over air and walk into walls. Don’t even get me started on me and heels. It just doesn’t happen at all. I was just trying not to fart like I’ve seen happen in the videos online. I didn’t want to be that girl. Harmony was only trying to correct my form. I really didn’t mean to land on her after I lost my balance.
“Nana, I really don’t think this is a good idea.” I know it’s wishful thinking because Nana didn’t raise a quitter, and that’s what she always told me growing up. “Maybe I’ll just wait in the car for you to finish. I’ll even take you to lunch and shopping afterward at your favorite place.” As much as I hate shopping, I’m willing to bribe her with anything at this point. I know as soon as I walk through that door, everyone will be giving me a wide berth. I’m honestly surprised it’s not posted all over social media yet, especially with how much gossip Nana and her friends exchange. I wouldn’t put it past one of those old goats to have that on their cell phones. Turning towards her, I can tell by the evil smile she has on her face that my begging is for nothing.
“Nonsense Lily. Now be a good girl and get your ass out of the car. But lunch and shopping do sound nice afterward. Thank you. I have to get a new outfit for my girls’ trip this weekend and have to look good for all those young men.” She sends me a wink and hops out of the car, making me groan. Every time she gets together with her friends, it always ends up in disaster, which she claims wasn’t her fault. But I know the truth. She’s the instigator in her group.
I get out reluctantly with as much enthusiasm as a five-year-old going to the dentist, grabbing our bags out of the back, and walking towards the door. “For the record, Nana, I don’t need to know you’re going out picking up young men. Just try not to get into trouble this time. I don’t want to have to bail you guys out again.” We open the door and step inside. She speaks a little too loudly for everyone to hear, making my face go all red.
“Where is your sense of adventure, Lily? You need to get out more and have some fun with a lovely young man. Like him, he will do nicely for you. Just look at him and the way he can bend. The possibilities are endless with that one.”
“Nana! Keep your voice down. Not everyone needs to hear you. Just please let it go. I swear to all that’s unholy I will put you in that home.”
Everyone around us, mostly her friends, are snickering and nodding along with her. They all know I’m single and they stopped long ago trying to set me up with their grandkids. I don’t even want to get into how much that was a disaster. God, could this day get any worse? I’m going to need a shot or ten after this shit. Thank the Lord it’s Friday, and I’m off this weekend. I happen to look over at our temp yoga instructor and see his shoulders shaking from laughing. Great, even he heard what she said.
He stands up with a smile on his face, and all the air in my lungs leaves me. He’s tall, towering over my 5’ frame with his 6’3. Short black hair that looks so soft, making me want to run my fingers through to see. Eyes so dark they almost look black that I could get lost in. He has to be the hottest guy I’ve ever seen. My palms feel sweaty, and my heart is racing. It’s as if time has stood still, and it’s just us standing here in this room looking at each other. I watch as his nostrils flare and he gets a heated look in his eyes.
I can hear Nana clearing her throat to get my attention, breaking the spell he has me under. Shit, she caught all that, and now I’ll never hear the end of this. Is it hot in here, or is it just me? Before I can do or say anything stupid, I rush to my corner and set up my mat far away from everyone. I don’t dare look at him again. I sit down, getting into a sitting position, my favorite one. Hopefully, I can be one with the background and ignore this whole class. I wonder if it’s rude to whip out my kindle and start reading. I just close my eyes, hoping to block everyone out when the most sinful voice speaks.
“Good Morning, ladies. I’m Simon Kane from Pink Collar Temp Agency. I’ll be taking over until Ms. Harmony can return. Let’s all get into Child’s Pose. Clear your minds, and let the blood flow. Deep breath in and out.”
I may be in a child’s pose, but my head is definitely not down like it should be. It’s caught looking at Simon Kane and all his ass sticking up glory, and what a sight it is. His body was made for sin, and he’s got my body on fire, ready to go. He looks so peaceful being in the yoga zone, and I can’t keep my eyes off him. I was never one to just get into it. My mind races with all the things I have to do that day. Running a library isn’t easy, plus I like things in order there. It’s why I always found yoga so pointless, but Nana thinks it would be good for me to help calm my mind and let go. Whatever. At least the view is better looking this time around. I know at any moment I’m going to be caught staring at him, but I can’t help myself. As if my mind screamed out loud, Simon lifts his head from his pose. He ensnares me in his heated look and winks at me, making my face go cherry red at being caught.
He stands up with a fluid grace that I lack, and I quickly stand up like everyone else with minimal wobbling and call it a win in my book. With the smirk on his handsome face knowing he caught me almost falling over, I just know by the end of class, I’m going to do something stupid.
“Very good ladies, now the Mountain Pose. Let the energy pass down your body with a calm and clear mind.”
Simon instructs everyone in his deep baritone voice, but his eyes are firmly on me as if he can’t look away either. His eyes travel from my sneaker-covered feet and slowly make their way to my eyes, making me shiver. But that’s not the type of energy that’s flowing through me at this moment. I’m embarrassingly wet, and it’s just from hearing the man’s voice. The rest of the yoga session goes on about the same since he first caught me looking at him. With heated looks passed between us as if at any moment we were going to come together in a sweaty sensual mess, the class be damned. Simon stands up, signaling the end of class, saying Namaste while bending slightly forward. And the only thing running through my mind is saying Namaste in bed with you all day.
Snickering to myself at my crazy thoughts as if that would ever happen, I bend down to roll my mat and see massive-sized sneakers in my sightline. I look up into Simon’s eyes and promptly fall on my ass, having lost my balance trying to stand up. I can hear the snickering of the ladies as I make an ass out of myself yet again. Nana can threaten me all she wants, but this is the last time I’m coming to yoga class. Simon reaches a hand out to help me up, and I take it tentatively as I die in embarrassment, not wanting to meet his eyes again. The sparks that race up my arm make my head shoot up and look at him in wonder. Not once has that ever happened to me before.
