“I forgot the introduction part. I’m Con.”
“I won’t forget this time.” Citi chuckles, embarrassed.
He waves her off before giving me a nod and heading out.
“He seems too…. I don’t know, nice to be a biker?” I scowl at her, making her laugh. “I don’t mean it like that. I just didn’t know how else to put it.”
“I get it. All the old ladies adore him. But don’t let his chill vibe fool you. There is something there below the surface. Only comes out to play when he thinks there’s a threat to one of the kids, but then he turns into someone else.”
“He’s protective.”
“To the extreme.”
“There’s a story there.”
“Probably. But if there is, it’s his to tell.” She sighs. I look down at her. “What’s wrong?”
“I think that’s part of the problem. Every man and his dog knows my story. And the bits they don’t they fill in any way they damn choose, making assumptions and casting their opinions. I think I’d have liked the option to have shared what I wanted when I wanted instead of everyone knowing everything about me.”
“Yeah, I hate that for you. It was the one thing I hated about being in the spotlight with my fighting and the celebrity side of it. And I was just a fighter. I have no idea how some of these megastars cope with it all.”
“You couldn’t pay me enough money to be a celebrity. Guess the jokes are on me, though, because I still became famous. Just for all the wrong reasons.” She sighs but shakes it off, pasting on a smile. “Okay, enough of this negative shit. Tell me where you need me and what to do.”
“I’m going to ease you into things, so nothing customer-based. At least today. If you decide to come back, we can give it a try if you want.”
She looks up at me in surprise. “Are you offering me a job? Like a real job that pays?”
“If you want it, absolutely. It’s not glamorous but?—”
She wraps her arms around me, hugging me tight for a minute before she steps back, a sheen clear in her eyes. “Thank you.”
“Hey, what’s all this?”
She dips her head, embarrassed. I slide my finger under her jaw and tip her head back. She blows out a frustrated breath. “I wanted a job, but I have zero skills to offer. No qualifications, no experience. And when I tell people why, they act like being abducted is contagious.”
“People are fucking idiots.”
She snorts but doesn’t argue with me.
“Their loss is my gain. I can’t wait to have you here working with me. I miss you when you’re not around.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. Now, come with me. I’ll show you around first, and we can go from there. Sound good?”
“Sounds great.”
I show her around the main areas first, where the classes take place, and the more traditional spaces with weights, running machines, and exercise bikes. “You can use any of these spaces anytime you want.”
She grimaces, making me grin. Nevaeh is the same way. “Not everyone likes the gym,” I tell her, not wanting her to feel bad about it.
“It’s not the gym. I don’t like how people-y it is.”
I can’t help but chuckle. “It might be something we’ll have to work on. Hard to avoid people when we’re busy.”
She sighs. “I guess. What else do you have to show me?”
“Let’s see, we have changing rooms, a juice bar, and my office.”
