Page 32 of Never Till Now

“Old women taught us quite a bit back then.” He clears his throat and I watch his cheeks heat.

“Did Kelsie get lessons too?” I taunt the moment as his demeanor changes.

“She sure as hell better not have. Adam and I protected her like no other even though we were a grade younger.”

“Just a question.” I put my hands up in defeat before taking a punching stance near the bag.

“Let me show you the proper stance.” He repositions his feet and I mimic. “What made you take this class?”

“I figured I should learn how to throw a punch living in this city.” I bring my arms out to copy his. “How long have you been teaching?”

“My parents, well, my father, owns this gym. Most of my childhood was spent raising hell with Adam in here.” He gives my stance a once-over and shakes his head. “You want your hips at an angle.” He moves behind and places his hands on my hips to turn them. “My balls would be gone right now if Adam had shown up.” He laughs.

“Adam doesn’t own me. He and I are strictly orgasms and sightseeing.”

“Mmhmm, so he didn’t wake up with you this morning?” His lips roll in to bite back a smile.

“No, he actually told me he was teaching a class this morning.” I ball my hands into fists and take a punch at his arm.

“Ouch.” His tone is dramatically flat and unamused. “You don’t want your thumb poking over your knuckles.” He fixes my hands, and I try again. “There, much better.”

Another student calls him over and I make a mental note to drop by the lounge one night for a drink without Adam. I realize how much I enjoy talking with Max. He’s attractive, but oddly, I don’t want to sleep with him. What the hell is wrong with me? Is this how developing a friendship is supposed to be? I finish up the class wondering about all the hell that Max and Adam could have caused growing up in a gym like this. Clearly, having access to this place fed Adam’s teenage ego. I wouldn’t put it past him to have made a pass at the middle age yoga ladies. I chuckle to myself. Max, on the other hand, seems humbler. The quiet, reserved type. The type every woman should go for, but I won’t.

“Ah, there’s my nasty Nordic!” Rachel wraps me in a hug as I greet her at the airport.

I cringe at the nickname and pray no one ever knows her reasoning for it.

“I’ve missed you, Rach.” I pull back, taking in her hip-length extensions. “The hair looks great.”

“Thanks! There’s enough hair for two guys to wrap their hands around it while they ram me.” Her nonchalant verbal diarrhea is mortifying for outsiders, but it’s something I’ve grown accustomed to over the years. We drop her stuff off at my place then grab lunch at a little bistro.

“I can’t believe it has taken a lifetime to finally see San Francisco.” She takes a bite of her sandwich. “This city is so busy, yet so small. I love the layers.”

“It’s growing on me too. Everything is walkable.” I no longer am winded walking a few blocks up the steep hills.

“So, tell me about your new dick daddy.”

I used to look around mortified to see if anyone heard the things that came out of her mouth, but it never made her stop. The lack of a filter is just part of her personality.

“First, stop with the daddy thing. It creeps me the hell out.” I shake my head. “Second, Adam is phenomenal. It’s as if he was preprogrammed to know what makes my body tick, and then took it to the next level.” I cross my legs feeling desire build at the thought. “His fingers are a masterclass beyond compare. The rest of his body and skills follow suit.”

“So, he’s made you come every single time.” She smiles.

“I swear the first time we hooked up, I had four, no, maybe six orgasms. I stopped counting after three.”

“Please share him.” Her hand grabs my forearm with pleading eyes.

“I’m sure you have a few guys lined up here for this weekend.” I laugh.

“You’re right. Tonight, we are going to a bar and then there’s a club I want to hit up. I found this group and we’ve been talking online. You and I can grab drinks at the bar first. I know you’ll pass on the club event, but it’s one I can’t ignore.”

“I’ll take your word that it’s great.”

We make our way to union square and spend the afternoon shopping while taking photos for her social media. It’s no surprise she has an account of random objects that can be viewed as obscene. It is surprising when she shows me her eighty thousand followers. Who knew that a dedicated, passionate geriatric nurse could be so eccentric in her personal life? A few hours later, we ended up back at my condo.

“This view is amazing, Nordic. I would love to be fucked against a window like this.”

“I know, right?” I remember making a suggestion to Adam the first night at his place. “I still haven’t crossed that off the list.”