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“That’s the best part. The upfront costs would be minimal.” I grinned. “We have most of the essentials already thanks to Marissa’s schooling. Give me a week to get everything up and running. If it’s not generating enough interest by then, we can reevaluate. But I think this can be the solution we need.”
I could see the idea rolling around in Frankie’s head like waves breaking against a beach, her initial doubts fading into cautious optimism. She knew how much the gym meant to me and how hard I would work to make this succeed.
Finally, she nodded and a smirk crept over her face. “Alright, let’s give this a shot. But you’re in charge of breakin’ the news to your sister.”
Relief washed over me as I realized we had found a solution that wouldn’t put any of us at risk. “Deal. Knowing Rissa, she’ll find a way to enjoy it.”
Frankie chuckled, a glint of humor in her eyes. “Good luck, kid. You’re gonna need it.”
The gym was my home, these people my family. Failure wasn’t an option. I would make sure this massage business became a success, no matter what. We would find a way.
We always did.
CHAPTER 8
Dominic
Idodged the punch aimed at my jaw, but my reflexes were a split second too slow. As my head whipped sideways from the force of Aaron’s fist, I knew I was in trouble. I ducked beneath the follow-up right hook and danced out of reach.
That was the second hit one of my friends had gotten in during our morning training session when I was usually untouchable. The Sato family’s building downtown boasted a spacious private training facility. Our combined grunts and heavy breathing echoed across the vast space.
Almost every day for as long as I could remember, my three closest and most loyal friends—Aaron, Rin, and Keiko—met with me to practice. Each of us would take a turn fighting off the other three. And for equally as long, no one had bested me.
Until now.
Possibly.
Aaron’s feral grin stretched ear to ear, his blue eyes bright from the exertion. “You got it bad if I was able to get a terrible swing like that in.” He dipped under my swing with cat-like reflexes courtesy of his leopard shifter blood.
“Got it bad” was a gross understatement.
Less than a day had passed and my pulse still thrummed with the memory of Marissa’s hands gliding over my skin. Her coy smiles and soothing touch had played on a loop in my mind since that encounter, haunting the periphery of my consciousness.
“Yeah, Nic, what’s got you all spaced out?” Rin asked, easily dodging a sloppy punch. “You’re off your game today.”
As one of my distant cousins, Rin’s dragon was also a fire elemental. The entire Sato family boasted fire spirits, the most fierce and deadly of all the elements when it came to dragons.
I was certain Ichiro would have refused his bastard grandson’s spirit-bonding ceremony if I hadn’t proven such a valuable asset in the ring before I’d turned eighteen. The old man had wanted to see what I could do with a dragon on my side.
Little did my grandfather know at the time, the spirit of Joubunaryuo—one of the strongest Dragon Kings of old—would choose me. Ichiro never would have allowed it had he known.
“More like what’s her name?” Keiko’s teasing voice asked from behind me.
I shook off the memories clouding my mind and focused on the fight, lashing out with a series of quick jabs and kicks.
Nimble as ever, Keiko and Rin darted out of reach and shared a knowing grin. These two had been lovebirds from the moment they first set eyes on each other in middle school. It was as unlikely a pairing as my parents, but no one outside this small group knew about their relationship.
Both had black hair and dark eyes, but their similarities ended there. While Rin’s beast-like, bodybuilder’s form made him look like he could eat an entire cow for dinner and still be hungry, Keiko was pint-sized and a smattering of freckles danced across her otherwise pale nose.
She was the perfect example of size not mattering. Her naturally lethal skills and abilities were unique, which was why Ichiro adopted her fifteen years ago, and she had become like a little sister to me. Unrelated to the Satos by blood, yet more accepted by the family than I would ever be.
Regardless, I wasn’t like the rest of them. I didn’t fall for anyone. I couldn’t.
Not yet.
I didn’t have time for the kind of distraction Marissa posed, not when my position within my family’s empire was at stake. Securing my place as heir was paramount for my plan to succeed, and chasing after a woman would only slow me down.
With a growl, I allowed the simmering beast within me to rise. Letting my dragon loose was far too dangerous in my current state of mind, but scaring my friends would go a long way to easing my frustration.
