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Someone else walked in, and I stifled a groan at the sight of him. I know, customer service and all, but this guy was the bane of every female trainer’s existence. He stood too close, talked too much, stayed after class too late, and had a seriously annoying tendency to stare at either our tits or ass through the entire class.
Talk about getting a vibe from someone. This guy was the absolute king of inspiring douchebag feelings.
“Mike,” I said politely. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”
He slicked his tongue over his teeth. “Where’s Kelly? I didn’t know you were teaching tonight.”
Not surprising. Mike did not seem to stay too late or talk too close with me. He favored Kelly, probably because she was petite, and he could stare down at her chest from his lofty five-foot-six.
Also, Kelly was friendlier than me.
In her absence, he did a thorough examination of the bubbly blond behind the desk. The way he looked Emily up and down had me clearing my throat. I held his gaze steadily when his attention was back on me.
“She hurt her ankle.” I continued wrapping my knuckles, angling the wraps around my wrist, and then back around my palm. Flexing my fingers, I gave him a tiny smile. “You’re stuck with me tonight.”
“You’re new,” he told Emily.
She gave him a friendly smile, but not quite as friendly as the one she’d given everyone else. Emily, apparently, was a very good reader of vibes and heavy eye contact. “Started a couple of weeks ago.”
He nodded. “Sweet. Another reason to love Tuesday nights.”
Because he wasn’t looking, I rolled my eyes. “You better go stretch, Mike. I have my angry rock playlist, which means you need to be all warmed up and ready to get your ass kicked.”
He snorted as he walked past, and I had to grit my teeth.
Someone was going to get a lot of extra burpees tonight, and it wasn’t me. As the manager, I might not be able to be outright rude to him, but I could make him curse the day he was born.
Emily shook her head. “So creepy.”
I finished wrapping my other hand and sighed. “He is. Unfortunately, he’s never done anything blatant that would get him kicked out. Next week, if you’re here with Kelly, and he’s the only one left, don’t leave until she does. That’s one of our unspoken rules. No female trainer here alone with someone new, or someone like jackass over there who’s just kinda slimy. Got it?”
She nodded. “Got it. Thanks, Iz.”
I picked up my bottle of water and tipped it back to take a drink. That was when I saw her eyes widen again and her back straighten. Mid-swallow of cold water was when he decided to speak from right behind me.
“I hope that rule applies to you, too,” Aiden grumbled.
The choke came first, and I slapped a hand over my mouth, but in the process, I tried to exhale.
Which brought water right up my fucking nose.
The cringe on Emily’s face was more than enough for me to know just how mortifying I must have looked, but when she carefully handed me a towel to wipe my face, I knew it was bad.
“Sorry,” he said. “I seem to have a bad habit of taking you by surprise.”
No shit, Sherlock.
I finished wiping my face and glanced at Aiden. “It’s f-fine.”
He watched me set the bottle and the towel down, and when his gaze returned to my face, I saw the slightest hint of amusement.
And that did nothing to lessen my abject humiliation at how stupid and silly I felt around this man.
I took a deep breath and faced him. “Does what rule apply to me?”
He tilted his head to where Mike was stretching out his arms in front of his bag. “What you just told Emily.”
“Most of the time,” I answered honestly. “But Mike doesn’t bother me.”
