Shit, he was going to stand here and watch.
Nick readied the pad in front of his chest. I swung my arm out and connected with it. It made a feeble ‘pfff’ sound.
‘Great attempt!’ said Carl. ‘But maybe I could give you some pointers.’
A crack echoed around the gym. It sounded like a gunshot, but was more likely someone’s fist making contact with bone. Possibly a nose.
‘I’ll be back in a mo,’ he said, worry clouding his features.
With Carl gone, I could grill Nick.
‘You were saying?’
‘Keep your arm parallel to the floor,’ said Nick.
‘You want to teach me how to punch?’ He was unbelievable.
‘When you do it right, it will feel so good.’
He sounded like he had a fetish.
I swung again. This time I made better contact with the pad, making Nick take a step back.
‘Impressive,’ he said. ‘One more, and this time keep your shoulder low.’ He pressed his palm against the side of my ribcage. ‘It will engage the lats.’
His hand barely made contact but it felt oddly intimate. He really was fixated on teaching me how to hit properly.
I planted my feet firmly on the sprung floor, relaxed my shoulders and threw another punch.
Thwack. My arm vibrated all the way up to my jaw.
Nick was propelled two steps back.
‘How did that feel?’
I grinned uncontrollably, trying to find the right word. ‘Pretty good.’
Nick nodded. ‘Let’s keep going.’
I swung my arm, and each time my gloved fist made a satisfying thud against the pad. I was getting into the swing of it, because I threw three punches in quick succession that made Nick recoil and drop the pad to the floor.
He shrugged. ‘You’re imagining my face, I take it.’
I smiled. ‘You’re right, that feels amazing.Nowwill you tell me what you’re really here for?’
He took my hands in his. ‘First, let’s take these gloves off.’
I let him. When I was safely glove-free he put his hands squarely on my shoulders and looked me straight in the eye.
‘Can you get me a date with Jessica Honey?’
