The back door to the restaurant opens easily, and I send a silent message of gratitude to the slacker employee who left it unlocked. Quickly taking in my surroundings, itlooks like I’m in a storage area. Lots of boxes holding supplies. Napkins, cups, utensils, condiments. Moving forward on light feet, I pass a kitchen with several people bustling around and, in the other direction, there’s a short hallway that leads to the gym.
In less than five seconds I’ve reached the athletic club entrance where—surprise, surprise—no one is waiting to check my membership card. Whoever’s job is to keep riff-raff out must be on break. It’s like an epidemic of incompetence in this place.
Since I have no card to slide anyway, I make sure the coast is clear then send up another silent message of thanks to yet another invisible employee as I duck under the barrier with ease.
The place isn’t too busy, but it’s big. I have no idea where Ryder might be. Luckily, there are enough people around that I don’t draw any attention as I wander through. Besides, everyone wears earbuds, completely focused on their music and reps. No one even looks up as I pass.
Reaching the saunas, I pause, wondering if they could be inside. My instinct tells me to keep moving, and my gut is rarely wrong. I walk by racquetball courts, a weight-lifting area, endless machines, a rock-climbing room… Damn, this place is much bigger than it appears on the outside. I’m getting a workout just wandering through it.
There’s a sign pointing the way to an Olympic-sized pool, but I keep going straight and aim in on the area with ten boxing rings. He came here with Lincoln Decker,and I’m pretty confident that’s an important element in finding Ryder. Three of the rings have fighters sparring, but my attention zeroes straight in on the corner one just as a shirtless Ryder throws a punch at Lincoln.
Whoa.I’m not sure what I was expecting, but my feet stop moving. Completely transfixed, and possibly gaping, I’m unable to look away from a smorgasbord of glistening male muscles. For a moment too long, I watch the two men sparring in the ring. Talk about eye candy.Bloody hell!
Close your mouth,I scold myself, ducking behind a large, potted Ficus tree. It’s not like I’ve never seen a man’s naked chest and torso before. Not even the first one I’ve seen gleaming with sweat and muscles flexing.Jesus.Did I just drool? You’d think I was a hard-up virgin with the way I’m responding. Okay, well, maybe the hard-up part is true.
Sex is difficult for me, though. I hate being vulnerable. Opening myself up to someone who may have different expectations makes it impossible for me to be completely uninhibited. Especially after the two encounters I had ended before they really began. No build-up, zero pleasure, no orgasm—at least for me, anyway. Just a fast fuck in the dark, and then I left as quickly as possible. Allowing someone inside my body and then… just exposing everything to him? No, thank you. So not worth it.
Maybe it would be different if I were in a real relationship. Loved up on someone who wasn’t all about himself. But that’s a very dangerous train of thought, and I shut it down fast. Instead, I lean forward, peering through theleaves like a damn creeper and trying not to drool at the half-naked men moving around the ring.
Okay, I can see how some women might be more drawn to the huge, muscled wall who used to be an MMA champ. But I am definitely not one of those women. Apparently, I have a type. And by type, I mean Ryder McKay.
I can’t seem to pry my eyes off him. His physique is sublime. A couple of inches over six feet tall with smooth, tanned skin and toned muscles. Not too much, but definitely not too little either. I admire his firm pecs, six-pack abs, and the way he moves, so lithe and agile. His brown hair is a little longer on top and kind of wild looking. An adorable mop of waves falls over his eyes as he dances back out of Lincoln’s way, barely avoiding a meaty fist.
A couple of things quickly become apparent—Ryder is fast and strong. Much more so than I anticipated. I was prepared for a spoiled-rotten techy gemologist who hides behind his keyboard all day when he isn’t shmoozing it up with other billionaires. But that isn’t what I’m seeing. Apparently, a bespoke suit can hide more than I thought. So, I need to be extremely careful. I can’t risk him escaping from me. Thank goodness I brought the cuffs.
Slipping both hands into the roomie front pocket of my hoodie, I touch the stun gun for reassurance. I have a good feeling I’m going to need it once we get outside. Hopefully not before, though, because I don’t think dragging him through the athletic club while he’s immobile would goover very well. At that point, people might pull their eyes off their phones and actually notice.
I’m not sure how much time passes, but ogling Ryder McKay’s tight ass in those little shorts just became my new favorite thing to do. The plant’s leaves rustle in front of me as I let out a soft, breathy sigh. Okay, so I might find him fairly attractive, but it doesn’t matter. I have a job to do, and there’s no way I’m letting some man’s firm tushy get between me and the Phantom Orchid.
I don’t care how toned it is. Or how, ah, well-endowed he might be. Because damn, those shorts hug his assets.
Nope, don’t care one iota.
Forcing my gaze up, I watch them throw punches, and when Lincoln’s fist makes contact with Ryder’s jaw, knocking him off-balance, I audibly gasp.Fuck.Slapping a hand over my mouth, I drop down a little lower, hoping they didn’t hear. Thankfully, they keep right on fighting, completely oblivious to me.
There are a couple more times when Lincoln gets the upper hand, hitting Ryder with his ham of a fist or causing him to jump back, but I’m impressed with how well Ryder holds his own against the former champ.
After a half an hour or so, they wrap it up, and I check the corner of my mouth for drool. Even though they’re the ones who have been sparring nonstop, I’m the one overheating and sweating like it’s my damn job.
Waving a hand in front of my face, trying to cool off, I watch as they hop down from the ring, and head for thelocker room. Exactly what I was banking on. Slipping out from behind the tall plant, I follow them, making sure to keep my distance, and ready to duck out of sight if one of them happens to turn around. Their deep voices drift back to me as they talk, but I can’t hear what they’re saying. They’re too far ahead.
Outside of the locker rooms, they pause, exchange a few more words and bump knuckles. Lincoln heaves his gym bag over his shoulder and heads toward the exit. I couldn’t have planned this anymore perfectly. I was a little worried they’d both shower and I’d have to handle things a little differently. But this is playing right into my hand.
It’s the perfect, albeit risky, scenario. But I live for a good thrill, and a surge of adrenaline spikes through my veins.
No doubt about it, grabbing him when he’s most vulnerable and not expecting me is going to work to my advantage. And what better way to do that than barge in on him when he’s in the shower, naked and unprepared?
Plus, I get a little bonus treat for myself—an eyeful of all that delicious, rugged male body which I know is going to live rent free in my head from now until the day I die.
The men’s locker room looks huge, but it’s relatively quiet. Exactly three minutes after he disappears inside, I pull my hood tighter around my face, duck in and follow. I hear the faint sound of running water and head toward the shower area where there’s a line of private stalls.
Steeling myself with a deep breath, I walk right up to the only occupied shower and pluck the stun gun from my pocket. And wait.
The moment the water shuts off, I boldly reach out, grab hold of the curtain and yank it open.
A surprised, very naked Ryder spins around. The angry frown on his face seems to melt away as his brown eyes lock on me. For a distracted moment, my attention shifts to the drop of water sliding down… down… down.
Holy. Freaking. Wow.There’s just so much to look at, but his very generous cock seems to be the star of the show, on full and glorious display. I’ve heard the term “show-er” before, but this takes it to an entirely new level. Well-endowed is an understatement.
