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The woman next to her stops as well, following her gaze to me. I barely pay attention, focused on Harley and taking another step forward.
Her friend nudges her shoulder, and she walks again, this time separating from the group.
“Hey,” she says timidly, brushing her hair back absently when she gets closer. “What are you doing here?”
“Are you okay?” I reach out to tuck a stray curl behind her ear, ignoring the question.
“Yeah, why?”
“Because you don’t look like a woman that just did yoga.”
She giggles, throwing her head back, her chest shaking. “You always have a way with words. I look like a wet rat. It’s hot yoga on Saturdays. They set the heat pretty high.”
My body jerks. “Why would you do that?”
“Because not all of us are built like a brick house, Ace.” She nudges my side.
I’m about to respond about how she’s built perfectly fine when a male voice calls her name. She twists to the sound, and I step closer, watching a man in athletic gear coming our way. He rakes his eyes over us, and I don’t miss the flash of surprise aimed at me.
“Hey, Erik,” she greets cheerily.
“I meant to catch you before you left. I was wondering if you had time to grab a quick lunch. There’s something I’d like to discuss.” He glances at me uncomfortably and then back at her.
She picks up on this and tilts her face to mine. “Achilles, this is my yoga instructor, Erik. And this is my friend, Ace.”
“Nice to meet you.” He offers his hand and I take it, swallowing down the acid scorching my throat at the use of the words ‘friend’ and ‘Ace’. I’m always Achilles to her.
“Yeah,” I respond, tightening my grip before releasing his hand.
“Did you want to have lunch today?” she asks him.
“Yes, unless you already have plans.”
“No, I just need to go home and chan—”
“Actually, I am taking you to lunch,” I cut her off briskly.
Her eyes bulge and her mouth snaps shut.
Erik’s expression turns to amusement as he crosses his arms. “Maybe tomorrow you could meet Kelvin and me for breakfast?” He speaks to her, but his focus is on me.
I drop my head and bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. He’s good. That one statement tells me what I need to know. It also shows he’s fishing for information. My hand goes to her hip and pulls her the few inches to me.
“We could probably do breakfast,” I say into her ear, but loud enough for him to hear.
She huffs, elbowing me in the ribs, trying to move away. “I know I can do breakfast.”
He flat-out smiles. “Great, I’ll text you later and set up a place.”
“What do you want to talk about? Is everything okay?”
“I’m expanding my business. I wanted to get your advice on marketing, promotions, and budgeting. A few facilities around town have contacted me for specialized classes. The short-term goals are pretty simple because I’m contracting with established businesses. It’s the long-term plan that needs some crafting.”
“That sounds like a great opportunity.”
“It is, but I don’t always want to be at the mercy of others. Eventually, I want my space and facility. My ideas are overflowing, but the cash flow is tight. Kelvin’s encouraging me to start a business plan.”
“I’m not a genius, but we could throw some ideas around. My main recommendation would be to focus on building word of mouth for a foundation.” Her enthusiasm picks up, and she bounces on her toes, the movement rubbing her full back against my front.
My body comes alive, my cock swelling fast, and I grip her tighter. “Why don’t you save the good stuff for breakfast tomorrow?”
She stills, and Erik’s smile grows wider. He eyes me knowingly. “Should I request a table for four or eight to include your audience?”
Harley whips her head around, and when she spots the guys, she lets out a squeak. “What the hell?”
“Let’s stick with four. Those assholes may not be functioning tomorrow,” I answer.
He tips his chin and turns to leave, jogging back to the studio.
“What in the world is going on?” Harley hasn’t taken her eyes off the men.
“Ignore them.”
She steps out of my hold and shakes her head a few times. “Let’s go back to my original question. What are you doing here?”
“I thought we established this. I’m taking you to lunch.”
She looks at me like I’m crazy, her hands flying in the air as she lays into me. “Taking me to lunch? Did I miss something? I don’t remember setting anything up. As a matter of fact, I distinctly recall trying to get together for months with no interest from you. Did you think to call or message me? Maybe say ‘Hey, Harley. Sorry I’ve avoided you forever, but let’s grab a bite to eat and catch up.’ Or ‘I’d like to take you out to apologize for being the world’s most evasive ass lately.’ ”
