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I was going to kill him. I was literally going to kill Cliff. His blood was going to spatter all over the gym mats if he touched her for a minute longer. He is a known flirt, and he clearly took a liking to her, and although he is professional and would never cross the line of coach and client in my gym, he knew what he was doing, and he was nearly a dead man for it.
From my office upstairs, I stayed at the windows and watched every step she made since she walked into my gym. I saw her when she looked unsure about doing the class and didn’t miss the way the other woman she was with grabbed her arm to lead her over. I also didn’t miss when she bent down to place her water bottle on the floor, the amazing view I got of her peach ass now ingrained in my brain, never to be erased.
I was watching the whole fucking time as Cliff pulled her to his body, and when his hands rested on her hips, I couldn’t take it a second longer. I was going to kill him. He had to die.
I can’t explain it. I have no idea why I reacted that way, and I still don’t even know why the perfect princess is in my fucking gym. But the sight of a man touching her was all it took for me to totally lose my shit.
It is out of character for me. I have never had a jealous moment in my life, and it has ruffled my feathers a bit as I try to piece together my actions.
Standing, heart pounding, watching them again from above in my office, I am glad to see he now has a different volunteer and has learned his lesson. Don’t touch the doctor. I know every member of the club saw me as I stalked down the stairs and I didn’t give a fuck. I will get plenty of ribbing for it later, but right now, I need this lesson finished and I need her out of my gym. She is driving me crazy.
“What the fuck was that about?” Nico says, and I would like to say it is none of his business, but he knows exactly who she is. He is like a little brother to me, not to mention my fight manager, so it is his business to ensure both my physical and mental health is on point. A slight hiccup could mean the difference between winning and dying, so he takes his job of keeping me in check very seriously.
“Nothing,” I lie, trying to shrug it all off as it’s no big deal, even though I am asking myself the same question in my mind.
“The fuck it wasn’t.” He’s angry now. I get it, but he needs to back off. He’s sensing how this could be a problem, one that he might struggle to fix for me.
“You don’t need to be concerned with it. I’ll handle it,” I grit out.
“I can ask her to leave?” Nico offers.
“No!” I snap, a little too quickly, and a little too loudly.
He raises his eyebrows at me, concerned, sure, but also surprised. He has never known me to be like this with a woman. And that’s because I never have. I never get close enough to them. I have loved only one woman in my life, and she died when I was a teenager. The pain of losing my mother still burns to this day. I never want to feel that loss again.
I should have come right back to my office after speaking with Cliff. But I couldn’t. My gaze connected with hers all on its own. The sound of my whispered, breathy name on her lips was like a feather brushing against my tough exterior, testing my wavering restraint. The look in her eyes heated my blood, siphoning every ounce of strength within me to tell her what I did without throwing her over my shoulder.
I usually treat women like they are only good for one thing and, to be honest, most of the women I usually meet are. But this one. Fuck, this one, I don’t know what is different about her, but something is and that makes it dangerous for me.
I realize Nico is observing me and my inner turmoil with a growing frown, and as he goes to speak, I shut him down for the last time.
“Just leave it alone,” I say, articulating every word as I sit back at my desk and shuffle the paperwork in front of me. Not that I can concentrate on anything now.
Letting out a huge sigh, I lean back in my chair and rub my hand over my face. Nico walks over and sits down opposite me.
“So, like I mentioned, Sebastian wants you back in New York. I need to give you the details.”
“What is happening?” I ask, narrowing my eyes. It’s pretty bad that I already forgot this was exactly what we didn’t get to finish discussing earlier.
Damn that sexy brunette downstairs.
“Senate elections. Senator Roy is up for re-election, as you know,” Nico states with fire in his eyes. He loves this shit. Business, management, politics.
“And?” Our guy, Senator Roy Suitor, always wins because we make the outcome that way.
“Well, some rich men in New York are putting their dirty noses into the business, throwing another guy into the running. They haven’t named him yet. Their plan is to not only shut down most of our existing business dealings with the city and police, but it also appears they are not as clean as everyone is thinking. If they’re successful, it’s going to be a huge problem for us. They have already-established supply chains and contacts, and wouldn’t hesitate to make moves to take us down in order to grow their pockets.” While I have no idea what is really going on, I know that things are about to get busy and stressful.
Having rich businessmen stepping over lines with us is nothing new. We are the mob, but we are fair, we negotiate and ensure deals are done for everyone involved. If this situation is escalating, then the other guys must be total assholes. We could kill them, but oftentimes our intimidation tactics work much better, and usually that involves me.
“Our drug supply chains are strong, the strongest they have been for years. Supplies are clean, everyone is paid well.” Nico continues not yet telling me anything I don’t already know. “But if a new senator wins the election, then it will all cease overnight and not only will we need to start from scratch, but we may also have some serious competition as well. Sebastian is not happy.” Nico scratches his jaw, looking at me in contemplation.
“Fine, I’ll be there later this week,” I say as I stand. Nico nods, standing with me, and we walk to the door with a quick hug before he steps out and leaves.
Knowing I’ll be traveling, I need to put my head down and try to make my way through the monthly profits of the gym, so I can leave it in Benji’s hands while I am away.
I look down at my hands and think about the lives they have taken. I would do it all again for Sebastian. He lifted me up when there was no one else reaching out. But the older I get, the more I realize that Philly offers something soothing, a break from the hustle. Building the gym business, working with Benji, being in my old hood, it is all feeling good for me at this point in my life. It gives me something to do outside of New York, a city that takes so much from me at times. Flipping my hands over, the scars and damage that remains tell a story, the visual of dark memories that can’t be erased. But I owe Sebastian and Dante with my life, and I will be with them until the end. They have made me the man I am today. Smart, savvy, wealthy beyond measure, and although it took a lot of blood on my hands to get here, I am forever indebted.
My leg muscles tense, as I grip onto my desk, willing my body not to move, but I can’t stop it. I stand and walk back to the windows and watch her once more. Her face deep in concentration at what Cliff is saying, their lesson almost finished.
