AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Glancing around, I look up to the room where Benji ran to, and sure enough, there he is.
Carter is standing in the window that overlooks the gym, staring right at me. His eyes are penetrating mine, and I can’t look away. I can’t move. I can barely breathe. I'm stuck in the gaze of the man who is so totally wrong for me on every level, but it is the same man who I haven’t stopped thinking about since I treated him on Saturday night.
The rush of memories floods back of his perfect body, his firm grip of my hand, and the sound of his voice. Clearly the fact that I haven’t been with a man in years is wreaking havoc on me, because one look from this man, and I’m hot all over.
Maggie pulls me by the arm, grabbing my attention, and leads me over to some soft mats, since the class is about to start. We look like two barbie dolls in this gym full of muscle, tattoos, and women who look to be as strong as the men. We are sticking out, every pair of eyes looking us over. I squirm a little, not liking the attention.
The class starts, and our trainer Cliff is a young, good-looking guy. Like the rest of the men in here, he is huge and tattooed. It must be a prerequisite. There needs to be a sign on the front of the gym that reads ‘WELCOME ALL LARGE, HANDSOME, TATTOOED MUSCLE MEN.’
I look around at the women here for class. There’s a mix of ages, all from different backgrounds. But I notice there is one similarity. It is fear mixed with resilience and a sprinkle of defiance, and I can see it in every single woman's eyes.
We are all different, yet we are all the same.
Cliff talks to us for a few minutes, explaining what the classes will consist of and how they will be conducted.
“Everyone has the right to feel safe. Unfortunately, we live in a society where it’s become vital to be able to effectively protect ourselves and our loved ones.” Cliffs voice hit me in the chest, and I feel my strength wavering for a moment. I am still dismayed that the people I need to be protecting myself and Ivy from are part of our own family.
“Here in this class, we will teach you the techniques, strategies, and mindset to effectively and efficiently take control of any dangerous situation quickly,” Cliff says as we all hang on his every word. The guys around us are noisy, with some sparring in a boxing ring, and others punching bags. There are more over in the weights area too, along with music playing over the loud speaker, yet Cliff and his instructions are clear. I am starting to feel empowered already, and I am thankful that Maggie did this for me.
“Now, ladies, I am going to start by showing you a few moves, none of which I expect you to get right tonight. But I did want to showcase what we will be going through over the next few weeks so you can get comfortable with the physical aspect of what we teach here. While I am here to teach you self-defense, I won’t go easy on you. Because your attackers won’t go easy on you, and I want you prepared for that.” His eyes sweep across all of us, before they land on me. He gives me a brief smile. “Now I need a volunteer.”
All the women are quiet, no one offering to be a helper until Maggie pushes me forward with enough force to have me nearly tripping over my own feet. I whip my head around and scowl at her.
“Great! Step up here and tell us your name.” I want the earth to open up and swallow me whole.
“Sure,” I say with a fake smile, one I have perfected, as I imagine how I am going to put food coloring in Maggie’s shampoo as a payback. “I am Catherine, but my friends call me Cat.” As I walk up to him, I ensure I look confident, even though I feel anything but.
“Welcome, Cat,” he says with a smile I can tell is genuine. “Now stand up next to me, with your back against my chest. I am going to show everyone what to do if you are attacked from behind.” I sidle up to him as he takes in my body.
I hate my sister right now.
He remains professional as he positions me right next to him. My body is now in front of him, his chest to my back, as his hands firmly grab my arms from behind. I feel extremely out of my depth, and although his grip is not hard, it is firm. My heart races a little, because Daniel has held me in this position before, and its familiarity is near stifling. I am seriously not cut out for this, and I look at Maggie, begging her with my eyes to get me out of this situation. But she ignores me and continues to watch on attentively.
Red. That’ll be the color I put into her shampoo.
Cliff is talking about what to do when a man approaches you from behind. His hands slowly lower and as he puts his hands on my hips. Gripping me firmly and pulling me to him. I’m growing even more nervous, as I’m not exactly sure what move he is going to do, or how I need to handle it, but before he does anything, I hear a smash.
We all turn around in time to see the office door from upstairs slam open and crash against the wall. Everyone’s eyes snap to Carter as he runs purposefully down the stairs, his gaze not leaving Cliff’s. He looks murderous, and I am slightly worried for our trainer.
“Cliff, a word,” he grits out as he stalks past us to the corner of the gym.
“Excuse me, ladies,'' he says as he turns and follows Carter, and we all stand there, not sure what to do or where to look. I make my way back to Maggie and take a sip of water, and we watch Carter talking quietly to Cliff, his veins pumping in his neck and his fists clenching at his sides. I should be scared, but I am not. I see some of the women looking away, but my eyes are glued. Glued to the man who towers over everyone in this place, his air of authority palpable.
Cliff, in turn, looks like a scared little rabbit.
They finish their conversation and Carter walks away, but not before his eyes land on mine. All the noise and surrounding people become mere blurs as we look at each other.
“Carter?” I whisper in question before he takes a few steps closer to me.
“He is not putting his hands on you,” he grits out to me quietly as his nostrils flare. I’m taken aback a little, but then a warm feeling washes over me. I don’t even know this man, and he makes me feel safe.
I have no words, so I simply nod in return, before he strides back up the stairs to his office. As I watch him, I see another man at the top waiting at the door and it is one I recognize. It’s Nico, another mob soldier, the one who stayed at the hospital with Annie in New York. I smile up at him, and he nods in acknowledgement, before Carter pushes past him, nudging him back into the room and slamming the door.
We finish our class as if nothing happened, only Cliff won’t make eye contact with me again.
11
Carter
