Trevor nodded. “Of course. I would love that.” He hoped he didn’t sound too eager.
“Good,” Allen said. “I’ll send you the details. We’ll talk soon.”
“Definitely,” Trevor said before ending the call.
For a second, he sat and thought about meeting with Allen once again. He wondered if he would be introduced to anyone that had ties with Stefano as well, or if they really were powerful enough to offer what he had in mind to ask for.
Benefits.
The word still echoed in his head as he slipped out of the office to head to the gym, ready to relieve the stress from the unexpectedly horrible day.
Chapter Six
Jules closed her laptop with a sigh. It had been a very long day, and she was glad to see the end of it. Though she adored her job above all else in life, there were certainly times when she could use a drink after she’d finished for the day.
And this was one of those times.
Glancing at the clock, she saw it was nearly seven already. It was getting late, and she hadn’t worked out in a couple of days; going out for a drink would certainly take the rest of the night and rob her of her gym time.
She looked down at her body. It was clear she made a habit of working out, and she knew missing one more night wouldn’t do any harm to her physique, but she didn’t want to get in the habit of skipping the gym.
The longer she went between sessions, the easier it was for her to talk herself out of going altogether. And, with a job that required her to sit long hours in front of a desk, she knew it wouldn’t be long before she started seeing the adverse effects if she wasn’t careful.
“You done for the day?” Mick, one of the other lawyers at the firm, asked. She nodded but buried her face in her hands and rubbed her eyes.
“How are you doing on the Busby case?” he prompted. She knew he was likely building up the courage to ask her out, and she knew she would turn him down as soon as he did. But she also didn’t want to be rude. The Busby case had been on the forefront of her mind for months now.
It was an ugly divorce taking place between a man and his estranged wife—something she was always glad she never had to personally deal with. Though she hated the fact she was still single and wondered how different her life could be, she didn’t want to think about what it would be like to go through such an ugly divorce with someone she once loved.
“I think we’re going to reach a settlement between the two of them sometime next week. But then again, who knows?” she replied, still rubbing her eyes. She didn’t want to go into the details of the case, but she knew she shouldn’t be rude. Mick was always very nice to her, and she knew he was just trying to make small talk.
He nodded, and before he had the chance to continue the conversation any further, she cut him off.
“But that’s enough for one day. I’m going to head out to the gym and see if I can work off some of this frustration on a literal punching bag.” She smiled as she rose and started gathering her things.
His eyes lit up and trailed over her body, which she chose to ignore.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said over her shoulder as she quickly slipped by him. She heard him reply, but she couldn’t hear what he’d said. And she wasn’t about to turn around and ask.
When Jules reached her car, she decided to skip the drink and do what she’d told Mick she would—go straight to the boxing gym on the way to her house. She didn’t always enjoy boxing, but after the rough day she had, it would be good to blow off some steam.
As if the date hadn’t been bad enough, having to deal with the Busby case was enough to drive her insane. Though the way she had broken up with her only boyfriend hadn’t been the simplest nor the easiest, she couldn’t understand why people got so worked up when it came to separation.
Mrs. Busby wanted the house. Mr. Busby wasn’t going to give it to her. They would go around and around about the details of their marriage as well as their separation, to the point Jules felt like she was their therapist as well as Mr. Busby’s lawyer.
Having zero motivation to work out, Jules sighed when she pulled into the gym parking lot. She would rather be at the bar with a margarita in hand, but since she was already here, she might as well go in.
“It’s just going to be an hour, then I can go home and relax,” she muttered as she grabbed her workout bag and headed inside. She’d already decided she would order sushi before she hit the shower, giving the restaurant enough time to prepare her order before she picked it up on her way home.
As much as she hated to agree with anything her horrible date Arthur had said, she knew burgers weren’t healthy. She tended to work out when she ate terribly, and knew that if she threw herself into her workout today, she wouldn’t feel too bad about the burger plus the bottle of wine she was planning on downing with her sushi. It wasn’t too much motivation, but it was enough to prompt her to spend the entire hour at the gym.
It only took a few minutes for her to change out of her professional attire and into her workout gear, and she soon found herself on the floor of the gym, messing around with the equipment.
Jules tried to focus on her own workout, but she could still hear an incessant sound despite the music she had blasting in her ears. Looking around in slight annoyance, she saw the culprit: there was a man at the punching bags, slamming his fists into them as hard as he could. She could see by the sweat-soaked shirt clinging to his form that he, too, took care of his body, and she liked what she saw. Squinting, she saw that his face was also extremely attractive. His eyes were narrowed in focus and his five-o-clock-shadowed jaws were clenched in concentration.
Looking around and barely thinking, she made her way over to the punching bag next to his, ignoring the fact the trainer, Tony, was telling him where to hit and how hard. She had worked with Tony from time to time, and she saw him light up when she walked over.
“Hey! Good to see you! Looking good,” he said as she dodged around the bag and sunk her fists into the fabric.
She nodded with a smile, though she was far more interested in the other man. The trainer only stood and watched her for a moment before refocusing on his client, and she let her eyes linger in that direction.
Jules wanted to appear strong and capable as she punched the bag, but she was distracted. Maybe it was because of the shitty date she had today or because she hadn’t had sex in ages, but there was something about this man that was riveting. He threw each punch with ease, hitting his mark perfectly. Sweat flew from his body each time contact with the bag was made, and his muscles rippled beneath his skin.
It was captivating.
“I think that’s good for one session,” the trainer said as the man slammed his fist into the punching bag once more. He looked over his shoulder.
“This isn’t doing it for me. I want to have a go in the ring.” He looked toward the setup on the other side of the gym, and the trainer raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised that this man wanted to have an actual partner to fight. He glanced around the gym.
Jules, too, let her eyes wander over the others who were working out, and she wondered who the trainer was going to ask to have a round with this muscular specimen.
“Are you sure you want to? I’d hate to see you wrap up such a good day flat on your back,” Tony said with a laugh. But the stranger flexed his muscles as he rubbed his wrapped fingers and stretched out his arms.
“I think sending someone else to the floor would be a better way to end the day,” he replied. The trainer hesitated once more, then shrugged as he started around the gym. Tony asked six unwilling men before finally stopping next to the largest man at the gym. Jules glanced first at him then at the handsome stranger, but she didn’t stop punching her own bag as she did. She wondered if he would back down when he saw the man agree, but it didn’t seem that he was even remotely fazed by the situation.
She continued to aimlessly strike at the punching bag—though, at this point, who was she kidding? There
was no way she was getting an actual workout with the fake punches—until the two men got in the ring. Once all eyes were on the main event, she tore herself away from the punching bag to go watch the fight. They were both wearing padded helmets and gloves, and Tony stood between them, laying out the rules.
“Alright, gents, let’s play fair,” Tony said, lowering his hand and stepping back to let the fight begin. Jules wanted the stranger to win, but to be honest, she didn’t think he stood a chance against the other fighter. The man was large and fast, and he came down hard.
But the handsome stranger danced around him, deftly stepping out of the way of his blows while landing a few of his own. He made the entire thing look effortless, and Jules couldn’t help but applaud when he landed a powerful blow that sent the other man to the floor.
It was the most incredible thing Jules had ever seen. But, as soon as the man hit the floor and the stranger was declared the winner, she crept back to her place with the other punching bags.
She didn’t want him to notice her watching like some fangirl. She didn’t want him to see how impressed she was.
But she was very impressed.
Very.
Chapter Seven
“What a show!” The trainer, Tony, looked almost as elated as Trevor felt. He took off his headgear and reached down to help his opponent up.
“That was quite a hit, kid,” the man said, impressed, as they shook hands. Trevor laughed.
“I was just releasing some frustration from work today. You might say that you had it coming,” he replied. The man laughed and agreed. They parted on good terms, and Trevor couldn’t help but glance around the room.
He had noticed a beautiful woman watching him in the ring, and he wanted to see what had become of her. All thoughts of her had flown out of his mind as his fight ensued, but now that he had a moment, he wanted to get a better look. From what he could see, she was beautiful. Curvy. Voluptuous.
He spied her over by the punching bags, and he walked toward her with a grin.
“What did you think of the show?” he asked as he walked around the heavy bag and held it steady for her.
“What show?” she asked with an innocent, confused look. He stifled a laugh. He could see by her expression the confusion was nothing more than a ruse, and he couldn’t help but shake his head.
“Don’t pretend like you weren’t over there watching. I saw you before I landed the final blow,” he said with a grin.
“Oh, I hardly noticed,” she said with an upturned nose. This time, he couldn’t hold in his laugh and the punching bag shook a little as he chuckled. He could see her start to blush.
“I’m Trevor. Nice to meet you…?” he asked, raising his eyebrows at her.
“Jules. My name is Jules,” she responded.
“Well, Jules, it’s a pleasure. I don’t think I’ve seen you here before,” he said, cocking his head.
“I come here often enough. Perhaps you’re the one who should be making a bigger effort to get down here,” she replied, hitting the bag with as much aggression as she could muster. He braced himself, holding the bag still as she continued to slam her fists into it.
“Well, you’re certainly not wrong. I usually work out at my home gym, but my trainer’s been nagging at me to come by. But clearly you do work out, though.” He smiled at her, and she blushed, this time unable to hide it.
“Thank you,” she replied, flustered. “You look like you’re in good shape too.”
“Why don’t you prove that you mean that and join me for a drink?” he asked with a grin. She stopped punching. He could see in her face she was clearly debating whether she ought to take him up on the offer, and he wasn’t going to give her any more time to reject him.
“It could definitely be a good time,” he prompted. She gave him another look, but he could already see by the expression on her face she was going to accept.
“I won’t keep you out too late,” he assured her. “I’m sure you’ve got things to do in the morning.”
“Alright, alright,” she conceded, “but only one drink.”
Trevor smiled triumphantly. “Great! I’m going to hit the shower and head down there. What do you say we meet up at the bar on the corner?” he asked. “Don Tito’s?”
“Sounds perfect,” she admitted, “I was actually craving a margarita.” Trevor gave her another grin before he left to head to the locker room.
As he walked to the men’s locker room, he could already feel the tightening in his gym shorts. He had to admit, he was completely taken with this woman, and he couldn’t wait to get to know her better. Everything about her was absolutely alluring.
Her body was exactly what he loved. Not skinny by any means. Strong. Capable. Beautiful. He could feel his arousal through his pants, but it didn’t stop him from thinking of what it would be like to have her back at his place.
He could only imagine how much fun the two of them would have, not to mention it would be another—more preferable—workout for the both of them.
There was little doubt in his mind she would be good in bed. The way she moved with confidence and strength told him that she was someone who knew what she was doing between the sheets.
He imagined taking her from behind as he gripped her slender waist, then letting her ride his manhood, her large, perky breasts bouncing in all their glory. It would be magical. His thoughts were running through his mind faster than he could keep up with, and he didn’t notice how aroused he was becoming.
The more he thought about her, the harder his dick got, and the more he wanted to take her. He would have thrown her up against the wall right there in the gym and had his way with her if he thought they would be able to get away with it.
But the gym wasn’t like the small closets at the cocktail parties he frequented. There were far too many cameras for him to even think he would be able to get away with it. Not to mention, she probably wouldn’t be on board with it herself, despite the fact she was very clearly attracted to him.
He smiled to himself, thinking about how she had crept up to the side of the ring, obviously thinking he wouldn’t notice her amidst the fight. The fact of the matter was that he had noticed her from the moment she walked into the gym.
It was clear that she was interested in him—walking over to the punching bags that he was using when she had been on the other side using the machines, standing close enough to see him work out while she, herself, clearly made a point of working out next to him.
She knew the trainer, Tony. Trevor didn’t come to that gym enough to have a friendly relationship with him, but it was evident to him that the two of them were well acquainted.
He shook his head, his mind suddenly drawn back to the present moment. He didn’t realize how hard he was growing until he felt his erection pressing against his pants, and he knew he was going to have to calm down.
He wrapped one of the towels around his waist and headed for the showers, still thinking about the girl who was out on the floor.
She said her name was Jules. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. He already knew he was going to lay on the charm as heavily as he could, doing anything possible to convince her to go back to his place for a good time.
Trevor didn’t know if he was going to be straightforward from the very beginning and let her know that he was just looking for another romp in the sheets. It was something that he often did with women in the past, and it never seemed to make any difference with the outcome of the situation. But with Jules, he couldn’t gauge how she’d react. Though she clearly was into him, she didn’t shamelessly throw herself at him like all the other women.
At the same time, he didn’t get the vibe from her that she was really looking for anything besides fun herself. She looked like someone who would rather have fun for the night and move on with her life than one who was going to turn into some clingy psycho as soon as they were done.
Either way, he knew he was going to have to work hard if he was going to get
her to go back to his house, and he was going to do everything in his power to make that happen.
It was really as simple as that.
Chapter Eight
“Keep your shoulders up and tighten your core as you swing. That’ll hit the lower muscles and build strength faster.” Tony leaned against the wall, giving Jules advice as she punched the bag. She knew she was going to have to wrap up the session soon if she was going to make it to the bar with Trevor, but it felt good to get the tension out of her body.
“So, what can you tell me about that guy you were training before—Trevor?” she asked after a few more punches. “He seemed to know what he was doing, but I’ve never seen him here before.”
He gave her a knowing look. “He’s one of the elite members. One of the few members who pays extra to have a special keycard to the place and come in to workout whenever he feels like it. I don’t see him a lot because he’s usually here after my shift, but I’ve seen him around a few times and trained with him once or twice. Stand up taller when you hit, you want to really dig deep and swing from inside.” He changed the subject back to the workout, and Jules took in a deep breath, swinging harder.
She didn’t know how he was able to tell she wasn’t giving it her all, but he always could.
“You’ve improved,” he commented as she continued to swing. “What got you interested in boxing?”
“I came after I lost interest in the yoga class I had signed up for. It was fun at first, but when they said we were going to start doing cat yoga, I ducked out,” she replied, and he laughed.
“Well, it’s a good thing you tried this out. You seem really into hitting these bags, and you’re improving a lot.” He grabbed the bag and stabilized it as she continued to pound into it, and she shrugged.
“I get frustrated with work a lot. I wanted something that would help me relieve that stress without landing me in jail.” She winked at him and he laughed once more.
Cold-Hearted: A Billionaire Secret Baby Romance (The Alabaster Club Series Book 2) Page 4