by Ford, Mia
I shudder, no longer wanting that image to be in my brain. Maybe this will help me get rid of the picture.
It wasn’t long after that I lost my mom, so the emotions are all tied together. The heart ache is mixed in with grief and it’s all completely shut me down. I guess in a way this could be a good thing.
“Fine, if it gets him out my life completely, then I’ll do it.”
“It is time for you to move on, Mia. He’s moved away now, you don’t ever have to see him anymore, it’s done. I don’t like you carrying all this weight on your shoulders. It’s really sad.”
I sigh loudly, trying to gather myself back up before I fall apart again. I refuse to sob in public over what I’ve lost again. I do keep trying to be strong, but Kayleigh has known me forever, since college, she can see right through me. She knows that I’m still somewhat feeling the pain inside which is really hard.
“Yeah, I know. I understand.” I chew on my thumb nail. “I do need to.”
“This means you should find a new man then. You need to open up your heart again.”
Kayleigh is a big believer in dating. She’s always going out to date with guys to get to know them. Dinner only unless she really does like them. I don’t judge, it’s a good way to learn what you do and don’t want out of life and a relationship, but I can’t imagine that ever being me. I’m too awkward for that.
I suppose the only thing I can do is try to make friends with some different guys, to go from there.
“Okay fine. Sign me up to any gym possible. Let’s deal with the hell of the marathon first, then I can worry about meeting a new guy. One step at a time, let’s focus on the easiest thing first.”
Kayleigh laughs loudly and nods. “Okay sure. Come on then, there’s one not too far from here.”
She links her arm through mine and drags me along with her, giving me little to no choice. I guess I’m starting to get fit then against my will. I will just have to turn this terrible negative into a positive.
Stepping inside a gym is like being taken to another world. The machines that look more like torture devices, the sweaty guys pumping iron like gorillas, showing off to each other, the stunning slim women, running effortlessly… it’s immediately far too obvious that I don’t belong.
“Kayleigh.” I grab onto her arm hard. “I can’t do this. It’s too much.”
“Don’t panic, Mia, just trust me. It’s going to be fine. You aren’t alone, you’re with me.”
But my heart doesn’t stop hammering against my rib cage, I can’t get my breaths to a normal level, the butterflies in the pit of my stomach are almost the size of birds of prey.
She grabs her hand and pulls me to the front desk to sign us both up.
“Well, hello there, young lady,” a chocolaty smooth voice calls out. “How can I help you?”
“I’m Kayleigh Manns, and this is my friend, Mia Clark. We want to join the gym. We’re going to be running the marathon this year so we need to get fit. Is that something you can help us with?”
“I sure can! Two gorgeous girls like you, I bet I can work with you.”
Kayleigh pulls me with her and that’s the moment my eyes connect with the man behind the desk. My heart being honest to God stops beating for a moment, every cell in my body explodes with fireworks. I haven’t ever found someone so attractive on first meeting. Usually, I have to know people’s personality before I can feel anything for anyone, but with this man I get a strong bolt of actual lust.
He’s tall, dark, very handsome, strikingly gorgeous… and he has he most amazing, piercing eyes too. Dimples pop up as he smiles, literally lighting up the whole room. Wow, he’s incredible!
It must be because of the conversation that I’ve just had with Kayleigh about moving on, it can’t be anything else. I haven’t suddenly turned into a cray, horny freak overnight… have I?
“So, the first month is half price, you know that right? I wouldn’t want you to miss the deal.”
“We do know that.” Luckily, Kayleigh is doing all the talking for me. “Thank you very much.”
“Great.” He runs his eyes up and down me in a very invasive way. Admittedly, I like it, but he’s definitely too forward for me. I don’t think arrogance is something that I’m attracted to. “That’s good, and when do you want to start? If you pay today then you can start working out today.”
No way, I really don’t want to start working out right now, I want to breathe properly first.
“Yes, that sounds amazing. We would love to start right now.”
I groan silently and slide my eyes closed. It’s funny how Kayleigh can sense everything about me, can read me like a book, but she can’t tell that this is the last place in the world I want to be.
“Okay, well I will have one of my staff members show you around. How about Helen?”
A perky very excitable young girl comes to join me and Kayleigh and she takes us around to each machine, explaining in great detail how each one works, but I can barely listen to her words. Hot blood pumps violently in my ears making it hard to hear anything. I can’t stop thinking about him. The arrogant but hot man who works here. I don’t know what it is about him, but there’s a magnet constantly drawing my eyes back to him.
He isn’t my type, I remind myself angrily. He isn’t someone I’m even attracted to. Don’t be crazy.
“Okay, thank you, Helen,” Kayleigh finally says. “We can take it from here.”
“What are we going to do?” I ask her nervously. “I’m not even in a sportswear, not like you, but I suppose you were prepared. You knew what we were going to do today unlike me.”
I shoot her an angry glare, but she purposefully ignores it. “We should start on the treadmill since we need to run. They aren’t too hard to use anyway, I couldn’t follow any of that stuff Helen was saying…”
Kayleigh leads the way to the treadmill and we start running on it. Obviously, she’s much quicker than me, but that’s to be expected. What I do expect is the competitive feeling that rises in my chest. I actually want to be as good as Kayleigh, or better maybe. I haven’t had anything to fight for in a very long time and this feels like a good place to start. It’s healthy too, I will be doing my body good by getting into shape.
I pick the pace up and wipe the sweat from my forehead, panting desperately as I do. I’m sure my face is as red as my hair, but I keep on going. Endorphins kick in and my serotonin flies through the roof. I can do this, I can actually run a freaking marathon. Everyone wants to run a marathon, it’s on every bucket list ever, and I’m going to actually do it. For mom, to help screw over Cancer, and to put my past behind me.
What could be better than that?
Yes, Kayleigh is right. I do need this so much.
3
Noah
“Oh, fucking hell, she is gorgeous.” I hear Josh tell Mike. “I mean, we get some seriously hot members in here, but she is something else. The things I would love to do to her.”
“Which one do you mean?” Mike asks. “The red head or the blonde?”
“The red head. She’s got a bit of a shy look to her, but I bet she’s wild in bed.”
“Oh, well I like the blonde. She looks bossy. I like bossy.”
“You like to be dominated? I never would have thought that about you, mate.”
“I don’t know, I guess so. I just like it when a chick knows what she wants.”
“I like it when I can teach her a thing or two. And I could teach the red head lots.”
I smile to myself, silently agreeing with him. The blonde is cute, but the red head - Mia, I think she said her name was - has something special about her. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but she is incredible. The moment I saw her, my heart fluttered like crazy and it hasn’t stopped moving too quick since.
I don’t get like this over women. I have the hots for them, obviously, but I don’t get these weird feelings. This is intense, powerful, almost irritating. I’m not looking for anyone right now, not for
more than sex, and I certainly can’t hook up with someone who’s a client of my gym. That’s my rule for a reason.
“No fraternizing,” I remind them, but I only get that familiar smirk back.
“Yeah, yeah, we know, boss. No fraternizing. Of course not.”
“I mean it. You do realize it’s trouble, don’t you? It can lead to all sorts of complications.”
“We know… you don’t have to tell us that, we understand.”
“I’m not just saying… you know what? Never mind.” I roll my eyes. “You carry on.”
I also want to warn them about speaking about the women like they are eye candy, just there for them to drool over, but I don’t have the energy. They are idiots anyway, I don’t think they will understand. Great employees but not the best at actually being decent human beings.
“Just… get back to work, okay? I think those guys over there need some help with the machines.”
“Yes, boss. We’re on it.”
Shit. I might have to actually watch one of these idiots hooking up with her. I roll my eyes and stalk over to the desk, to greet new people coming in. When I’m here, I want my face to be the first thing that people see when they come in here, so they know who to talk to if they ever need help.
I welcome everyone as they come in, trying to give each and every person the time that they deserve, but whenever I’m idly sitting, my eyes drag to her. She hasn’t gotten off the treadmill yet, which makes sense since the women are running a marathon, making it even easier for me to find her.
Fucking hell, the Vaseline sheen of sweat covering her body is too tempting for words. I drag my tongue over my bottom lip, imagining that it’s hers. God, I would love it to be hers…
I shake my head, trying to shatter the idea from my brain, but it doesn’t go anywhere. My mind doesn’t want to get rid of the image of that sexy red head kissing me, touching me, licking me.
My cock hardens and I immediately need to escape. I can’t be like this, I can’t be out here feeling this way. I need to snatch myself a few moments of alone time, which is exactly why I have an office. I jump up from my chair and walk away rapidly, praying that no one will grab my attention on the way.
“Excuse me.” Shit. I turn awkwardly, trying to hide myself, to find myself looking at her. Up close she has the most amazing wide, warm brown eyes that I have ever seen in my life. I don’t dare glance downwards in case the sweat covered clothes are sticking to her skin, showing off those incredible curves of hers. She smiles shyly and tucks her hair out of her face. “Where is the bathroom?”
“Oh yes, Mia, is it?” She nods. “My name is Noah, by the way, I forgot to say that before. I own this gym so I will be here a lot.” Why the hell am I babbling like an idiot? “The bathroom is this way…”
“Oh right. There’s a big sign there.” She claps her hand to her forehead. “Sorry about that.”
Her plump lips turn up into an adorable smile and I almost lose my head. She isn’t like anyone I’ve ever been attracted to before. She’s got something… different about her.
“Nothing is any trouble, Mia, not at all. That’s why I’m here, to help.”
“That’s very nice of you, Noah.” The way that my name rolls off her tongue is pure seduction. “Thank you.”
“I guess I will see you around then.”
“Well, I’m going to need a lot of work if I’m going to run this marathon.”
“I bet you could run it tomorrow.”
She tilted her head back and laughed. “I don’t know about that. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it in three months, never mind now. But I’m going to give it a go.”
“Well, if you need any help training, I’m here.”
“Thank you very much. I may well take you up on that. I shall see you later on.”
“Yes, bye.”
I point her in the right direction and watch her ass shake as she walks away. Fucking hell, now I’m even more turned on. She sends my head spinning into the clouds. I move away and carry on towards my office. I need to purge these feelings fast before I end up acting on them like a crazy person.
I slam the door behind me as soon as I’m inside and I lock it. I move over to my desk and sit on the chair, the image of Mia desperate for me, too much to handle. She is shy, but I could picture her being an animal in bed. All wild and unhinged, easy to corrupt, a whole lot of fun.
“Oh, Noah, you are so sexy,” I imagine her saying. “I want you so bad it hurts.”
In my mind’s eye she slides her hands down her legs and bites down on that gorgeous bottom lip of hers. I slide my hand into my shorts as she peels those sticky clothes off her body, revealing the flushed pink skin underneath. I’ve spent all the time that she’s been here examining her body so it isn’t a huge stretch to fill in the gaps. I can see her sexy thighs, her lush stomach, her round, pert breasts.
“I want to taste you,” she gushes as she sways her hips, walking towards me. “Can I taste you?”
I pick up the pace as she drops to her knees and she takes me between her fingers. She rubs her hand up and down me a couple of times, fixing those giant brown eyes of hers upon me. Then she dips her head down and she wraps her tight lips around me. I can almost feel the wet heat of her mouth as she bobs her head up and down, sucking and licking all over me. Her mouth is delicious, it feels so fucking good, I don’t think I can hold back.
“Oh, Mia,” I grunt out. I don’t know if that’s out loud or just in my head. “You feel so good.”
She pulls back and pumps her fist so she can say sexy as hell things to me.
“You’re so big… so sexy… so much… I want to feel you inside me, I want you to fuck me hard, I want you to fill me up. I’ve been imagining what it would feel like to have you inside of me.”
I can’t control myself. I can’t hold back. The pleasure explodes from me hard and fast, covering my hand. My ragged breaths don’t stop shooting out my mouth, the post orgasmic bliss is intense. I don’t think I have succeeded in purging her from my system, I have a feeling that she will be a fantasy of mine for a very long time.
That’s okay, my imagination can do whatever the hell it wants, as long as I don’t act on it. I have enough complications in my life without adding another one to it. However sexy a complication she might be. However much fun we could have together… nope, I couldn’t get lost down that rabbit hole.
“Back to work,” I reminded myself. “Back out there.”
But I didn’t leave right away, I just needed a second longer before I could see her again. I had to get this image out of my mind before I added new ones to it. She was still going to be on that treadmill like pure temptation with sweat covering her. Fucking hell, I was an absolute mess.
Ring, ring… ring, ring… ring, ring…
“Who the hell is that?” I’m not in the mood to speak to anyone right now, least of all the name on the screen. I hit the answer button and roll my eyes. “What do you want, Hayley? Did I not make my feelings clear yet?”
“I just thought that you might actually listen if you can hear my voice.”
“Not if you’re going to say the same thing to me over and over again.”
“How can you be so heartless, Noah? How can you treat me like this?”
“Give it up, Hayley, I am not giving you money.”
“I don’t think you understand what trouble I’m in, Noah, seriously,” she whines pitifully. “I need money.”
“I don’t care what trouble you have gotten yourself into, Hayley. I’m too busy looking after your son.”
“Alex, what if they go after Alex to get to me?”
I roll my eyes. “No one will go after Alex because no one in your life knows that he exists.”
“But… they can find out, can’t they?”
“Who is they?”
“Bad people. Gambling people. The sort of people I shouldn’t be mixed up with.”
“The sort of people you walked out on your family to b
e with?”
She’s silent for far too long. I’ve hit a place where it hurts… at least, I think it hurts. I don’t know. She might just be trying to find a new angle to go at me with but I don’t have time for this.
“Hayley, I am at work right now, you know, the thing that most people do for money? I don’t have time to deal with your nonsense.”
“Noah, I know that you have made lots of money from your gym. You’re one of the richest men in Las Vegas, and Vegas is a city of money. You aren’t helping me out to be spiteful, nothing more.”
“I’m not being spiteful, I just refuse to bail you out again. I’ve done it too many times already. You aren’t my responsibility anymore, you made damn sure of that. So, no, I won’t give you any money. Alex deserves it and you don’t.”
“But they said they will make me pay. What if they make you pay?”
“It’s your issue though, not mine.”
“Why are you being an asshole? This isn’t you.”
“It’s me now. Especially when it comes to you,”
I get a string of expletives back, all sweetness gone, but I don’t care. I cut her off without a second thought. It feels good to hang up there, to be done with her… for good. Hopefully this time, she will get the hint and that will be the end of it. I don’t ever want to hear from her again. Me and Alex are much better off.
4
Mia
“I would like to draw thee hundred and eighty dollars from my account.”
“Sure thing, sir.” I force a bright smile on my face, even though I don’t mean it. “Here we are.”
“I’m paying for my wedding, see. Finally making an honest woman out of my lady.”
“You are?” For some reason, my smile becomes even thinner. Probably because I know what’s coming next.
“Yes, I sure am. What was your wedding like?”
I wave my ring free finger at him. “No wedding for me.”