No. This was just for them.
*
Midweek hit, and with it came big happenings. Samantha read her morning email with a mixture of shocked celebration. New in her inbox was a company-wide email from Mallory instructing them to pick up work on—wait for it—the Foster Foods account, sans a few of the smaller projects. “For real?” she asked Mallory, peering around her monitor to see her friend better. “They’re back?”
“They’re back,” Mallory said, smiling. “I don’t know all the details, but I got a call from Royce at the close of business yesterday. They’re not a hundred percent out of the woods, but apparently some sort of infusion of cash has revived the corporation. Or at least the biggest parts of it.”
Her mind hurried to catch up. “So this means, the past due invoices?”
“You should have payment today.”
Oh, sweet Anderson Cooper. This was a fantastic turn of events. This meant she didn’t have to lie awake at night, finding corners to cut and ways to trim the fat off the already bare-bones budget. But there was one catch. “What about all of the business we’ve brought in since then? Can we handle the new influx of work in the midst of a monster account like Foster?”
Mallory came around her desk, coffee in hand. “Well, that’s what I’ve spent my morning trying to figure out. I think we can, but we’re going to need all hands on deck.”
Samantha interlaced her fingers and flexed outward. “I’m ready, Coach.”
Famous last words.
By the close of business, Samantha felt like she’d been hit by a truck. Hours of data entry, a tedious trip to the bank that’d taken way too long, a conference call with their benefits provider, the processing of payroll, and the generation of fifteen million invoices had left her body tight and her mind hazy.
In the midst of it all, she was aware of Brooklyn and Hunter working on storyboards across the room while Mallory made client call after client call. Yes sir, the day had been a perfect example of the kind of hard work that had slowly made them one of the Who’s Who firms in the advertising world.
“Hey.”
Samantha blinked at her screen, mildly aware that someone was speaking to her. “Hmm?” she said absently.
“I said, hey.”
Hunter.
Samantha swiveled in her chair, and as her eyes settled on the woman before her, the world seemed to spark into color again. She blew out a breath and smiled. “Hi, you.”
Hunter smiled back. “You haven’t moved from this chair in I don’t know how many hours.”
She blinked and checked the clock, surprised by how late it already was. “There was a lot to knock out.”
“And now it’s knocked. So let’s go.” Hunter inclined her head in the direction of the door. Samantha looked around, noticing for the first time that it was just the two of them left in the office. “Yep. You’ve even outlasted Mallory, which is tough to do.”
“You must have, too.”
Hunter laughed. “I went home two hours ago. I’m back now for you.” She was right. Samantha vaguely remembered Hunter calling good-bye to her. And now she wore workout clothes. Sleek, form-fitting workout clothes. Sam swallowed.
“Where is it you want us to go exactly?”
“Yoga. You need to relax. And yoga is great for that. I think you’ll like it.”
Yeah, about as much as she’d like a hole in the head. No way, no how. “Have you lost your mind? I’m allergic to anything athletic. You know this about me. If you even talk about physical exertion in my presence, I need a nap.”
“Come on. Give it a shot. For me?” Hunter purposefully batted those big brown eyes, which was so not fair. “I watched Lucy for you.”
This was true. She sank in her chair. “I’m going to suck at it.”
“And I’m going to help you. It could be a really nice distraction from the wild and crazy numbers party you got going over here.”
She was actually considering it. Why was she suddenly tempted to do something so outside of her comfort zone? Because that was what Hunter brought out in her, she reminded herself. Hunter made the frightening seem safe. “Fine. But there will be no mocking.”
Hunter held her hands up in defense. “Of course not.”
But from the grin on her face, Sam couldn’t tell if she meant it or not. And really, that was part of the fun. She poked Hunter in the ribs as she passed. “Give me fifteen minutes to change.”
*
Samantha eyed the clock. They’d been at this yoga thing for roughly forty-five minutes now, and while she had to admit there was a peaceful component to it all, her body simply did not bend the way the rest of these people’s did. She watched as the man down the row brought his toes to the back of his shoulders while balancing on his stomach. His stomach. She was not born a human pretzel, and as much as she wanted to show balance and finesse and the ability to contort her body in the way her instructor, Carlos, thought she should be capable of, it just wasn’t gonna happen, people.
She attempted the foot-to-shoulder. It wasn’t pretty, and she ended up on her side staring up at Hunter’s perfect foot form. “You doing okay?” Hunter asked quietly, careful not to disrupt the serenity of the room.
She smiled up from her position of failure and whispered back, “Totally. Just thought I’d try it a different way.”
“And what way is that?”
“It’s of the ‘lie on your side peacefully’ variety.”
Hunter winked at her and went back into the workout.
But there was a rather nice perk to this whole experience. Hunter occupied the mat next to hers, and though the intent had been to help Samantha, a beginner, gain a better understanding of form, it also meant that she had an up close and personal view of Hunter in spandex moving in a variety of unique positions.
With each minute that ticked by, Samantha became an increasingly bigger fan of yoga. Not only that, but her body was responding more and more to the tantalizing visual, and for once, Samantha didn’t fight against it. She steered into the skid and allowed herself to enjoy the slow burn that was happening within her. Stealing multiple stares, she let her eyes travel the length of Hunter’s physique, up her legs to her absolutely perfect ass, across her back to her trim shoulders. And when the class moved into Up Dog, Samantha looked to her right and stole a glimpse of Hunter’s really awesome cleavage, which led her up Hunter’s neck to her eyes that were staring right back at her. Damn it all. Caught!
Hunter raised an amused eyebrow. “Enjoying yourself?” she whispered.
Sam shrugged sheepishly back. “Best view I’ve had in a long time.”
And there was an energy bouncing between them now. It was sexual, yes, but it was also playful and fun. They exchanged flirtatious glances throughout the remainder of class, made very quiet comments to each other, and generally just had a good time. When Carlos ended the session with “Namaste,” Sam was glad she’d come.
As the rest of the class filed out, friends waiting on friends, Hunter turned to her. “So what did you think?”
“Well, I suck at yoga as predicted—big-time, in fact. But I had fun with you.”
“We were not model students today,” Hunter said, stepping into Sam’s space.
Oh, hello there. She relished the intimacy of their new dynamic, where it felt okay to be open with the things she was feeling. With Hunter, there was no pressure to impress. She didn’t have to try. She could just be herself. Her eyes swept the space, taking inventory of just how alone they actually were. Carlos moved about, probably putting the room back in order, but his attention was elsewhere. “No, you’re right. We were not model students today, but you were. You can Tree Pose with the best of them.” She placed a hand on Hunter’s stomach and the warmth coming through the thin, stretchy fabric of her workout top was a little intoxicating.
“You can do it, too. Let me help?”
Sam laughed. “You’re gonna help me Tree Pose? Is that what’s happening?”
“I am.” Hunter cam
e around behind her. “I’ll spot you, and by the end of this lesson, you’ll be a world class Tree Poser. People will line up for demonstrations.”
“I had no idea you were capable of working miracles. Where do I sign up?”
“Right here,” Hunter said in her ear. Her breath tickled and sent a shiver through Sam’s body.
“You have a student with a high potential for Tree Pose failure, you know this?”
“You won’t fail,” Hunter said. “I’ve got you.” God, that was true in more ways than one. “It’s actually a very basic pose and perfect for beginners.”
Sam shot Hunter a look over her shoulder. “Not helping.”
Hunter grinned. “Sorry.”
“All right. Now what do I do first?”
“First thing I want you to do is shift your weight from your right foot to your left foot and back again a few times.”
Sam did as she was asked, repeating the action several times slowly. “How’s this?”
“It looks great from back here.”
“Don’t sexualize me while I’m Tree Posing.”
“Tall order,” Hunter said. “Get it? Tall like trees.”
Samantha shook her head. “That is sadly not funny. You’re bad at jokes. You should probably accept that. But on the flip side, you have many other admirable qualities.”
“There are some things I do very well.” At the allusion, a shock of something powerful shot through Sam, and she felt her face heat. “But I’ll try to be professional,” Hunter amended.
“Do,” Samantha said. Carlos glanced in their direction and smiled before leaving the classroom. “I take my education very seriously.” She heard Hunter chuckle behind her. She was close but, God, Samantha wanted her closer.
“Okay. Now I want you to find a spot on the wall that can serve as your focal point. Don’t take your eyes off it. Got it?”
Samantha tilted her head. “They need to change their wall calendar. Still says June.”
“Concentrate, Ennis.”
“My bad. Concentrating.”
“Do you have a focal point?”
“I’m going with the mislabeled month.”
“Of course you are. Now shift your weight onto your right foot, and while keeping it strong, lift your left.”
Samantha did so, but after balancing for a few moments on one foot, she teetered, just in time to be steadied by two hands from behind. With Hunter’s hands on her waist supporting her, she tried again. Knowing this time she wouldn’t fall.
“Good,” Hunter said. “Now place the sole of your left foot up against your inner thigh.”
“My inner thigh?” Samantha said. “Yoga is full of sex talk. Now I see why you come here.”
“Stop laughing,” Hunter said. “You have to concentrate.”
But it was too late. Sometimes when Samantha got a case of the giggles, there was nothing she could do to hold them back. “I’m sorry, I just…” But they were upon her again and she couldn’t quite get the words out. She could be twelve years old some days, and this was apparently one of those days. She took a few deep, cleansing breaths.
Hunter waited patiently. “Better?”
She blew out a slow breath. “Totally. Now where were we? Oh yeah. Inner thigh.” She fought the smile and instead backtracked to the part where she placed her left foot against her right thigh and this time with Hunter’s hands there to steady her, she was home free. Just look at June. Just look at June. Finally, she felt Hunter’s hands fall away from her waist and she stared at that calendar with all her might. And what do ya know? She was doing it! She was Tree Posing, world! And not falling on her face like a glowless klutz!
Hunter’s voice floated to her from behind. “That’s awesome, Sam. Hold focus. Now with your left hand, draw your knee back to open up your hips.” That did it; not only did she break out into a full-on laugh, but she lost her balance in the process. It took her several moments before she could form actual words, as that was what gigglefests did to her.
“Open up my hips? Really?” she managed to say, tears brimming in her eyes from the hysterics. “That language can’t be serious.” She could tell in the midst of her immature laughter that Hunter was doing her best to stay above the joke, but losing the battle as she was grinning from ear to ear. She grabbed Sam’s hands and attempted to get her attention in the midst of her lost composure.
“You have to be mature about this.”
“You have to be mature about this and not say things like that.” Samantha pushed back against Hunter’s hands, and they entered into a bit of a wrestling contest, which was so ridiculous, it only added to how funny Samantha found all of this. “How can anyone be mature when you’re talking about hips and inner thighs? I think you did it on purpose.”
“I did not,” Hunter said, earning the physical upper hand. “I was actually about to tell you to draw in your pelvis.”
“Oh dear God,” Sam collapsed backward in laughter onto the floor, taking Hunter down with her. She wiped the tears from her face. “My hips and pelvis don’t like to take orders.”
“Don’t forget your inner thigh,” Hunter said between giggles, sending them into more laughter.
“Or the—”
“Sam?” It took her a minute to realize that someone other than Hunter had said her name, because the world was just feeling too damn funny. But as she turned her head to look, her smile dimmed a bit and the world came to a screeching halt.
“Libby. Hey.” She sat up and brushed the hair from her face, her right hand still holding fast to Hunter’s wrist. “We were just—” But how exactly did you explain a bout of playful public wrestling brought on by yoga hotness? Push forward. Push forward. “What are you doing here?”
Libby gestured to the yoga mat under her arm and Tanya by her side. Samantha had somehow missed Tanya on her first glance. Perhaps that had been her subconscious sparing her the gut-wrenching reminder of their couplehood. “Just here for the next class. Hi, Hunter.”
“Libby,” she heard Hunter say.
Could this be more awkward? She opened her mouth to speak, as it kind of seemed like it was her turn, but quite honestly she had no idea where to go. Her brain seemed to have downshifted at the sight of Libby. In fact, she was vibrating with nerves with no real concept of how to navigate this unexpected encounter. This was the first time she’d laid eyes on Libby since the breakup at the café. Her hair was in an athletic-looking ponytail, but she seemed to have more highlights now, or maybe her hair was just streaked from the sun. Either way, it was pretty. Samantha pushed up from the ground and forced herself into action. No more staring at the ex-girlfriend who dumped you and now stands alongside your taller, blonder replacement. “Oh, well, it’s a great class. One of the better ones, right?” she said to Hunter, who seemed to be busy gathering their stuff.
“The best,” she tossed back.
It bothered Hunter, the way Samantha had about-faced the second her eyes had landed on Libby. The fun had all but left her demeanor and had been replaced with what could best be described as anxious vulnerability. She hated that Libby was still able to affect Sam that way. And don’t even get her started on Libby, the stupid princess of a person, incapable of realizing what an amazing catch she’d had in Samantha. And now here she was with the new trophy girlfriend, that mocking model from the Serenity ad layout. As she zipped her gym bag, she decided to take action.
“We haven’t met yet,” she said to Tanya. “Hunter.”
Tanya held her gaze and then her hand for a beat longer than necessary. Libby looked on with—was that annoyance? It was. Excellent. “Tanya. You work at Savvy as well, right?”
“I do,” Hunter said, pulling her hand back and slipping her arm around Samantha’s waist casually, if not a little possessively. Sam shot her a questioning look. “With this one. We spend a lot of time together.”
Libby’s eyes flicked to the motion, and her gaze shifted to Samantha’s face and back to Hunter’s as if trying to work
a difficult and unpleasant puzzle. “You two seemed to be having a good time when we walked in.” Libby attempted a smile, but it was weak at best. Awesome.
Sam looked up at Hunter. “Oh, Hunter was just giving me some instruction.”
“Private instruction,” Hunter added.
“And we got off on a tangent. Sometimes I have trouble focusing.” Samantha looked up at Hunter, gratitude now apparent. Yep, they were on the same page. Although she’d have thought the temperature in the room dropped several degrees, from Libby’s adjusted demeanor. Her cool stare could have frozen the Sahara.
Tanya pointed at Sam and then Hunter. “Oh, so the two of you are—”
“In that fun stage where everything is exciting and new.” Hunter dropped her voice to a whisper. “When you just can’t keep your hands off each other.”
“Wow. You two make a gorgeous couple,” Tanya said, beaming.
Sam smiled. “Thanks, but we’re really more—”
“Don’t be modest,” she said, kissing Sam’s temple. She turned back to Tanya. “But Samantha’s the beautiful one. I’m very lucky she’s in my life.”
Tanya grinned as if she’d just been named spa queen of the Western world. “That is so sweet. And I might be overstepping my bounds here, but maybe we can all get together sometime. Grab dinner out.” Hunter could feel Samantha’s entire body tense at the suggestion, so she took the reins, steering them clear of assured catastrophe. “We’re just kind of doing our own thing right now. Taking our time. But maybe someday.”
“Perfect,” Libby said quietly, her eyes still fixed on Sam, who did a great job of looking casual and laid back when Hunter knew she was feeling anything but. As men and women filed in all around them for the next class, Hunter grabbed her bag and handed Samantha hers. Time to hit the road. “I guess we should let you guys get ready for class,” Hunter told them. “Have a great night.” As they passed, Libby placed a hand on Samantha’s arm, stopping her progress.
“It was really nice seeing you, Sam.”
“Yeah. You, too.” Her eyes lingered on Libby, and Hunter felt her stomach tighten in reflex, because there was clearly a depth to the feelings Sam carried for Libby. Maybe Hunter had purposefully chosen to ignore that fact, but it was hard to deny when they were clearly on display for her now. She couldn’t fault Samantha for that. She’d never been anything but straightforward about what was happening between her and Hunter. No-strings-attached was the name of their game. Only, Hunter felt the strings quite forcefully in this moment, and they were tugging aggressively at her heart.
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