Melissa smiled. “Good idea. If I can’t literally pulverize her, I can do it in the dark recesses of my mind. Like I always do.”
* * *
Five minutes before the kickboxing class he was scheduled to teach began, Jake Sawyer had just declined one determined member’s invitation for coffee after the class. Although it happened less frequently than it used to, there were still some members—both female and male—who weren’t shy about asking him out.
If he wasn’t the owner of Jake’s Joint, and if he didn’t have an ironclad rule against getting involved with his members, he might have taken one or two of them up on their offers—the female ones, anyway. But he was the owner and he’d instituted his no-dating policy not long after he’d opened the gym. All it had taken was two disastrous dates with a woman who turned out to be psycho for him to realize that hooking up with a member could cause a lot more problems than it was worth.
The door at the back of the room opened and the woman who entered caught Jake’s attention immediately. Suddenly, the class he’d been ho-hum about teaching looked to be a lot more enjoyable. It was probably wrong to have a favorite client, but that’s exactly what Melissa Atherton had become. She’d purchased one of his personal training packages a little under a year ago and he’d been training her ever since.
There were a lot of things to like about Melissa. Not only was she a genuinely sweet person, she was funny, easy to talk to and she was also very close to her family—a trait he admired since he was extremely close to his.
Today, instead of her normal baggy T-shirt, she wore a form-fitting top. She’d lost about fifty pounds since she’d started training with him and the weight loss had made a big difference in her body. Although she still carried some body fat, there was now definition in her arms and shoulders, and she’d lost the roll around her midriff. As she moved to the far corner of the room to set her towel and water bottle against the wall, he couldn’t help but notice that the true contours of her body had finally been revealed. Melissa Atherton had one hell of an hourglass figure.
He wasn’t the only one who’d noticed. Two other regulars in the class were blatantly checking her out. Their admiring stares ticked him off. Where were they when she’d first started coming to class?
After taking her place in the back row, she caught his gaze. But instead of her usual easygoing smile, her lips were pressed tightly together in a straight line. She raised her hand in a brief wave and then started stretching. Something was wrong. He knew her well enough now to figure that out. And because they’d developed a pretty solid friendship since he’d been training her, after class he intended to find out exactly what it was.
An hour and a half later, on his way from the men’s locker room to his office, Jake got his chance when he noticed Melissa sitting alone at a table in the juice bar alcove. Since it was late Saturday afternoon, the gym, which had been bustling earlier, had cleared out some. The decibel level of the rock music pulsing from the many speakers in the gym seemed much louder now that the steady hum of people talking and laughing had died down. He made a mental note to lower the volume when he got to his office.
Melissa looked up from her smoothie as he sat down across from her. “I have a few minutes before my next consultation and I have to ask. Did you mentally annihilate whoever it was you were thinking about in class?” He chuckled as her eyes widened in surprise. Her eyes were unforgettable. One minute they were a light, almost translucent brown and the next, the color of liquid amber. Her golden blond hair had grown several inches since he’d first met her and now when she was at the gym she pulled it back and away from her oval face in a ponytail.
“How’d you know?” she asked, then put her lips to her straw.
For a moment Jake was transfixed by her mouth—something that had been happening a bit too often for his liking. He shook off the effect it had on his body and sat back in his chair.
“You’re not hard to read. And it’s not often you’re in a bad mood,” he said, and then despite his best effort not to give into his baser male instincts, he found himself zeroing in on the tempting glimpse of cleavage her workout top afforded him. Despite her weight loss, her breasts were still full and perfectly shaped. Since they’d begun their training sessions he’d taken her measurements every month. The last time, a month ago, when he’d held the measuring tape to her bust, he’d felt their softness against his fingers and was surprised by the spike of heat that kicked low in his gut.
“I went to my cousin’s bridal shower earlier today.” Jake looked up, relieved to find that she hadn’t appeared to notice him staring at her breasts. Good. Now he just had to remind himself not to do it again. He shouldn’t be thinking anything other than professional thoughts about her. Friend or not, Melissa was his client and therefore strictly off-limits. “She’s getting married next month at Pebble Beach.”
He let out a low whistle. “Beautiful, but from what I know of that area, pricey.”
“My aunt and uncle are very well off.” Melissa pushed her cup to the side and folded her arms on the table. “You know how I told you she always made fun of my weight when we were kids?”
Jake nodded, remembering their conversation of a few months ago. “She sounds like a witch.”
“She is.” Melissa sighed. “I overheard her and her friend talking about me in the ladies’ room.” She gave him a wan smile. “And you know what they say about eavesdroppers never hearing good of themselves. Well, it’s true.”
“What did she say?”
“That I was too fat to be a bridesmaid and that even if I’m able to get a date to her wedding, it’ll probably be with some loser.”
Jake tamped down his anger. He’d struggled with his weight when he was younger and knew only too well how cruel some people could be. Leaning forward, he reached across the table and put his hand on Melissa’s arm. He tried not to notice the satiny smoothness of her skin but failed and quickly withdrew before the warmth of her skin could tempt him to linger. “Don’t let her get to you, Melissa. She’s not worth it.”
“That’s what I told Paige when she suggested we sabotage the wedding ceremony.”
Jake couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ve only met your sister twice, but that’s exactly what I’d expect her to suggest.”
Melissa smiled, then quickly sobered and gave him a determined look. “I’m going to that wedding even though it’s the last thing on earth I want to do.”
“Do you have a date?” he asked, more interested in Melissa’s private life than he should be. She’d never mentioned a boyfriend, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t seeing someone. Even at her heaviest—as she’d been when he’d met her—she was an attractive woman.
“No. But I have this off the wall—” She stopped mid-sentence, stared at him for several seconds, then she shook her head and laughed. She had a good laugh—melodic and sexy at the same time. “Never mind.”
“Never mind what?” he asked as he leaned back.
“It wasn’t important.” She tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear. Her cheeks turned pink under his scrutiny. “Okay. Okay. I was thinking about hiring an escort for the wedding. Someone super-hot. That would shut my cousin up for good.”
“Hire an escort?” Jake asked, surprised she’d go to such lengths—especially when she didn’t need to. He grinned as the perfect solution to her problem materialized in his head. It was the least he could do for a friend. “I have a much better idea and it won’t cost you any money.”
One delicately arched brow rose. “What’s your idea?” she asked, with a hint of trepidation.
“Not what. Who.” He pointed to his chest. “Me. I’ll be your date for the wedding.”
Chapter Two
Melissa’s mouth gaped open. “You’ll be my date?” she asked as the initial shock wore off. She searched Jake’s handsome face looking for any indication he was joking and found none.
He tilted his head and flashed an irresistible grin. “It’s the per
fect solution to your problem. And the upside is you don’t have to hire some sleazy escort.” Still stunned, Melissa couldn’t speak. Jake’s grin relaxed. “Am I not hot enough?” he asked, with complete seriousness.
Not hot enough? Please. The man was hotter than a five-alarm fire and a habanero chili pepper combined. Did he not know that?
“Oh, you’re hot,” she assured him quickly. “That’s not the problem.” As her cheeks burned, she let her gaze wander over his broad shoulders. He’d showered and changed after the kickboxing class and now wore a white polo shirt with Jake’s Joint embroidered over his left pectoral muscle. He smelled of soap and shampoo; his clean male scent had blitzed her senses and prickled her skin the moment he sat down across from her.
Jake’s brows knitted. “Then what is the problem?”
“It’s not just a one-day thing. Family is expected to be there the whole weekend.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. What weekend is it?”
“The second weekend in June,” Melissa said. “That’s only two weeks away. You probably have plans.”
“I can get my assistant manager to cover the gym.”
The driving beat of the music that filled the gym matched the pounding of her heart. Is this happening? Jake Sawyer, the man she’d been having some incredibly steamy fantasies about for the past few months, was offering to escort her to her cousin’s wedding?
“Melissa?”
Melissa blinked. “Sorry. I just can’t believe you’d sacrifice an entire weekend to go to the wedding of someone you’ve never met. Why would you want to do that?”
“Because I don’t like your cousin’s attitude. She sounds like a bully, and bullies need to be taught a lesson.”
The sudden fierceness in Jake’s hazel eyes made her think there was more to the story. “It sounds like you’ve had some experience with bullies.”
Jake shrugged. “Yeah. Some.”
“If I take you up on your offer, I’ll pay for all your expenses. My aunt and uncle have reserved a block of rooms at the Hyatt Regency in Monterey. There may be some rooms left. I’ll have to check.”
“This was my idea. You’re not paying for anything.” Jake pushed up from the table and stared down at her. “Think about it and get back to me.” He winked. “You know how to reach me.”
Melissa watched him walk away and admired the way his khaki pants fit his long legs and firm backside. Although he wasn’t as muscular as his brother, J.T. Sawyer, who played for the San Francisco Blaze Major League Baseball team, his chest tapered nicely down to a tight waist and slim hips.
Lately she’d been fantasizing about Jake more and more frequently. Contrary to Shauna and Denise’s assumption, she had been in a relationship. Although Brad hadn’t set her world on fire, she’d dated him for a year until they both realized they were better off as friends. Sex with Brad had been mediocre, at best. Her fantasies about Jake were anything but.
A half hour later, she let herself into the Sacramento townhouse she and Paige shared and found Paige ensconced on the overstuffed floral chair across from the sofa with her nose in a textbook. She looked up and smiled. “How was your workout?”
Melissa dropped her gym bag by the door and bent over to pick up her cat who’d wandered in her direction. “I kicked the shit out of Shauna. Or so I imagined.”
“I’ve imagined that same scenario many times myself.” Paige closed her book with a grin. “I hope your imaginary beat down was as satisfying as mine have been.”
“Since yours probably involved a swirly in the toilet bowl, I doubt it.” As Paige snorted with laughter, Melissa continued, “How’s the studying going?”
“I’ve been at it since we got back from the shower.” Paige tossed the textbook on the coffee table and stretched her arms. She’d changed into a pair of white shorts, a lemon-yellow tank top, and she’d fashioned her dark hair into a loose braid that hung halfway down her back. It still amazed Melissa that she and Paige had shared the same womb but were so different in looks and temperament. A lot of people didn’t grasp the concept of fraternal twins and asked why they weren’t identical. But while vastly different in appearance, she and Paige shared a connection that could never be broken.
“Have you had anything to eat? I can make us something.” Melissa stroked Chester’s head and smiled as he began to purr.
“Can’t. I’m heading over to Rob’s house.” She pushed up from the chair. “I may stay the night.”
“Why do you keep seeing him when you’ve told me it’s not going anywhere?”
Paige put her hands to her hips and shot her a saucy grin. “Why do you think?”
“So it’s one of those friends with benefits kind of things?”
“Exactly. I don’t have time for a relationship and frankly, I don’t want one.” Paige skirted the chair and headed toward the stairs that led up to their bedrooms. “Now that I’ve made up my mind about my career, I want to concentrate solely on that.”
“Wait,” Melissa called out as Paige reached the bottom of the staircase. Her sister put one hand on the wood banister and turned. “Jake offered to be my date at the wedding.”
“Are you kidding?” Paige’s surprised expression morphed into one of glee. “Holy shit. I can’t wait to see the look on Shauna’s face when she sees him.” A slight frown marred her forehead. “How did that come about?”
“I told him I was thinking of hiring an escort to take me to the wedding and he—”
“Shut-up! You were going to hire a male hooker?” Paige exclaimed with wide, disbelieving eyes.
Melissa straightened her shoulders. “Who said anything about a hooker? There are legitimate escort services out there.”
“Name one,” Paige challenged.
“How should I know?” she retorted. “I’ve never hired an escort before.” Tired of being held, Chester squirmed in her arms. Melissa bent over and released him. With feline grace, he darted to the sofa and pounced on his favorite throw pillow. “Anyway, Jake offered and I’m thinking of accepting.”
“You need to be all over that.” Paige grinned. “That man is fine. And who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky.”
Melissa frowned. “What does that mean?”
“Are you telling me you would turn him down if he wanted to do more than train you?”
“No...yes,” Melissa said, and pulled the elastic band from her hair. The ends, damp from her workout, brushed her shoulders and caused her to shiver. “Yes. Definitely yes. He’s my trainer. I don’t want to compromise that relationship. He’s been instrumental in helping me change the way I think about eating and exercise.”
Paige shot her a sly smile. “I’m sure he could be instrumental in helping you reach orgasms too.”
Melissa burst out laughing. “You’re so bad.”
“Speaking of orgasms, I need to see Rob about mine. I think I’ll slip on something sexy before I head over to his house.” With a mock salute, Paige turned and dashed up the stairs.
* * *
At seven-thirty that evening, Jake let himself into his kitchen via the door from the garage. As he closed the door behind him Max loped in from the living room to greet him. Jake had adopted the mixed-breed Labrador two years ago. At the time, the Lab rescue group estimated Max to be about seven years old—well past the preferred adoption age for dogs. But he’d taken one look into Max’s hopeful brown eyes and couldn’t bear to leave his adoption up to chance. So yes, maybe he wouldn’t have Max with him for very long, but at least Max would be well taken care of and loved the rest of his life.
“Hey, boy.” Jake crouched to pet Max, whose tail was going a mile a minute as he lapped up his master’s affection. “I’ll bet you’re hungry.” As if understanding his words, Max let out a soft woof.
After he’d fed Max and reheated the steak burrito he’d picked up on the way home from the gym, Jake turned on the television mounted on the wall near the kitchen table and ate his burrito as he watched his brother’s team, the San
Francisco Blaze, play the Arizona Diamondbacks. Tonight the game was in Arizona and J.T. had snagged a start. J.T.’s goal was to be a permanent starter and after this season the odds were in his favor to get his wish. His contract would expire in October, and with the marked improvement in J.T.’s stats, Jake was certain another team would be quick to sign him to a contract. It would suck big time if his favorite brother left California, but there was still the off-season. J.T. would never leave Sacramento permanently, especially now that he had a wife and a baby girl. Family was important to J.T., just as it was to Jake.
It was too bad Melissa’s cousin didn’t value family. The woman sounded like a piece of work. The second he’d found out what she’d said behind Melissa’s back he wanted to make her choke on the hurtful words.
Are you sure that’s the only reason? The voice in his head sounded so much like J.T.’s, Jake could have sworn his brother was in the room.
Okay, so escorting Melissa to her cousin’s wedding went well beyond the normal services he provided for his clients, but Melissa wasn’t just any client. They’d become friends. And as her friend, he couldn’t let her attend the wedding alone. There was absolutely nothing romantic about it.
Still, he couldn’t forget the becoming blush that had stained her cheeks when she’d inadvertently admitted she thought he was hot. To this day, it still surprised him when someone commented favorably on his appearance—it had been years since he’d been teased about his weight, yet there was a small part of him that would never forget the bullies in elementary school and junior high who had tried to make his life miserable.
A few of those same bullies belonged to his gym and they hadn’t changed one iota. The day Melissa had come in and asked for a tour of the facility, the assholes had made derogatory comments about her weight. Melissa overheard them but didn’t say anything. But he’d seen the flicker of pain in her eyes and after he’d left her in his office to fill out a membership application he found those members and tore each of them a new one. He wanted his gym to be a place where people of all sizes and fitness levels felt comfortable working out. Especially women, who for some asinine reason, were held to a higher standard of physical beauty than men.
Breaking His Rules (Feeling the Heat #4) Page 2