He made it two steps before Meegan, one of the many pets kept by Master Philip and his wife, intercepted him.
“Mr. Vasquez?”
“Hey, Meegan. What’s up?”
“Master Philip would like to speak with you.”
Armando followed Meegan’s line of vision to the glass window above the main floor. The glass was tinted, but he knew Master Philip stood behind it, looking out over the party, brandy in hand. Armando thanked Meegan, kissed her cheek, then headed toward the hidden exit in the far corner.
Upstairs, he knocked on his mentor’s door before letting himself in. Just as Armando expected, Master Philip stood by the window that gave him a view of the whole club below.
“The Great and Powerful would like a word?”
Philip smiled as he turned around. He lifted the tumbler in his hand. “Brandy?”
“No, thanks.” Armando didn’t like to drink and play.
“How is Miss Violet doing? I saw her and Grant leave.”
Armando shrugged and offered his own smile. “She seems to be doing all right. Think they just wanted to be alone. I’ll be honest, Grant shocked me with her.”
“Me too, but I believe they have what it takes to last.” Strong words coming from Philip, but Armando had to agree. “That’s not what I wanted to speak with you about.”
“I figured. What’s on your mind?”
“I need a favor. It’s a bit of a situation.”
“Okay…”
“Do you know a trainer by the name of Kalli Norwalk?”
Oh, Armando knew him. The world of high-end trainers was pretty small. He’d run into “Kalli” every few months, listen to him brag about his latest conquest and come away glad as shit that he didn’t have to deal with a douche like that in Grant.
Armando rolled his eyes. “You mean Clarence Normand? Yeah, I know him.”
Philip let out a short laugh. “Personas can make or break your business, I suppose. Well, Clarence has apparently gotten himself into a little trouble with some of his clients and their husbands.”
“About time. He’s not that slick with his side scamming. What does that have to do with me? Or you?”
“He was training the daughter of a colleague.”
“Oh.”
“Yes. Oh. My friend, Dr. Shalaby, released Kalli from his role with his daughter. She’s a little sore about him interfering in her personal life. He’s not concerned about them continuing their tryst, but now she needs a new trainer.”
“Oh sure,” Armando said, feeling relieved. “Send her by the gym. We’ll set her up with Keira. She gets along with everyone. Hell, Keira knows Kalli too. Maybe once this girl hears the whole truth about him she’ll be glad her dad butted in.”
“I think the situation is more complicated than that. His daughter wants a male trainer, I suspect so she can continue with her extracurricular exploits, but Dr. Shalaby wants her with someone who won’t give in to her temptations. And honestly, I would rather you looked after her.”
Armando knew he was making a face. “Uh, can I ask why? Do I want to get involved in this?”
“There’s a reason I’m coming to you. Dr. Shalaby, while a brilliant surgeon and an extremely kind man, wants to guide the direction of his daughter’s behavior and he wants me to find someone to help him with that guidance.”
Armando was definitely making a face now. “How old is this girl?”
“Twenty-four.”
Young, Armando thought, but still, she was an adult capable of making her own decisions. He blew out a deep breath. There was more to this, but something told him Philip wanted him to figure it out on his own. Philip waited while he considered all the angles. Finally it dawned on him.
“You don’t want me to participate in this at all. You just want her around someone you trust.”
Philip nodded a bit and offered a slight smile. “What’s happening between her and her father is between them, but I’m slightly offended that he thought I would happily go along with his plan to keep her under his thumb. After all, she’s done nothing wrong.”
Armando had to agree. A young woman’s sex life and her father’s beef with it wasn’t something he wanted to get involved with at all, but if her father needed the peace of mind that she was working with someone who wasn’t trying to fuck her, Armando had no problem with that. Yeah he had a strong sexual appetite, but the business came first. And even if this girl was completely his type, ready and willing, the drama she would be bringing to the table pretty much guaranteed he would keep his hands to himself.
Armando pulled out his phone. “Go ahead. Give me her number.”
CHAPTER TWO
Nailah glared at her brother across the half-built kitchen counter. The new property would sell as soon as the renovations were finished, with the aid of Nailah’s immaculate staging, of course. That was, if she decided to help her brother again. She was seriously questioning it after the stunt he’d pulled.
“I can take care of myself, G.”
“Who said you couldn’t?”
“You! Acting like some psycho, showing up at Kalli’s house. Why would you do that?”
“Nailah, listen. I know you’re a big girl. You’re a strong, independent woman—”
“Shut up.”
“But I can’t have a guy like that making a fool out of my little sister.”
“Who says he was making a fool out of me?” Okay, maybe she had been a little foolish, thinking she was the only one of his clients Kalli was fucking, but that was her problem to deal with.
“So you were sleeping with him?”
Nailah’s eyes narrowed. “No.”
“Whatever. The guy’s a dirtbag and he needs to stay away from you, period. Now, my darling sister, will you please come over here and tell me if this will work as an accent wall?”
“I don’t know how, but I’m going to make you pay for this.”
“I don’t know how either. You got nothing on me, sister.”
“Oh, there’s always Isra.” Nailah was just talking now. She was super close with Garai’s wife, but the two of them were a solid team, one of those annoying couples who were not only lovers but best friends and were constantly reminding everyone within earshot of that fact. Isra would help Nailah trick her husband with a harmless prank, but nothing more. She loved Garai too much.
“Good luck with that,” Garai scoffed. “She thinks Kalli’s a loser too.”
“You told Isra?” Jesus Christ, who didn’t know all her business?
“She’s my wife. She’s my—’
“Yeah, she’s your best friend. You tell her everything. Ugh. I hate you.”
Nailah rounded the counter and looked at the mockup on her brother’s computer screen. Garai had bought a fixer-upper from a couple who had filed for bankruptcy three days after they started their own renovations. They’d shown Garai the plans they’d set in motion, but he wanted Nailah’s opinion on the overall aesthetic.
It took two seconds for Nailah to spot the problem. “Nope. Won’t work.”
“What’s the issue?” Garai asked, just as Nailah’s cell phone started to ring.
Nailah reached into the pocket of her blazer and pulled out her iPhone. She didn’t recognize the number on the screen. “This is Nailah Shalaby with NSL Designs. How may I help you?”
“Nailah? This is Armando Vasquez at Melrose Fitness. Your father informed me you were looking for a new trainer. I just wanted to reach out to you and see if you wanted to set up a consultation.”
Nailah groaned nice and loud into the phone. “Ugh, yeah. What was your name again?”
“Armando Vasquez. Is this a bad time?”
“No, no. Now’s fine. We can skip the consultation. I just need to work out. Um, how about Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at nine a.m.?” She’d been meaning to switch her workouts to mornings.
“Yeah, we can do that. So I’ll see you tomorrow then?”
“Yup, tomorrow.” Nailah got the addres
s to the gym and Armando’s barely helpful suggestions for parking. Then, she hung up. After she finished with her brother, she had three other projects to attend to. She didn’t have time to hang out on the phone.
“Who was that?” Garai asked.
“My new trainer, I guess. Why? You want his home address too?”
Nailah almost growled when her brother burst out laughing. “Not if he can keep his hands to himself.” She didn’t think that would be a problem. As far as she was concerned, there would be no more mixing business with pleasure.
✶
Nailah was running late. Then, of course, Melrose Fitness didn’t have their own parking lot. She had to drive around in circles for five extra minutes until a man, doing his rumpled walk of shame, moved his beat down Altima out of a space right in front of the gym. Even as she stepped out of her car, in her head, she had already moved on with her day. There was work to do at her office, then she had to meet Garai and another client to discuss the hideous condo the woman had just purchased. He’d talked Nailah’s talents up and now the client was ready to pull the trigger on some design work.
Nailah considered having Maura come along so she could take notes and pictures as they walked around the property. That way, Nailah could focus on her client. She sent Maura a text as she backed her way through the front door of the gym. She stopped just on the other side, her thumbs padding out across her screen of her phone.
“Nailah?” Vaguely, she sensed the owner of the voice coming closer to her, but Maura was texting back. She just needed to wrap this up.
“Yeah.”
“Hi. I’m Armando.” This Armando guy was right in front of her. Nailah sensed the height of him towering over her, but Maura was saying that she couldn’t find the camera. Did Nailah have it or had Maura left in her car?
“You ready to get started?” Right. She came there to work out. One last text, just to tell Maura she’d check her trunk. Then, she looked up.
A strange noise came out of her mouth, like a low-grade sort of squawk. Then, she licked her lips as if the sweep of her tongue would recalibrate her brain. “Jesus Christ.”
Armando smiled down at her and let out a rough laugh. “Everything okay?”
Nailah jostled her head to clear it. “Yeah, sorry. Sorry, I’m late.” She held up her phone. “Just a little client business.”
“No problem. You wanna get started?”
“Yeah… I…” Nailah could not stop staring. This Armando guy was drop-dead gorgeous. Deeply tanned skin and a thick goatee. And his eyes, a brown so deep Nailah just knew they held all kinds of interesting secrets. The man was tall, chiseled. His hair was long on the top, but styled back and shaved on the sides. Nailah almost shivered.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
No. She really wasn’t. She didn’t know whether to laugh at herself or walk right out the door. “Yeah, I just–I don’t know what my father was thinking. Calling you, I mean.”
“Come on.” Armando took her keys and cellphone, placing them in a cubby by the door. Then he motioned for her to join him over by a rack of weights.
Nailah explained, as they walked across the room. “I had some… issues with my last trainer, and considering your overall aesthetic appeal, I’m not sure why he thought you were a better choice.”
“Are you saying I’m too good looking to train you?” Even his teasing scowl was sexy. Nailah almost looked away.
“No, no. I–”
“Listen. I wasn’t going to say anything, and I’m not assuming anything about you, I just…I know Kalli. I know what he’s about. We’re very happy to have you here with us, but I’m not that kind of guy and this is not that kind of gym. We’ll have a good time. We’ll have some good workouts. It’ll all be good.” His perfect white teeth gleamed under his perfectly trimmed mustache. Nailah didn’t know whether to be pissed off or turned on. He was just so damn attractive, but what the fuck did he know about her and Kalli? Why did he know about Kalli at all? Why’d he have to be so hot?
Nailah swallowed and squared her shoulders. She needed her control back. “I’d appreciate it if we didn’t talk about Kalli.”
Armando offered her a sobering nod. “Deal. Let’s get all your stats down and then you tell me about your goals.”
After Armando weighed her in, she filled out all her info on a tablet—their plan to cut down on paper waste, he explained. They talked about the ass Nailah wanted to sculpt and the bit of her stomach she wanted to trim down. Her arm strength was pretty non-existent, so she wanted to work on that too. When Nailah actually thought about it, Kalli didn’t train her that well. Their sessions were more like foreplay than actually workouts. She maintained her weight through her own effort, but none of the goals she set when she signed up with Kalli had been met. She explained all this to Armando, and for the fifty minutes that followed, he made her work her ass off.
✶
“Lady, those mini blinds are so ugly. Like real fucking ugly,” Nailah said to herself. Everyone teased her about the way she had full conversations with no one else in the room, but she could never come up with a good reason to make herself stop, so she just went with it. Even now, with her office door wide open, her and her brother’s assistants sitting ten feet away, she didn’t really care if she sounded crazy or not.
“Nope, that’s ugly too.”
Mrs. Levitz had sent over some ideas for her daughter’s bedroom, dozens of links for paint colors, light fixtures, and decor that all clashed or looked flat-out hideous. Luckily, Mrs. Levitz was just trying to be more helpful than insistent. Nailah could use maybe one of her ideas. It wouldn’t be too tough to steer her client away from the rest.
“I found him!” Maura shouted from the next room.
“Oh my god, he’s cute,” Brian added. Garai’s assistant was a great asset to Shalaby-Gold Realty, when he wasn’t drifting down the hall to play with Maura.
“Nailah, you wanna see? I think we found some good dirt.”
That had her attention. “Yeah, yeah! Let me see. Bring it in here.”
She absently registered Maura and Brian bolting into her office, chattering on as they came. Nailah finally looked up from her email when Maura plopped her laptop down on the desk.
“That’s him, right?”
After their first workout together, Nailah checked out the Melrose Fitness company website and spent a few moments drooling over Armando’s picture on the ABOUT US page. She had work to do and beauty sleep to catch up on, but as soon as she got back to the office the following day she put Maura up to further recon.
Nailah scanned over the Facebook profile in front of her before her eyes focused on the profile picture itself. The page most definitely belonged to Armando Vasquez, her new trainer and one of the sexiest men she had even seen up close. “Yep. That’s him.”
She should have scoped him out before she went over to Melrose Fitness, but she was so busy and still so irritated with her father, she’d simply put the address into her phone and prayed he was at least tolerable enough to spend a sweaty hour with.
Tolerable would have been a blessing. What she got was a complete punishment. He said his only interest was helping her sculpt the body she wanted. That didn’t change the array of sudden interests that popped up in her mind. How could she not sleep with him? Not only was he a work of art to behold but everything about him, his voice, his demeanor, his smile, even his eyebrows—which weren’t manicured but still managed to be perfectly in control—screamed mount me, do me, fuck me until you can barely move. She had been a fool with Kalli. He was a boy. A pitiful pastime. Armando Vasquez was a man. A man she could really spend some quality time with.
“Okay.” Nailah pushed her laptop to the side and pulled Maura’s computer closer. “Let’s see what we can find.”
“Start with his tagged photos,” Brian suggested. “You can usually find the best dirt from the people who’ve tagged him.”
Nailah clicked on his photos and saw that Brian
was right. Armando had tons of public photos of him with his friends. She recognized his co-workers from the gym, this white guy Grant something or other and a pretty black woman named Keira. A ton of pictures of the three of them being fitness-minded at different fitness-related events. There was a picture of Armando with Kalli at a fitness expo. Nailah quickly moved on from that and clicked on a picture that looked like Armando with his family and some friends. A Javier, Maria, and Connie Vasquez were bunched around Armando, who towered over all of them except for a Mark Vasquez, a taller, older black man who stood behind the girl tagged Maria.
The next picture was of the two older men, Javier and Mark, kissing Armando on either cheek. Nailah ignored Maura and Brian’s awwww’s of sweetness, but she had to admit to herself that the picture was pretty cute.
It took some clicking, and a solid five minutes of Brian and Maura saying “Click that one. Click that one,” but finally things got interesting.
The first gem they found was a few years old, a picture of Armando with a different older black man and a younger white girl. Armando was in a t-shirt. The girl was wearing a collar and a corset that pushed her boobs up to her chin. The other man was wearing a leather vest that hung open, revealing some ink on his chest. He looked familiar, but Nailah couldn’t place him. The caption read “Sir and I ran into Master Philip at the expo.” Nailah read it out loud.
“Hello!” Brian added.
“Is that the kink expo they have down at the convention center?” Maura asked.
“What do you know about it?” Nailah couldn’t hide her shock.
“They put a billboard up near my apartment every year.”
TAMED: #2 in the Fit Trilogy Page 2