“Yes, seriously,” Reina says, rolling her eyes. I love that she doesn’t hide her contempt from people when they deserve it.
“How is she going to protect me if she can’t keep up?”
“I probably can’t outswim you, but outside of the pool, I can assure you I’ll keep up,” I tell him.
“I walk fast, and I run every morning.”
“Good for you.”
“You’ll have to be there with me, and let’s face it, you’re not exactly in peak physical condition.”
I force myself not to punch him as I answer. “I may not be stick thin, Knox, but I can assure you I actually am in ‘peak physical condition.’”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“Well, let’s go downstairs to the gym and see who stops their treadmill first.”
“You’re kidding right?” he asks, and then looks to Reina. “She’s kidding, right?”
“No, I’m pretty sure she’s serious. And frankly, I can’t wait to see her kick your ass.”
“I can’t run in jeans.”
“We keep extra workout clothes and shoes in all sizes for our employees to have if they forget their own gear. Now, if you’re done with your excuses, let’s go on downstairs.”
“After you,” he says with a sneer.
He won’t win, because I won’t let him. I’ve been in this country for ten years and I’ve heard it all before. Men—and women—think that because I’m bigger than a size four, I’m out of shape. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I love to eat, but I also love to work out. I couldn’t do my job as a physical therapist if I was out of shape. One day, people may look past my dress size, but for now, I enjoy proving them wrong.
In the locker room, I change into a sports bra, loose tank, workout pants, and tennis shoes. I pull my curly red hair into a ponytail, and crack my neck from side to side as I mentally prepare to literally run my ass off.
When I walk into the gym, a crowd has gathered. The other recruits, the mentors, and some of the guys, including my best friend, Ken, are standing by the treadmills. Knox walks out in basketball shorts and tennis shoes. I admire his abs, because they’re on display, and they are very nice. Not nice enough for me to let him win, but I can’t deny he looks good.
He looks me up and down, and if he wasn’t being such an ass, I’d think he was liking what he sees. He shatters that notion when he opens his mouth. “Ready to lose?”
“No. I’m ready to win.”
We get on the treadmills and go, warming up with a slow speed, and no incline to start. As we get into it, the speed is faster, and the incline gets steeper. I’m totally in the zone, drinking water to stay hydrated as my endorphins kick in, easily keeping the punishing pace.
Two hours later, Knox presses his stop button, and jumps so that he’s off the belt when the machine stops. He’s breathing hard as I keep going for a few more minutes. I slow down gradually, cooling off like he should have.
“How…how did you do that? You’re not even breathing hard.”
“In Africa, we run,” I say, bringing my accent out in full force. “Haven’t you ever seen marathon results?”
“You tricked me.”
“No. I just proved that my clothes may have two numbers on them, but I’m still in better shape than 99% of the planet.”
I walk out with a smirk on my face, and my head held high. Let the games begin.
Knox
Damn, was that hot. I just got schooled by that goddess with the flaming hair, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Well, that’s not entirely true. I’d rather have had her on her knees sucking me off while I twisted that red hair in my hands. Or better yet, I’d love to sink between what I know have to be creamy thighs, and make my new home.
“Is this going to be an ongoing problem?” Reina Corrigan asks, not bothering to hide her contempt for me.
“Ask your girl,” I shoot back, pissed that she broke me out of my lusty thoughts. And because, yeah, I know I was an ass, but that doesn’t mean I want to hear it from her.
“I’m asking you. Waverly will do what she needs to in order to keep you safe, but I won’t allow you to treat her with anything less than respect.”
“She has my respect.” Hell yeah, she does.
Reina’s eyes narrow as she rakes them over me. “I know you want to stay safe, so I’m going to take your word for it. If anything—and I mean, anything—is said or done to make Waverly feel uncomfortable, you’ll be dealing with me. I can guarantee you’d rather be in the clutches of a crazed fan if it comes to that.”
Damn. “Got it,” I tell her, swallowing hard.
There’s no way to pretend I’m not scared of this woman. I don’t know anyone who could stand before her like this and not feel fear. Her power is an almost palpable thing, and despite her designer clothes, I don’t doubt she could snap me like a twig.
I walk out of her office to find Waverly waiting for me in the Corrigan & Co. Foundation lobby. She’s still glistening with sweat, and I want to lick every drop off of her. She’d probably kill me if I tried, but I really, really want to try.
“Are we good now? Do you trust me to protect you?”
“Yes.”
“You’re an ass.”
“I am. I’m sorry. These threats have kind of freaked me out,” I tell her honestly.
“That doesn’t excuse you saying those things to me just because I don’t look like the women you sleep with.”
I’ve hurt her. She hid it well, and she’s still doing a damn good job of it, but I know it’s true. The flash of hurt crossed her face so fast I almost missed it, but I saw it, and it makes me hurt, too. I don’t know why, but it does.
“You don’t look like them, and you don’t act like them, and trust me, that’s a good thing. You don’t want to be those girls. You look amazing the way you are, and you’re not just dropping to your knees because I’ve won some medals.” It’s refreshing. Not that I don’t want her on her knees, because I definitely do, but it’s almost nice to have to work for it.
“Thank you for saying that. I need to get back to things, but I wanted to make sure we could work together.”
“I don’t want to work with anyone else. And again, I hope you can accept my apology, and forgive me for being an ass.”
“I can. I’ll see you soon,” she tells me as she turns to walk away.
“Yeah. You will.”
Damn. I am in so much trouble. We’ve made a truce, and can work together. Now, I just need to keep my promise to Reina while figuring out how to get Waverly in my bed. Piece of cake.
1
Waverly
I report to Stella’s office a week after my literal run-in with Knox. He’s been staying at the Corrigan apartments while Reina and the mentors planned everything out, so I’ve seen him almost daily. From afar. I’m not ready to see him up close again yet. Or maybe ever.
I found out the guy who’d been in Reina’s office with him is his best friend and manager, Cohen. He’s staying with Knox, but he’s seems a lot nicer than his friend. He smiles at me, and I don’t think he agreed with what Knox said to me in that office. He didn’t say anything to stop Knox, so maybe he’s not all good, but then again, maybe he’s just loyal. I can appreciate loyalty between best friends.
“Hey, Wave, you ready for some new clothes?” Stella’s assistant, Kevin, asks me, breaking me from my thoughts.
I look down at my t-shirt and yoga pants, and shake my head. “No.”
“Well, you should be. She’s pulled some awesome stuff for you.”
“Kevin, you’re really sweet, but there’s not a lot that looks awesome on me. I’m not ashamed of my body, but I know my limitations.”
“There are no limitations when it comes to fashion, especially when you’re comfortable with your body,” Stella tells me as she leans on her inner office/closet door. “Come on in, and I’ll show you.”
I shrug, before following her inside. I’ll be the first to admit I haven’t lo
oked too hard for fashionable clothes, preferring comfort over style. A shrink would probably tell me I’m bucking the training I received as a child, but I’m not looking too closely at any of that right now. I have a job to do, and I’ll do it. End of story.
At least until I walk into the room, and see the clothes surrounding me. “Wow.” It’s all I can say as I take in the dresses, jumpsuits, bathing suits, and more. Some are revealing, and others will flow loosely over my body.
“I told you,” Stella says with a twinkle in her eye.
“There are a lot of bathing suits.”
“Knox is a swimmer, so I expect you to be at the pool every day. You don’t want to wear the same suit.”
“Why not?” the sensible me asks.
“You already put that boy in his place, but it doesn’t hurt to keep rubbing in how hot you are.”
“If I’m protecting him, shouldn’t I be blending in?”
“You’re going to be part of his team, so you’ll be in the background with everyone else. However, he’ll be seeing you, and that’s what I’m focusing on. I can’t let you overshadow him, but you’re definitely not going to be hiding.”
“My job is to keep him safe, not to try and impress him.”
“Stella’s not dressing you for him. She’s dressing you for you,” Isa says, walking into the room. “The more confident you feel, the more you’ll project that to everyone else. It will make things much easier for you.”
“My little genius friend is right, and it warms my heart,” Stella says, placing a hand over heart and pretending to cry.
Isa just rolls her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s get this over with so I can talk to Wave about the research she’ll be doing.”
“Research isn’t my strong suit,” I admit.
“Good thing it’s mine then, and I’m your mentor.”
“We don’t have much time.”
“True, but I’m an awesome teacher.”
“She really is. She could totally walk into any classroom anywhere, and teach the class. Of course, she prefers to be the student learning from the hot teacher, but I think she’s taught Jake a thing or two.”
I smirk, because I know all about how Isa was pretending to be a student while Jake Mason was pretending to be a teacher. He knew she was a spy, but she didn’t know he was undercover, too. They got past that—and his mother putting a hit out on her—but I can’t imagine it was easy. Elizabeth Mason had a showdown with Reina a couple of months ago, and is not a friend to the Society right now, so I’m guessing no family reunions are in the near future.
“You’re both hilarious, but let’s get a move on. Like you said, Wave, we don’t have a lot of time.”
We get to work, because yeah, trying on all of these clothes really is work to me, and then I’m following Isa back to her office. It looks like a library from an old English estate, and she fits right in here with her long braid and glasses. I…well…I don’t.
“I can feel you worrying,” Isa tells me as she takes a seat behind her desk.
“I wasn’t lying about research not being my strong suit. I can kill with no problem, eat dinner with the Queen of England without worrying about my manners, hack into any computer, and if pushed, I probably could’ve put together my own outfits despite how I usually dress. But this,” I say, motioning to the room around me, “I don’t have the patience for this.”
“You graduated near the top of your class in Physical Therapy. Surely, you did research and studied for your classes.”
“Yes, but that’s because I had to get the degree. I needed it for our plan to work.”
She nods. “Your life depended on it.”
“It did,” I agree.
“Well, Knox’s life depends on you now. He may be an ass, but he’s your ass. Will you put your focus on him now?”
“He’s not mine, so please don’t say that.”
“Sure,” she says, and she’s the one smirking now.
I want to shout out that he’s not, but I don’t feel like protesting too much, and letting her know I might have a passing interest in him, so I keep quiet. At least about the man himself. “To answer your question, I couldn’t do less than my best, even if I wanted to. Which I don’t. Joining the Society means a lot to me, and I’ll prove myself to all of you.”
“We don’t need you to prove anything, Wave. That’s not what we’re about. You have to know that after working with us these past few years.”
“I do know. It’s just…how I came here…what we did. We lied to everyone.”
“It’s forgiven.”
“But not forgotten.”
“No one will hold it against you. They’d have me to deal with if they so much as think about saying or doing anything to you. You have my word.”
I’d believe her even if I didn’t see the truth in her eyes. She’s looking at me like a fierce, protective mother lion, even though she’s only a little older than me, and it warms my heart. I lived so long only having one person care about me, and I don’t know how to react to all of these women. I know it’s not a bad thing, and whether I can eventually get used to it or not, I welcome it. I have more than one friend, and more than one ally, and for the first time in my life, I can breathe.
Knox
“Have you made your decision yet?” my best friend, Cohen asks me.
He’s asking about where we’re going to train, and yes, I’ve decided. My choice wasn’t made just because of the great swimming program there, but also by Waverly. “We’re going to Cape Town. I rented a house for the next month.”
“Africa? Why am I not surprised?”
“It’s always been in the top three choices.”
“So it has nothing to do with the African bombshell who handed you your ass a week ago.”
“You’re my best friend,” I remind him.
“And I fully support you going after her, but just be careful. She’s not one of your groupie hookups, and it could go sideways, fast.”
“I’m not going after her. She’s not my type.”
“Amazonian goddess is every man’s type.”
The realization dawns, and I don’t like it one damn bit. “You want her.”
“Like I said, every man who lays eyes on her is going to want her. But, I’m not making a move. She’s all yours if you can convince her to be that.”
“I don’t have time for a woman in my life. You know that.”
“No. What I know is that you haven’t met a woman who’s worth making time for. You thought you had, but Gwen was a gold-digging bitch hiding herself as a human being, and she’s made you gun-shy. I think Waverly could be exactly what you need.”
“What I need is to train hard, and win a few more medals before my time is up. Waverly might be classified as a ‘want’ but she’s definitely not who or what I need right now.”
“So why did Africa move to the top of your list, then?”
“I’m pleading the fifth. Now excuse me while I go for my afternoon swim. You know, the thing I need to do.”
I walk out before he can say anything else. I wasn’t lying about needing to swim, and not just to stay in shape. More than one TV analyst has joked that water runs through my veins instead of blood, and sometimes I think they’re right. There’s no place I feel more at home, or more welcome, than in the water. Pool, ocean, lake…hell, I even love a nice bath. Water is water, and it not only calms me when I’m in turmoil, but it also breathes life into me when I feel like everything else makes no sense.
Everyone knows my story, the one about the foster boy who escaped the horrors of life at the local YMCA, only to be adopted by one of the richest families in the world when I was eleven. A family who love me like their own, and showed me what family is supposed to be. They’ve watched me rise through the ranks of swimmers, beating my idols and my enemies alike. I know my time is almost up, at least as far as competing goes. The water will always be my lifeblood, and I’ll find a way to stay with it, even if it means being a geri
atric pool boy one day. People have come and gone from my life, but the water has always been my only constant, and it always will be the only thing I really depend on. I’m intrigued by the vixen with the red hair and curves men would probably have given up kingdoms for, but I can’t allow myself to be distracted by her.
Waverly brings a whole host of problems with her, and I’m not sure I’m man enough to tackle even one of them. She’s definitely not a groupie, but I wasn’t lying when I said she isn’t my type—or at least the “type” my adoring public is used to seeing me with—and she’s never going to let me win, at anything. Even if Gwen hadn’t fucked with my heart all those years ago, I’m not sure I’m willing to give it away again. Especially not to a woman who could take me down, in more ways than one. No, Waverly Stein is a bad idea. Then again, when have I ever been a good one for anyone outside of a pool?
2
Waverly
He’s wet. That’s all my stupid brain can focus on as Knox walks into the atrium at the apartment building. Reina called and asked me to come down here to meet with them, but I didn’t know he’d be coming straight from the pool. Since I’ve been avoiding him the last couple of days, I also didn’t expect his stubble to have grown into an almost full-blown beard. One that’s got water glistening all over it, making me think of his face between my legs.
I shift in my seat as he greets Reina and Isa, entranced by the trail of water running over his eight-pack of abs, and disappearing into the waistband of his board shorts. I know he has a Speedo under there, and I’ve watched enough videos of him in and out of the pool to know just what he looks like in that bathing suit. For research purposes only, of course.
“Wave? Are you okay?” Reina asks, and when I can focus again, I see her looking at me with concern—and more than a little amusement—in her eyes.
I look her in the eyes, both of us knowing I was checking out Knox, and his package. “Yep. I’m great.”
“Why weren’t you answering my greeting then? You seemed distracted,” Knox says with a smile.
Waverly (Socierty Girls #4) Page 2