“The punching bag will be too tough for you because it doesn’t have as much give as the pads. I don’t want you hurting yourself.” His face turned serious. “And I’m definitely not gonna put on gloves and spar with you.”
Beth sighed. “All right. If you say so.”
“We’ll start off with an upright stance. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with your rear foot half a step behind your lead foot. You’re right-handed, so your left foot will be your lead foot, and you’ll lead your punches with your left fist.”
Beth positioned her feet properly.
“See how your right foot is on an angle?”
Beth looked to where Aidan pointed. “Yes, I see.”
“You want your feet to be parallel, so straighten the right one out and lift your heel off the mat.”
Beth followed his instructions. She was impressed by his knowledge after only a month of training with Rocky.
“Your lead left fist is held vertically about six inches in front of your face at eye level.” Aidan took her left hand and lifted it to the appropriate height. Distracted by the close proximity of his lips to hers, Beth felt her arm falling and had to correct her position.
“Now, your right fist is held beside the chin and your elbow should be tucked against your ribcage to protect your body.” He took her other hand and raised it to the proper position, his eyes devouring her. “How’s that?”
Beth barely found her voice. “Good.”
Using a light grip, Aidan moved her elbow against the side of her body and grazed his fingers down her hip over her cotton dress. Her skin tingled. He darted his tongue across his lower lip and leaned in, dispensing kisses along her neck.
Struggling to maintain her correct stance, Beth tilted her head back to give him better access. When he nibbled at her collarbone, she thought she would fall to the mat.
Perhaps the helmet was a good idea, after all.
Aidan pulled back, admiring her with glossy eyes. “Next, tuck your chin to your chest to avoid punches to the jaw.”
Beth dropped her chin as instructed and noticed his prominent arousal pressing against his boxing shorts. She exhaled a slow breath.
“Bend your wrists slightly to avoid damage when punching.” Aidan sounded in control, but she detected his internal struggle. “And remember to keep your elbows tucked in to protect the ribcage.”
Beth managed a nod.
Aidan took a step back, placing about two feet between them, but not enough distance to quell her yearning for him. “There are four main types of punches: jab, cross, hook, and uppercut. You’ll probably be most comfortable using the jab and the cross to hit the pads. A jab is a quick, straight punch thrown with the lead hand. When you extend your arm, rotate your torso about ninety degrees, so you’re horizontal upon impact.
“The cross is a more powerful punch than the jab. It’s thrown with the rear hand in a straight manner. At the same time, the lead hand is retracted and tucked against your face to protect the chin.”
Aidan switched his stance and punched the air using the jab and cross combination. His movements were quick and fluid. Beth was awed by how powerful he looked. Watching him box during filming would surely torment her, since she could not act on her desires while on set.
Beth raised her arms to the correct position and fixed her stance. “All right, I’m ready.”
Aidan picked up two small black pads from the corner of the ring and secured their straps on his hands.
“Okay, baby.” He lifted the pads in front of him with the cushioned part facing her. “Hit me.”
With all the strength she could muster, Beth threw her left fist first, followed by her right, as he taught her, and made contact with the pads. Aidan didn’t even flinch, nor did his hands move from their position.
“Is that all you got?” A teasing smile accompanied his remark.
Beth focused on her targets and threw another combination. Again, her punches barely made a dent.
Aidan smacked the pads together. “Come on, you gotta have more in you than that.”
She frowned. “What if I hurt you?”
“You won’t. Now hit me.”
Beth took a fortifying breath, eager to prove she could do it. With a sudden burst of adrenaline, she threw a jab, followed by a cross. This time, Aidan’s hands moved backward when she hit the pads.
His eyes widened. “Wow, you’ve been holding out on me, baby.”
Beth smiled proudly and dropped her hands. The gloves felt much heavier than when she first put them on.
She looked at Aidan with true concern. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
He shook his head. “No, but it was a solid combination.”
Beth regained the strength to lift her arms again. “What’s another type of punch?”
Aidan shook the pads to the floor and swept around her, pressing his body to hers from behind. Beth felt his warm breath on the back on her neck. The fine hairs there stood at attention.
“I’ll show you.” Aidan removed her helmet and dropped it to the mat.
Beth whimpered as his fingers danced across her wrists. He pressed his lips to her cheek, followed by her neck.
“Now, this next punch is called an uppercut,” he said in a seductive murmur. “It’s a vertical, rising punch thrown with the rear hand.” He moved her right arm lower than the position for the cross punch. “The rear hand drops below the level of the opponent’s chest, and the knees are slightly bent.” His other hand found her left hip. “Can you bend your knees for me, baby?”
Beth felt his arousal pushing into her back. She granted his request.
He hummed in her ear. “Good girl.”
Beth’s heart pounded so hard she could feel its pulse throughout her entire body.
“From this position, the rear hand is thrust upward in a rising arc to where your opponent’s torso or chin would be.” The word thrust rolled off Aidan’s tongue with sensual emphasis.
Beth moaned as he slowly moved his hand to her right elbow. He lifted her arm using the correct technique and completed the uppercut with no force behind it.
“Is that good?” Her question sounded quiet, submissive.
Aidan spun her around to face him and unleashed his passion with blinding intensity. He removed her gloves in seconds. She drove her wrapped hands into his hair as he pulled her against him and brought their lips together.
Aidan’s hands felt coarse from the tape, but his touch was gentle as he pinned her against the ropes and caressed her body. The gym was a public building, and anyone could walk in and see them, but all Beth wanted to do was let go.
She reached beneath the waistbands of his boxing shorts and briefs to his arousal and stroked him how he liked it most, mindful of the abrasive tape on her hands. He cursed under his breath and leaned against her, resting his chin in the crook of her neck.
Beth touched him as well as she could under his clothes. He rewarded her with pleasurable moans that seemed to originate from the back of his throat. As he moved his hand under her dress, she was thankful she didn’t wear hosiery today. She widened her stance and he pushed her panties aside with his fingers. At his first stroke, she gasped into his chest, the ropes behind her swaying to the rhythm of their bodies.
Beth’s breathing became shallow and her muscles tensed as Aidan touched her again and again. When his fingers circled faster, her pleasure soared.
“Aidan, I’m going to—”
Beth shuddered with the arrival of her climax. At the same time, Aidan jerked in her hand, reaching his own release. They came down together, embracing against the ropes. The only sounds in the gym were their labored breaths.
Aidan rested his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry for initiating this here. I mean… someone could’ve walked in.”
Beth shook her head. “I don’t regret it one bit.”
“Are you sure?” He backed away from her, dragging his hands through his hair, making it standup in all directions. “He
ll, I don’t care what people around here think about me, but I’d never want to harm your reputation. I just couldn’t help myself.”
Beth giggled. “And you think it was easy for me to see you shirtless, sweaty, and looking perfect while trying to focus on learning jabs and cross punches?”
Aidan chuckled. “Okay, I get your point.”
He assisted her out of the ring and entered the locker room without her. When he emerged, he wore new boxing shorts.
As Beth changed back into her own footwear, she couldn’t believe how far she’d come since going steady with him. She felt much more confident with intimacy than she did only weeks ago and considered seeing Connie’s doctor soon to obtain birth control.
“What are you thinking about, little dove?” Aidan trailed his fingers down the side of her face.
Beth gave a wistful sigh. “How happy I am.”
He kissed her forehead. “Me, too, baby.”
Beth stole a glance at the clock. “Unfortunately, I have to leave now or I’ll be late for my dance lesson.”
“I’ll walk you to the door.”
Aidan removed the tape from her hands and retrieved her purse. He even made sure she had a drink of water before escorting her to the exit.
Beth placed her purse strap over her shoulder, wishing she didn’t have to go. “Enjoy the rest of your workout.”
Aidan kissed her temple. “When I step back into the ring, I won’t be able to think about anything except how much I love you.”
She hugged him tightly. “I love you, too.”
“See you tonight, my beautiful golden girl.” He brushed her hair from her face and backed away.
Beth waved farewell and left the gym with a skip in her step that rivaled the fancy foot maneuvers Aidan used when training. She felt eager to forgo her acting and dance lessons over the next several months and focus all of her energy on Golden Gloves, learning as much as she could about Method acting and spending more time with her beau than she had ever dreamed possible this morning.
Beth’s dance teacher canceled her lesson on Wednesday afternoon, so she scheduled an appointment with Connie’s doctor following her morning acting class. As she sat in the back of a limousine between Connie and Olivia, she recalled their explanation about what being fitted for a diaphragm entailed. They insisted there was nothing to fear, but she still felt nervous.
Beth arranged payment for today’s appointment in advance and was unsurprised it cost such a hefty sum. She paid the full amount in cash because claiming it through her Starlight Studios’ health insurance wasn’t an option. Thankfully, she was able to withdraw the money from her savings account without having to explain to Mr. Stern why she needed it.
With Mr. Stern’s assistance, Beth also negotiated her Golden Gloves contract and signed the necessary documents, officially committing herself to the project. She had never been a part of a formal read-through before and felt both intimidated and excited to participate in one on Friday.
Another plus was now that she was officially assigned to the film, as she’d assumed, she could forgo her acting and dance classes again, as she had done during production on her other films. Although she had learned a lot at the studio, she felt her experience on Golden Gloves would be the ultimate acting lesson because she was working with an esteemed director and actors.
A welcomed distraction from Beth’s appointment was the news that Kazan had requested Olivia’s design expertise for Golden Gloves, which meant they would work together again. Olivia respected Kazan and was excited that he put her in charge of an entire wardrobe team throughout filming. Beth was incredibly proud of Olivia for all she’d accomplished in less than a year in the industry. Nathan had helped her get signed to the studio, but it was her true talent that had gotten her this far.
Additional good news was that, as predicted, Mr. Mertz was elated over Connie’s engagement to Matthew and had approved distribution of new publicity photographs of the couple to all the entertainment papers. The photo shoots were set up to look as though photographers randomly ran into them when they were out on the town, when, in fact, they were taken on the studio backlot or arranged in advance at popular Hollywood hotspots. The purpose of the photographs was to show the world how in love they were. At least that part was true.
Connie loved the attention and talked nonstop about her impending nuptials. She decided on a June wedding, giving her six months of preparation time. With Mr. Mertz’s involvement, plans were already shaping up nicely. He provided her with a staff of people who followed her every instruction on every detail of the wedding, as she desired. The deal was the studio took care of the finances in exchange for full pictorial rights. The wedding was going to cost a fortune, but Mr. Mertz clearly thought he would make the money back at the box office. It was no coincidence that he scheduled the release of Connie’s next film for the same week as the ceremony.
The only aspect of the wedding Mr. Mertz wasn’t involved in was the wedding dress. Connie bestowed that honor to Olivia. She had particular details in mind for parts of the design. Otherwise, Olivia had complete creative freedom. Olivia took her new job very seriously and was busy working on the perfect gown in between clothing preparations for Golden Gloves.
Far sooner than Beth expected, the limousine parked at the back of Dr. Goldberg’s Beverly Hills office building.
“Here, put these on.” Olivia handed Beth a scarf and a pair of sunglasses. She and Connie had explained these items were necessary in the off chance someone spotted them. Olivia was not well known, but she did work at the studio, so she didn’t want to take a gamble, either.
Beth covered her hair with the scarf and secured her sunglasses in place. Connie and Olivia did the same, and Connie’s personal chauffeur, Martin, opened the back door of the limousine. Olivia took Beth’s hand and led her to an unmarked door while Connie instructed Martin to return in one hour.
Upon their arrival on the fourth floor, a rope of anxiety tightened around Beth’s stomach. Her only solace came from the fact that what she had with Aidan wasn’t a fling. They were truly in love, and she had no reason to feel ashamed about wanting to grow more intimately with him before marriage, regardless of society’s views on the subject.
Dr. Goldberg’s office was located halfway down the corridor, identified by a gold nameplate mounted on the door. As they entered the office, Beth looked around the waiting room. Thankfully, no one else was present except for a secretary sitting at a small desk in the corner, typing on a typewriter. With the coast clear, the three women removed their headscarves and sunglasses.
“Go check in, Beth.” Olivia gestured to the secretary. “We’ll wait for you in the seating area.”
Beth made her way over to the desk, clutching her purse in hopes of steadying her trembling hands. The secretary looked up but didn’t stop typing.
“Hello.” Beth’s voice sounded soft and unsure. “My name is Marie Bates. I have a one o’clock appointment with Dr. Goldberg.”
The secretary removed a clipboard with an attached sheet of paper and a pen from her desk drawer. “Fill out this form, please.”
Beth took the clipboard and sat in a nearby chair. The questionnaire started with basic things such as her name, address, date of birth, and marital status but then moved on to more personal questions like the reason for her visit and the date of her last menstrual period.
Beth returned the clipboard when she was finished. The secretary stood from her chair and gestured toward a hallway in the back.
“Right this way, Miss Bates.”
Beth caught Connie and Olivia’s encouraging smiles before following the secretary to a room at the end of the corridor. Inside, she was instructed to take off all of her clothes and put on the paper gown draped over the examination table. The secretary left after notifying Beth that Dr. Goldberg would be with her momentarily.
Beth set down her purse and picked the gown off the table, trying to distinguish which part belonged in the front and which in
the back. Either way, one part of her would be exposed. She opted for the opening in the back, using the rationale that if she lay down on the table, she could cover her behind. Not that it mattered, given the nature of her appointment. Still, it helped to settle some of her nerves in the meantime.
After putting on the gown, she gripped the back shut and lay down on the white paper draw sheet draped over the thin, plastic mattress covering the examination table. The bottoms of her feet faced the door. To avoid giving the doctor an inappropriate view the moment he entered the room, she chose not to use the stirrups at the end and crossed her legs at the ankles instead.
While she waited, she read the plaques and awards hanging on the walls. They told her that Dr. Goldberg had graduated from Harvard Medical School over twenty years ago and was a highly respected member of the medical community.
The minutes passed slowly, in contrast to her rapidly beating heart. Finally, she heard shuffling on the other side of the door. She crossed her legs tighter as the door opened and Dr. Goldberg appeared, wearing a distinguished white lab coat and carrying a clipboard and stethoscope.
He looked more like a movie star than a physician with his unnatural dark brown hair, deeply tanned skin, and gleaming white smile. If not for reading his medical school certificate, Beth would have assumed he was in his late thirties.
“Miss Sutton. It is very nice to meet you.” He draped his stethoscope over the back of his neck and shut the door. “I’m Dr. Leif Goldberg.”
Although the appointment was booked under her legal name, Dr. Goldberg was in such demand that Connie had to disclose Beth’s studio moniker in order for him to see her in a timely manner.
Beth propped herself up on her elbows and regarded him sheepishly. “Hello, Dr. Goldberg.”
“I understand you’re in the market for birth control.” He placed the clipboard down on the counter. Beth saw it contained her questionnaire.
Her face grew red. “Yes, I am.”
“I’ve fitted many women from the studio, so please don’t worry. You’re in good hands.” He gave a smile that brightened his blue eyes. “From your questionnaire, I see you’re not married.”
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