by Kami Larke
Abby looked at Jade. “Thank you so much for everything. Really.” She swallowed hard as tears threatened.
“That’s what friends are for,” Jade told her.
Their arrival at the gym was unremarkable. Abby kept glancing over her shoulder, looking for her stalker. Dario kept his arm around her for the most part, lending her strength and assurance that if someone did decide to be stupid and jump out of the shadows at her, she had the current superstar MMA fighter on her side.
“Well, hello everyone,” Rob greeted them as they walked in. “Didn’t think I would see you together. How’s it going, Dario?”
Abby glanced at Jade in confusion.
“Dario trains here with Rob. Rob’s a semiretired MMA fighter, so Dario is learning from the best.”
“Oh,” was all she could think to say.
“Today is cardio and strength training,” Rob told Abby as he broke away from his conversation with Dario. “Go suit up, and I’ll meet you over at the ellipticals.”
Abby nodded and headed to the locker room with Jade. As they changed, Jade looked at her.
“Are you going to tell him about last night?”
“I don’t know that it’s really any of his business,” Abby said a little defensively.
“Abby, the guy is interested in you. I have a feeling last night isn’t going to be the only date he takes you on. He has a right to know you have a crazy stalker guy making threats against you and whomever you hook up with.”
Abby’s face heated. “First of all, there was no ‘hooking up’ as you put it.” She rolled her eyes as she angrily stuffed her street clothes into her gym bag. “Second, I doubt highly he will ask me out again. I’m honest enough to admit that the date last night was pretty much a dud.”
“You were at the restaurant for over three hours. I would hardly call that a dud.” Jade tipped her head and smirked.
“Unless he just really likes conversation,” Abby countered. Privately she had to admit she had no real weight to her argument.
“Sweetie, you are the whole package. The problem is, the only person who doesn’t see it is you.”
Abby wasn’t sure what to make of that but decided to just ignore it and go with the flow. As they stepped back into the gym, her eyes immediately sought out Rob. He was standing near the free weights talking to Dario. As she and Jade approached, he turned and smiled at her.
“So, you ready to work it today? We had a high-calorie dinner last night.”
Abby stumbled slightly, smiling to cover her misstep. Jade nudged her and giggled a little.
“Yeah, I’m ready.” Jade nudged her again. Abby shot her a dark look. “I, um, I need to talk to you about something.”
Rob’s brow rose. “About?”
“Um, well, last night,” she said sheepishly. “Not the date, there was nothing wrong with that. It was a good date. Well, I thought it was a good date. I hope it was a good date. I um, I don’t date often,” she continued.
“Abby, you’re babbling. Just spit it out,” Jade ordered her.
Taking a deep breath, Abby shivered slightly, then blurted out, “I got another note from my stalker last night.”
“Your stalker.” he said evenly.
“Yeah, the whole reason I came here in the first place.” Abby fidgeted under his steady gaze. “Crissy told you I needed to get some self-defense training. Hell, I told you that my first day here. This guy is why. He’s somehow found out who I am and where I live, and he has managed to somehow deliver two letters now to my apartment. The contents are rather disturbing, and the cops consider them threatening.”
“I see,” he said slowly. “Does that mean you want to forgo the aerobics and weight training today and work on the self-defense or what?”
Abby shrugged, uncertain. “I don’t know. What do you think will be best?”
“If this guy is posing a real threat, then I think it would be best to step up the self-defense training.”
Abby nodded. “I was actually kinda hoping you would say that.”
“I think we could use some help though, you guys care to join us?” Rob looked at Dario and Jade expectantly.
“Sure, what do you need us to do?” Dario asked.
“I think it would help if Abby had different assailants. She could also benefit from seeing the techniques performed.”
They moved into the exercise room Rob had been used for her self-defense class. Abby felt a little self-conscious performing in front of her friend, but soon she became so involved in the class and what she was learning, it was all but forgotten. Watching Jade be mock attacked from behind by Dario showed her what the positioning of the attacker really was. She noticed there was a slight hesitation as he matched his steps to hers, and filed that away.
Soon it was her turn. Remembering the outcome of her first session, she made a conscious effort to not let her elbow and knees fly as fast and freely as she had that day. Rob insisted she and Jade both practice until they didn’t have to think about it, the moves were automatic.
Coming from behind, either he or Dario would place their arms around them. Then it was up to the women to break free. Stepping down hard, they would smash the instep, which caused the man to automatically loosen his grip on her. They then would either break free from the man’s arms by either pinching a pressure point in the man’s hand, or by forcing their arms up and out. In the third step using the pressure point, they would spin, dragging the man’s arm into the infamous chicken-wing position. As the position forces the man to bend over, they practiced bringing their knees up to break the assailant’s nose.
Rob insisted they learn to alternatively throw their arms up and out, forcing the man’s arms away from them, following it with a spin into the man, landing a chop strike to the man’s neck. Done properly, it would disrupt blood flow to the brain and cause the assailant to be disoriented for a moment, allowing them to get away or press the attack further, incapacitating the assailant.
By the end of the session, they were all sweating and breathing hard. It was far more intense, Abby felt, to be able to see what was happening and then learn how to respond to it. She really hoped she never had to use the skills she was learning, but she did feel better for having learned them.
Leaving the gym that day, she promised to see Rob faithfully every day to continue the lessons.
“I only want to make sure you are safe. I know we haven’t known each other that long, but well, Helen has gotten me started on your books, and frankly, I’d be offended if such a talent was taken from the world so soon.”
“Damned by faint praise,” Abby said. A thrill went through her that he thought she had a talent for writing.
“Same time tomorrow?” he asked.
“I suppose so. What am I going to do about the missed aerobics class?”
“I’ll talk to the owner of the gym, make sure you aren’t penalized for missing it, you had to attend a self-defense class,” Rob winked at her.
“Thanks,” she grinned. She looked over toward the door where Dario and Jade were waiting impatiently. “I have to go, they are my ride.”
She waved goodbye to him as she hurried to join her friends.
Chapter 9 ~ abby
The next three weeks saw her improving on both the weight loss and her self-defense techniques. Rob had stepped things up a bit for her, adding defense moves she could use if assaulted from the front and what to do should her assailant manage to get her on the ground. Jade and Dario went to as many of her sessions as their individual work schedules would allow.
“Good afternoon, sexy,” Rob greeted her as she entered the gym. She gave him an irritated look. They had been out on a few more dates in the past few weeks and while she knew they were building up to where they would have sex, she wasn’t sure she was ready for that yet.
“Not sure what’s so good about it,” she groused. Rob’s brows rose at her reply.
“Trouble in plot paradise?” he guessed.
“Not exact
ly. Crissy wanted me to skip the gym today and work on my latest submission. I haven’t been able to concentrate, and the POV is all over the place.” She glanced at him and gave a short laugh at his confused expression.
“POV is point of view. It’s which character’s perspective you are telling the story from.”
“Oh, okay,” Rob said. Shrugging, he gestured to the exercise room. “Shall we get started?”
“Sure, I could stand to work off some frustrations.” Abby strode off for the room, leaving Rob to follow.
“So, today I thought we could start to add in some leg work with the techniques.”
Abby nodded as she began stretching. “Are we talking kicks or what?”
“There are some kicks and sweeps. I wanted to eventually be able to teach you a roundhouse kick, but I think you have already proven you know how to deliver one of those.”
Abby nodded again, rolling her head to loosen her shoulders. “So, show me.”
Rob proceeded to demonstrate proper balancing and positioning, walking through the steps to deliver the most effective kicks. For some reason, the moves proved most tricky to her and she kept losing her balance. After falling for the seventh time, she laughed and protested.
“I give up! I don’t think it’s going to do me any good to learn to kick if I can’t stay on my feet.”
“You just need to practice. Just like when you started the self-defense training, it’s all a matter of practice.”
“If you say practice makes perfect, I’m going to dropkick you.”
“Darling, I somehow am not worried about you being able to make good on that one,” Rob extended a hand to help her up.
Abby’s eyes narrowed as she accepted his hand. He leaned over, laughing at her. Just as he grasped her hand to help her up, she threw her body backward, extending her leg to help him go flying over her head. As she rolled over, she was rather pleased to see him sprawled on the mat.
“Maybe not kick you, but I did get the best of you this time,” she said smugly as she rose. Rob rose with a mock growl and launched himself at her.
“Now what are you going to do?” he asked, laughing as he pinned her to the mat.
“I can’t imagine,” she said, studying his face. “Do you think my stalker would want to get me on my back, pinned to the ground?”
“If he’s a red-blooded male, yes,” Rob told her emphatically. Abby’s breath quickened as he leaned down and kissed her. She wanted to wrap her arms and legs around him, but the way he had her pinned kept her from moving too much. She threw all the longing she felt into the kiss, trying to let him know how much she wanted him. She was rewarded with a groan as she sucked his lip into her mouth, her teeth grazing the inside of his lip slightly.
“Well, I suppose since you have me down here, you might as well show me how to get my stalker off me.”
“Kissing him like that is not going to get him off you,” Rob laughed. He gave her another kiss. “You can use your hands to strike at the throat of your assailant. A short jab is all you need. If you hit him in the throat hard enough, he will choke. You can also grab his groin and squeeze. Standing or not, a man will be at your mercy if you do that.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Abby paused. “Will you let me up now? I don’t think I’ve gotten to this point yet in my training.”
“Very well. Back to the kicks.” Rob helped her up. Abby took her position and began practicing her balance for her kicks.
“So, how often do you think I should practice this?”
“Like with everything else, until it’s automatic. If you manage to break free from your assailant, you can kick him in the side of the knee. The blow will incapacitate him for a bit.”
“I’m not sure how you mean,” Abby said, stepping back
“Like this,” Rob drew back, kicking in slow motion toward the side of her knee. “It doesn’t really matter if you strike the inside or outside of the knee, it’ll hurt. The knee is only designed to bend just so far.”
Abby nodded. “Well, I suppose I should use the century bob to practice on.” Turning, she moved to the far end of the room where the free-standing century bob was located.
She sized the bag up, drew back, and let fly with her right leg. She felt a slight twinge, corrected her stance, and kicked again. Rob walked up behind her and placed his hands on her hips. Abby tried to push herself back toward him, anything to get a closer touch, but he kept her at a frustratingly professional distance.
“Here, like this,” he instructed, adjusting her stance. Abby let her leg fly forward again.
“Oh, I see the difference,” she said, trying to hide the grimace as the twinge she felt got stronger.
“Okay, let’s try a front snap kick,” he suggested. “Watch me.”
Abby stood back, resting her right leg a little. Rob stepped up to the kicking dummy. Abby watched as he balanced, raised his right foot, and snapped it forward, making solid connection with the bottom of the century bob.
“For now, just work on kicking where your assailant’s knees would be. All you have to do is be able to incapacitate him. Don’t worry about kicking high or anything. Aim for the knees. That’s likely as high as you are going to be able to kick anyway.”
Abby saw red at his words. She was already irritated and sexually frustrated. Stepping up to the century bob, she took the stance he had shown her, and shifted her weight, moving through the kick. Her foot overshot the century bob, landing just a little higher than she had intended. In that split-second, she knew she was in trouble. Before she could correct her posture, her foot slid up the century bob and her body fell forward. She cried out as she hyperextended her knee and fell.
Rob hit the mat next to her as Abby lay on her side, grabbing at her knee.
“And this is why I didn’t want you aiming so high,” he said, prying her fingers off her leg so he could examine it. “Yeah, we need to get you checked out, see if you tore anything.”
“No one likes an ‘I told you so.’” Abby gasped as she fought the tears welling in her eyes.
“Yeah,” Rob said dismissively. “Sit tight, I’ll be right back with Falcon. He’s going to want to check you out before we move you. Which hospital do you want to go to?”
“Doctor’s has the best medical care,” she said.
“Will your insurance cover them?”
“My credit card will. Will you just hurry up and get me to the damn hospital?” Abby tried to push herself to a sitting position.
“I said, ‘Sit tight.’” Rob gently pressed her back down on the mat. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”
Abby let out a sigh and lay back on the mat. She refused to think of the funk she was lying in, but she knew Rob was right. She needed to let Falcon, the gym doc and trainer, check out her knee before she started moving around. If it was seriously hurt, and judging by the pain it was, she could actually hurt herself more by trying to move without stabilizing her leg.
Chapter 10 ~ rob
As soon as they showed up at the ER, Abby was whisked into the back, headed for an MRI and X-ray. He almost wasn’t allowed into the back with her, but as he was holding all her possessions, the nurse finally relented and let him wait for her in the bay she was assigned to. After what seemed like forever, she joined him in the bay, assisted by the nurse to the bed from the wheelchair.
“And now we wait,” she said as she settled into the bed. “I don’t think the doc is going to let me exercise while I heal from this.”
“Okay, but you can’t stop exercising.” Rob refused to allow her to weasel her way out of working out.
Abby flapped her crutches at him in frustration. “How am I supposed to exercise with these? I don’t think it would be considered safe on the treadmill.”
Rob fought to keep from grinning at the image that conjured.
“No, but you can still do crunches and work your upper body,” he offered. The nurse shot him a look as she adjusted the neoprene brace she was helping Abby tr
y on.
Abby gave him a crestfallen look. Rob bit back a laugh. He knew it was rude to laugh at someone who was hurt, but she was really trying to milk this injury for all it was worth to get out of exercising at all.
“You’ve made amazing progress so far. Do you really want to see it all come undone because you can’t bend your knee for a few weeks?”
“Well, no, but it just seems it would be so hard to find something I can do while I’m laid up.”
Rob bit back a groan. The thought of having her laid in front of him was almost enough to make his cock twitch.
“I can help you with that.” He promised her.
“I suppose we could ask the doctor and see what he says,” Abby offered.
“Good idea.” Rob nodded, glancing at the door to see when the doctor was going to come back by. He didn’t really think the man would return; usually they didn’t after they’d sent the nurse in to deal with the patient’s immediate needs.
“How are you going to get home?” Rob asked. Abby had managed to injure her right knee, so he knew driving was out.
“I have no idea. I also have no clue how I’m going to get my car home from the gym. I suppose I could call Jade and have her and her boyfriend pick it up.”
“Do that,” Rob nodded. “I’ll drive you home. I’ll even walk Peanut for you,” he offered.
“Oh, no, she is going think I forgot all about her by the time we get me home!” Abby exclaimed in dismay.
“We haven’t been here that long—,” Rob began.
“We’ve been here over five hours,” Abby cut him off, shifting on the bed, making motions she was ready to get up and leave even without her discharge papers.
“Sit still, I’ll see who I can flag down for you,” Rob ordered before stepping out of the bay. Snagging the same nurse who had adjusted the brace, he asked her if the doctor was available to answer some questions Abby had.
“I’ll see if I can get him to stop in. The admin should be along any moment to give her the discharge papers.” The girl added before hurrying away.
