by Sophie Stern
Contents
Climb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Epilogue
About
Honeypot Babies
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Alien Dragon
Climb
Sophie Stern
Copyright © 2016 by Sophie Stern
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
A determined dance instructor who doesn't take "no" for an answer.
A brave-hearted airman who knows what he wants.
They're the best of friends.
But can they ever be more?
When Elliott returns from his overseas tour, he has one thing on his mind: Sassy. He missed her every day he was gone and now, it's time to claim her as his own.
Can he be the hero she needs him to be?
Chapter 1
Sassy
“Dip, and spin, and dip, and hold.” I shake my hips in time with the music, in time with the beat, and I trust my students to follow along. The truth is that I’m losing myself a little bit today. The truth is that I’m getting lost in the music a little bit today
The truth is that I don’t really care today.
He’s back.
Elliott’s back.
He’s home.
He’s here.
He’s back in Colorado and in just a few hours, he’s going to be at Club Kitten. He’s coming to the studio, and he’s picking me up, and we’re going to dinner. We’re going to reunite. We’re going to catch up. We’re going to see each other for the first time in six months.
We’re going to go fucking crazy.
Or I am, at least.
I’m completely in love with the damn fool, and I don’t even know why. That’s a lie. I’m completely in love with him because he’s a decent fucking person, and kind, and sweet, and thoughtful, and funny as hell.
I’m in love with him because he’s been my best friend for just forever and I missed him.
I missed him so much that it hurt, so much that I can’t imagine losing him again. I can’t imagine dealing with another deployment, another separation, another parting. I can’t imagine saying goodbye to him again and I really, really don’t want to.
I can’t imagine anything but getting my arms around him.
I can’t imagine anything but touching him.
So I’m not really paying attention to my students as closely as I usually do. Normally, my classes are terrible. They’re hard and fast and everyone hates me because I’m so damn mean and I make their muscles burn. Then in six months, they thank me because they look fine as fuck and their confidence has skyrocketed.
But those first few weeks in a Sassy class?
They’re killer.
I know it.
I do it on purpose because I want my girls to know that when they work hard, when they sweat, when they feel the pain, they’re going to be rewarded. They’re going to get strong and fit and they’re going to feel like they’re on top of the world.
They’re going to feel like they can do anything they want because they’re brave and strong and sweet.
That’s what Club Kitten is all about: confidence.
It’s about reaching your dreams and learning you can do whatever you like, whatever you want, if you’re willing to put in the time. If you’re willing to put in the hours, the sweat, and the tears, you can do whatever you want.
You can accomplish anything.
Although I don’t work the girls as hard as I usually do, when class ends, we’re all sweating and tired. We’re all a mess. A couple of girls come up to me and ask about the classes I’m teaching the next week.
In an effort to ramp up attendance, I’ve been expanding the class schedule and offering more classes at different times. It’s difficult to run a studio and make the most of my time and my employees’ time, but slowly, surely, I feel like I’m getting the hang of things.
Usually, I teach the upper-level pole classes. Those are the most fun, in my opinion.
It’s in pole level 4 and level 5 where I get to really push the limits of my own body and find out just how strong I am. It’s in these classes where I get to show my students how they can strengthen themselves in a way that is beautiful and empowering.
Today, though, I’m teaching level 1. One of my regular instructors called in sick, so I was happy to take over. I know the other dancers all think I’m this hard-ass, but the truth is that I’m so busy trying to make sure everything runs smoothly that sometimes teaching a lower level class is just fun.
It’s relaxing.
Once everyone meanders out of the pole room, I grab a spray bottle and a pile of washcloths and begin cleaning the poles. It’s important to keep them clean for the sake of hygiene, but it’s not just that. A clean pole is one you can stick to. A clean pole means you aren’t going to slide down and fall at an inopportune moment. A clean pole means you’re going to be able to grip it well. Cleanliness is important.
I joke that I spend more of my time cleaning and less of it teaching, but right now, it’s okay because it gives me a chance to think. It gives me a chance to clear my head. Is it really so bad to have a few minutes of silence? I don’t think so.
The truth is that I’m not sure how I’m going to handle the next few hours. I’m not sure how I’m going to manage to deal with daydreaming about Elliott and his return.
When he told me he was coming back, when he told me it was time, I didn’t expect it. I didn’t think it could be real. I didn’t think it could be this soon.
It’s stupid because he’s been gone half a year. What kind of dork thinks that his return is “soon”? It’s not soon. It’s been forever. It’s been an eternity.
Now that he’s finally back, though, I feel like time has flown and we’ve never even been apart. Now that he’s back, I feel like it was only yesterday that I saw him, only yesterday we were having coffee and lunch and walking around downtown on a spring morning. Only yesterday, we were hugging and promising to write every day. Only yesterday, I was realizing that I’m completely, totally in love with my best friend.
Only yesterday.
Only, I don’t get any more time to think because there’s a commotion at the front of the studio. I hear Paige yelling and I hurry to the front of the shop. Bailey is there, too, and they’re both raising their voices and hollering at a tall man in a trench coat.
“Sir,” I say, stepping out into the lobby. “Can I help you with something?”
“I’m here for the dancers,” he says. He waves a wad of cash in my hand. “What’s the cover fee?”
“Sir, this is not a strip club,” I tell him. “This is a dance studio. We do not have strippers here.”
He looks me up and down, eyeing me, and the man sneers.
“You sure look like a stripper to me.”
“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“Now, why the hell would I do a thing like that?” He asks. He looks around the room and then turns back to me. “No bouncers, I see. That’s a dumb move on your part.”
My heart sinks as I realize I left my cell phone in the other room and there’s no way Paige is going to be able to make a call from the main phone without attracting the man’s attention. He’s bigger than all of us, and probably stronger, and he seems to
have it in his mind that this is some sort of strip club.
Fuck.
If that doesn’t just ruin my entire damn day.
Chapter 2
Elliott
I shouldn’t be as nervous as I am to go see Sassy. It’s been only a few months since I held her in my arms, but it feels like an eternity, and damn, if I didn’t miss that little spitfire. She’s sweetness and beauty wrapped in a tiny little package, and I intend to waste no more time.
No more time.
I’ve wasted more than enough of our friendship pretending I was okay with just being buddies. I’ve wasted more than enough time pretending that somehow, just being pals with Sassy was enough.
It’s not.
I need more.
Want more.
Demand more.
I’m going to go to Sassy and I’m going to confess everything. I’m going to tell her I’ve loved her for years. I’m going to tell her she’s the sweetest thing in the world. I’m going to tell her that I can’t live without her, that I won’t.
I’m going to tell her I won’t live without her.
I’m going to win her damn heart because she’s already stolen mine.
When I pull into the parking lot of Club Kitten, I take one last look at myself in the mirror. I shouldn’t care that I’m a little different, a little scarred, a little older. There’s a line running down my cheek that wasn’t there before: an eternal reminder of my time away. My hair has flecks of grey now and I don’t think I’ve smiled much in the last half-year.
Things are about to change for me, though.
Things are about to change for both of us because Sassy is my darling, my angel, my everything. Sassy is the only reason I made it through the long nights, the battles, the darkness. She’s the only reason I was able to push through. She’s the only reason I was able to keep going.
She’s the only one.
I pull my truck into a parking spot outside Club Kitten and glance in the rearview mirror once more. She’s seen my ugly mug a million times, but somehow, today seems different. Somehow, trying to gear myself up for a chat with her about how I really feel makes things seem different.
It makes things harder.
It makes things a little more intense.
Six months I was gone. Six months. A lot can change. Sassy emailed me every day and we chatted as often as possible. In some ways, I feel like we were never apart. In others, I feel like I haven’t seen her in forever, and I’m scared things won’t be the same.
Is seeing her going to be awkward?
Will it be strange?
Will we fall back into the comfortable old pattern of friendship we managed to forge, or will things be different?
It’s time to stop pussy-footing around. I get out of the truck, slam the door, and head toward the doors, but I can tell right away that something is wrong.
Sassy is standing in the lobby with two of her girls, and everything about her body language is wrong, tense. There’s a man standing just inside the doorway, blocking their escape. Although his back is to me, I can tell something is wrong. Something isn’t right.
Every protective instinct in my body begins to go haywire. Sassy can handle herself, but that doesn’t mean she couldn’t use a little backup. I get closer, but I don’t bother being sneaky. Whatever this son-of-a-bitch wants, he can fucking forget about it.
I open the door to the club and the bells above the door jingle, announcing my presence.
Everyone turns to look at me. I try not to look at Sassy because once I do, I’m not going to be able to think about anything but her sweet smile. I’ll try to start hugging her or kissing her and then it’ll be all over, so I focus on the man.
“Can I help you, buddy?” I ask.
“No, and I’m not your buddy.” The man glares at me, and I glare right on back. He’s roughly the same height and build as me, but he’s dressed in a weird trench coat with sandals on. Is he going for some sort of weird pseudo-serial killer look? I can’t quite tell.
“Then I think you ought to leave,” I say. “In case you hadn’t noticed,” I motion to the sign on the door. “This club is for women only.”
“This ain’t none of your business,” the man sneers. “I came to see some dancers. I’m waiting for the bitch to take my money and let me in.”
“I already told him,” Sassy sounds exasperated. “This isn’t a strip club.”
“Sir, leave,” I say.
“Fuckin’ make me,” the man replies quickly.
I didn’t really want it to come to this, but he did say to make him. I don’t like the idea of Sassy seeing me violent, but this asshole isn’t going to leave. This guy looks like he’s going to start kicking shit and throwing punches if I don’t get him out of here.
I reach for him to pull him out of the still-open door.
“Come on,” I say. “Let’s get you out of here,” I reach for his shoulders, but he pulls his right arm back to take a swing at me. My body reacts faster than my mind. Months of training and preparing for fights has made me quick and efficient.
Months of training is finally paying off.
Before he can reach me, before his fist can connect with my face, I bring my right elbow up and across the left side of his jaw. Our skin connects with a devastating cracking sound, and the man sputters and falls to the floor, groaning in pain.
“Call the cops,” I say to Paige, who is standing behind the desk. She’s shaking, but I don’t have time to calm her down right now. No, right now, I have to make sure this fucker doesn’t move because there’s no way I’m letting him hurt my girl.
My girl.
“You all right, Bailey?” I ask the other dancer, who is standing close to Paige.
“Yeah,” she whispers.
“You sure about that? Did he hurt you?” I ask, trying to make sure I know exactly what went down before I arrived. The cops are going to want us to all give statements as soon as they get here. I want to know what I just walked into.
“No, he didn’t hurt me or touch me,” she says, but I can hear the tremble in her voice. I don’t look at her. I don’t want to take my eyes off the loser crumpled on the floor. Blood is slowly dripping from his mouth. I think it’s safe to say he bit his tongue, and his jaw is probably broken.
“What about you, sweetie?” I whisper, not looking up at Sassy, not wanting to meet her gaze just yet.
“You saved me,” she whispers. “You saved me.”
Chapter 3
Sassy
The cops come and go, and Elliott still hasn’t looked at me. Not really. The man he took down is hauled away in an ambulance and I’m blown away by how quickly everything happened.
The “altercation,” as the police called it, was over in a matter of seconds, but only because Elliott was here. If he hadn’t been here, if he hadn’t saved me, I don’t know what would have happened.
By the time everyone leaves, I’m exhausted and worn out and ready for sleep. I canceled all of the clubs evening classes because the police were everywhere, so it’s not like anyone could even get into the club, much less back to the dance rooms. I hate canceling classes and try not to do it, well, ever, but I didn’t have much of a choice tonight.
“Are you okay?” Elliott asks me, breaking the silence between us.
“Yeah,” I manage to say, suddenly feeling very weak and very vulnerable and very scared. Everyone is gone and it’s just the two of us in the lobby. “But I should lock up. Do you still want to hang out?”
Please say you want to hang out.
He was planning to take me to dinner, I think, but honestly, I’m just happy he’s still here. I’m just happy we can chat. I’m just happy we can be together and talk. Even if all we do is sit on my damn couch and watch a bad movie or share stories from the last six months, that’s fine.
It’s all fine.
I just don’t want him to leave.
Not yet.
Not when he just got here.
“
Sassy,” his hands are on my shoulders now, but this is different from when he grabbed the guy in the lobby. This is different, sweet, gentle. He’s not touching me like he’s going to throw me out. He’s touching me like he’s going to wrap me up.
Then he does.
He pulls me close and wraps his arms around me in a tight, wonderful, perfect Elliott hug.
And that’s when I finally lose it.
That’s when I’m not okay.
That’s when nothing makes sense, when nothing is fine.
When I’m safely in Elliott’s arms, I completely break down and let all the stress of the day wash over me, and I sob.
“It’s not fair,” I say. I wish I could stop, but I can’t. The words just start tumbling out of me, and I mumble incoherently.
“It’s okay, Sassy.”
“It’s not okay. Nothing is okay. None of this is okay. I was so scared. I was so scared and then you came.”
“That’s right, sweetie. I came.”
“You saved me.”
“I know.”
“What if you hadn’t come?” I whisper. “What if he had hurt me?”
“Baby, we’re not going to think about that.”
“Okay,” I whisper, and I let Elliott hold me a little more. I rest in his arms and he strokes my hair, and then I realize that he called me sweetie and he called me baby and it felt normal and right and not weird at all.
I try to justify it in my head, like maybe he calls all of his friends these names, but that sounds stupid even to me. I know he doesn’t. I know he doesn’t call them all these little pet names.
I know those are just for me.
And then it clicks, and I realize something I had only hoped before. I realize that Elliott has been trying to tell me how he feels, and that he feels exactly the same way I do.
“Elliott?” I ask, looking up at him.
“Sassy?” His voice is a whisper.
“Take me home.”
