Get Wilde (A Checkmate Inc. Novel Book 3)
Page 18
“And what about you, Mr. Wilde? What’s next for you?” The MC moves the microphone to me.
I’ve submitted proposals to all of our corporate sponsors—contractual agreements for each company to purchase gym memberships for their employees at a discounted rate. Red and I both will work with the employees and their families on personalized health and fitness plans to reduce stress and keep them healthy. With A Pound of Flesh now offering yoga, we can provide more well-rounded fitness and wellness programs for the entire family.
But that’s not my focus at the moment. My focus is the surprise I’ve been secretly working on for my girl. Instead of opening more gyms and taking my chain national, I’ve decided on a much better use for the money.
I tap the huge cardboard check just like Red did. “My half of the prize money will be used to acquire more square footage at all four of my gyms and purchase the equipment we need for a children’s health and fitness program.” I wink at Red. “I was thinking we could make exercise fun for the kids with tumbling and trampolines.”
Red’s lips part. Wetness shimmers in Red’s eyes.
“What do you say, partner?” I give Red a playful nudge.
She nods and swipes under her eye. “Of course, I’m in.”
I want to share everything with this woman. My life, my home, my business. And, yes, my heart. She’s captured it wholly and completely, and it’s no longer mine.
And the best part? We’re in the process of merging every part of our lives, and I’m not even scared. I know all of it, every single part is safe in Red’s hands. She’s just that kind of girl. She gets me. She gets Ethan Wilde. She understands the kind of man I am, and she knows how much I love her.
But most important of all—I get her, too. I get her in my life and my bed.
Yet Another Epilogue
Two months later
Soft, soothing music streams into the new yoga studio at A Pound of Flesh where the obstacle course stood just a few months ago. I’m in the front row of a full class, standing on a light blue yoga mat.
“Okay, give your arms a nice wide stretch into our warrior pose.” Red’s voice is low and soothing as she demonstrates.
I’m facing the wall of mirrors while Red and her friend, Tips (now hot pink), lead the first-ever yoga class at our gym.
Notice I said our. Red and I are business partners now. She doesn’t care much for the business stuff, so I handle that. But she makes sure our four gyms provide quality workouts and fitness routines that really work for everyone at all levels instead of the one size fits all format I had come to rely on.
The gym is chilled from the new air conditioning unit I had installed six weeks ago. The showers are fixed and functioning again, too, so the gym is busy and bustling with the after-work crowd.
Since we’ve been advertising Red’s new yoga classes, a lot more women have joined the gym. Which has also attracted more men. Go figure.
And oddly enough, a lot of men showed up for Red’s first yoga class. Huh. Never would’ve guessed.
By the time she leads us into the Downward Dog pose, I understand why. My future wife looks sexy as hell bent over with her ass up in the air.
Yes, I said future wife because we’re officially engaged now. Red wanted to wait a few months since we hadn’t known each other very long and everything was moving pretty fast.
Not fast enough as far as I was concerned, but hey, I like it that she’s got a big ring on her finger so all of the guys who have found a sudden interest in yoga will know she’s taken.
When we do the Crow, I fall on my face. She chuckles and demonstrates a modified Crow pose for yoga newbies like me.
By the end of the hour, my gym shirt is soaked, and the rest of the guys are the same. The women, most of whom seem to be accustomed to yoga, breezed through it without breaking a sweat.
I decide to sit through the next class, which is more advanced yoga.
And, holy shit. I don’t know how Red doesn’t snap in half when she does something called an upside down inversion that requires one leg pointed straight to the sky and the other bent backwards so her toe touches the floor behind her head.
I’m suddenly ravenous for a pretzel.
Her mind has obviously swerved into the dirty zone, too, because she’s upside down but swivels her head in my direction to subtly lick her lips.
I strike a simple yoga pose that hides the raging hard-on I’ve got for my fiancée.
As soon as the class is over we’ll take a shower in my private bathroom. Together. Oh, and did I mention the new remote-controlled music system? Yeah. AC/DC will be rocking the house in a few minutes. Then we’ll have a private dinner in my office before we go home. Every course will involve some sort of pretzel, guaranteed.
Coming Soon!
from Shelly Alexander
Oz Strong will meet his match in the next sizzling hot Checkmate Inc. story, Sinful Games – Book 4 in the Checkmate Inc. Series.
Also By
SHELLY ALEXANDER
Shelly’s sweeter titles (with a touch of steam):
The Red River Valley Series
It’s In His Heart – Coop & Ella’s Story
It’s In His Touch – Blake & Angelique’s Story
It’s In His Smile – Talmadge & Miranda’s Story
It’s In His Arms – Mitchell & Lorenda’s Story
Shelly’s sizzling titles (with a lot of steam):
The Checkmate Inc. Series
ForePlay – Leo & Chloe’s Story
Rookie Moves – Dex & Ava’s Story
Get Wilde – Ethan & Adeline’s Story
Sinful Games – Oz & Kendall’s Story Coming Late 2017
Wilde Rush – Jacob & Grace’s Story Coming 2018
Acknowledgments
It really does take a village to write a book. First, I want to thank Adelaide Mcmillan for helping me brainstorm the premise of this story. We spend so much time in the gym together that writing a book set in a gym was a MUST. Also, I’m so incredibly thankful and fortunate to have Annette Stone and Jo Swinney in my corner. They are invaluable. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Elaine York for conquering my ongoing battle with the dreaded comma. And, of course, thank you to my readers. I write fun, sexy stories for you. I’m forever grateful to you for reading them.
About the Author
Shelly Alexander is the author of contemporary romances that are sometimes sweet, sometimes sizzling, and always sassy. A 2014 Golden Heart® finalist, she grew up traveling the world, earned a Bachelor’s Degree in marketing, and worked in the business world for twenty-five years. With four older brothers, she and her sister watched every Star Trek episode ever made, joined the softball team instead of ballet class, and played with G.I. Joes while the Barbie Corvette stayed tucked in the closet. When she had three sons of her own, she decided to escape her male-dominated world by reading romance novels and has been hooked ever since. Now she spends her days writing steamy contemporary romances while tending to a miniature schnauzer named Omer, a toy poodle named Mozart, and a pet boa named Zeus.
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