by Zrinka Jelic
The manager nodded at him, never pausing in counting the cash. The bartender busily wiped the counter. All the ceiling lights were on, indicating the last call was over and the locale needed to close. And there was Dave, with his butt firmly planted on the bar stool that should have his name on it. “Just one more, the last one, I promise.” Dave’s speech slurred as he badgered the bartender for another drink.
Mark grabbed his friend’s arm and yanked him off the stool. How many more times would he have to bail him from the bar before he realized keeping this up wouldn’t end well?
“Hey, my buddy, Mark is here. Pour us each a drink, will ya?” Dave wobbled on his legs and leaned heavier on Mark’s shoulder.
The bartender ignored him and threw Dave’s cell at Mark. “We’ll stop servicing you altogether if this continues.”
“I’ll have a talk with him.” Mark pocketed Dave’s phone and reached for his wallet. “Does he owe you anything?”
“No, we ran a tab, and we have his credit card on file.” The bartender flipped the wet dishtowel over his shoulder and disappeared behind the door.
“Okay, bud.” Mark hitched Dave higher and dragged him toward the pub’s door. “Let’s get you home.”
“Home?” Dave cried. “I don’t have a home. She got it in the settlement. Damn her divorce lawyer.”
Mark dumped his friend into the passenger’s seat and slammed the door, then rounded the car. Dave and his drama, of course he still had a home, three blocks away from him, and the divorce settlement didn’t mean he had to sell the property to pay imminent ex Mrs. Thomas. Mark slid behind the wheel. “You can always crash at my place.”
“Aw, I love you man.” Dave leaned toward Mark and hugged him, then kissed his cheek.
“I love you too, but quit this.” Mark clicked his tongue in annoyance and pushed him back, rubbing away the drool Dave left on his skin.
“I should’ve been like you. Never married that…” Dave wobbled his head, then belched out his boozy breath. “Still can’t bring myself to call her names. Even after she cleaned me out. Look, there go some girls. Let’s pick ‘em up and have us a grand time.” He hastily rolled down the window. “Hey, girls. My buddy ‘n I would like to show you what real men are made of. How about you hop in the back seat, eh?”
Mark buried his face in his hands, but in truth, he wanted to pound his forehead on the steering wheel. He couldn’t thank whatever deity had ended his engagement before he’d said ‘I do’ or today he’d be in the same predicament as Dave.
The two girls halted and slowly turned in their direction. The corners of their mouths dipped, but then they exchanged the glances, burst out in a fit of giggles and continued on their way.
Dave rolled the window up and slouched. “We’re has-beens, bud, has-beens, I’m telling you.”
“Stop saying that. There’s plenty of life left in us.” Mark turned the engine and pulled away from the curb in front of the pub. “We’ll talk tomorrow, but tonight know this. I’m getting tired of dragging your drunken ass home. It has to stop.”
“Last time. Promise.” Dave slid down in his seat, his voice bordering on a whisper.
“Right, you said that last time, and the time before that. Get your act together. So she divorced you, and you never saw it coming. Getting drunk all the time is not the way to deal with it.” Mark gripped the steering wheel. Horseshit Dave hadn’t seen it coming. He’d chosen not to see it, and played along as though nothing had changed in his marriage.
“Aisha wanted space.” Dave lowered the backrest. “I wasn’t crowding her space, so I’m confused about how much more of space did she need.”
“Don’t sweat it. You’re a brilliant surgeon, when you’re sober, and I’m sure it won’t be long before you find someone else. Clean up your act first. It’s not like you to drink. Hell, the pub has my phone number on speed dial.”
“I’m never getting married again,” Dave mumbled, then his head rolled toward the window and soft snores replaced his raspy breathing.
Peace at last. Booze made Dave a loud and obnoxious drunk. Mark drove in silence for several minutes, until his eyelids grew heavy. Concentrating on the pavement markings illuminated by the two beams of his headlights became harder, and he turned on the radio just enough to mask Dave’s amplified snoring.
Finally, in the distance the cut off to his town appeared, he switched lanes. In the next fifteen minutes, he pulled inside his garage and tapped Dave’s shoulder. “We’re here.”
Unconscious, Dave continued to snore.
“Wake up, bud!” Mark tried louder, shaking his friend, to no avail.
Shit, what was he to do now? He couldn’t possibly carry him inside the house and two flights of stairs to the bedroom. Despite Mark’s muscular figure and great strength, Dave was a whale of a man. Mark would risk a raptured disk or something if he attempted to hoist him.
Oh, well. In the four years Mark had lived in the boondocks, the worst crime that had happened was when he found a skunk camping in his garage. His dog, Tag, chased it out, but not before the poor thing got sprayed.
No skunks tonight, he’d made sure of it. The damn garage door had cost him a small fortune, but at least the steel didn’t warp giving the access to woodland creatures. Dave would be fine in the car. He appeared quite comfy. Mark lowered the windows of his SUV and tapped Dave’s shoulder once again. His friend would know his way to the couch should he wake up at some point.
Mark left the light on, and the side door of the house unlocked. Thankful for living in the rural area, he could leave the garage door open an inch, allowing fresh air to come inside.
With Dave taken care of, Mark’s mind switched to Neri. Tomorrow, her face would light up the gym and he would make his move. Maybe. No, not maybe, definitely.
CHAPTER THREE
Mark pressed the end call button on his cell, wishing he could slam down the receiver and hang up on Dave. Ungrateful bastard had the nerve to bitch about a sore back because he’d left him sleeping in the car. Though, despite the complaining, Mark had found him quite comfortably snoring on his couch in the morning. Even Tag kept him company, curled up by his feet. For a huge dog, Tag could squeeze into the smallest places just to be with a human.
Through the glass door of Get Fit Fitness, Mark spotted the redheaded girl who occupied his thoughts for the past few months. His pissed off mood faded. This time, she wouldn’t get away before they exchanged a few words. He pushed away from his desk and marched toward the reception desk just as she scanned her membership card. Nerissa or Neri in brackets appeared on the computer screen next to her member picture. He nodded to his staff, Kayla. She handed Neri a rolled up towel. He’d seen her refuse the towel before, and she did so today.
Neri turned toward the women’s locker room.
Mark was quickly losing his chance to strike a conversation with her. “Hey, Neri, will I see you at Cross-Fit in fifteen?”
She halted and slowly looked over both her shoulders. Then faced him. “Oh, are you asking me?” Her soft tone resonated with disbelief.
So he’d been right. All the times he’d smiled at her and she looked around, she was checking to see if he might’ve directed his smile to someone else. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. “You’re the only one here, and I’m pretty sure the only one with that name.” He waited for her answer.
She shrugged and shook her head. Her breath seemed to quicken. “I don’t know.”
“Hey, give it a try. It’s fun. I hope to see you there.” He glanced at his wrist, pretending to be checking time. An old habit that refused to die, he’d stopped wearing his watch long ago.
“Your class looks hard. I don’t know if I can keep up.”
“We have people of all fitness levels and you’re allowed to sit down to catch your breath. I’ll help you along.” He flashed what he hoped was an irresistible smile.
A slight blush spread over her cheeks, and the right side of her lips stretched in a half smile. “
Okay, since you asked so nicely.”
Yes, she agreed. He smiled, curbing his enthusiasm not to freak her out before she even stepped foot in the studio. “Fill up your water bottle too. You’ll need it. Oh, and if you have weight lifting gloves, bring them. You’ll do great.” He placed one hand on the reception counter, palm up.
Her face paled slightly. Hopefully, she wouldn’t bail on him.
“I’ll hold you to it.” Turning on her heels, she waved over her shoulder and headed down the long corridor toward the women’s locker room.
As soon as she rounded the corner, he pumped his fist. Yes, scored on his first try.
He headed for the training room. The Yoga session inside the studio hadn’t finished. He made a mental note to hire contractors for the renovation on the gym’s extra storage room and to move yoga and Pilates classes there.
The ceiling lights in the studio flickered to life. The final relaxation pose had ended and participants proceeded to roll up their mats, one by one, they got up and put on their Birks.
Mark walked in and nodded to the instructor. “If we have some luck, the new yoga studio should be done in a month.”
“That would be great, it’s hard to do a full hour when the instructor before me goes over her time and you guys are anxious to get in. I feel squeezed, but could use a few moments to correct people’s poses.” The teacher peeled the toeless non-slip socks off her feet, flipped her thick braid to her shoulder and looped the strap of her mat bag over the other. “Gotta run, daycare dash, hub is down with a man cold.”
“Sounds serious,” he said, laughter rumbling in his chest while writing the routine on the dry-erase board as the first couple of people entered the studio.
The instructor dismissed him with a wave of her hand, before heading out the door. “Have a good class.”
“Hi, Marky boy,” a regular participant greeted him in her sugar-coated voice. She scooped her raven hair into a ponytail.
“Hi, Asht…Ashton, right?” Good grief, he almost called her by the secret nickname he’d given her. He should stop inwardly calling her Ashtray, but she always smelled of stale cigarettes. She’d probably had one before she came to the gym and would light up as soon as she stepped out of class. Brook had given him the Marky-boy nickname and Ashtray shouldn’t call him that, but she insisted.
She clicked her tongue, playfully slapping his arm. “It’s Ashley and you know it.”
Neri entered the studio and Ashley sharply turned her head toward her, scrutinizing her. “This class is not for the faint at heart. Are you sure you’re up to it?”
Shut up, Ashtray. Mark wanted to slap her for discouraging the newcomer, before the class had even begun. “That’s not the way to greet a newbie.” He waived Neri forward. “You’ll work out with me, everyone else pair up. Here’s our routine. We’ll warm-up by skipping rope. I’d like to see you try to do double under.”
He turned toward Neri as her expression turned dubious. “Don’t worry, I’ll explain what that is.” Addressing the class again, he continued, “We’ll then move to the bulk of the class, start from ten burpees and work your way down to one, alternating with chin-ups or clean and jerks. Get set with barbells, if you don’t have your own skipping rope, there are some in my bag, help yourself.”
Three people surrounded his rucksack, while Neri stayed rooted. After he slid the headset on his earlobes and adjusted the mic in front of his mouth, he approached her while she struggled with collar clips. He squatted and squeezed the handles to slide the clamp toward the plate. One twenty-five pound plate on each end, he’d let her do a set with low weight, then show her how strong she really was. “The regulars have been taking my class for a long time, so they’ll be fine on their own. Come, let’s pick out a skipping rope for you.”
“I don’t skip.” She shook her head fast, sending her ponytail into a swishing frenzy. “I mean, I haven’t skipped rope since like fifth grade. I’m afraid I forgot how.”
“Skipping rope is like riding a bike, once learned you can never forget. Start without a rope, then progress on. Or do jumping jacks instead.” He unrolled his jump rope and took the place in front of the class, then pressed play button on the remote. Loud music poured from the speakers. Not his kind of tunes, but the rapid beat motivated people and made them move faster.
It took several seconds for Neri to join in and for a moment, she appeared uncertain.
He feared she might bolt through the door. He kept a close eye on her, while she drifted further toward the back of the classroom. Until she dunked behind the row of punch bags suspended from the ceiling. At least she continued moving. Not wanting to put her on the spot, he decided to ask her about hiding there after the class.
“Look at me, Mark.” Asht…um, Ashley’s shriek pulled him away from Neri.
“That’s great, Ashton, keep up with good job.”
“I’m Ashley, and you weren’t watching.”
“I was watching you in the mirror. Besides, you know I always pay special attention to the new people.” He averted his gaze at the stopwatch in his hand, raised his free arm above his head and counted down the last five seconds. “Time,” he yelled. “You must be warmed up by now, start with weight training.”
Neri emerged from behind the punch-bags and stepped up to the barbells she’d set up at the beginning of the class. She lifted it without an effort.
No, she wouldn’t get off that easy. He approached her. “Playing it safe, I see.”
“Huh?” She huffed mid-set and raised the bar over her head.
“See how you’re only lifting using your arms, with heavier load you use your whole body.” He brought over two forty-five pounds plates and replaced the lighter ones from the bar.
She chewed her lower lip, her forehead and eyebrows furrowed. “I doubt I can lift it. That’s ninety pounds.”
He placed his hand on her hot and sweaty shoulder. “Trust me, you’re stronger than you think. Give it a try.”
She managed to get the weights up to her shoulders, but couldn’t flip the bar to lift over her head.
“Jump and flip and lift at the same time. That’s why the move is called clean and jerk. Engage the whole body, not just your arms.”
“Okay, here goes nothing.” Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped when she executed the move and completed the first lift.
“I told you so. Now do nine more, and ten burpees. And work your way down from there.” He observed other participants. Ashtray, of course already planted her butt on the windowsill.
Sam, one of the regulars, lifted less than his usual.
Mark stepped up to him. “Hey, man. What’s up? You loaded only four forty-five pound plates. Not six as always.”
“Elbow’s bothering me.” Sam huffed, yanking the load over his head.
“Stop for a second.”
Sam dropped the load and plates hit the floor with the loud thud.
“Push against my arm.” Mark held up his right hand.
Sam slapped his right hand in Mark’s then Mark gave him a firm squeeze and a slight twist. Sam’s face contorted and he grabbed the elbow, yanking his hand out of Mark’s hold.
“You’ve got tendonitis, I’m afraid. Stop by the office on your way out, I’ll have a prescription ready for you. Icing the elbow will help with the inflammation. You could benefit with physio therapy, so I’ll get them to contact you.” It bothered him that other than prescribing anti-inflammatory drugs, there wasn’t much Mark could do for Sam.
Sam nodded, picked up his weights. “Thanks, doc.”
Mark checked the time on his stopwatch, another ten minutes. He joined in with his weights, faced the mirror and jerked the bar over his head, taking a deep squat. Girls loved it when he stuck his butt out. “Come on guys, push those muscles.”
By the end of the class, sweat plastered strands of Neri’s hair to her forehead and neck. Her face was red and her chest heaved. A good indication she had great cardio endurance. Her glistening skin sent all k
inds of erotic dreams through his mind and he had to force his gaze away from her.
He blew his whistle and called the end of the session. “Great work, guys. High-fives all around.”
The seven other participants glanced toward Ashley who sat comfortably on the bench. Why had she bothered to take his class? No doubt, she would hang around afterward with some trivial pursuits.
“All right, first timers who made it to the end get a free protein shake.” He turned to Neri. “Meet me at the shake bar when you’re ready.”
Neri nodded and headed for the women’s facilities.
Ashley hissed and propped her hands to her narrow hips. “Really, a free shake? Since when?”
“If you want a free shake, go get one and tell them I sent you.” He wouldn’t have to tell her twice, she’d take him up on his offer.
She flipped her hair and huffed again, then followed Neri to the locker room.
He stared after her. If the glare in her eyes was any indication, she could cause trouble for Neri in the changing room just because he paid extra attention to a newbie. Hopefully, Ashley wouldn’t do anything dumb, she should know he was at the end of his rope with her acting up and lashing out at his staff. Since Brook left, Ashley had assumed some unofficial manager’s position.
CHAPTER FOUR
Neri wrapped a cooling towel over her shoulders and shivered at its ice-cold touch. What on earth possessed her to take Cross-Fit class? Mark’s steely blue gaze and sexy, seductive little smile, that’s what. She would bet he could seduce any girl with his smile.
Her legs were jelly and the ladies’ locker room seemed miles away. Oh, she would be stiff tomorrow. Beads of sweat poured down her back. The last time she perspired this much, she was stuck on a crowded bus with busted air-conditioning in the middle of a stinky hot summer.
With the corner of the towel, she mopped the moisture from her face on her way to the showers. Her reflection had her halting by the mirror. Who the hell was that? Beet red face and tufts of hair stuck to her neck and forehead. This couldn’t be her, but it was. Shoot, a cold shower was in order to cool off fast or she would risk a migraine headache from an overheated body.
