“We’re looking for Alex,” Carlotta informed her.
“He’s waiting in the car,” Jules replied.
“You must be Jules,” the blonde girl said.
“I am.”
“Jules. The girl Alex is so serious about,” Carlotta said, her tone mocking.
“Alex can’t be serious with a girl,” the blonde replied. “He’s Alex.”
Jules shook her head, walking away. The girls followed, chatting and gossiping.
“I remember back in university, he had a new girl in his bed every night,” the blonde was saying.
“Well, I fell in love with him after the first night we spent together,” Carlotta replied. “He does wonders in bed. He was so rough and ruthless. I’ve never had such amazing sex.”
The blonde nodded. “What I love is how he can be gentlemanly and rough at the same time during sex. It was such a turn on. He took me against the wall, at the back of the gym once. Luckily there was no one around. I bet you could hear my screams all over the ground though.”
“What about you, Jules?” Jules heard the blonde say from the back.
“I’m not discussing Alex with you girls,” Jules replied warily.
“Why?” Carlotta said. “Are you shy?”
Jules had to laugh at that.
“I heard you both are back together,” Carlotta continued.
“Don’t worry,” the blonde assured Carlotta. “He’ll leave her soon enough too.
Shaking her head, Jules exited the club. Outside, she met Alex. He kissed her sweetly, taking her bags from her hand and throwing them at the back of the car. Carlotta and the blonde surrounded him, chattering away. Jules sat in the passenger seat, leaving Alex to struggle with them on his own. Moments later, he opened the car door, looking exhausted.
“You’ve got quite a fan club,” Jules said as he reversed the car.
Alex shot her an annoyed look.
“I had to hear them talk about you from the third floor to here. It was torturous,” Jules was amused at his obvious discomfort.
“What did they say?” Alex said as if not wanting to hear the reply.
“They kept talking about how rough you are in bed,” Jules continued, teasing him. “How come I’ve been denied of that pleasure?”
“I thought you like it slow,” He sounded annoyed. “I didn’t want to hurt you. But if you wanted me to be rough Jules, you only had to say the word.”
She remembered his tender and gentle movements when they had sex. The way he had taken his cues from her. The way he had asked if she was okay. The way he had sweetly complimented her.
“I do want to see that side of yours,” Jules admitted.
“I’ll gladly show you,” Alex said, making her laugh.
Alex left her at her apartment, only to return near midnight. He insisted that Jules accompany him. She quickly donned appropriate clothes at his insistence and got in the car. She noticed they were going towards the ice skating rink. When they reached it, it was completely empty. The lights in the trees were glowing and soft music could be heard from the café which still had a few people lingering. They didn’t put on their skates but Alex led her to the middle of the rig.
“Why are we here, Al?” Jules asked, confused.
“It’s beautiful here at midnight.”
“I know,” Jules agreed.
“I thought it’s the perfect setting for this,” Alex said and suddenly, he was kneeling down.
Jules’ heart skipped a beat as he took her hands in his.
Jules was speechless as he asked the question. She heard herself say yes and saw him slip on a slim, diamond studded ring on her finger. He did it perfectly, she thought as he stood up and hugged up. Jules couldn’t make sense of all the emotions she was feeling so she just held him there for what seemed like hours.
The coffee shop showered them with free food and drinks after witnessing what happened at the ice rig. They stayed there for hours, exchanging kisses and holding each other.
Chapter 23 – Epilogue
Jules didn’t know what the future held for her. She didn’t know how life was going to turn out. She didn’t know where life will take her. But with Alex by her side, she thought she could tackle anything life threw at her. With Alex by her side, she was happier. With Alex by her side, she was stronger.
Thinking back, Alex was still surprised at how much Jules had changed him and his life. She had come into his life like wildfire; maybe that explained her red hair and fiery temper. She had supported him, loved him and made him stronger.
Alex and Jules were probably the most unlikely couple one would ever come across. She was short tempered and he was calm. She was diplomatic. He was impulsive. She smiled and laughed a great deal. He did, too but sometimes, she had to remind him to. She wanted to work in the corporate world, make a name and start her own company. He wanted to continue MMA, to go on to become a world champion. In terms of future plans, she wanted to travel, he wanted to settle down. She wanted to go with the flow. He wanted to plan out their life.
Wherever life would take them, they were content knowing that they had each other; a constant reminder of support and strength.
“Hey, Alex,” Jules said one night, as they were skating on the ice rink that held so many memories. “Is it true you have a thing for redheads?”
Alex looked surprised. “Who said that?”
“Carlotta. At your sister’s wedding. She said you’ve dated multiple redheads,” Jules sounded amused like she usually did while discussing his past and how uncomfortable it made him.
“You’re the only redhead in my life, love,” Alex said.
“I’m pleased with that,” Jules said, laughing. She took his hand and pulled him along as she started skating again. He had been getting better at it too, courtesy of Jules.
It was midnight and the stars were shining above them. The trees were glowing and the ice was smooth. The wind was pleasant and the rink was nearly empty. They were together. And happy.
The End
Front Crawl
Danielle Weir
Front Crawl
Copyright 2016 by Danielle Weir
First electronic publication: November 2016
All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to person, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Warning: Due to mature subject matter, such as explicit sexual situations and coarse language, this story is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18. All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older, and all acts of a sexual nature are consensual.
Front Crawl
Chapter One
The sun beats down upon the golden sand on Fort Copacabana as Chloe wipes the seawater from her body. The festivities of the day are still in full bloom with other beachgoers tanning and having a great time together. Chloe smiles at the young kids splashing in the water and parents grinning happily at the children.
Chloe lays her towel on the sand and settles down on top of it. A strawberry blonde towels herself off and performs the same act.
“Don’t you wish everyday could be like this?” the blonde asks.
“I wish that we could be like this except minus the stress of competition, Kylie,” Chloe utters.
“You could at least just be happy in the moment and not focus on that one race. Would that be too much to ask for?” Kylie questions.
“It really would be,” Chloe mocks.
Kylie rolls her eyes and lets the sun bake her already golden
skin. Chloe digs through her bag and pulls out her sunblock and aviator frames. She lets her mind relax for the first time since landing in Brazil. It doesn’t take long for the thoughts of possibly embarrassing her country in the marathon swim to come plowing in.
“Olá ladies,” a manly voice calls from above, deeply accented.
Chloe looks up and sees two very attractive men with copper skin and dazzlingly white teeth. Both men are missing their shirts and it is working splendidly for them. Chloe catches Kylie checking the men out with her keen eyes.
“Men,” Kylie chimes.
“What God delivered you to us today?” the taller one asks.
“Smooth, Fabio,” Chloe mocks.
“It is actually Flavio,” the tall one says.
“I’m Kylie and the surly one is Chloe. Who's your friend?”
“Raul Correa, Olympic swimmer,” the shorter one rolls out.
“Unimpressed, Raul,” Chloe says.
The man is really trying to use his status to get a girl and Chloe cannot believe the audacity. Kylie seems to be enjoying the fools in front of them. Chloe would rather have them leave so she can go back to worrying about the following week.
“Well maybe you would be by the idea that I have already won a medal this year. Wonderful isn’t it,” Raul gloats. “Not many people can do that.”
“True, it is very difficult,” Kylie scoffs.
“And tomorrow we are both going for our next medals in the relay. You should come celebrate with us after we get gold,” Flavio comments.
Chloe pretends to gag off to the side. These guys really cannot be serious about this, at least Chloe hopes. She tries to focus on the waves and the people running around, ignoring the weirdly good looking men in front of her. It doesn’t work because they keep opening their mouths.
“So, what do you ladies say?” Raul asks.
Kylie breaks into laughter and holds onto her sides. Chloe watches her friend with her own laughter beginning to bubble up. They are all Olympians and Kylie actually has more medals so far than Raul. It really is quite hilarious in fact. Chloe lets her laughter bubble out and takes her sunglasses off.
“You are trying to impress two other Olympians by bragging,” Chloe chortles. “One even has more than you already. In the words of Shania Twain, that don’t impress me much.”
Flavio and Raul are silent in front of the laughing women. Kylie wipes tears from her eyes and tries to calm down, but the looks on the faces in front of them has her bursting out again.
“Well, we both have more events coming up soon and we can compare later,” Raul mentions.
Chloe calms herself down and levels her gaze on Raul. He has a cocky smile on his face and his gave shifting to Chloe. He licks his lips and smiles down at her with unwanted promises in his eyes. Though Chloe does appreciate the perfect slender build he is sporting, a swimmer’s body if she judges correctly.
“I don’t think so,” Chloe says, “it would just be sad for you when she takes home more medals than you.”
“Very sad indeed,” Kylie agrees.
“I think you may make them cry, Kylie.”
“I think so too. It would make this whole situation that much more fun.”
Chloe stands up and gathers her things before flashing a bright smile at Raul and Flavio.
“Perhaps we should leave before you gentlemen feel your manhood shrinking?”
Kylie stands up and gets her own things and shoves them into her beach bag. She giggles and does a flirty wave, following behind Chloe. The guys do their own halfhearted wave and watch, mystified by the bikini clad women.
Chloe checks back and sees the men turn away before keeling over in laughter. She holds onto her side and Kylie’s arm, prompting Kylie to look like she has found a Dodo bird before bursting out into the same type of laughter. It doesn’t take long for the friends to crash onto the sand.
“I can’t believe they just tried that,” Chloe gasps in between laughs.
“You could swim laps around him.”
“You probably could too. Now let’s get going before the vultures swing back around.”
“I wouldn’t call the sexy beasts vultures,” Kylie wiggles her eyebrows.
Chloe rolls her eyes and stands up. She puts out a hand to Kylie and yanks her up.
“So you call the arrogant assholes sexy?”
“You wouldn’t call the perfect V heading into their swim trunks sexy? Are you sure you are still a woman after a year of no sex?”
Chloe pushes her friend a little and turns to see Raul staring at her.
“I recognize that they are fabulous to stare at, but the personality could use a lot of work.”
Chloe shakes her head at Raul who winks at her from across the beach. She turns around and catches Kylie smirking at her. Chloe then walks off without Kylie, knowing she is following behind now. Kylie catches up and the friends link arms.
Chapter Two
People are milling about outside the Aquatics Stadium, still buzzing with excitement from the races that just took place inside. Chloe is one of those people in her American Flag button down and pin stripe shorts. She has her bag slung over her shoulder holding her small flag and a jacket in case she got cold.
Kylie is monopolizing a group of American tourists with their own flag gear on proud display. Chloe barely listens to them talk about how amazing the men’s relay was that night. Phelps rocked it and they loved it.
“I was surprised by Brazil,” an older lady mentions.
Chloe looks up and begins paying attention to the conversation in hopes that they won’t be talking about a certain cocky swimmer who was making eyes at her before and after the race. It made her want to hide somewhere where he couldn’t find her.
“They were impressive. I thought Japan was going to beat them for bronze,” Kylie says.
“It was their anchor swimmer that pulled them through in the end. What was his name?” the man asks.
“Raul Correa,” Chloe interjects without thinking.
Kylie smirks under her breath at Chloe and then continues the conversation. Chloe blocks out the rest, trying not to embarrass herself anymore. She looks toward the exit and sees some of the teams leaving with their countries colors on full display. She waves to the Americans and frowns when Raul comes out behind them and waves back at her.
Chloe turns back to the group and tries to ignore the feeling of someone coming up behind her. Too late, Raul slips his arm over her shoulder and Flavio does the same for Kylie.
“Speak of the devils,” Kylie jokes.
“Since when are we devil's?” Flavio questions.
Chloe tries to free herself from Raul and succeeds. She takes a few steps away and tries to smile at the couple in front of her.
“Since you were staring up at a certain lady during the events, Flavio. Not even trying to hide it. You too, Raul.”
Chloe sends daggers to Kylie as she smiles between her friend and the handsome Brazilian. Chloe takes a deep breath, attempting not to drop kick Raul as he puts his arm around her waist.
“And why would I try not to look at this beautiful woman? She stole my breath away yesterday,” Raul purrs in Chloe’s ear.
“I can take it away right now too, if I aim my foot in just the right direction,” Chloe smirks.
“You all know each other?” the woman asks.
“We met on the beach yesterday,” Kylie starts.
“Let’s just say they were better in the pool tonight then they were on land the other day.”
Chloe smirks up at Raul and steps on his foot to get him to walk away. It doesn’t actually work and Raul just stays right next to Chloe the whole time, his eyes glued to her.
“So, what are we all going to be up to tonight? Shall we celebrate?” Flavio asks.
“What did you have in mind?” Kylie asks.
“A club maybe, you ladies in?” Raul says.
“Not me, I am just going back to the Village tonight,” Chloe chimes.
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Chloe steps away from the group and points toward the metro train entrance. Raul looks over then at her. He is not going to follow her if Chloe has absolutely anything to say about it.
“Well, I’m in,” Kylie shines.
“I’ll make sure Chloe makes it home safely, then meet you,” Raul states.
“I’ll be fine,” Chloe manages.
“We’ll be taking the metro too, she can ride with us,” the man offers.
“That would be perfect, thank you.”
Chloe waves goodbye to everyone and goes with the couple down into the metro tunnel. Unfortunately, Raul is following behind and Chloe can hear his footsteps perfectly.
The metro is practically empty except for a couple of guys wearing Brazil shirts waiting at the end of the platform. Chloe has a bad feeling about them, but has an even worse feeling about Raul trying to be a gentleman that she does not want.
“Are you really just trying to help me, or do you want something in return?” Chloe asks.
“I just want to make sure a beautiful woman gets back to her home safely. Rio is a dangerous place at night and you are a target in your American gear.”
Raul smiles and stands next to Chloe as they wait for the train to arrive. He is keeping his hands to himself, pleasing Chloe beyond words.
“I have company,” Chloe manages between her teeth.
“How about this, I feel better taking you home,” Raul responds.
Chloe huffs out a breath and notices the older couple listening and smiling at Chloe and Raul. Chloe hears them mention how they were like that when they were younger and it makes her want to gag. Raul apparently hears it too and smiles at Chloe. She fake vomits and turns away from him.
“Put your hands up,” a man with broken English yells.
Chloe turns around and sees three guns pointed at her and the couple. Raul steps up and pulls Chloe into him, making her feel safer in the face of danger.
Romance: Pummel Me: A Boxing Romance Page 7
