by Nana Prah
In exchange for six weeks of training Gia and as Trista had put it, “boosting her confidence so she can handle whatever’s going on at work,” she’d give the gym a much needed recommendation.
If Gia stayed with the program, PCB Fitness would get free promotion and a personal recommendation from a vlog which was hotter than baked beans from a pit fire. The consequences of Gia abandoning the training would dig him and his partners into a deeper hole of trouble than they were currently in.
It aggravated Lamar that the petite woman had stolen everyone’s free will, especially his. So much depended on Trista’s positive review, more than even she realized.
Digging in to his years of obtained discipline, he controlled the rising angst. Lamar turned his attention to Giana. “Let’s go into the conference room where we can talk.”
Her widened eyes exposed the whites around her irises as she gave a slight shake of her head.
What the hell had he gotten himself into? He tamped down his impatience with a tap of his tablet against his thigh. Didn’t the woman know how many people wanted him for a personal trainer? Or at least they had before the incident. He shoved it out of his head. He could only focus on one issue at a time.
Trista maintained her pleasant expression as she placed a hand against Gia’s upper back. “The full-service personal training sessions with you is a surprise gift to my sister. She just found out about it so she may not be as receptive as she should be.”
The internet star brought up her wrist and looked at her watch. “Unfortunately, I have a meeting with a potential sponsor and can’t stay. When should I be back for her? Never mind.” She pulled out keys from her bag and handed them to Gia.
“I’ll just get a taxi. See you later, sis. Have fun.” She pivoted and took a few steps before throwing over her shoulder. “Remember to take a before picture because I expect to see a fabulous transformation.”
Lamar clenched his jaw at her audacity as he stood on his own with the timid sister. Did a growl come from Gia’s direction? He glanced at her to find her face lacking expression as she stared after her sibling. It must’ve been his imagination.
“Ms. Baxter, this is a preliminary consultation to discuss your goals, options, availability, and what you need from me as a personal trainer.”
He left out the part about taking her measurements. He didn’t think she’d be receptive to him poking and pinching her. “And then we’ll get the best dietary program for your set objectives. Does that sound doable?”
She rolled her lips into her mouth making them disappear and then released them with a smack as she nodded. “So we’re only going to talk today?”
Was that a hint of disappointment in her voice? “If you’d like I could take you through a mini workout after the assessment.”
Her smile set something in his stomach fluttering. What the hell?
She stepped towards him. “I wouldn’t mind. By the way everyone calls me Gia.”
“Is that what you prefer?”
She snapped her head back as if surprised. Had no one ever asked her what she wanted to be called before? Lamar tampered down his sudden enthusiasm. Getting a spectacular review from Trista would be easier than he’d thought. All he had to do was maintain his patience and always ask her what she wanted. Something he tended to do with his clients anyway.
“Gia is fine,” she said with a definitive nod. “What about you?”
He deepened his voice. “The Man.”
She laughed outright. A pleasant sound that made him grin in response. “That’s not going to happen.”
Did her sister know the same woman denying his request? “Well, then Lamar will do.”
Her eyes continued to shimmer with humor. “Better.”
“If you’ll follow me, we’ll get started.”
Unlike the trepidation she’d displayed moments before, she walked at his side without hesitation.
If things went as well as they had so far, six weeks of keeping her as a client would be as effortless as deadlifting two hundred pounds.
Chapter 3
Gia hung back as Lamar took the lead on their way through the hallway. She split the time between stealing glances at his firm, round, high behind which had to be all muscle and cursing out her sister for getting her into this predicament.
Trista always had to get her way. Always. Gia wouldn’t think about the fact of how right her sister was not to want her to develop full blown diseases that it would be harder to bounce back from than to prevent in the first place.
When she was seated at the table, Lamar pulled out a bottle of water from the fridge and placed it in front of her before sitting in the adjacent swivel chair.
He grinned. “Your new best friend.”
Not in the least bit amused, she pushed the water away. A cold fizzy glass of tonic was always more to her liking. Sweet and delicious Coke trumped tasteless water any day.
He tapped his finger against the tablet in front of him. “I see we’re going to have to work on getting you to drink water. I understand that your sister drafted you into this personal training program. Can you tell me why?”
Because she has to have a hand in every aspect of my life stayed bound in her throat.
“During a recent physical, my doctor found that my sugar level, blood pressure, and cholesterol were elevated. Diabetes and heart disease run in my family, so she’s worried.”
His gaze probed into her. “Are you?”
What kind of idiot would she look like if she said no? The news hadn’t concerned her as much as it should’ve. It wasn’t worth it to add something else to stress over, so she’d blown it off. Rather than answer with the truth she shrugged.
“Gia, I know you didn’t expect to be here, but in order for this to work there has to be communication and transparency.”
Had being in a room with the hottest guy she’d ever met caused her to behave like an attitudinal teenager or could she place the blame for that on her job, too?
She twisted off the cap on the bottle, took a sip and stopped herself from crinkling her nose. “I’ve been in a funk lately, so no the news didn’t really bother me. I knew that if I changed a couple of things it wouldn’t be an issue anymore.”
“What kind of funk have you been in?”
Tipping her head to the side, she glared. Was he for real with the therapy question? “What does that have to do with working out?”
He folded his fingers together and relaxed into his seat. “As your personal trainer, I’m not just concerned about your physical health. If something is causing you to be stressed then it will affect all aspects of your life.”
What had Trista told him? “I said funk, not stress. That’s a word my sister keeps flinging at me.”
Gia narrowed her gaze and rested her forearms on the table. She wasn’t the most aggressive person in the world, but she’d learned techniques from Trista that could make people squirm. She was perplexed as to why she could use those skills on Lamar, but not at work. Why had she allowed herself to be intimidated so ultimately by her boss that she’d lost her courage in the process? She blinked away the question she’d have to analyze later.
Feeling a little more like her old self she asked, “What did Trista tell you?”
To his credit, the man’s expression didn’t change as he held her gaze. “That you were having trouble at work and that she wanted you to be strong enough to jack people up so they’d show you some respect.”
Gia should’ve been pissed, instead she grinned. It sounded just like Trista. “What else?”
He relaxed the intensity of his eye contact by looking away for a second. “That ever since you got promoted, you’ve become a shadow of who you once were and she’s concerned. When you aren’t slaving at a place where you aren’t appreciated, you’re eating unhealthy food and living a sedentary lifestyle.”
She wanted to slink into the floor with embarrassment. Trista would get it for telling her business. At least she’d had the sens
e to keep the worst of what was happening away from her sister. Trista would’ve gone ballistic on her boss a long time ago if she knew. Something Gia wished she had the strength and support to do.
What would be the point of denying what he’d said? Trista was known for being honest. Growing up, Gia wouldn’t allow her to lie without repercussions. She’d provided as good an example as she could by being forthright.
Face blazing with mortification, Gia gave a single nod. “It’s all true.”
“Would you like to talk about it?”
Fuck no. “No, thanks.”
Their eyes locked. He had no idea how stubborn she could be. She didn’t want to discuss her issues with a stranger so she wouldn’t. Hell, she didn’t even have to stay, Trista wouldn’t miss the money she’d invested in this venture.
Lamar dropped his gaze. She took a victory swig of her water. For the first time in months she hadn’t allowed anyone to intimidate her. Damn, she’d missed herself.
“Okay. What would you like to get from personal training?”
All of a sudden, the apprehension she’d felt about not being good enough weighed on her shoulders and she slumped. A sense of doom overshadowed the self-pride she’d just experienced.
Who had she become where she relied on others to validate her to the point where when they didn’t, she no longer knew who she was?
Resting her head on the back of the conference chair, she closed her eyes and heaved out a breath that burned her chest. The inhale, meant to relieve the tightness, didn’t.
“Gia, are you okay?”
The softness and compassion in Lamar’s baritone voice calmed. When she lifted her lids, he registered as hazy through her tears.
She cleared her throat and swiped at her eyes with the base of her palms.
Now clear, she saw the concern in his face as he leaned towards her, a hand extended, but not touching her. Maybe Trista was right. She needed help.
With effort, she hoisted herself up to a full seated position with her back straight.
“I’d like to feel better about myself… and living.” All she’d admit to. Trust didn’t come easily. Neither did sharing her feelings.
“It’s a strong goal.”
She waited for him to barrage her with questions about the motivation behind it. Nothing, as he tapped on his tablet.
“What about physically? Is there anything you’d like to improve about yourself?”
To look at herself naked in the mirror and appreciate what she saw stood out as number one. Something that had never happened no matter what size she’d been. Eating delicious food until her stomach couldn’t accept any more felt good in the moment, but the consequences weren’t appealing. And yet she wasn’t able to stop herself when her emotions sank.
“To get in shape without too much exercising or dieting.”
His chuckle was even lower pitched than his voice. “You know that’s not how change in health works, right?”
She shrugged. “I figured since you were asking, I may as well put it out there.”
“Nice try. I promise that we’ll start light. How much weight have you gained and what timeframe did you gain it in?”
She sighed out the disappointment in herself for letting things get out of control. “About thirty pounds in six months.”
He entered information into the tablet. “How much would you like to lose?”
“To be honest, I like my new shape, but I want to get rid of my stomach. She shook her arms to allow the excess underarm fat to swing. It wasn’t much, but it irritated her even more than the belly fat. “And these.”
The more questions he asked, the easier it became to talk about what she wanted when it came to her health and body. She still wasn’t sharing any of her secrets, though.
Lamar nodded as he typed. “There’s one more thing I need before I can create your workout and nutrition plan.”
“What?”
He held up a tape measure and something that looked like a plastic version of a compass she’d used in math class to draw circles. “I need to take your measurements.”
Her mouth went dry as an image of his large, warm hands touching her made her skin tingle.
Nope. What would make him think she’d let his gorgeous self look at all of her wobbly parts? Not only that, but measure them.
Before she could spew out an objection, he continued. “One of my female trainers will be here to chaperone. Since I’m going to be working with you, I’d prefer to measure you myself. It’s standard procedure to get a true idea of your body composition. But if you aren’t comfortable, I’ll have her do it.”
As an engineer, she understood the objective nature of his request. As a woman who longed to scrape her nails along every plane of his body, she wanted to scream that he should let a woman do the measurements. Or at least a man who wasn’t as sexy.
May as well get the facts before she rejected him outright. “What does it entail?”
“I’ll take your photo, weigh you, check your height, and measure specific areas of your body, like your bust, waist, arms, thighs, and hips.” He picked up the compass-like instrument. “I’ll also be pinching the back of your arm, hip, and thigh to calculate your fat percentage.”
Gia grunted. “It’s more than it was at the beginning of the year, that’s for sure.”
“You also possess muscle, but in order to get you to a healthy weight, we’ll need to build more of it.”
The idea of being stronger tempted, but remaining feminine was critical. “I don’t want to be buff.” Although it looked amazing on him.
“No problem. We’ll tailor the workouts to get you toned. We’ll aim for lean rather than bulky, which would take a lot more dedication than you’d think.”
His calm demeanor appealed to her. She also liked that he kept using we when talking about her fitness journey. The tension that had settled into her shoulders almost left as he made it seem as if she wasn’t alone. Would it be hard work to get into shape? She had no delusions on that score as a resounding yes bounced around her head. It would definitely be worth it if she felt better. Physically and emotionally.
Maybe her sister was right, and she’d come out on the other side more in control of her life. With that in mind she came to a resolute decision to give it her all. No matter how embarrassing.
“Okay. You can do the measurements.”
Her stomach flipped at his single-cornered grin. Why was she reacting to someone she’d just met? His job was to make money by getting her into shape. Being admired had nothing to do with it.
Chapter 4
Gia had nothing to worry about when it came to Lamar taking her measurements. The electrical surge that spread up her arm when they’d shaken hands never resurfaced and her new trainer had kept it clinical.
Lamar focused on the screen he’d input her information into. “Give me a moment while I produce your workout and nutrition plan, and then we’ll discuss it to make sure that it’s something you’ll be able to stick to.”
A scan of his office while he worked had her getting up to take a closer look at a picture of him shirtless wearing a massive belt. The letters UFC stood out on the metallic buckle.
Gia turned to him. “What’s UFC?”
“It stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship,” he said without glancing up.
She looked back and forth between the picture and the gigantic man sharing space with her. It could be his twin for all she knew. “Is this you?”
He raised his head and his broad chest expanded. “Yes.”
“You’re not serious. Are you telling me that you’re a UFC champion?”
His lips tightened for a second. “For three years before I retired about six months ago.”
Needing empirical proof, she sat in her seat, took out her phone, and typed in his name. Sure enough UFC light heavyweight champion came up. She went to the images and his face popped up all over her screen. One article screamed “Lamar ‘Phantom’ Pearce retires to
avoid permanent brain injury.”
Another mentioned that he was a part owner of PCB Fitness and PCB Warriors. Not just one gym, but four scattered throughout Massachusetts. He focused his retirement time on coaching mixed martial arts fighters. An article about a lawsuit came up as she scrolled along the multiple headlines on her screen. Before she could get into it, she heard her name being called.
Gia raised her head to find him staring at her.
“Oh, shit,” she breathed out. “I don’t believe it. You’re a fucking super-star.”
His boisterous laughter did something to her chest. “I’m glad I don’t have to watch my language around you when we’re training.”
She shook her head, still incredulous. “Why the hell are you working with me?”
He touched the jagged scar above his left eyebrow and frowned. “It’s what I do, now.”
The answer rang hollow. “According to what I just saw, you coach people to fight MMA.”
“I also provide personal training. I like seeing the end results. Some people don’t recognize themselves by the time we’re done.”
Something didn’t add up. “You don’t know me.” She brought her upper body forward. “The one thing I appreciate most is the truth.” She waited a beat as she stared him dead in the eyes. “Why are you training me? I’m sure other MMA wannabe champions must be knocking down your door to tap into your expertise. Just today you’ve taken an hour out of your schedule to analyze me. It makes no sense when you can be doing something you enjoy, like working with a boxer or pushing someone to bench press weights equivalent to me.”
Anxiety and dread crawled like unwanted fire ants over her skin as she chewed on her bottom lip in anticipation of his answer. She’d accept if he told her that Trista had paid him more than he was willing to refuse. She had a feeling there was more than cash involved.
