Reckless (Enemies to Lovers 2)

She sighs heavily, and shoving her plate away, she falls back on the bed.

“You’d swear they don’t trust me. Hell, it’s not like I can’t look after myself, you know.” She rolls her eyes. “Daddy kept harping that it’s too far away from them. He wants me in LA.”

Suddenly, she darts back up, an angry look darkening her face. “He even threatened me! If I don’t find a job in the next two months he’ll cut my allowance in half. As if! I’ll fucking do what I want. Watch me. I fucking dare them to cut my allowance. I’ll make their lives a living hell.”

My eyes widen at her sudden burst of anger and venom towards her parents. I met her mom once, and she seemed sweet. I’m a little speechless. I’ve never seen Josie get upset. She’s always been the calm one.

I clear my throat, smiling a little weakly. “They your parents, Josie. They’re just worried. You’re their only child. I’m sure they mean well.”

She glares at me. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”

That’s my queue to leave. Josie must be tired from the flight. Hopefully after she’s had some sleep, she’ll be back to her old self.

I get up, grabbing my gym bag. I quickly stuff the boots I’ll be wearing at class tonight inside, then zip it closed. I’ve been doing much better with the pole dancing and even got myself an outfit for class. It’s nothing extravagant, just some boy shorts and a bikini top. Tonight we have to wear heels though, so that will be a first.

“I joined a pole dancing class. You want to come?” I offer, not wanting to get on Josie’s bad side. I almost hold my breath, hoping she’ll say no.

Josie scrunches her nose and quickly shakes her head. “There’s no way I’m pole dancing.”

“I only have an hour between gym and work if you want to have dinner together?”

“Nah,” she says as she lies down on the bed. “I’m just going to crash.”

“Okay, I’ll see you in the morning then.” When I open the bedroom door, I glance back at her. Wanting to make her feel better before I leave, I say, “I’m glad you’re here.”

Her face seems to brighten a bit at my words, as I pull the door closed behind me.

~

I’m wearing my pole dancing outfit under my usual shorts and t-shirt.

When I walk into the class, I see Beth over on the podium, where she’s fiddling with the music. She looks over her shoulder and smiles when she sees me.

“Hey, Mia. Did you remember to bring heels?” she asks as she steps off the podium.

I place my bag on the floor and open it. I take the boots out so I can show her. I hope she’s okay with it. I don’t have any heels. I also can’t afford to splurge on a pair right now.

“I know you said heels, but I was thinking I’d be more comfortable in boots.”

Say it’s okay. Please, say it’s okay.

A smile spreads over her face. “Those are perfect. So,” she says, giving me an eager look. “It’s been two weeks. We have two more to go, but I’d like to know how you feel about the class so far.”

Relieved that she’s happy with the boots, I answer her with a huge smile, “I really like it. It’s a challenge, and although my weight hasn’t dropped a lot, I can feel a huge difference in how my clothes sit on me. I have to admit, I’m enjoying it a lot.”

“Muscle weighs more than fat, so don’t worry about your weight. I’m glad you like it.”

I love how down to earth Beth is. She doesn’t make you feel uncomfortable in her class. She focuses on building her students’ self-esteem.”

“You’re doing great and catching on faster than I thought you would. Do you like attending class with the other girls, or would you prefer one-on-one time?”

I frown, not sure what she’s trying to say.

“I think you’ll learn faster, if you’re not distracted by people around you. I could show you the moves for today and you can have the room across from us to practice.”

Wow, that sounds great. “Yeah, sure,” I say quickly before she can change her mind.

“Great, grab your stuff so I can get you settled before the others get here.”