“My girl get you all set?” I ask John, massaging her shoulders gently.
“Yeah.” He takes a step back. I’m going for casual, but my stance is rigid. My feet are planted and my shoulders are stiff. I give him a look, one that tells him I know what he was trying to do, and I don’t appreciate it. “Thanks, Gabby. I’ll, uh, I’ll see you next week, Chase.” He turns on his heel and rushes out the door.
“What was that?” Gabby turns to face me.
She’s a tiny little thing, but she’s never afraid to go toe-to-toe with me. She’s feisty, and it’s just one of the many things I love about her.
Love.
“He was hitting on you.”
“And?”
“And you’re mine.”
“You are aware that what just happened, happens to me on a daily basis, right?”
“No,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Yes.” She grins. “He’s not the first and he won’t be the last.”
“I don’t fucking like it.”
“Hey, Chase, got time for me today?” Carrie, a regular here at the gym, asks, interrupting our conversation. She’s blonde, tall, and slender, and I admit she’s a looker, but she’s not my Gabby. “Not today,” I say at the same time Gabby says, “He does.”
Carrie looks from me to Gabby. “Not today, Carrie. Sorry. I think Corey has some time,” I say, referring her to another one of our trainers.
“Too bad,” she purrs, and it’s the most ridiculous fucking sound I’ve ever heard.
“In fact, I’m cutting back my training hours, so if that’s what you’re looking for, Corey is your best bet.”
She reaches out to run a long painted nail over my chest. Gabby makes a sound in the back of her throat as I intercept Carrie’s hand, keeping her from touching me. I drop her hand immediately. “My girlfriend wouldn’t approve, and frankly, neither do I.”
“Girlfriend?” she and Gabby ask at the same time.
“Girlfriend,” I repeat, my voice firm. “So, please don’t do that.” I nod toward her hand that’s now hanging at her side.
“She’s a lucky girl,” Carrie says, then saunters off. I’m sure she’s giving me a show, shaking her hips, but I don’t care to find out. Instead, I give all my attention to Gabby.
She turns in her chair to face me once again. I crouch down so that I’m peering up at her. I don’t want to intimidate her; that’s not how I want her to be mine.
“There are always going to be Johns and Carries,” she says sadly.
“I know, baby. But I don’t want her. I want you.”
“That’s new.”
I shake my head. “No, it’s not. Me telling you, that’s new.”
“I don’t fucking like it.” She throws my words back at me. My cock twitches hearing her sweet mouth say fucking.
“Then make it stop.”
“Right.” She scoffs.
“Let me tell them you’re mine. Let me shout it from the fucking rooftops, and it will all stop.”
She bites down on her bottom lip. “I thought you were going to give me time to think?”
She’s right, I did agree to that, but I never promised I would stop pursuing her while she did this “thinking” she claims she needs. She knows what she wants; she’s just afraid to admit it. “I am, but maybe this will help.” My hand slides around the back of her neck and I pull her into a kiss. “I have some work to do,” I say as I pull back. “What time are you taking your lunch?”
“Noon, like usual.”
“Okay, baby. I’ll be here to take you to lunch.” With another soft kiss to the corner of her mouth, I stand to my full height, then turn and walk down the hall to the office. I have some paperwork to get through, and I need to update Harrison on the client totals at the other locations.
“I’ll be home soon.” I hear him say into his phone when I walk into our shared office. “Love you, Winnie,” he says before ending the call. “How’s your day going?” he asks.
“Good.”
“Just good?” He eyes me suspiciously. He knows me too well.
“Fucker John, my first appointment of the day, was hitting on Gabby.” I should have punched him, but I knew better. One, this is my job, and two, Gabby would have been pissed. He didn’t touch her, but I knew from the look on his face, he wanted to.
“You set him straight?”
“Yeah, but then Carrie Sims showed up and started flirting.” Fucking Carrie. I’m so sick of women like her thinking their looks can get them any man they want. I want substance. I want a woman I can share my life with, one who can carry on a conversation, have mind-blowing sex with, and know that she’s going to be a fantastic mother to our future children. That’s beauty.
That’s Gabby.
Harrison nods. “I had to put her in her place. I’m married for fuck’s sake, and she damn well knows it.”