Balance (Off Balance 1)

Dad read over it silently then looked at me and said, in an unyielding voice, “I hope you realize how much faith and trust we’re putting in you to be responsible, young lady. This is no joke.”

Wide eyed, I nodded. “I understand completely, Dad.”

Dad signed the agreement and Konstantin stacked the papers together, bound them with a paper clip and set them aside. Kova crossed his arms firmly across his chest, leaned back in his leather chair, and looked directly at me.

“My training is unconventional, it is tough and brutal. There will be days when you will not be able to stand the sight of me. It is intense and exhausting. I am not here to be your friend, I am not here to pat your back when times get rough, I am not here to coddle you. I am here to be your coach and help get you to the next level. I come from Russia with some of the strictest coaching around. I have learned from the best, and just because you are your father’s daughter does not mean I will go easy on you. You will forget everything you were taught in the past and relearn through me. I will give you all the possible means you need, but it is up to you to dig deep and be the athlete you want to become. You must have the drive and the passion in order to go places. I am just here to guide you down that path and show you your capability.” He paused. “This, Adrianna, is your chance to leave. I can rip up these papers and you all can go home.”

I looked at Konstantin and realized two things: I was about to get my ass handed to me, and he didn’t use contractions.

Okay, so I was still a littl

e obsessed with what came out of his mouth. I couldn’t help it, that accent was sexy as hell.

I stared at Konstantin with confidence. He met my gaze. With all the passion and drive that breathed through my veins for my love of gymnastics, I poured it into my next sentence.

“I’m not leaving.”

The wicked smile that slid across his face nearly knocked the wind out of me.

“Well, that wraps up all the necessary formalities. If you would like, I can show you around the gym now.”

Konstantin opened the door leading into the impressive gym. We followed close behind, taking in every square inch around us. I couldn’t stop the unsteady leaps in my stomach from the adrenaline pumping through my blood.

It reminded me of walking into home period on the first day of school. I hadn’t had this feeling in quite some time since I’d been homeschooled for the past year, but I remembered it like it was yesterday. Everyone hated the first day.

Gymnasts on the nearby apparatus glanced up, surveying us from head to toe. Mom didn’t miss a beat in her three-inch Christian Louboutin heels while my dad strutted around like he owned the place. And here I was in dark denim shorts, a baby doll shirt, and sandals, feeling every bit as relaxed as the Floridian I was.

Konstantin showed us all the parts of the gym, including the rooms in the back that I was curious about. I assumed they were for strength training, but they were actually used for various dance classes and stretching techniques.

“Holly, watch yourself on that dismount. Remember, even the smallest step is a tenth of a deduction. Girls, I would like you to meet Adrianna. She is a level ten, but plans to test for elite. She will be your new teammate here.”

He made his way over to the uneven bars and introduced the girls. “This is Reagan and Sarah.” He nodded his head at each of the girls, arms crossed firmly against his chest. “They are senior gymnasts and have been training in the elite program for a couple of years. If you have any questions about what goes on here, I am sure they will be more than happy to help.” Motioning to another girl, he said, “This is Holly. She has been with World Cup since she was a child, her twin brother is also training here.”

“She’ll be training with us?” Reagan scoffed.

“That is what I said,” he said sternly.

The ugly glower on Reagan’s pinched face fueled a fire inside of me. It was hard not to stare at her. Her features bunched together, giving her an overly dramatic expression. Just because I wasn’t in the elite program yet didn’t mean I couldn’t train with them. Gyms all over the world had mixed classes, and most gymnasts benefited by watching the technique of their teammates while on an apparatus.

I could see her definitely being a problem. Living amongst the wealthy had shown me how to view the true colors of people quickly, no one could pull off bitchy better than blue bloods, and I had been conditioned by some of the best.

“Coach, why isn’t she training with her level then?”

Coach? Coach!

“You’re the coach! My coach?”

“Adrianna!” my mother gasped, mortified over my outburst.

“Last time I checked. Who did you think I was?”

The girls on the team snickered. Warmth climbed my chest and hit my cheeks and ears over my outburst.

“You mean you didn’t know, Adrianna,” Mom said, adding fuel to the fire. How convenient of her to pay attention now.

Lifting one shoulder, I said candidly, “He’s dressed for a business meeting, not prepared to be covered full of chalk for the next eight hours. How’s he going to spot in those clothes and dress shoes? I assumed...” I trailed off, biting my bottom lip. My shoulders dropped. “I don’t know what I assumed, honestly. I just thought he owned the gym and didn’t coach. A lot of owners don’t coach.”

My cheeks blossomed with heat when I glanced at my new coach. The veiled smirk he donned matched the glimmer in his eyes. I’d never had a young coach before, much less someone as attractive as Kova. Intimidating was an understatement. How the hell was I supposed to concentrate when he was the coach for fuck’s sake?