Entice (The Fighter Romance Series - Book #2) Read Free

hopeful.”
    Jeff laughed too and said, “I think you’re one of
the best we have. Business will pick up.”
    “Thanks! I’ll see you in the morning.”
    I went to bed that night feeling a lot better than I
had earlier in the day. I at least felt like some of the issues I’d been facing
were resolving. I just had to remember to use my head when I saw Paul in the
gym…Think with my brain and not my emotions. It wouldn’t be easy, but I knew I
could do it.
    I woke up in the morning rested and fresh and ready
to take on the day. I did my positive self-talk, telling myself how strong and
capable I was and that I should be proud of myself for standing up to Mitch and
sticking to my own guns about not calling Paul. I had my career path mapped out
and someday love would happen with the right guy. I just needed to sit back and
let things take their natural course and stop trying to push it with these
losers. No matter how attractive and sexy and virtually irresistible said
current loser might be.
    I had my morning toast, eggs, and protein drink, and
headed out to work. In clean clothes! Victoria was at the desk when I went in.
I stopped and punched my time card into the clock and then went over to say
hello.
    “Good morning, Victoria. How are you doing?”
    “I’m good. I’m so glad they got the mess taken care
of and reopened today. I got behind on the billing yesterday; I have a ton of
work to do today.”
    “Well, I don’t have anything scheduled today. I’m
going to see what I can do to help Sam and Jeff. Let me know if I can help you
with anything.”
    “Thanks, Jessie…Oh wait! Paul Delport came in a while ago. He was asking for you. I think he went to the locker
rooms.”
    Shit! “Okay,” I told Victoria with a smile.
“Thanks.”
    I looked around the floor and didn’t see him. Sam
and Jeff were each working with a client and there were three or four other
guys working out. I could see behind the glass wall in back that Yolanda had a
few of her private women clients. She had a few ladies that she did circuit
training with, but they didn’t like to do it out where everyone could watch. I
saw the blinds close just as I heard the loud Zumba type music come on.  
    I didn’t see Paul anywhere on the floor. I decided
that he must still be in the locker room. I wondered what he wanted to talk to
me about. Was he going to expect a relationship because we slept together? Was
he worried that I was going to want one? I didn’t know why he would do this to
me at work. It was no place to talk about our private issues. He should have
called me at home. It didn’t matter anyways. I told myself that I would just
handle it by telling him straight out that our relationship…if any, had to be
strictly professional from there on out.
    I went over to talk to Sam and as I got there, I saw
Paul coming out of the locker room. “Hey, Jessie!” Sam
said. “Paul was looking for you.” Oh great, the whole gym knew my business. I
looked up at Paul who was once again shirtless and in his work-out shorts. He
was coming toward us and God help me if from one smoldering look he gave me didn’t already make me feel like I needed to change my
clean panties.
    “Yeah, Victoria told me,” I said as he walked up.
“Hey,” I said to him.
    “Hey,” he said. “Did Sam tell you that I needed to
talk to you?”
    I tried to smile as I said, “Yeah, it seems everyone
knows…”
    My voice did that little high-pitched thing it did
when I got nervous or stressed out. Paul raised an eyebrow at me and said, “Oh,
well…anyways, Sam has quite a few clients scheduled for today and he also needs
to make up with the ones he missed yesterday. I was wondering if you had time
to train me.”
    That was not at all what I was expecting. I stared
at him a little too long without speaking. He and Sam were both looking at me
like they were afraid I’d had a seizure or something before I finally said, “Oh
yeah, sure. Mark is the only one I have