Page 23 of Nikolai

"Are you ready to begin?" Leah still won't make eye contact.

"Look at me." Her eyes snap to mine. "Are you ready?"

"Um. Could you put a shirt on first?" she asks, trying her best not to take in my naked torso, and I don't bother hiding my grin.

"Follow me," I jerk my head in the direction I'm moving toward, grab my shirt draped over one of the weight benches nearby, and slip it over my head the same time Leah takes her glasses off, tosses them in her bag and drops the bag to the floor beside the bench. "I'm going to touch you and invade your personal space. Before we begin, I need you to be okay with that, and permit me to do so." I come to stand in front of her, leaving about three feet between us. Leah fails to hide the many emotions she feels as she weighs my words.

She finally nods, followed by a sigh. "I need to do this," her words sound a little unsure as she says them. I say nothing and make no moves, waiting for her to give me the okay. Leah straightens her back, showing a bit more confidence. "I give you permission."

I step a bit closer to her. Reaching down, I lift the hem of her shirt.

"Wait. What are you doing?" her hands cover mine.

I proceed to tie the extra material of her shirt into a knot level with the waistband of her leggings. "Your loose clothing will get in the way," I inform her as my knuckles purposely brush against her skin, and she blushes.

"Oh."

I take a few steps back, and look at her for a moment. Making a twirling motion with my finger, I say, "Turn around", but she hesitates. "A predator will look for someone unsuspecting. Coming up behind a woman makes them easy prey. Turn your back to me." Moving at the pace of a snail, I wait for Leah to get in position. I take in her backside, and the way her leggings hug her luscious curves. Advancing on her, I put her in a headlock type hold, her ass pressing against my upper thigh, dangerously close to brushing against my cock. I feel her breaths pick up when I pull her tight against my chest. "If your attacker gets you in this position, there are four moves to help you free yourself. Grab my arm." Without hesitating, Leah wraps her fingers over my forearm. "Pull down on my arm, turn your head to the side, and squat."

"Like this?" Leah does exactly as I instruct.

"Good. This will help prevent your attacker from suppressing your airway. Dropping low will give you leverage for your next move."

"Okay."

"Now, step back with your left foot, placing it behind my leg."

"Like this?" she asks.

"Yes. Now shift your weight back and twist." When Leah does this, she frees herself from my hold. "Good."

"Oh my god. That seemed so easy."

I shake my head. "I'm teaching you, not attacking you. In a real threat, your attacker will do his best to overpower you."

"Then let's do it again." Leah pulls her ponytail a little tighter, and her determination inspires me.

We perform the move several times until she feels confident enough to move on to a few more. I show her several ways to break loose and free an attacker for an hour before moving on to more vulnerable situations. After a brief water break, I instruct Leah to lay down on the ground.

"What does laying on the floor have to do with defending myself?" she says nervously.

"An attacker might try to do more than kidnap you. They may try to force themselves on you. You need to know how to fight off a rapist who has you pinned to the ground." I don't sugar coat my words.

Slowly, Leah lowers herself to the mat, sitting on her ass, before pressing her back against the floor, her legs bent at the knees. I'm the devil for the thoughts that flood my mind as I look down at her, with her eyes glued to the ceiling, and chest rapidly rising and falling with every breath she takes. I shouldn't be standing here picturing my face between her thighs, tasting of her innocence. But I am. I think that and so much more. Gaining control of myself, I push those thoughts aside. Leah trusts me, and I would never do anything to threaten that trust.

Kneeling, I grab her attention. "Eyes." It takes her a moment, but Leah finally looks at me. "Ready?"

"Ready."

Placing my hands on top of her knees, I part her legs, positioning myself between them. "As I lean over you, I want you to put your hands out, palms side up. Push against my chest." Leah does as she is told while I hover above her. "He will try to choke you," I tell her, and gently place my hands around her neck, not applying pressure. "Bring your right hand over to my left, and your left hand over to my right. Remember—over and over."

"Got it."

"Bring your elbows down, on my arms. Hard." She does, then waits for further instructions. "If that doesn't break his grip, raise your hips off the ground, repeat the process, and bring your elbows down while you bring your ass down. This will give you more leverage and force." Leah performs the actions flawlessly, but I want to challenge her further.

"But what if that doesn't work. My upper body strength isn't the best." I can see she is starting to doubt herself, and I won't have it.

"Let's go through the moves again. This time bring your ass down and thrust your hips to the side. I want you to bring this foot up," I tap her left leg. "Place your foot on my pelvic bone. It may be difficult at first but try. Don't stop. Do it again with your other foot on the opposite side. Keep fighting until you can push me away, and break my hold on you." Leah stares up at me, with fear in her eyes. Even though I don't like seeing her terrified of being in such a vulnerable situation, she needs to fight her way through her fear. "I know you are afraid and don't think you have it in you, but you do. You are stronger than you think you got this, Malyshka." I position myself once more and place my hands around her neck. "Show me, Leah. Fight."

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