Page 14 of Crash
Sliding out of the car, I followed Ash to a door set in the back and waited for him to fumble with his keys and unlock it. Pushing the heavy exit inward, we walked through a tight little hallway and emerged out into the huge space of the building that housed Pulse itself.
“Ta da!” Ash declared, throwing his arms wide.
I breathed deeply, smelling the faint scent of new paint and fresh leather.
“Kitchen’s through there,” Ash said, pointing to the right. “Change rooms, lockers and shit are through the next door past that.” He tugged meforward,keeping me on a simple path that didn’t stray too far into unknown territory. “Over the back is a proper cage—all kitted out—practice mats and bags.Weights in the middle and cardio machines in a separate room on the left.We’ve got extra storage upstairs and a separate room behind the kitchen too.”
“Wow,” I breathed. I knew it was fancy from the other night, but I hadn’t really looked. Now that it was empty of people and full of daylight, I could see the amount of hard work he’d put into creating this place.
“We’ve got the whole upper level, too,” he went on, pointing upward. “It’sstill mostly shell, but hopefully we can get cracking on that soon.”
“Is that going to be the apartment?” I asked. The whole level above us was only half the size of the gym downstairs, but it was still a huge space to have to renovate.
“Yeah. We knocked out the floor over the gym so there’d be more light.”
I glanced up and saw there were several huge skylights set into the roof, which accounted for the brightness.
There was a bang and the sound of male laughter from the rear of the gym and my gaze instantly dropped. A group of fit looking men stood near the cage talking intently to one another, but that wasn’t the entire reason my heart began to go boom in my chest.
Lincoln stood with them, a smile plastered on his face, and I instantly felt like swooning. It was bloody overwhelming to say the least. When I saw him at the party, I thought that was it. Now, he stood on the opposite side of the gym—talking with a bunch of buff looking guys—wearing a tight Pulse T-shirt, with the word ‘trainer’ on the back, that clung to his sculpted body like a second skin.
“Office is upstairs,” Ash said, walking off.
He expected me to follow, but I stood transfixed. Should I be embarrassed? Excited? Hopeful? I had no idea what was a normal reaction after what went down between us on Friday night. All I could see right now was a man who I was totally in lust with but could never be well adjusted enough to even let touch me. Guys like Lincoln, muscled and full of energy, they liked sex. Not that I didn’t want to try again, it was just… Oh, fuck it. It was a double-edged sword of misery.
Blinking hard, I scrambled up the stairs after Ash, my entire body tingling. I felt my hands beginning to shake, and I jammed them against my sides.
Ash opened the first door at the top of the stairs, the same one I’d escaped through at the party, and ushered me inside.
“Have a seat, Vee,” he said. “Welcome to your new home away from home.”
I stared at the desk and the expensive looking iMac computer. There was nothing else in the whole place apart from a shelf, a chair, an all-in-one printer, fax and copier, and some black filing cabinets. I hadn’t really noticed what was in here on Friday, I was too busy looking at the carpet, and now that I saw it in the daylight, it was actually really nice.All soft and squishy with a nice pile to it.
“It’s very…” I coughed nervously. “Clean.”
Ash grinned. “I’d stick up a bunch of posters of fake titted women in their bikini’s, but Ren would string me up by the balls.”
I rolled my eyes, knowing he was talking the piss. “Asshole.”
“Hey, I’m your boss now, remember?” He perched on the desk and pressed the button on the back of the computer, bringing it to life. “You can decorate it if you want. Just no flowery girly shit.”
“I don’t think I have it in me for flowery girly shit,” I replied, sitting in the chair.
“Superheroes?” Ash snorted. “Nerd.”
I smirked. I guess I wasn’t a typical woman. I loved all the superhero movies and would take them any day over a chick flick. I guess it was the whole good versus evil thing.
“Ren’ll be here in a half hour or so,” Ash went on, “and she’ll tell you all the stuff she set up on the brick.” He patted the top of the computer. “I’ve got another employee orientation of the muscled variety to handle this morning.”
“Oh,” I muttered, alreadykindaknowing where this might be headed.
There was a knock on the door, and it opened, letting in perfection itself.
Ash pushed off the desk as Lincoln came in. “Right on fuckin’ cue, man.”
The two men shook hands, and I shifted in the chair, not sure if I should announce myself. Finally, Lincoln’s gaze met mine, and his expression changed. Disappointment? Surprise?
“Violet,” he said, his voice coming out in a sigh.
