Flirting with the bad boy: A love at the Gym Novel Page 3

  I try not to complain but, ugh, this is lame. “You want me to walk into random stores and give them chocolate and an invitation?”

  Dad nods. “We need all of our clients to attend the gala. This is a big event, and it’s important. If we give them a personal invitation, it’s that extra step that will convince them to attend and bring their families and spend money. We’ll raise more money this way.”

  I know I don’t have a choice here, so I don’t bother arguing. I stand up and grab the box. “I’ll get started right away.”

  “Lanie?” Dad says as I walk out of his office. I stop and turn back. “You’re the best face of this company,” he says. “I couldn’t trust your brothers with this task.”

  “I know,” I say. I guess that’s supposed to make me feel better about wasting two days driving around like some kind of sugar delivery driver, but it doesn’t. Oh well, this is what you get when you work with family.

  I load up my car with chocolates and invitations and try to map out the smartest route around town. Arctic Protein sells mostly protein powders and bars and our clients are fitness centers, some retirement homes, gyms, and personal trainers. Our products are also carried in all the local grocery stores.

  It’s a little weird hand delivering invitations, but it goes quickly. I put on my friendly smile and tell them we’d be delighted if they joined us at our annual charity gala. It’s a fancy fundraising event that Arctic Protein hosts every year, and each year it benefits a different charity.

  This year we’re supporting a local foundation that builds homes for people who need them.

  Driving around all day is so boring, and I’m tempted to ask Suzy if she’s free to ride with me. But I love her too much to drag her into this boredom with me, so instead, I just blast pop music and sing loudly in my car.

  My next stop is a small nutrition store that’s in the middle of a large shopping center. I park in front, take an invitation and box of chocolates and walk inside.

  The store is narrow with shelves that are packed with supplements and vitamins. The guy behind the counter says hello to me. He seems like the only employee, so I give him the invitation.

  “We’d love for you to come to our gala,” I say.

  “Oh for sure,” he says, turning over the invitation in his hand. “That sounds fun.”

  He’s probably only a few years older than me but the way he gives me a once over makes me feel uncomfortable. His eyes linger on me just a little too long, and I get the feeling like I’m being smothered by just his gaze alone.

  “How long have you been working for Arctic?” he says, stretching his arms out as he places his palms down on the counter. I’m all for some sexy forearm veins, but his are too much. “I’ve never seen you come by before.”

  It almost seems like he’s flexing his muscles on purpose. Weird…

  “I’ve been working there forever,” I say. “I just normally don’t meet clients.”

  He nods. “Well I’m glad you came by,” he says, giving me a wide grin. “You’re much cuter than Jack and James.”

  Oh, wow.

  Is he hitting on me?

  “You probably shouldn’t tell them that,” I say, trying to shrug off his compliment. “My brothers think very highly of themselves.”

  “Brothers?” He looks surprised, which is funny because everyone says the family resemblance between my brothers and me is very strong. “Wow, so you’re the little sister they always talk about.”

  “They talk about me?” I blurt out. “What could they possibly say about me?”

  “Nothing bad, I promise.” The guy chuckles. I realize I don’t even know his name because I hadn’t paid attention to what was written on the envelope besides the store name. He shakes his head. “It’s a shame though, because now I can’t ask you out. Your brothers would not want you dating a guy like me.”

  I’m instantly relieved because I don’t want to date this overly huge body builder of a guy. But at the same time, I realize he’s a great example of someone my brothers would hate to see me with. I wonder if I should ask him to be my date to the gala.

  The idea disappears as suddenly as it came to me. Luckily, I don’t say anything, because I’m not sure I could stomach being around this guy for more than a few minutes, even if it was to pull off a prank on my brothers. I only just met this guy like thirty seconds ago and he keeps staring at me like he’s undressing me. No, thanks.

  I politely extricate myself from the situation and get back in my car. I make a few more deliveries, and I’m only halfway through the list of customers by the time it’s seven o’clock. I’m exhausted, and so sick of driving my car, and so unbelievably tired of making small talk with lots of random people.

  The good news is that everyone seems happy for the gala. Everyone I visited today was really excited about the chocolates, so maybe my dad was right about that. Hopefully this little sugary gesture will help us have a large turnout again this year. Maybe we’ll raise more money than last year’s gala.

  After dropping off an invitation to the manager of a local grocery store, I sit in my car and look over my list. I should probably just call it a night and go home, but the next place on my list is Roca Springs Fitness, and it’s only three miles away. My stomach grumbles, begging me to get it some food since I haven’t eaten in hours. I guess I’ll make one more stop at this next place and then I’ll finally go home for the day.

  5

  Kris

  The five o’clock gym rush subsides around seven-thirty and soon I’m bored at work while Tasha cleans the exercise machines. I offer to help her, of course, but she always declines my help. She says she has a method for wiping down the equipment and she doesn’t want me to mess up her flow. That doesn’t really sit right with me because I don’t like idly standing around while she works hard, but she insists on doing this herself. The way things are going with her and Noah, they’ll probably be married soon and then I guess it won’t matter if she does all this work because the gym will also be part hers. So, I suck up the weird feeling I get by sitting here bored while she works.

  To pass the time, I look up some Harley parts on my phone. Parts for my granddad’s old bike aren’t exactly sold at your local motorcycle shop. You have to hit up eBay to find the rare vintage parts that no one else sells, and it’s not every day that something good is listed, so it’s kind of like a treasure hunt. After an hour of perusing the eBay app, I get bored enough to check my Crush dating app.

  I really am sick of this whole online dating thing, but I’m also extremely bored. And although I’d love to find a woman in the real world and meet her in some lame but cute way like in the movies, that just doesn’t happen here in Roca Springs. Every now and then I think about getting out of this small town and hitting up the big city in search of love. But I can’t leave my job behind. I love this place and I love working here too much.

  So online dating it is.

  There is an unspoken rule in gyms, which is to make sure you aren’t a “lame gym bro.” Lame gym bros are those beefy guys who spend all their time grunting loudly while lifting weights, then flexing in front of the mirror, taking selfies. Lame gym bros don’t care about fitness—they only care about their own vanity.

  Which is ironic because lame gym bros think they’re awesome but everyone is annoyed by them. I’m staring at one right now. He comes in every single night and works out hard, lifting heavy and grunting entirely too loud. Then he spends about an hour taking selfies in front of our wall of mirrors. It’s so annoying I try to ignore him, but it’s usually impossible.

  Right now he’s flexing while sitting on a bench, watching his bicep as he lifts a fifty pound dumbbell.

  Tasha walks by with the microfiber cleaning cloth in her hand. And then something happens that makes me see red.

  Lame Gym Bro reaches out and smacks her butt.

  I almost don’t even understand what I see at first because it’s so completely insane. He actually slapped her butt. L
ike this is the 1950’s and she’s his secretary or something. Tasha jumps, a look of horror on her face. I don’t even realize I’m walking until I’m right up in his face.

  “Get the hell out of here,” I growl.

  “Excuse me?” Gym Bro says, looking up at me from where he’s still sitting on the bench. “I pay to be here.”

  “And I’m kicking you out.”

  While he starts to argue, I notice the gym door open. A pretty girl walks inside carrying something in her hands. I’ve never seen her before and she’s not dressed for working out. I glance at Tasha, who immediately nods and walks over to greet her.

  “Listen,” I tell the guy. “I saw you touch my employee and not only is that illegal, it’s disgusting behavior and it won’t be tolerated in my gym. So get out. Your membership is revoked.”

  “Are you serious right now?” the guy says, dropping the heavy dumbbell to the floor and standing up. He’s a little shorter than me, but he’s twice as wide and is clearly trying to use that to his advantage to intimidate me.

  It won’t work though. I can hold my own in a fight. And if there’s one thing I know about guys like this, their muscles are all bulk that makes them slow and clunky. I’m quick and agile because I work out to get strong and fit, not to look like The Hulk.

  “Get out,” I say, keeping my voice calm. “Get out or I’ll call the police and press charges on you for assaulting my employee.”

  “Man, you wanna take this outside?” he says, gritting his teeth in a typical macho way. There’s actually a vein bulging out of his forehead right now. It’s kind of hard not to laugh.

  “I need you to take this outside, yes,” I say. “You’re no longer welcome here.”

  There’s a split second where I think maybe this guy will realize he should just swallow his pride and get out. But then he does the exact opposite, and he throws a punch my way. I duck, then grab his wrist and bend it toward his forearm. It’s a classic Aikido self-defense move, and it weakens even the strongest of macho guys. He crumbles, crying out in pain as he tries to pull away from me.

  Instead of letting him go, I hold on tightly to his wrist and walk him to the door, kicking it open with my foot.

  Once we’re outside, the cool autumn breeze wafting his sweat in my direction, I let go of him. “Leave or I’ll call the police.”

  He gives me a few choice curse words, but he does leave. I stand just outside the gym watching as he gets in his truck and drives away. I turn around until his taillights disappear onto the main road. I don’t even know this guy’s name, but it’ll be easy to look up the last person who signed in at the gym. He’s getting his membership revoked and I’ll be telling Noah and Brent that he’s no longer welcome here. This is the first time we’ve had to kick someone out. I hope it’s the last.

  With a heavy sigh, I turn around and walk back into the gym. Tasha is talking to the girl who had walked in just moments earlier. In all the commotion, I had forgotten she was here.

  Now that I get a good look at her, she’s completely gorgeous. Slender but curvy, with light purple hair that’s cut just below her shoulders. It looks cute on her. She watches me with some expression I can’t quite interpret. She doesn’t seem disgusted by what just happened… more like intrigued.

  “Kris this is Lanie,” Tasha says. She holds out a tan envelope toward me. In her other hand is a narrow box wrapped in gold paper.

  “She brought you this.”

  “What’s that?” I ask, pointing to the box.

  Tasha clutches it to her chest. “It’s chocolate, but it’s mine.”

  I lift an eyebrow. “What?” she says. “You don’t eat unhealthy food.”

  “Yes, I do,” I say with a laugh. I turn the envelope over in my hand. It’s addressed to the owners of the gym, and although I’m only one-third of the owners, I guess I can open it.

  “It’s an invitation to Arctic Protein’s annual charity gala,” the woman says. Her voice is timid and so soft I can barely hear her.

  “Don’t you worry about him,” Tasha says, tossing her hand at me to prove a point. “He’s a nice guy, I swear. I’ve never seen him act that scary.”

  “I’m not scary,” I say defensively.

  Both women give me a look. Tasha speaks first. “Dude, you were like crazy scary just now. I’ve never seen you so angry. I thought you were going to beat that guy to a pulp.”

  “He assaulted you,” I say, feeling the anger rise up in my chest again.

  “It’s okay,” Tasha says quickly. Then she presses her lips together and takes a deep breath. “I mean, it sucked, and I hate that, but it happens every now and then.”

  “What?” Now I’m really pissed. “That’s not the first time someone has done that?”

  She gives me this shrug. Her expression says it is what it is.

  “No.” I shake my head. “Absolutely not. Not you, not anyone else. No one should be treated like that.”

  “That’s just how it is for women,” the girl says. Both she and Tasha seem to agree on that.

  I grit my teeth. “Well it’s not happening here anymore. I’ll be watching you like a hawk from now on,” I say, putting my hand on Tasha’s shoulder. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”

  I’m already wondering what I’ll tell Noah about this situation. She’s his girl and he’ll be even more angry than I am. Girlfriend or not, we are not going to allow that kind of behavior in our business, that’s for sure.

  “So,” I say, exhaling slowly as I turn to the girl. What was her name? Lanie?

  “Lanie,” I say with a smile. “Talk to me about this gala.”

  6

  Lanie

  Whoa. This guy is mega-hot and he sticks up for women? Is it possible for someone to be this perfect? And also dangerously scary looking? He introduces himself as Kris, a co-owner. I don’t really hear anything else he says for the next few minutes because I can’t stop staring at his gorgeous golden eyes, or his dark hair that falls across his forehead in this way that’s just begging me to reach up and brush it back. Plus the way he got all physical with that guy just now was totally hot. And I didn’t think I was the kind of girl who likes a guy like that but… wow.

  He’s like the perfect bad boy. Extremely sexy, stands up for women, and can win in a fight. A business owner, too.

  Wow, okay. Calm down, Lanie.

  Why am I suddenly swooning extra hard over this guy? I don’t even know him!

  Kris opens the invitation and studies it. “So tell me about this gala,” he says.

  I clear my throat. Luckily, I’ve already said this spiel to tons of people today, so I have it memorized. And that’s a stroke of good luck because if I had to come up with something to say right now, I’d probably stumble over my words and stutter like a fool. Good thing I saved Roca Springs Fitness as my last stop today.

  I tell him about the gala and how we’d love for he and his co-owners to attend since Roca Springs Fitness is one of our favorite clients. I’ve been telling that line to all the clients I’ve visited today, but that doesn’t make it any less true. As my dad would say, all of our clients are our favorites. They keep us in business.

  “That’s on a Saturday,” Kris says, his brows pulling together as he looks at the date on the invitation. “Brent and Noah will actually be out of town that weekend.” He looks up, meeting my gaze, and I swear my toes go numb from the intensity of his cuteness. “They have a small business conference they’re attending. But I’ll be here, so I could go.”

  “That’d be wonderful,” I say, pasting on my customer service smile. It’s not very hard to smile right now because this guy is so cute my insides are all smiling internally. I hope I don’t look like a weirdo. “We’d love to have your support.”

  He nods once, then slides the invitation back into the envelope. “Exactly how fancy is this gala?”

  “It’s formal,” I say. “So wear a suit.”

  He nods once. “Do I need to bring a date or something?
”

  It only takes half a second for my brain to start analyzing the context of what he just said. He used the word “date”. If he had a girlfriend, he’d probably have asked if he should bring his girlfriend. But date is just a generic term.

  Meaning he’s single.

  “You can totally bring a date,” I say with a smile. “Most people will probably bring a plus one.”

  He nods as if he’s contemplating it. “I mean, I don’t have anyone, but I could probably find a date. Maybe Tasha will go with me since her boyfriend will be out of town.”

  From across the room, the other employee I talked to earlier looks up. “I will not be your date,” she says in a joking way. “You’re already too annoying to be around at work.”

  “I appreciate you, too,” he calls back playfully. Then he turns to me. “Guess I’m back to the drawing board on that date idea.”

  “You’ve only asked one person so far,” I say with a laugh. “I’m sure you can get better luck by asking people without a boyfriend.”

  His grin is slow and adorable as it slides across his face. “You make a good point. Who are you taking to the gala?”

  My heart pounds. Why would he ask that? Is he interested in me? I mean, he’s totally out of my league with looks that good. And he’s clearly kind of a bad boy. He wouldn’t like me..

  I shrug, my throat dry.

  “No one,” I say, swallowing. It does nothing to help the dryness in my throat. I suddenly want to grab a sports drink from the cooler across the room. “Well, no one yet. I’m still looking for a date.”

  Everything goes completely silent for a second. Logically, I know the music playing over the gym’s speakers is probably still playing, but it’s like my world just folds in on itself and all sounds disappear and all movement stops and I’m standing here staring into this guy’s gorgeous eyes, hoping he’ll ask me on a date.

  He gets this weird expression, and then his eyes light up. “You look familiar. You’re not related to the guys who own this place, are you?” he says, tapping the invitation in his hand.