Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101985 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101985 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Sure, this is all perfectly normal. Absolutely fine. “Yeah, if you want to. I’m happy to learn anything you want to teach me.” I wiggle my ass a little, trying to be playful, even though my heart’s not in it. “I mean, you’ve already proven what a good teacher you are.”
He snorts, but there’s no humor in it. “Okay. We’ll start tomorrow.”
“You mean today,” I point out.
“Always needing the last word.”
“Do you expect anything else by now?” He chuckles softly, and I think I feel the brief pressure of his lips against my head, but it’s gone so fast I could have imagined it.
No matter what he says, now I know for sure.
There’s some kind of threat out there, and it’s directed at me.
And if I don’t know what it is, what am I supposed to do about it?
23
ZEKE
There’s one thing I can say for her: she’s an eager student. Not that I didn’t know that, but what we’re doing now is a little different from what we do without our clothes on. Sure, she was a quick study when it came to learning how to fuck, but this is different. This is grueling, even painful at times.
And it’s not easy for me, either. I wouldn’t admit it to her since I want her to give these lessons everything she’s got, but hearing her groan when she hits the floor or seeing her wince when she aggravates a body part that’s already bruised hurts a little.
If somebody attacks her, they’re not going to be merciful. Hurting her would be the point. I remind myself of this as I extend a hand to help her from the living room floor. “What did you learn that time?”
“Not to get in a fight with you?” She gets up slowly, rolling her shoulders. We’ve been at it for nearly an hour, and the strain is starting to show.
“Seriously. You have to take this seriously.”
At least she’s stopped asking why I’m so serious. “I have to plant my feet better, and I have to pivot with purpose.” She puts her hands on her hips, breathing heavy.
“That’s right. It’s not enough to throw your weight behind your movement. You have to know exactly why you’re doing it and its purpose. That way, you can focus. Otherwise, you’re flailing around like a fish, and you end up hitting the floor.”
“This would all be a lot easier if you would let me do what I want to do.” She stands with her back to my chest, positioning my arm across her as if I grabbed her from behind. “I call it the sandbag.”
“And what is the sandbag?”
“This.” Suddenly she goes limp, dead weight, dragging me down with her. “See? I knock you off balance. I surprise you, and isn’t the element of surprise half the battle?”
“I never said that. And I never would.” Still, it takes effort not to laugh. “I don’t think we’ll be using the sandbag anytime soon.” I put her back on her feet, and she scowls.
“Whatever. I’m going to patent that move. Or trademark it or something, whatever applies.”
I would laugh it off if the memory of that note wasn’t so clear. You Can’t Protect Her. It’s been more than a week since I found it, and there haven’t been any follow-ups since. A random threat? From whom, though? Considering I was unaware of the boss having any enemies around here in the first place, it’s been a long, sleepless ten days. And I still can’t come up with an answer.
All I can do is prepare her as best I can—but the line between preparation and scaring the shit out of her is thin. I have to be sure I don’t cross it, or I’d run the risk of having her shut down on me.
“So?” She bounces on the balls of her feet, bubbling with excitement.
“So what?”
“You know what.” She scowls before poking me in the chest. “You promised if I did a good enough job today, we would do something cool. Considering I feel sore from head to toe, I think I did pretty well.”
“Pretty well? I knocked you on your ass.”
“But I tried hard, didn’t I? And you can’t pretend I’m not getting better.” She’s got me there. She might not have a lot of physical strength, she’s quick, and she understands physics. You don’t have to be the strongest so long as you know how to leverage the strength you have.
Still, I pretend to think about it, letting her stew a little. When she’s as close as she’s going to come to boiling over without actually doing it, I give in. “Okay, let’s get showered up, and we’ll do what I had in mind.”
“It’s not sex, is it?”
“And would that be so bad?”
“I’m just saying, is it something besides that?”
“Yes, and I’m going to try not to take it personally that you’re so concerned.” She only rolls her eyes before following me. I massage her shoulders, letting the hot water loosen them up for me. By the time we’re finished, she’s in considerably better shape.