Ignite Me (The Annihilate Me Series) (14 page)

“That will
remain between us,” he said.
 
“I’ve
heard the rumors.
 
And to be honest,
with real dedication, it probably will take much less time than that.
 
I’m just being conservative so I don’t
disappoint you.
 
So let me show you
how these next three machines work, and then I’ll leave you to your
workout.
 
How does that sound?”

I watched Brock
enter the men’s locker room so he could get changed.

“Perfect,” I
said.
 
“But I’d also like to train
my waist.
 
Is that possible?”

“It is.”

“Then let’s do
it.”

*
 
*
 
*

Ten minutes and
three machines later, I was in the process of using the “waist trainer,” which
Luc said would help build my core strength, when Brock exited the locker room.

And when he
did, I had all I could do to keep my expression neutral, even if my mouth
wanted to drop.

He was dressed
in a black tank that revealed a massive, cut chest that was lightly hairy.
 
He wore white Spandex shorts that came
just to the knee—and that left little to the imagination—and a pair
of black sneakers.
 

Since the obnoxiously
pretty blonde who had signed him up was standing just outside the locker room
door to meet him, he didn’t have time to spot me before he began his tour of
the facility.

“Does everyone
here get a tour?” I asked as I twisted my body from left to right in ways that
felt unnatural to me.

“Every new
member gets a tour with one of our trainers.
 
Then, after they’ve expressed their
workout goals, we make sure that they have a full understanding of the machines
we suggest they use, or how to properly use the free weights if that’s the
route they want to take.
 
You and I
have focused on arms, legs, and core strength.
 
When you decide on what kind of cardio
you’d like to try, I’ll show you how to use that particular machine properly,
and then we’re finished.
 
The whole
thing only takes about forty-five minutes, but you should always know that you
can ask any trainer any question at any time.
 
We have a large staff, we know when our
peak hours of operation are, and because we plan ahead for that, it’s going to
be a rare day when someone won’t be immediately available to you.”
 

“This place is
amazing,” I said.

“I’m glad
you’re happy, Madison.
 
And I think
you’re good with the waist training.
 
What kind of cardio are you looking to try?”

That machine is
already taken, Luc.
 
It walked away
with the pretty blonde.

“How about one
of the ellipticals?”

“Those are
super effective.
 
And as a bonus,
they’re low impact, which will be particularly good for you given all of the
running around you need to do for your job.
 
I’ll have you on your own in five
minutes.
 
Follow me.”

*
 
*
 
*

Much like Wenn
itself, Wenn Fitness proved to be an absolute model of efficiency.

After Luc left
me to my own devices, I realized that he was correct—I’d been here for
only forty-five minutes, and he’d given me a comprehensive tour of the facility
and a solid workout routine that hadn’t overwhelmed me, as some tend to
do.
 
This was something I thought I
could stick with, and I felt that as I got into better shape, it would indeed
make my job less grueling.
 

As I used each
machine, I couldn’t help but watch Brock as he went through his own
training.
 
Naturally, he had gone
with the free weights—no pussy workout equipment for him.
 
Seeing him out of his suit and in his
workout gear was enough to throw my hormones into overdrive, but I still needed
to remain focused, because I knew that it was just a matter of time before he
made his move and came over to me.
 

And when he
did, my greatest fear was that someone I’d met at Wenn today who knew Blackwell
would spot us together and perhaps relay that information back to her.
 
It wouldn’t be anything malicious.
 
Instead, it might be something on the
order of “I saw your new personal assistant and Brock Wenn at Wenn Fitness the
other day.”
 
Although I’d done
nothing to set this up, I felt set up.
 
After all, over coffee this morning, he’d warned me when he’d said, “I
don’t give up easily, Madison.”

He had clearly
meant it.
 
But how was I to handle
it?
 
That was the issue I was faced
with, because there was no question that I was deeply attracted to him.
 
But protecting my job had to come first,
so I just filled myself with resolve, kept on with my workout, and remained
focused until the inevitable happened.

When I was
finished working out on the machines and went to use one of the ellipticals, it
took Brock all of five minutes to join me on the elliptical next to mine.
 

“This is a
coincidence,” he said to me with a smile.

Like hell it is
, I thought.

“Is it?” I
said.

“Actually, it
isn’t.
 
I overheard that you were
coming here tonight.
 
So, since
we’re off hours, I thought I’d also join the club in hopes that you’d give me
another chance so we could get to know one another better.”

I stopped and
looked at him.
 
“I told you this
morning that I can’t risk this.
 
Not
after what she said to me.
 
I was
hoping that you’d respect that.
 
What if someone like Margaret walked in and saw us together?
 
Do you really think that she wouldn’t
say something to Blackwell if she did?
 
I meant it when I said that my job is on the line here.
 
I meant it when I said that I’m
essentially broke and that I
need
this job.
 
Blackwell will have my ass if she finds
out about this.”

“About your
ass,” he said.

“Please take me
seriously, Brock.”

“That’s the
thing,” he said.
 
“I’m taking you
very seriously.”

“You wouldn’t
be here if you were.”

He furrowed his
brow at me.
 
“Are you really going
to allow one woman to prevent you from getting to know me?”

“That woman happens
to be my boss.
 
She’s already made a
point of turning me away from you.
 
And right now, at this time in my life?
 
I have no choice but to do what she
says—you know that.”

“That’s an
interesting way to put it,” he said.
 
“‘At this time in your life.’
 
If she wasn’t so against this, then you
would take the time to get to know me.
 
Am I correct?”

I didn’t answer
because I’d already given myself away.

“Your silence
speaks volumes, Madison.”

“I can’t do
this here,” I said.

“Then where?”

“Nowhere,” I
said in a low voice.
 
“Are you even
listening to me?”

“How about
this?” he said.
 
“There’s a pub not
far from here.
 
Gordon’s Pub.
 
Do you know of it?”

“Yes.
 
I’ve seen it on my way to work.
 
It looks like a hole in the wall.”

“On the
outside, it does.
 
But it’s actually
pretty great.
 
How about if you meet
me there in thirty minutes,” he said.
 
“That will give us enough time to shower, dress, and walk over to it
independently.
 
All I’m asking for
is a chance.”

And that’s what
terrifies me.

“Will you meet
me there?”

I had no choice
but to do it because I clearly hadn’t gotten through to him this morning.
 
Somehow, I needed to shut him down once
and for all.

“I will,” I
said.
 
“But you need to know that
nothing is going to change.”

The moment
those words came out of my mouth, I knew I’d just told a lie.
 
I was so turned on by him, and I did
want to get to know him better, despite the fear of God that Blackwell had
hammered into me.
 
I wasn’t a
reckless kind of person, but here I was, for some reason being reckless.
 

Who had I
become?
 
And why?
 
It wasn’t like me to behave this
way.
 
I’d always listened to my gut,
but this time my gut was saying two completely different things—steer
clear of him, but please, if only for the sake of your Summer of Resolve, get
to know him.
 
What in the hell was I
supposed to do with that?
 
In the
end, I just gave into him despite my fears.
 
I said that I’d meet him at Gordon’s
Pub.
 

And God help me
when I did.

CHAPTER
THIRTEEN

When I arrived
at the pub freshly showered and dressed in my curve-hugging blue bandage
dress—which one part of me was now happy that I’d worn for reasons that
had nothing to do with work—I saw why Brock had chosen this place.
 
It was unlikely that anyone from Wenn
would come here.
 
To say that the
pub hadn’t aged well was an understatement, at least given its questionable façade,
which looked shady at best.
 

But when I
stepped inside, the bar was nicer than I’d anticipated—a softly lit space
that looked clean and was clearly popular.
 
It was filled nearly to capacity, which suggested that Gordon’s was
doing something right.
 
Perhaps the
food was good?
 
Or maybe the drinks
were cold and generous, which I hoped they were, because if I was going to try
to reach Brock again, I needed a drink right now.

As I looked
around the space, which was mostly comprised of booths looping around a large
bar that took up the center of the room, I heard my name being called, and
found Brock holding up a hand from one of the far corner booths.
 
He knew that I wanted discretion, and
he’d likely chosen the booth for that reason.
 
I thought that was sensitive of him, and
because of that alone, I dreaded the conversation that was about to happen.

He stood as I
approached, and I saw that he was back in his white T-shirt and faded
501s.
 
Because of his workout, he
looked even more muscular to me than he had when he first entered Wenn
Fitness.
 
With my heart quickening
in my chest for a whole host of reasons, I walked over to him and again noted
how absurdly tall he was.

“Thanks for
coming,” he said.
 
“You look
beautiful, Madison.”

I deflected the
compliment.
 
“After my workout, I
wasn’t expecting to go anywhere else tonight, so I’m afraid that you’re stuck
with a woman who only had a compact and a tube of lipstick on her.”

“And look at
how that worked out,” he said.
 
“Flawless.
 
Would you like
something to drink?”

Yes, please!

“Are you having
anything?”

“I am if you
are.”

“Then you’re
on.
 
How about if we just kill
whatever calories we just burned off with something solid?” I said.
 
“A martini for me.
 
Dirty—three olives.”

“Done.
 
A waitress hasn’t come by yet, so I’ll
just go to the bar.
 
It’ll be
quicker that way.”

And it
was.
 
When he returned to the booth,
he had a sizable martini in one hand and a pint of dark beer in the other.

“Here’s to
getting to know one another,” he said as he held up his glass.
 
“And to you for giving me a second
chance.”

This isn’t a
second chance, Brock.
 
I don’t know
how many different ways I can try to get through to you, but apparently I’m
going to have to find a way.
 
Though
God only knows how I’m going to do that since you’re clearly determined to plow
forward in your pursuit of me.

I touched my
glass to his, took a long sip of the delicious liquid, and was happy to find
that the martini was ice-cold perfection, which was probably one of the reasons
Gordon’s attracted such a large after-work crowd.
 
The drink was just right.

“So,” he said
to me.
 
“Somebody’s got to get this
started, and I guess that person is going to be me.”

“All right,” I
said.
 
“Let’s talk.”

“That’s the
thing,” he said.
 
“I know where you
stand when it comes to us.
 
But I
think that we’ve done enough talking.
 
So why don’t we just take it to the next level, because I’m not sure how
much longer I can hold back, Madison.”

And with that
said, Brock stood, leaned across the table, placed his hand on the back of my
neck, and kissed me so deeply that I wasn’t just shocked that he’d done so, but
beside myself that I couldn’t keep from responding to it.
 

As our lips
pressed together, his tongue probed my mouth, and I found myself giving in to
him—and for one heated instant, I was his.
 
Despite everything that had transpired
between us today, I allowed him to claim me with his mouth before we finally
broke away for air.

“Brock,” I
said.
 

“So, there it
is,” he said when he sat back in his seat.
 
He ran his hand through his thick, dark hair, he wiped the corners of
his mouth with his thumb and index finger, and then he just shot me a look.
 
“It’s real.
 
I knew it was.
 
The only thing I didn’t know for sure is
that it was going to be that powerful.
 
But it was.”

“We can’t do
this.”

“Kiss me
again,” he said.
 
“Tell me you don’t
feel what I feel.
 
If you don’t,
I’ll be gone, and I won’t ever bother you again.
 
That’s a promise.”

“But it’s not
that simple.”

“Why isn’t it
that simple?”

“I’ve already
told you why.”

“But you felt
it too.
 
I know you did.
 
I felt that you did.
 
Tell me otherwise.”

“Of course, I
felt it.
 
I’ve felt something
between us since the first day we met, but how does that change anything?
 
How many times do I have to say this to
you?
 
Blackwell is watching my every
move.
 
I can’t lose this job.
 
I’ve waited two long years not only to
have a position that pays me enough to actually sustain me, but also something
that might lead to better things.
 
With the amount of cash I have on hand, I can tell you with no bullshit
that my shelf-life in this town is limited, so I can’t allow this to
happen.
 
If Blackwell ever found out
about this. . . .”

“So what if she
did?” he interrupted.
 
“If we
continue to do our jobs and do them well, what concern is any of this to
her?
 
Just tell me that, Madison.
 
We are grown adults who happened to have
experienced something rare and special.
 
A deep, profound attraction.
 
I’m not sure about you, but that has never happened to me before.
 
And I’d be a fool to ignore it.
 
So would you.
 
Blackwell’s threats are
meaningless.
 
She’s just being a
bitch.”

“And that bitch
could fire me.”

“You saw how
Jennifer took to you.
 
Hell, I
overheard it.
 
So did the rest of
the office.
 
If Blackwell wants to
fire you for seeing me, I don’t think she’d have a leg to stand on, especially
if I told Jennifer and Alex myself the reasons why she let you go.
 
But I couldn’t care less about any of
that right now.
 
What I really care
about is this.”

Again, he stood
up and kissed me, and this time his kiss was so slow and tender, I melted into
it because the way he was kissing was so undeniably sexy, I felt it in my
soul.
 
His full, soft lips lightly
touched mine.
 
His tongue plunged into
my mouth—and then mine into his.
 
I’d never denied my attraction to Brock, but this?
 
This was beyond anything I ever could have
imagined for myself.
 
In fact, this
was perhaps the most serious connection I’d ever felt with a man, which seemed
ridiculous to me since we’d barely known each other for a whole week.
 
But it was what it was, wasn’t it?
 
Lightning had struck—and it had
struck hard.
 
Despite how conflicted
I felt, I couldn’t deny that my desire for him was a fact.
 
When he kissed me, there was an odd
duality to it.
 
It felt as if it was
the first time I’d ever been kissed by a man, but it also felt as if Brock and
I had been kissing like this for years.
 

When he moved in
for more, it was me—not him—who reached out, grabbed him by his
T-shirt, and pulled him closer.
 

And Brock
didn’t hesitate.
 
Our lips parted,
he got up from his seat, he sat down beside me, and then he laid one mother of
a kiss on me that left my head spinning in the ether.
 

Oh, calamity
, I
thought.
 
How am I ever going to
extricate myself from this now?

Time and again,
our lips and tongues collided, we tasted each other, I felt his beard brush
against my skin, and when it did, it sent shivers of pleasure throughout my
body.
 
As he continued to kiss my
lips and my neck, I felt a stirring within me that was foreign and delicious to
me.
 
And even though it was
happening, it somehow also seemed unobtainable to me.
 
On some level, did I think that I didn’t
deserve this?
 
Or was I just afraid
of it and what it could mean for my heart and for my job?
 

That was a
question for Rhoda, but for now, I just went for it, not giving a damn what the
people seated and standing around us were thinking about our public show of
affection, which was the polar opposite of who I was.
 
Or at least who I thought I was.
 
Brock was doing things to me now that
made we want to kick caution to the curb.
 
And so I shoved Blackwell and her threats aside in favor of savoring
Brock’s lips on my own, his hands caressing my waist, and his musky scent
filling my senses, which practically undid me.
 

When we broke
away from each other, all I could do was look at him, and when I did, I saw
nothing but lust in his eyes—and also a sense of relief.
 
I placed my hand on his inner thigh, and
I felt his erection pulsing against my fingertips, and then he moved in for
another kiss, which at this point I didn’t stop because I felt that this
was
right, that this
was
how it should be.

What I was
feeling was real.
 
It was the first
time in my life that I’d been caught up in this kind of passion and
emotion.
 
And what if something this
innocent did cost me my job?
 
I now
had to wonder if that job was even worth it.
 

With Brock on
my lips and his hand now burrowing between my legs, there was something here
that I obviously couldn’t ignore any longer.
 
I’d tried my best to steer clear of it,
but here it was—the truth of just how attracted I was to him and how
attracted he was to me.
 
I needed to
acknowledge what was happening between us and rejoice in it and feel lucky
enough to experience it, because I knew that this kind of passion didn’t come
around often—and that somehow, there was a reason that it was happening
to me now.

“I’m crazy
about you,” he said in my ear when we pulled away from each other.

“I’m crazy
about you too.
 
I’m sorry that I’ve
been so difficult.
 
I’m just scared,
perhaps now more than ever.”

“We’ll get
through this,” he said.
 
“But let’s
not have her steal this moment away from us.
 
I don’t know where this is going, but I
have a good idea, Madison, and I can tell you that I’m a very happy man right
now.”

“Apparently,
you are,” a woman said as she stopped beside our table.
 
She was a short, middle-aged woman with
a shock of bottle-blonde hair and bright green eyes that flashed as she looked
at us.
 
Her name tag read
“Moira.”
 

“Would you like
to order now?” Moira said.
 
“Or
should I come back later, after the entire pub has finished watching you both
enjoying your main course?”

“I’m sorry,” I
said.
 
“Things just, uh, sort of
happened.”

“Oh, yes they
did,” Moira said.
 
“For a moment
there, I considered bringing over an oxygen tank for you two to suck on.
 
Or a fire hose to cool you off.
 
Anyway, let’s hope all of that is over.
 
What would you like to eat
that’s—how should I put it?
 
On the menu?”

“I haven’t even
looked at the menu,” I said.