Where Loyalties Lie

6

It was precisely that type of unusual response that had caused her to capture my attention. In a city full of the strange and unusual, she should have simply been one among millions, but something about her stood out to me. Little oddities that gave me pause. In my experience, different was often synonymous with problematic. In my line of work, outliers were unpredictable variables that needed to be addressed. Not that my work principles were always applicable to the rest of my life, but those instincts couldn’t be turned off. Nor was she necessarily a threat just because I felt like something was off. She could have been hoarding a small army of cats, but that would have had nothing to do with me. Whatever the source, she intrigued me. In this case, she had posed a question when most would have excused themselves and left, but her point was valid. We were both at the studio at the scheduled time. I stepped around the desk and leaned back against the elevated front counter. “I suppose, if you still want to train, we can do that.” Her eyes did an unsteady sweep of the room, and she swallowed uneasily as she seemed to realize the implications of her suggestion. “You know what? That might have been presumptive of me. I’m sure you need to get home before the weather gets worse.” “Actually, I live upstairs.” I pointed at the ceiling but kept my eyes trained on her. “So unless you need to go, nothing’s stopping us from getting some practice in.” I should have let her retreat. I should have allowed her an out and encouraged her to leave. There were a great many things I should have done, but training alone with her wasn’t one of them. Yet the lure of learning more about her was too sweet a temptation to ignore. I couldn’t help myself. “You live here? Do you own the studio?” “No, I’m just an instructor.” A glint of amusement shone in her eyes as if she were scoffing at my statement. Perceptive. “You’re probably not on the clock then, so I don’t need to bother you.” “If you’re uncomfortable training alone with me, I understand.” Her spine stiffened. “I didn’t say that. If you have nowhere else to be, I’m up for a lesson.” “Go set your things down, and we’ll get started.” I moved toward the practice area, eyeing her form in the mirror. Her curves were perfectly proportioned. I’d made certain not to stare during class, but it was impossible not to notice. Women’s workout clothing left little to the imagination. Women in America often sought a lean and toned physique. I had grown up with a far different standard of women’s beauty. Soft and curvy was more alluring to me than cut, lean muscle. I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect female form than Emily’s tempting body. The contours of her rounded breasts and hips contrasted with her slim waist were enough to make a man insane with need. I had to lecture myself at least once during every class to keep my eyes from straying. She came every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday without exception and added extra classes on occasion. She was consistent, dedicated, and always put in the maximum effort—all of which were qualities I appreciated in a person. Even without the shadow of intrigue that surrounded her, I would have taken notice of her curvy physique and relentless drive. My interest would have stopped there, but at the very least, I would have taken note. It was that intangible sense of irregularity that piqued my interest to an irresistible degree. Beautiful women were everywhere, but this one had secrets. Dark secrets. I would bet my life on it. Most people paid their monthly fee with a credit card or auto draft from their bank account, but Emily paid cash each month. As someone who also used cash almost exclusively and faced the associated obstacles regularly, I knew how rare it was for someone to rely on cash when credit cards were so common. Of course, I could have been wrong. Perhaps she had a credit card and used it only for emergencies or some other setup to which I wasn’t privy. Perhaps. But something told me she didn’t. Just like something told me the fear I’d seen in her eyes at our last class had been real. Substantive. A fear that was driving her to show up at every opportunity and learn self-defense as best she could. I had no desire to be her champion—her problems weren’t my concern —but that didn’t mean I wasn’t curious. I had an unhealthy desire to strip down her walls and lay witness to all her ugly truths. Everyone kept parts of themselves hidden. A myriad of possibilities existed—unpaid bills, arrest records, abusive spouses—and everyone had at least one of those nasty skeletons collecting dust in the back of their closet. Most people pretended those black stains didn’t exist. Some of us had secrets so ugly, there was no hiding from them. That part of her spoke to me. Captured my interest and wouldn’t let go. Emily occupied far more of my thoughts than she should have. It wasn’t healthy for either of us. Neither was training one-on-one, but that didn’t seem to stop me. Except for Maria, who I sparred with most afternoons, I didn’t train anyone privately. I’d been in a somewhat similar situation when she’d first been thrust into my life. I had already told her father that I didn’t do private sessions, but he brought her to the studio against my wishes. Once I saw the turmoil that churned in those arctic eyes of hers, I knew I had to do it. Something had told me the knowledge I would give her might be the difference between life and death in her young life. I’d been right. But there was a big difference between Maria and Emily. Maria had only been fifteen when we started training, so there’d never been a s****l nature to our relationship. Our friendship was purely platonic and one I could easily manage. Despite the mask Emily showed to the world, I could see that same unrest in her gaze. Everything about training with her would be different. She was a good ten years older than Maria had been. Emily was a woman— young, but still a grown woman—and an electric charge buzzed between us already. Training privately would only make that worse. However, just like Maria, Emily wasn’t there for recreational purposes, regardless of what she claimed. Her expressive brown eyes told a far more complicated, harrowing story than her words had admitted. I was incapable of ignoring that fact. I was no saint—I hardly expected that training her would wash my hands of all my sins. We all had a story, and mine kept me from turning my back on her. Her luscious body certainly didn’t make it any easier to turn her away. In that one regard, I was a man like any other. It wasn’t like I had agreed to be her personal trainer. One hour. That was it.