When I got home from Rachel's, I still held the envelope with her picture inside. It was sealed and I could only assume that it was actually in there. I tossed it into my desk and shut the drawer.

My head was pounding. I was still angry at Embry, frustrated with Rachel, and disappointed in myself. I hoped a hot shower would make me feel better. It didn't.

I got dressed for work, knowing I didn't have to be there until noon and it was barely 10am. Maybe if I went in early, I could find someone to spar with. Beating the piss out of someone sounded pretty damn good right about now.

That was another fail.

No one wanted to get in the ring with me today. So I took to punching the speed bag instead. I pictured Embry's face on it, hitting it faster and harder than I ever had before. I didn't feel any better. I was still here and Rachel was...I don't even know. Thinking about whether or not she wanted a future with me? Fuck that.

I started my shift but mostly I absently completed my tasks while thinking about Rachel. I picked up towels, cleaned up the locker room, started a load of towels in the washer, folded a load of clean towels from the dryer, and avoided a couple girls from school who were trying to flirt.

The day passed by slower than I would have liked. Only two hours left and I could lock up and go home. I passed by the reception desk and heard Manny calling for me. I turned to see him getting ready to leave for the day.

"Hey, what's up?"

Manny slung a large gym bag over his shoulder and tipped his head to me. "You've got company."

I glanced around and saw no one. "Where?"

"In the equipment room. She's waiting for you."

"She?" I asked hopefully.

Manny nodded and laughed. "She said she needs a personal trainer."

"Oh...okay." I waved goodbye to Manny and made my way to find this mystery woman. I saw a few of the regulars heading out and realized this place was pretty much dead except for the woman on the treadmill with her back to me.

When I got close enough to see her reflection in the wall length mirror in front of her, I chuckled. She noticed me too, tapping the controls on the treadmill until it slowed to a stop. She stepped off and smiled at me.

"You must be Paul. I'm Rachel," she beamed, reaching for my hand.

"Uh...yeah." I shook her hand, still a bit confused. "Manny said you were in need of a trainer."

She released her grip on my hand, her smile still bright. "Yes, I was hoping you could help me out. You see, I have this boyfriend...he's a boxer."

I nodded and crossed my arms over my chest, wondering where she was going with this. "Is that so?"

Rachel nodded her head excitedly, while the ponytail she sported bounced. "It is. And as you can imagine, he's in fabulous shape." She leaned in a little, holding her hand up to her mouth animatedly and added, "He basically looks like a Greek God."

I chuckled. The compliment was cute and her effort was admirable. "So what can I help you with?"

She wrapped her fingers around the hair from her ponytail and fiddled with it nervously. "Well...I was thinking maybe you could help me tone up...you know, just the problem areas."

I let my eyes roam over her body appreciatively and grinned. "Problem areas?"

"Well I just thought that we could work on my arms a little," she paused to give me a quick flex. Then she splayed her hands over her already tight stomach and pinched some nonexistent fat there. "And of course this belly needs work."

"Well you look really good to me," I replied.

She opened her eyes widely and pushed me playfully. "Oh my gosh, aren't you just the sweetest thing?" she gushed.

I couldn't do anything but laugh. This 'Rachel' was just too much. "Is there anything else you wanted to work on?"

She did a little spin as she ran her hands over her body. She was wearing the tiniest spandex workout shorts with a matching sports bra that showed off her curves nicely. Then she squeezed her ass cheeks and declared, "I'd love to tone up my butt a bit too. What do you think?"

I stepped a little closer and tipping my head to the left and the right. I knew she could see me in the mirror she faced, so I put on a good show. "Well I don't really see much room for improvement, but I can show you some exercises if you like."

She spun around quickly and smiled up at me happily. "You're the best!" she announced excitedly.

"Rachel..." I began, wondering how far we were going with this charade.

She reached for her bag and peered up at me. "Are you ready to get started?"

I sighed and nodded. "Whenever you're ready."

It seemed kind of crazy to play this little game with her considering our future was hanging in the balance. But there was no tension, she looked hot as hell, and why not have a little fun?

I guided her toward the mats and motioned for her to have a seat. I showed her the standard stretches with feet pressed together and knees bent, one for the arms, her back and more. I kept it professional, while still touching her whenever necessary. I asked her to spread her legs, wow, and I did the same. Our feet touched and I watched as she leaned forward and got a nice view of her cleavage. Oh hell yes.

Next, I motioned for her to lie on her back. Her eyes got big when I took her ankle, placed it on my shoulder, and leaned over her. I appreciated how bendy she was and this position had my dirty fucking mind going into hyperdrive. I pushed her so far forward that we were nearly face to face.

"What's this stretch for?" she asked innocently, still wanting to stay in character.

I leaned back and ran my hand down the back of her thigh replying, "It's for your hamstring...right here." I could feel the goosebumps covering the skin I touched. Damn, that's hot.

I switched to the other leg and repeated the same stretch. It was killing me to be so close and not kiss her. I've waited forever to feel those lips on mine. Her eyes went dark and her breath hitched the closer I got to her face. When she pulled her lower lip into her mouth and looked up at me, I nearly threw this whole role play business out the window. But honestly I was too curious.

I pulled away from her again and stood, reaching for her hand. She covered any signs of lingering disappointment and allowed me to help her up. When she stumbled forward, because I pulled too hard, she braced herself against my chest.

Nervously, she peered up at me and mumbled, "Sorry."

I held her shoulders and smiled down at her. "That was my fault. I'm too strong for my own good."

She laughed and swept her ponytail over her shoulder. "That can be a good thing."

I chuckled at her obvious attempt at flirting. As we walked toward the weights, I reached for her elbow. "Hey...you did eat today, didn't you?"

She glanced back at me and rolled her eyes. "Of course. Why do you ask?"

I stepped in front of her and handed her a small dumbbell I thought she could handle. "I just wanted to make sure you weren't gonna faint on me. You know, you take such good care of everyone else...don't forget to take care of you."

She had a serious look on her face when I walked around and covered her hand with mine. I demonstrated a bicep curl and kept my other hand pressed to her stomach to maintain proper posture. "Is that your professional advice?"

"Well...proper nutrition is an important part of any physical training regimen," I answered professionally.

She scoffed. "Says the guy who eats pop-tarts and donuts for breakfast."

I guided her to another piece of equipment and laughed. "We're talking about your nutrition, not mine."

She laughed warmly and I grinned uncontrollably. I loved how she followed all of my instructions and was genuinely interested in what I was teaching her. The longer I was around her, the more I remembered why I fell for her in the first place.

"Well you have to show me your secret for those rock hard abs."

We walked back to the mats and I had to laugh. "How do you know what my abs look like?" I teased.

She looked so cute when got flustered. She shrugged and replied, "Just a hunch."

I lifted my shirt and smirked. "There's no secret. Good old sit-ups work the best."

Rachel blushed as she reached out to touch my stomach. She let her fingers trail over the ridges of my muscles. When she looked up at me, I held my breath. She let her eyes drift to my lips and back again. When she leaned in, I teased, "What about your boyfriend?"

She rolled her eyes and turned away. I cheered on the inside, loving the fact that I was getting under her skin. When she reached for her bag, I slid my hand around her waist. "What about those sit-ups?"

She groaned but agreed. We situated ourselves on the mat and I helped her get into proper form. I held her ankles and each time she sat up, I knew she was aching for a kiss. When she gave up, I encouraged her to do one more exercise with me.

I helped Rachel get on all fours, even though she looked skeptical. "What is this for?"

"It's for your glutes," I smirked. "You did say you wanted to tone up your butt, right?"

"Yeah," she blushed. I knelt behind her, nudging her knees apart. I looked into the mirror in front of us and tried to control my breathing. I slid one hand around her hip, oh fuck, and let the other trail down the back of her thigh.

"Paul..." she warned.

I bit my lower lip and tried to focus on the task at hand. I hooked my hand behind her knee and lifted it. She followed my lead and did the next few on her own. I smoothed my hand over her lower back and watched her form. "Make sure you keep your back straight," I reminded her.

She watched my expression in the mirror and her eyes said she knew had me right where she wanted me. I was just about to give in, when she pulled away. "Oh shit, that hurts!" She rolled away from me and groaned.

"What happened? Cramp?"

She squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. "Show me where," I told her.

She pulled her knee up and pointed to her ass cheek and I had to keep from laughing. I turned her on her side and massaged her gently. She cursed and tried to straighten her leg. "It hurts too much."

"I'll be right back. Don't move."

I could still her groaning when I got back from the locker room with a tube of icy hot. "Turn over."

She shot me a skeptical look before turning onto her stomach and resting her head on her arms. I straddled her thighs, careful not to put my full weight on her. She tensed when I slipped my fingers under the waistband of her shorts and pulled them down gently. "Is this okay?"

She nodded and told me, "Yeah...it's fine."

I nearly lost my mind when I revealed her perfect ass and the black thong she wore. Holy fuck. I put some of the heated gel onto my hand and began massaging into the muscle.

She swore under her breath and I cringed. "I'm so sorry, baby. I know it's hot. But I swear this will help."

She finally began to relax as I kneaded the muscle deeply. I placed my free hand on the mat beside her head and leaned close to her. "Does that feel any better?"

She turned over and I moved to lie next to her. "It's still tender, but it feels better. Thank you."

"I failed you as a personal trainer," I joked.

She laughed as she curled into my chest. I gathered her into my arms and rolled us over, with her on top. I let my hands drift down her sides and over her ass. I carefully pulled her shorts up and she pouted.

She leaned in close, but I pulled back. "If you want anything else, you'll have to pay extra."

She scowled at me. "Just kiss me, Paul," she demanded.

I rolled us over again, placing my body directly over hers. I nudged her thighs apart with my knees and lowered my body to hers. I smiled when she hooked her ankles behind my back and pulled me even closer.

She slid her hands up my chest and behind my head and I shuddered when she let her fingers tangle in my hair. I licked my lips in anticipation and she let her eyes drift closed. I leaned in closely, letting myself inhale her sweet coconut scent before brushing my lips with hers.

"Oh, Paul," she whimpered. "I've missed you so much."

Hearing that whimper made me ache to be inside her. I rocked my hips forward and she gasped in response. She pulled me by the back of my neck and I eagerly let my tongue taste her lips. She opened her mouth to me and I slid my tongue under hers, moaning louder than I had intended.

She tasted better than I had remembered, smelled even more amazing, and her whimpering was driving me insane. When she lifted her hips to meet mine, I was consumed with wanting to make her mine. I couldn't think about anything else. Until the phone rang.

"Shit!"

I untangled myself from Rachel and she scowled at me. "Don't move," I ordered, kissing her one more time. I jogged over where the landline phone that hung on the wall and answered it. "What?"

There was a pause. "Paul?"

Shit! I recognized Manny's voice right away. I glanced at the wall clock, realizing I was supposed to have locked up 30 minutes ago. He wanted to remind me about the alarm. I promised him I would set it when I left.

"Oh and Paul, don't forget about the security cameras," he reminded me.

Holy hell...

Something in his tone made me think he knew what I was up to.

When I ended the call, I returned to my sweet Rachel, who was doing a sexy as fuck pose for me on the mat. All I wanted to do was continue our make out session, but this was not the place.

I reached for her hand and pulled her up to stand. She pouted in the most adorable way. "Wanna continue this at my house?" I murmured into her ear as I held her close.

"Oh yeah," she growled. Oh fuck yeah.

.....

A/N: over 1000 reads? Amazing! Thanks for the votes and comments. They really make my day!