"Why do you want to learn self-defense?"
Marie froze and then she turned around to face him. "It's a big dangerous world out there," she said. "A girl's gotta be prepared."
Chapter Eleven
Don't do it Ax-man, he said to himself. It was the beautiful girl he had seen walking down the street. Like a gift from heaven she had just walked into his gym. He almost couldn't believe it. But he couldn't have her here. That was way, way too dangerous. The gym was his sanctuary. He didn't think about women at the gym. But if she were here, he would.
He would always be on the lookout for her. Every time he lifted a weight or did a pushup he would be scanning the gym wondering if she could see. She was a distraction, one he could not allow. But then she turned around and called him rude right his face. He couldn't remember the last time someone had been so honest with him.
She needed to protect herself. He was almost sure she was running from someone. He looked down at the woman in front of him and something in his gut told him he had to help her. She was right; the world was dangerous and she needed to learn how to protect herself. Axel could be the one to teach her. He could show her how to deal with whomever she was running from. She could be his own personal angel of vengeance. He looked her up and down; she was dressed for a workout in actual work out clothes. That was a step in the right direction. She hadn't asked him about their selfie policy, which was another good sign.
"So you ready to start now?" Axel asked.
"Now?" she demanded tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked around nervously as if she expected the machines to get up and attack her.
"No time like the present," he said.
"How do I know you own this place?" she asked, taking a step back.
"Hi," he said extending his hand. "I'm Axel Connelly. This is Connelly's Gym. Here," he walked in front of her and guided her back to the entrance where he pointed at a framed news article with a picture of him standing next the sign for the gym. "See, that's me."
"Oh," the girl said, a blush creeping up her cheek.
"So, I'm Axel Connelly. Who are you?" He hoped she would recognize his name. Sometimes it took people a minute to realize how they knew him. They would touch their hand to their chin and look away from his as they wondered just how they knew that name. MMA fighter, ranked number three in the Northeastern Pro Circuit. He had even been on the cover of a few magazines. But he could tell by her expression that she had never heard of him and his ego dimmed a little at that.
"I'm Marie," she said taking his hand in a firm handshake.
"You work at the museum, right? My mom is on the Historical Society and she's mentioned the new caretaker of the mansion is named Marie."
"That is me," Marie said.
"Well, it's nice to meet you," he said. "Now, if you really want some training, we can do that. But this isn't some easy gym class that you can take on a whim. It's an intense six-week course. You'll train three times a week with a personal trainer and have access to the rest of the gym's facilities. You'll be expected workout between your trainings. Are you really ready for something like that? It's the training regimen we use for people who want to try MMA. It's not for the lazy or the weak."
"I'm in," she said without hesitation.
"Good," he said with a smile. "Well, your first training is free, so why don't go down to the boxing gym and I can see what you've got. Then we can sign you up for the full course."
"Okay," Marie said.
He could tell she didn't quite believe herself. She was convincing herself to do this. He could see the nervousness written on her shoulders. She slumped down as she walked and tucked her arms into her body as if she was trying to make herself even smaller. He remembered the town gossip about the single mom who had arrived with nothing. Now she wanted self-defense lessons; this would certainly give them something to talk about at the Historical Society.
He walked behind her, watching the way her ass moved in her tight yoga pants. She glanced behind her as they reached the door and their eyes met for just a moment before she quickly looked away. He pushed open the door for her and, tentatively, she stuck her head into the boxing gym.
"No one down there is gonna bite, go on," Axel said and she nodded and walked quickly down the stairs. He saw a few heads turn as they entered. It was rare for there to be someone knew in the boxing gym; it was only for professionals and those who wanted to be. But this was the best way to know if Marie could handle it. If she couldn't, she wouldn't be able to do the program.
"How much do you weigh?" he asked her.
"None of your business," she replied, crossing her arms.
He threw up his hands in defeat and walked her to a corner of the gym with a weight rack and a wall of mirrors. "How much physical exercise do you get per week?"
"Um...I have a daughter. So I spend a lot of time chasing her around, but not much more than that."
"Okay," he said. "Let's warm up on the rowing machine," he said. He set her up on the machine and got on the one next to her. This was not a good idea. Technically she didn't meet the requirements for their training program. Members were supposed to be in excellent shape before joining. But there was no way he was going to send this woman out of his gym. He was the boss, he made the rules, so he could break them. He would catch hell for it from Hayden, but it might be worth it.
She kept up with him pretty well on the machine. She was a little out of breath and there was light film of sweat on her chest. Axel forced himself to focus. He was doing a job here – that was what he was telling himself anyway. This was his gym and he couldn't send a potential customer away; she was right: it was bad for business. That would be his excuse if anyone asked.
It wasn't why he was doing it. He had sent plenty of people out of this gym. He wanted her here. It didn't need to be a dangerous thing. He could just look and imagine. He could appreciate her without actually getting involved. One training session. He just wanted to see what she was like. They might not be compatible at all. He didn't need to get ahead of himself.
Five minutes were up and they hopped off the machine. "Let's see you pull some weights," he said. He grabbed two eight-pound dumbbells and put one in each of her hand. He turned her so she faced the mirror and he reached around her and took her by the wrist and guided the weights up and down.
"Four sets of ten," he said and he watched, slightly correcting her form and she lifted the weights.
She was in better shape than he expected. Next time he could bump her up to ten pounds without an issue. Not that he would be training her next time. He was too busy for that. He would assign her to another trainer; maybe Jenny or Lori would be a good fit.
"Good job," he said as she put the weights down. "Roll your arms and give them a little stretch," he said. She reached up above her head and Axel forced himself to not look at the way her t-shirt stretched over her breasts. He set her up with another set of dumbbells and watched as she worked. He kept pushing her, expecting her to quit or ask him for a break, but she just grit her teeth and kept going.
Thirty minutes later he brought her over to the squat bar. They faced their own reflection. She was sweaty and her face was bright read. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. She looked at him, ready to hear what would come next.
"You know how to do a squat? Let me see."
She went down into a squat and stood back up.
He indicated for her to go again and he gently pushed back on her chest to keep from leaning too far forward. "Watch me," he said. "Don't let your knees go past your toes," he said. He lowered himself into a squat and she followed, her form almost perfect. "Good," he said with a nod.
She stood up and faced him. She was out of breath and her chest rose right underneath her eyes. "So when's the next training?" She asked him.
Chapter Twelve
She woke up in an immense amount of pain. Axel had instructed her to take an ibuprofen before going to sleep. But she had felt great the night before. She had felt energetic and invincible, like she could do anything. She wanted to run a marathon and paint a masterpiece all at the same time. Now she could barely get out of bed. Her abs and arms and legs were all crying out in pain every time she moved.
She managed to struggle to the bathroom where she swallowed two Advil and then she walked to the kitchen and drank a big glass of water before making coffee. It was her first day off since she had moved here. Her first Saturday. She didn't need to do anything at the museum. They had a local girl from the high school working the door and giving tours.