He had never touched her like Axel had. He had never prioritized her pleasure over his. He had never slipped his fingers inside of her. Sex with Austin had always just been uncomfortable. She thought it was just something she had to endure. She knew sex could be different. She had heard her friends rave about their encounters, but she never expected she would experience it. Now she had and she could admit she wanted more.
She wanted a real relationship with a man who would respect her and treat her well. She didn't just want to have casual sex, but a real connection with someone and she wasn't going to compromise. She knew she could have good sex and a good relationship; she just needed to find the right guy.
She hefted her box full of treasures and hauled them to the first floor and into the office. She drank a glass of water and glanced out the window. There was a hooded man standing under a tree outside. He was staring up at the mansion. She moved to try and see his face, but he must have spotted her, immediately moving away and walking down the street. She followed him with her eyes. Who was he? A curious passerby or someone else?
Had Austin sent someone to find her? Would she be easy to track? The only thing in her name was her car insurance and she knew it would be tricky for him to access that information. Her phone was a burner; she didn't have a bank account. America is a big country, she reminded herself. As long as she kept her profile low, she might be able to hide forever.
Marie stretched out her arms. The soreness from her workouts was becoming a familiar feeling and she wondered if she would ever get strong enough to not hurt the next day. She had a training with Axel tomorrow morning and she was ready for it. She wasn't going to ask for a new trainer; she was ready to face him. She wasn't sad anymore, she wasn't embarrassed, she could handle him.
Marie walked back through the empty mansion. A tour had just let out and now the place was silent and still. She liked it best like this, when it felt like hers. She strolled into the dining room and walked along the long table and the many high-backed chairs. It was such an elegant home. She couldn't get enough of the art and the styling. Everything was beautiful with intricate details. It made the 1700s seem like a finer time and better than the one she was in now.
On a display on the sideboard was Edith Hawks' engagement ring. It was a simple gold band with a small emerald set in the center. Marie looked down at her own bare left hand. Austin had never married her and she was glad of it now, but she had been resentful for a long time. She thought he would propose when she became pregnant with Cate, but he never did. He wasn't ready to be married yet. What's the rush, we already have a kid? He had a litany of excuses for his non-proposal.
She used to cry about it. Every time someone she knew got engaged and the announcement appeared on Facebook she would struggle to hold back tears. She had been stuck in a sort of purgatory. Austin wasn't willing to let her go, but he wouldn't marry her either. Now he was like a specter hanging over her. She had left him, but she still wasn't free. He was in her head and now she was worried he was in the street.
She looked at Edith's serious face in profile. That was a woman who had never cried over a man. She had never let herself be abused. Marie lifted the frame to get a better look at Edith's face. It was heart-shaped and thin with a little button nose. What would Edith do? that was Marie's new question whenever she had a problem. Edith Hawks had been a badass back in her day and now she could be Marie's spirit animal, someone to remind Marie she was stronger than whatever problem she was facing.
The only thing left for Marie to do was to go back to the gym and learn how to fight. She had made great strides at the gym. She had learned to stand up for herself and she had her first casual hook-up ever. She was growing and changing and she wasn't willing to stop. She was going back to Axel, but now it was only to work, nothing else. She was going to learn how to defend herself. She had a job and was paying the bills; she had a place to stay, now she needed to focus on learning how to kick ass. She wanted to be ready for Austin if he ever showed up here. She wasn't the same little girl he was used to and if he ever found her, she was going to be ready.
Chapter Eighteen
Axel completed fifty pushups and stood up. The night's sleep had done him some good; he felt a little better. He wasn't as tired, but his heart still wasn't in it. He was able to function, at least, but the hair on the back of his neck was standing up. Marie would be soon. Very soon, she might already be in the building.
He had given Marie to another trainer, Lori. Hayden still didn't know Austin had been training her and he hoped the other man never found out. Axel sat up and wiped the sweat from his brow. Hayden was standing over him, his hands on his hips.
"You're a little better today," Hayden said. "You get a good night sleep?"
"Yeah," Axel said with a nod. Where were they? He wanted her to come down those stairs, but at the same time he prayed she wouldn't. Maybe she wouldn't come. Maybe she would be too uncomfortable.
"You waiting for someone?" Hayden asked.
"No," Axel said shaking his head. Just then the door opened. Lori came down first and behind her was Marie. She looked gorgeous in a pair of tight exercise pants and a white shirt. She was talking with Lori and then two women were laughing about something. Marie looked relaxed and casual, perfectly at ease even with Axel in the room.
"Her?" Hayden hissed in a quiet voice. "That girl over there? Who is she? Where did you even meet her?"
"It's not a problem," Axel said as he got up off the bench and walked to the pull up bar. He didn't look towards Marie, but he couldn't help but see her reflection everywhere. Her ass was reflected back at him. Her shining hair appeared on every wall. He reached for the pull-up bar and with a hand on either side he began to lift himself up and lower himself down.
Hayden's angry face appeared in the mirror. His arms were crossed as he stared at Axel. Doing his best to ignore him, Axel glanced at Marie to see if she was looking at him, but she was sparring with Lori. Not that he cared. He continued to do pull-ups, but his arms were starting to burn; he would have to come down eventually.
He dropped to the springy mat and rolled his eyes at Hayden. "What?" he demanded.
"Office," Hayden said through clenched teeth. He slammed the door once they were inside and Axel sat down on the couch with Haden behind the desk. "So why don't you tell me what happened?"
"She came into the gym. She was hot, she had spirit, she signed up for the MMA training program and I trained her a couple times and then we hooked up.
"I was only gone for five days." Hayden yelled. "In five days you managed to do all of that. Do you need a babysitter or something?" Axel rolled his eyes, but said nothing. "Why were you training her?"
Axel shrugged and searched for and answer before finally shrugging and admitting, "She was hot."
"Come on, man! This is a big deal. This is the biggest fight of your career coming up and you're messing up over a girl? Did you see yourself yesterday? You were a damn mess. You looked like a weak fool, not a champion."
"I know, but it's fine and it's in the past. I'm good now."
"Your body's here, but your head and your heart are somewhere else. It's not just about the body. It's not just lifting weights. This isn't a bodybuilding competition we're prepping for. This is a fight. A knock down, drag-out fight and you're thinking about something else?"
"Look it's fine. It was just a fling and it's over. It's not a relationship and she doesn't think it is either. She's over there not worried about me. So I'm not worried about her."
Hayden cursed and hit the wall with his open palm. "It's not just you, you know? I'm in this with you, Axel. I gave up everything to come and coach you and run this gym. You owe me the courtesy of giving it your all. I give it my all!"
"I know, but like I said: I'm good now."
"We should kick her out of the gym. We can give her a full refund for the program and send her on her way."
"No!" Axel said loudly; he recovered and lowered her voice. "She needs this program and she's good at it. Don't kick her out of here because of me." Marie was a girl on the run. Axel couldn't kick her out of the program. What if the thing she was running from caught up with her and she wasn't prepared? The thought made him sick to his stomach.
"It's your gym and your career on the line. Hard choices need to happen," Hayden said.