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CHAPTER ONE
Buns of Steel
Lexi
Spontaneity was the sprinkle of life. At least that that was the way I looked at it.
I seriously loved what I did for a living: I was a part-time worker at a bakery and a temp worker. No, really, a temp! There was something about waking up in the morning and not knowing what the day was going to bring that made me unbearably excited – my younger sister’s words, not mine. I couldn’t help it though. While I appreciated routine and structure, it didn’t feed my soul. Chaos did.
So when I woke up this morning, I had no idea that I would be a receptionist for one of the hottest gyms in Toronto. Okay, being a receptionist wasn’t new. That’s what I was called in to cover eight out of ten times, but I had never stepped foot in a professional gym before.
And holy guacamole was it cool.
Don’t get me wrong, Ihavestepped foot in a gym before – we all had to do P.E. back in our high school days – but I’ve never willingly walked into a gym, excited to be there. And I’m absurdly excited.
The smile on my face is almost clown-like as I step through the sliding automatic doors. My eyes try to take in everything at once but fail within seconds. There’s too much to see. Everything looks so shiny and new, there’s even a citrusy scent in the air. I wonder if that’s to create atmosphere. Or maybe due to cleaning? I’ll have to ask.
My eyes are still skimming the large area when they stop and lock on the surliest looking man I have ever seen. And damn does it work for him. The deep scowl on his face does not detract from his piercing blue eyes or the sharp cheekbones that have me channeling Sleeping Beauty and her spinning wheel. I know I’ll hurt myself but one touch of the deep copper skin would be worth it.
I take a step forward, getting a better view of him behind what I believe is the front desk. Do they call this the front desk in a gym? Maybe the check-in area? Whatever. I’m sure I’ll learn that too.
The scowling, brown-haired Thor behind the desk crosses his massive arms over his chest as he blows out a frustrated breath. If his eyes were lasers, I bet the computer would be melted into a metallic puddle by now. He does not look pleased.
With a determined air, I take the final steps up to the desk and place my hands on the cool surface. Thor doesn’t immediately look at me, instead mumbling something to himself and reaching for his cell. He’s probably one angry text in when his eyes flick up to me, his fingers still typing.
I can see he doesn’t want to engage, but heisthe commander of the front desk right now, so he has no choice. He knows this. I know this. Greeting lines have been drawn. Who will break first?
Dun, dun dunnn.
Okay. It’s obviously going to be me. You can’t be surprised. I hate long pauses.
“Good evening,” I say, bouncing on the balls of my toes. He doesn’t say anything. Tough crowd. Pressing my lips together and making my eyebrows dance up and down, I tap down my need to make this guy smile. “Umm, I’m Lexi Lee-Anderson. I’m with the temporary work agency—”
“Thank fucking God.” The relief in his voice is palpable. His shoulders shag about an inch, the tension he was holding disappearing before my very eyes. “I thought you’d never get here.”
My eyes dart to the electronic clock that hangs on the wall behind him. I’m on time, so I’m not sure what his words are supposed to mean. He may be a hottie with a boom-body, but he is no people person. It’s a shame really. Our almost meet-cute story ends here.
“Well, here I am!” I say, extending my arms in a flourish.
Nodding, like I didn’t just ride in on my bike and save the day, Thor reaches for something under the ledge of the desk I can’t see. “Sign these waivers. I know you won’t be using the equipment but it’s a requirement of all employees.” He slides a clipboard my way. “I’m Xavier, one of the owners of Triple X Athletics. I don’t have time to give you the tour but someone else should be here soon to do that.”
“Oh, okay.” I start filling out the form with the pen that’s attached by a thin string, all the while watching Xavier from the corner of my eye as he furiously types on his phone. When I’m done, I take the initiative and round the desk. Throwing my bag to the foot of the chair, I gaze at my temporary workspace. Not too shabby. Everything is neatly set on the desk, there are emergency phone numbers and cell numbers laminated and taped to the side of the phone. There’s even a unicorn mug filled with pens! Whoever usually works the desk has my kind of decorating tastes. As inconspicuous as possible, I slide the clipboard back in Xavier’s direction. Nothing seems out of the ordinary.
Sitting down, I settle in nicely, running my hands over the clean, smooth surface and preparing to learn the ropes. A flash of color to the side catches my attention and I turn, smile in place. The smile only lasts a second before it drops.
A sight unlike any other comes strutting through the automatic doors in lime green glory. At this point, I don’t even know how I’m still in solid human form. I should be a puddle on the floor, a ball of goo or any second now spontaneously burst into sprinkles and float away like confetti. He’s so good looking my eyes hurt from one glance.
He’s not looking at me, but he is heading my way. A couple people also notice him, drawn into his magnetic field, and stop what they’re doing. I get it, I really do. No man, or woman either, should be able to pull off a lime-green t-shirt the way this guy did. It was tight, stretched across a wide chest with only a tiny logo on the side. He doesn’t notice anyone as he strides over to my area. Oh my God, he was coming to me! Preparing for the magnificence to lookandspeak to me, I widen my smile and push up from my chair. He was tall, and I didn’t want him hurting his neck as he looked down at me.
He was only three feet away when a harsh truth hit me. He wasn’t coming to me. My shoulders slump. When he reaches the desk, he gives a tilt of his chin to Xavier in hello, not even noticing me.
Then, like I’m a Zoologist in the wild, I watch as the two alpha males communicate silently with tiny head nods before The Captain – I’m calling him that in my head now because he looks like Captain America but scruffier this close – makes a tiny turn and continues walking to the set of offices to the left. And like any great researcher, my eyes drift down, taking all of him in so I don’t miss a shred of information. And there is a lot to take in. Never in my life have I seen an ass like The Captain’s outside of TV. That thing is lush.
“Laura,” Xavier grunts, probably seeing exactly where my eyes are.
It takes everything in me to unlock my eyes from the bubble-butt that is strutting away but I do. With a smile, I turn back to Xavier as if I hadn’t just been changed forever by scoping out a client’s ass. “It’s Lexi.”
He doesn’t acknowledge the mix-up. “Part of the waiver you signed includes an NDA. You can’t disclose information about clients here without sever penalty.”
