Page 12 of Triple the Danger

Saylor relaxed at the change of conversation. She much preferred to discuss her work and not think about men. They weren’t worth the headache that came with them. “It is,” she replied. “I like that it gives me the flexibility to come and go as I like, while also doing something fun and different with each person. Some jobs are standard or monotonous, but the majority of the time, each client wants something unique, and it’s fun to mix it up.”

“I’ve never been one to sit in front of a computer for longer than I have to,” Karissa told her ruefully. “If I need to do anything more complex than ordering something online or occasionally scrolling, I leave that to Glitch.”

“What she actually means is that she’s technologically challenged,” Razor snickered, drawing their attention as he leaned over the pool table to aim at one of his balls.

“Fuck off, I am not,” Karissa huffed.

“Babe, you definitely are. I still love you, but remember that time you offered to help Esme at the garage when she was feeling shitty with morning sickness, and Rogue about killed you for messing up the system so badly that he had to get Code to fix it?”

Karissa pouted and Saylor bit back a grin. “It’s not my fault you guys picked the hardest system out there for your shit.”

“Babe, it’s the easiest,” Razor told her as he straightened and moved over to kiss her head. “There’s no shame in not being good at everything. You’re a badass everywhere else.”

Jax moved around the table to lean over it as he lined up his shot. “She can kill you with a flick of her wrist. I think that makes up for her being shit with computers,” he drawled once he took his shot and straightened. Saylor admired the movement before she forced herself to look back at Karissa.

Karissa shrugged. “Yeah, true. Just like you can do amazing work with engines but you’re absolute shit at sparring.”

Saylor perked up at that, and watched him scowl at Karissa. “We’re not all trained for combat like you, or have people to train us,” he reminded her pointedly. “And I can kick your man’s ass just fine.”

“But you can’t take down Savage or Rogue,” Karissa argued. “Look, I’m not saying you’re not strong and you don’t have skills, but you need to work at it if you want to actually overpower someone bigger than you – or have a true spar with someone you think of as a friend and don’t want to accidentally injure.”

“I don’t do that,” Jax scowled, affronted.

“Yes, you do,” Razor chimed in. “You hold back, brother, and we all notice it.”

Jax fumed silently. “Just because I don’t go full on attack mode with you doesn’t mean I can’t take you down,” he returned tightly. “I’m not fighting with you to kill you. Anyone else, I’m just as deadly as the rest of you.”

Saylor could see the temper building in his eyes. She could understand it. His friends were picking at an obvious sore spot. Mater did the same when he was working with her, and had done it on purpose to try and get her past it. It had worked for her, but Jax was different. “Are you sparring in a ring or on mats?” she asked curiously.

Jax’s green eyes turned to her and some of the anger in them dimmed. “Both. We have a gym in the basement of the clubhouse that we use. Well, some of us use it for actual workouts and sparring, while others use it as their personal sexual playground.” He gave Razor and Karissa a pointed look.

Saylor blinked and looked back at them. The couple were sharing a conspiratorial look, and Saylor cocked her head. “How the hell do you manage that? I mean, I get the benches, floor, walls, but what else could you do in there?” she demanded, unable to help herself.

“No, don’t ask them that,” Jax groaned. “We’ll be here all night.”

“I’ll tell you later,” Karissa promised with a wink. “You like to go to the gym?”

“I spar a lot,” Saylor said with a shrug. She didn’t know why she was telling them so much about herself; maybe it was because she missed talking to people. A month on the road with only occasional conversation was lonely. Especially when she was used to going to the gym daily and talking to the guys.

Karissa perked up at that, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jax did too. “With other women or men?” Karissa asked.

“I’ve only ever sparred with men,” Saylor answered honestly. “The man who trained me also trains up and coming MMA fighters, and I convinced him to coach me. He’s been working with me ever since.”

“Wait, you train with MMA fighters?” Jax repeated. “Like, the big assed dudes that go in the octagon to beat the shit out of each other?”

Saylor arched a brow at him. “Yes. What, you don’t think I can handle them?”

“I mean, you’re still standing so obviously you can, but I’m surprised they spar with you,” Jax admitted. “I thought with that shit, they had to fight with people in their own weight classes.”

“They do. But when I want to spar, I need a partner, so my trainer picks one of them to spar with me. It teaches them patience, and when to hold back their hits. I’m not saying I haven’t left there hurting, but I can hit back just as hard.”

She couldn’t tell if Jax was impressed by that or pissed. Of course, that was the moment the waitress, Tina, showed back up with their bottles of beer. She slammed one down in front of Karissa, then Saylor, while gently handing one to Razor and then Jax. Jax’s, she gave to him with a flirtatious smile and purred, “If you want to leave a tip, I can collect out back.”

Saylor blinked at her and then looked at Karissa. “Did she just offer for him to give her his dick as a tip?” she asked aloud, unable to refrain.

Karissa let out a sharp laugh. “Yeah, she did. Though Jax doesn’t look all that tempted.”

Saylor looked at his face, and Jax did indeed look irritated at the suggestion. Not that Tina seemed to notice. If anything, she was trying to get closer to him, and her hand was heading south. Saylor arched a brow at that, but it wasn’t her place to step in. Jax was a big boy, and he could say no all on his own. But the moment that her hand hit the top of his belt, he gripped her wrist and shoved her hand away with a growled, “Stop it, Tina. You want someone to fuck you tonight, find someone else. I’m not interested.”

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