Page 78 of The Cult

“Yeah,” I mouthed.

He nodded and gave me a thumbs-up.

We fell back into silence as we trudged. My heart thudded like a drumbeat, a mixture of excitement and nerves. It’s just a regular training day, I psyched myself, even though there was nothing regular about this morning. The soreness in my ass was a reminder of that.

The gym door was wide open. Six trainers, including Tobias, were waiting, their backs to us. My stomach immediately filled with butterflies; my mouth went dry. Tobias’s arms were crossed, and he stood like he owned the fucking place.

The guards announced our presence and the trainers shifted.

Tobias faced us, and I swear time slowed down. A smile crept across his lips as our eyes met. Everyone else faded away.

I couldn’t help but return his smile with a small wave.

The moment was interrupted when Napoleon stepped in front of me. Jerk! “You’re up to something!” he sneered, staring me down, blocking me from joining the rest of the guys. “But I’ll figure it out.” Napoleon’s eyes bounced between Tobias and me. “I will find out.”

Tobias’s attitude changed on a dime. His features hardened; his hands balled into fists. He marched toward us; with his long strides, he reached us in no time. Tobias’s eyes blazed with fury, his jaw sharp as a blade. “Is there a fucking problem here?” he asked, bumping Napoleon sideways.

Napoleon staggered back. “What the fu—”

“Nope,” I answered, attempting to prevent the situation from escalating.

“Good,” Tobias scowled. “Let’s go. We have work to do.” Tobias grabbed my arm and practically dragged me away from Napoleon. He glanced over his shoulder, shooting him a warning glare. Tobias pulled a stained white wrap from his back pocket when we reached our side of the gym. “That fucker gives me the creeps.”

“Same,” I concurred.

He reached for my right hand and wrapped them in preparation for our training.

“I can do it,” I said.

“I know you can,” he said, continuing anyway. “Give me the other.”

I raised my left hand and glanced around at the rest of the guys with their trainers. We seemed to have one trainer per guy now. “When did they come in?” I nodded in their direction.

“Today.” Tobias taped the end of the wrap, securing them to my wrist. He stood behind me. “Glove-up,” he whispered in my ear, tapping my stomach. The sensation immediately traveled to my cock.

Tobias stood behind the punching bag to begin our training. “Jesus, man.” He shook his head when he clocked my boner. His eyes swept the gym, perhaps checking to see if anyone else saw.

“What?” I feigned innocence, my grin widening when the tips of Tobias’s lips curled into a semi-smile.

“Put your gloves on, boy!” he growled.

“Whatever you say, Daddy,” I teased.

The sound of heavy bags being pummeled filled the room as we engaged in our rigorous practice session. Our bodies glistened with sweat under the harsh lights, muscles flexing with each movement. “I hate the smell in here,” I said through my ragged breaths. The air was stale, everything was dusty. The pungent atmosphere matched the rotten man running this place: Orcus.

“Everything around here needs to be burned down,” Tobias remarked but didn’t elaborate.

“How should we tell the guys?” I asked.

Tobias paused mid-strike, his brows furrowing in thought. Surveying the gym, he closed our distance. “What have you told them so far?”

“Nothing yet.”

“Good.” Tobias wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He lifted his shirt to dab at his face, revealing the contours of his well-defined abs.

I was glad he kept his shirt on during training, otherwise I would’ve been distracted. I darted my tongue and wet my lips.

“We’ll tell them after lunch. I’ll have Sterling cover for me,” Tobias said.

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