Page 13 of Obsessed with the Player

I’d now officiallydecided I hated Mondays. Hated them. Hated everyone’s sunshine disposition as they came to the gym at the start of a new week, even if I’d always loved it and somewhat sadistically enjoyed seeing the long faces of the people who hated it. Hated coming in to the gym I’d always loved, and seeing my employees, even if pride had always filled me whenever I saw them.

And obviously, this had nothing to do with the fact that after I’d introduced a certain accountant to them, they had all but thrown themselves at him like wolves, and the one I’d dubbed ‘the grumpiest and most stuck-up guy in this world’ was now making quick work of becoming the gym’s darling in less than a whole morning of being here.

I was certainlynotglaring in his direction, watching his every move, and stupidly catching his amused smirks as he caught sight of me brooding, before looking away and going back to his conversation as if I wassofar beneath his notice.

Dan was just so fucking self-satisfied, and I wanted nothing more than to wipe the smile off his face.

With my mouth.

With my hands on his body.

With my body pressed against his–

“Did the roles suddenly reverse?” Travis, my best friend, asked, walking up to me, brushing his dark hair away from his sharp gray eyes after his first class of the day, and staring toward the guy taking over my brain.

Travis and I were co-owners of this gym, but since the thought of managing things and being stuck in an office made him retch, I was more than happy to let him take care of classes and stuff, while I took care of everything else. We’d both been lucky that the gym had had a lot of growth in the past year and a half, thanks in part to Travis’s (and my) success as college-level-boxers, and also to our old coach, who put in a good word about us to anyone that would listen.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” I said, even as I bit the inside of my cheek as I watched one of my trainers, Leonard, who was six fucking five and all muscle, slap good-naturedly at Dan in the back with his big fucking hand, probably saying howniceit was to meet such a lovely man in the workplace.

He was probably thinking of all the ways he could strip Dan out of his prim little shirt, how and when he could manage to ask for his number and get him alone in a much nicer, more intimate situation.

Travis hummed. “And you wouldn’t know anything about my best asshole friend going out with Dan on Saturday night, would you?”

My head suddenly snapped toward him. “Who the fuck told you?”

My best friend sent me a smug grin. “Kelly. She messaged me almost as soon as you two walked into the bar and asked me if you two were fucking.”

Of fucking course.

She was in one of Travis's classes, the first one on Mondays, since she worked afternoons as a nurse.

I was going to have words with her for being a snitch.

Except I couldn’t, unless I wanted it to look like I was trying to hide something.

I tried my best to ignore the tightening of my stomach at her assumption.

Travis sat on one of the nearby workout benches. “I heard it was kind of wild. Anything to comment?”

“No.”

Nothing at all.

It wasn't like it was still messing with me. Nor like I hadn't been able to get out of my mind the vision of Dan, looking all daring and wicked, leaning into me, and sucking a lime out of my mouth with a hint of his tongue on my lips, the scent of his cologne surrounding me like the most dangerous aphrodisiac, one I’d wanted to leave on my bedsheets for days.

It hadn’t left an impression on me at all.

Butfuck, the sight of him. I’d been going through memories of him all weekend. The way he had looked so nervous in the beginning before starting to loosen up. Then he’d quickly started becoming more daring, until he’d called me out for not doing as I’d promised, and then, after ournot-kiss, looking so smug and proud of himself, all I’d been able to think was of taking the damn lime out of his mouth and slamming my lips against his. Once we were home, I’d had to physically force myself not to try to listen in for movements while he was having a shower so I could know whether he’d decided to relieve himself after a good night’s hard work thwarting me.

Dan James was officially fucking me up, and I was not up for it.

I was supposed to be the one in charge, the onedoingthe daring, enjoying seeing him squirm and pushing his buttons, making him regret he’d ever asked me to help him let loose.

Instead, I was the one under his thrall.

I would not stand for it.

“We just had a couple of drinks and I introduced him to everyone, nothing special,” I told Travis, trying to sound a little less defensive.

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