Page 12 of Training Maisy

“Of course,” Maisy replied, not sounding convincing at all.

They got to the room, and Maisy took off the large sweatshirt she was wearing and turned to face him. “Just thought I’d let you know that most of my body aches like crazy, and I think a bone in my thigh has gotten loose or something.”

“Well, that’s normal for a beginner . . .”

“So it should stop?” Maisy asked hopefully.

“Yes, to an extent. But mostly, you should just get used to it and hopefully come to like it. That’s actually how you know you just put in a decent workout.”

“Yeah, Chloe said the same thing to me. But I’m finding it hard to believe that people actually look forward to this kind of pain.”

“Well, pain itself is a spectrum, and people have different thresholds, or rather people react to the same amount of pain differently. Mostly based on the purpose behind the cause of the pain.” He looked at her to see if she understood what he was saying, and she just returned a blank stare. So, he tried to explain further. “Take running, for example. When you run, it gets to a point that your body releases endorphins, chemicals that make you feel good about running even though it causes part of your body to ache. Just saying that pain is subjective, and there are people who actually enjoy it.”

“Maybe, but I sure as hell am not one of them,” Maisy said, still not getting what he was implying.

“Don’t knock it till you try it. There can be pleasure with pain. You’d be surprised,” Carter told her, and Maisy glanced at him, surprised by his statement. More surprising was the look in his eyes as he stared into hers. It was strange and hypnotic, and Maisy shivered as her mind turned to mush. If he’d grabbed her by her shoulders and kissed her just then, she would have leaned into the kiss without a second thought. Hell, if he had offered to show her how enjoyable pain was, she would submit without worrying as to the strangeness of the request. Dragging her mind back to the present, she looked at him without saying a word, waiting for his next instruction. Now she wasn’t sure she could trust herself to say anything that wouldn’t come out in a croak.

“Okay, how about you go through some of the stretches I showed you yesterday,” he said as he stood in front of her, arms folded and watching her. A little bit shy at his direct gaze, Maisy stepped into the middle of the room and started going through the routines they had started with yesterday. Her movements were a little bit slow and more painful today because of the aches in her muscles and stiff joints. But aware that she was being watched, Maisy forced herself to go through them. Carter noticed this and moved closer to her.

“Lie on your back,” he instructed as he came to stand between her legs. Then taking her left foot in his hand, he bent it backwards a little, massaging the joint as he went and easing the pain a little. At first, Maisy’s legs stiffened when he tried to help her, then slowly, she began to relax as she felt that ache in her ankle recede. After a few minutes, he moved to the other leg, repeating the process, and Maisy nearly wept in relief. Then he spread her legs and stepped in between them. Maisy’s eyes snapping open at the action as she stared at him wondering what he was aiming at. There was no hint of mischief in his expression and even his touch was almost impersonal, purely professional. Yet the minute he placed his hands on her thighs and started kneading, Maisy had to bite back a gasp as she felt her nipples harden instantly.

He kneaded her thighs with quick, mechanical-like motions even, yet to Maisy, it was the most sensual touch, and she had to fight to ensure her breathing stayed even and not pant like she wanted to. Then he dropped her leg and she almost screamed her frustration, stopping herself at the last minute. He moved behind her and placed his hands under her shoulders, urging her to sit up. Then he began to knead her shoulders, working out the kinks in them, and this time Maisy couldn’t help herself as her head fell back and she closed her eyes in barely concealed ecstasy. Her back rested on his chest, and even through her clothes, she could feel the solid wall of his chest. She leaned as far back as she could, luxuriating in the heat of him as she felt his hand encircle her neck. The touch was slightly improper, yet Maisy didn’t care. It had been a long time since she gave anyone this much control over her, a long time since feelings of this nature had coursed through her whole body, and the first time since she had felt this much. His hands brushed the side of her breasts, and the breath left her lungs in a whoosh as she moaned low in her throat. There was no ache in her body now, no pain. In fact, she felt strong, more alive that she had ever felt in her life. She felt . . . nothing. Blinking, she almost fell on her back as Carter stood up and stepped around her. She slowly got up, not believing how easily she had been aroused by something as simple as a shoulder rub.

“Okay, a couple of more stretches then get on the treadmill,” Carter said to her as he walked toward the office. “Remember, start slowly, then gradually increase your pace.”

---