Page 25 of Christmas with my Three Best Friends

“Yeah, for now,” she says quietly “Aren’t you shocked, or am I the only one?”

I give her a long look and feel myself softening on the inside. “You’re not the only one, Shay. I think we should just make the most of it, enjoy every moment we have together and make sure we keep our friendship and our business partnership completely separate.”

“Oh, I absolutely agree. We’ve each worked so hard for the gym, for our clients, for our careers. It makes all the sense in the world for us to protect it. Speaking of,” she says, lowering her gaze for a moment. “I have this nagging feeling that Richard isn’t sure about our gym anymore.”

“You, too?” I let a heavy sigh roll off my chest. “It’s been on my mind as well. Marius and I have tried talking to him about it, but he keeps reassuring us that we’re in it together, in it for the long term and whatnot. Yet at the same time, he has said he won’t be investing anymore if the gym doesn’t pick up its revenue soon. I don’t know where that leaves us, or how we’re supposed to push through. We’re still in the early days.”

“We’ve been open for almost two years, though…”

I shrug, having seen my share of business enterprises come and go. “Most service industry projects need at least two years to start seeing a return on investment. If we manage to skate along the baseline, we’re golden. Richard wanted this place to boom right off the bat, and he should know better.”

“Except we’re not really along the baseline, either,” Shay replies. I can see the concern etched in the shadows dancing over her eyes. “We’re bleeding money, and we’re not bringing in enough new customers to stem the flow.”

“We knew that from the beginning, from the moment we found the space. We knew the neighborhood would be a competitive one, and that we would have to build a different and smarter identity,” I tell her. “We’re almost there, though. I can see our brand coming together, Shay, and I have a lot of faith in us. Like you said just a few days ago, we only need to get through the winter and things will start to pick up.”

“Yeah. They should’ve picked up with the cold season, though. Think about it this way. Summer is when most people are away on vacation. Autumn, winter, and spring should be full all the time. In the two years we’ve been open, Richard has had to cover the gym’s rent five months out of twelve. It’s a lot, especially for a man who lives and breathes by certain codes.”

“Richard knew what he was getting himself into,” I say. “I wouldn’t worry too much about him, Shay. He’s a good man, and he keeps his word.”

“I don’t doubt that for a second. But I do worry about the gym. We need to come up with something more, something to strengthen his trust in us and in the business.”

I nod slowly, stretching my arm around her shoulders. “We’ll figure it out. Hey, we’ve been riding this boat for two years, now, and we’ve only gotten better at it.”

“I guess…”

“Your evolution alone has been a favorite show of mine.”

Shay gives me a curious look, the corner of her mouth tempted by a smile. “Professional evolution, you mean?”

“All of it. I’ll be honest, I liked you since before you started your glow-up journey, as you prefer to call it. Your character, your personality… They made you beautiful and perfect just the way you were. I’ve always wanted to get closer to you like this.”

Shay takes a deep breath and gives herself a moment to think. I hadn’t planned on saying these things, but she has a way of making me open up to her even when I’m trying to be cautious and guarded.

“Jax… I had no idea. You never said anything.”

“How could I? We were in business together. And I didn’t know if you felt anything for me, either. It was too high a risk for me to take.”

“I was always attracted to you,” she sighs deeply. “Marius, too, and Richard. You each have something that makes me want you as a woman. You’re different and yet so much alike, it’s mind-boggling and wonderful and scary at the same time. I wasn’t sure I’d ever deserve something like this.”

I hold her close and kiss her ruddy cheek, breathing her in and closing my eyes for a moment. “You will always be deserving, Shay.”

“I know that now.”

“Good.”

We stay like this for a while, though there’s a fire burning in the center of my heart, spreading outward and out of control. The blaze will soon consume me, flesh and bone and soul. I won’t be able to stop it. It will eventually destroy me, despite my feeble attempts to keep my own emotions under control. Who the hell am I trying to lie to here? Shay has burrowed her way deep inside me. She’s been there for a while. It didn’t happen overnight.

She was always a distant dream. A sweet kind of what if.

After we’re done sightseeing in the city, we drive back to the Hedonerie resort in one of their rental Jeeps. The backseat is loaded with shopping bags. I made sure Shay got her fill at every single store that caught her eye. Lingerie, jewelry, shoes, dresses. Whatever she wanted, I got it. She objected repeatedly. At one point she refused to let me buy her anything—I kissed her hard and grabbed her ass and told her to do as she’s told. The dark undertone of my voice made her gasp and whimper with instant desire. When she’s all hot and bothered, Shay is exceptionally pliable and submissive.

“I still can’t believe you bought me so… much… stuff!” she exclaims as we pull up outside the resort. It’s snowing here in Chappaqua, and I’m loving the view. Thick snow clusters fall gently over the layers from yesterday, and it gives me a sense of peace and quiet I haven’t experienced in a while. “You really went overboard, Jax.”

“Consider it a Christmas present and be done with it,” I chuckle dryly.

“This is a motherload of Christmas presents!”

“You deserve it. Now, shut up and kiss me.”

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