Page 9 of Big Built Boss

“I’ve been told I’m a pretty good teacher,” Alex offers, picking up the bait that I laid down easily. “If you’re willing to have your boss instructing you, I’d be more than happy to help out.”

“I don’t mind at all,” I say, putting on my most charming smile and hoping the blush that still hasn’t gone away doesn’t detract from it. “It looks like you know what you’re doing.”

He laughs, his smirk turning into something warmer. “What makes you say that? I don’t think you’ve seen me work out.”

“I can tell by your muscles,” I say, knowing it’s bold to comment on his physique. I think it’s alright, though – he did the same to me just a few minutes ago.

“That’s high praise,” he says, showing off a perfect row of teeth.

“So,” I say, suddenly flustered by the effect I had on him, “when do you propose we start these lessons?”

“Are you free this evening?” he asks. “The gym closes at nine, so I know it’s a little late, but I promise not to work you too hard. Plus, I wouldn’t hold it against you if you came into work a little late tomorrow.”

“It’ll take a lot more than a hard workout to get me to come in late,” I counter. “Yoga’s a lot harder than it looks.”

“Trust me, I know,” he says, taking his hands out of his pockets and scratching the back of his head, upsetting his long black hair. “So, is that a yes? Should I expect you after we close tonight.”

“It’s a yes,” I confirm, unable to quell the excitement bubbling in my belly. I know that this is just going to be an instructional meeting, I can’t help but look forward to spending time with him one on one.

“Perfect,” he says as he takes a step back from me. “I’d suggest leaving the weight machine and maybe heading home to get yourself some dinner. I don’t need you tired when you get here tonight.”

“I can definitely do that,” I say, getting up from the machine I didn’t use. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“I’ll see you then,” he says, reaching out to squeeze my bicep. When he drops his hand, he tells me, “Get home safe, Olivia.”

“I will,” I promise, holding his gaze for a beat before walking back to the locker room.

I gather my things from the locker I stashed them in, not bothering to change back into my office clothes. When I leave the gym, I wave goodbye to Josh and Alex, who are standing at the front desk discussing something that I can’t hear. Then, when I get in my car, I let out a gleeful giggle. Finally, my patience has paid off and Alex has made another move.

Chapter Five

Alex

When I told Josh my plans for training with Olivia tonight, I could tell that he had thoughts he didn’t voice. Still, he did me the kindness of keeping them to himself. Before he left for the evening, he reminded me once again to be careful.

That phrase echoes in my head. I’m not planning on doing anything risky, nor was that on my mind when I offered my help to Olivia. All I wanted to do was give her the tools that she needed to add some variety to her workouts. This wouldn’t be the first time that I’ve offered help to employees or customers.

However, as soon as he mentioned that I needed to be careful, all of the implications of that hit me full force. For the first time since meeting Olivia, the two of us will be truly alone. It wouldn’t be difficult to push the boundaries of our relationship when there isn’t the threat of being seen. I will need to be careful.

The rest of the day goes by sinfully quickly. Thanks to how busy the gym stays, I don’t have time to dwell on my impending meeting with Olivia. My time is split between checking customers in and wiping down machines. By the time the last person leaves, I’ve only got five minutes to deal with the closingduties – whatever I don’t get done, I’ll have to take care of after she leaves.

Sure enough, at exactly nine Olivia knocks at the locked glass door. I tie off the trash bag I’m in the process of taking care of before I walk over to let her in. Through the glass I can see that she’s changed her outfit. She’s still in a combination of athletic leggings and a sports bra, but the colors have changed.

“Right on time,” I say as I open the door and step back to let her in.

“I’m nothing if not punctual,” she says with a grin. “Plus, I’m looking forward to learning something new.”

“So eager,” I say as I relock the door and motion for her to follow me over to the weight rack.

“What’s first?” she asks, apparently leaning into my earlier comment. Her willingness to impress is cute, and I have to swallow down the urge to reach out and touch her.

“The first thing we’ll want to do is stretch,” I say, doing my best to keep my tone professional. “I saw you before you got on the treadmill, so I’m fairly certain you’re familiar with this part.”

“I like to think I am,” she jokes before crossing an arm over her chest.

We speak very little as we warm up. It’s obvious that Olivia takes her health pretty seriously even though she acts casual about it. She’s thorough in the way she primes her body, and I can’t help but follow each movement with my eyes as I mirror her. I have no idea how I’m going to get through this little lesson without crossing some sort of boundary.

“Alright,” I say, rolling my shoulders back as we finish up our last stretch. “We’re going to start with the five pound weight so you can get the basics of form down. Then, once we’re sure that you’re not going to hurt yourself, we’ll work on finding the best weight for you to use.”

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