Page 2 of Drawn to You
I must be staring at her like a fool because she becomes self-conscious when her eyes meet mine. “Is there something wrong with my hair?”
“No!” I blurt. “You look fine. Great. Come on. I’ll give you a tour.”
As I show her around in the gym, Brittney says, “Wow, this is so impressive! Not small at all.”
“Thanks,” I say with a chuckle. “It’s actually about a quarter of the size of the LA Fitness three blocks away. But we’ve got everything: equipment, functional training, and yoga classes. We’ve also got the sauna.”
I can’t hide my pride as I show Brittney my gym. After I graduated from USC with a degree in kinesiology, I worked at various gyms as a physical trainer for three years before I could open my own gym. Besides my savings and my friend Connor’s investment, I borrowed some money from my parents and the bank. Thankfully, the business was profitable, and I cleared my debt within two years.
I’m always proud of my gym, especially now, seeing how impressed Brittney is. Damn. I can’t take my eyes off her. I used to think her cute, but now the word isn’t good enough to describe her. She’s gorgeous. Her green eyes are bright with excitement. She isn’t wearing any lipstick, but her lips are naturally pink and moist. From time to time, she licks them with the tip of her tongue. Shit. I’m getting inappropriate thoughts already before I even start working with her.
After the tour, I take Brittney into my office to discuss her job duties. “You’ll be wearing many hats. You’re mainly my assistant, and you’ll be taking care of pretty much every aspect of the business, including marketing, scheduling, and bookkeeping. Currently, I only have one receptionist who starts in the afternoon, and when she isn’t here, you’ll be working at the front desk while taking care of your other duties. In rare cases, if we’re short of trainers, you might be expected to help our members with their workouts as well, and I’ll teach you how to use the machines. Do you think you can handle all that?”
She nods her head vigorously. “Absolutely! I took marketing and accounting classes in college, and I also had a two-month internship at Sephora last summer. I’m sure Dana has already told you that. I was the assistant to the marketing manager.”
“Wonderful.” I smile, recalling vaguely what Dana told me about Brittney’s experience at the local mall. Honestly, I didn’t think it was that relevant to the work she’d be doing here, but I don’t say it.
“Can’t wait to get started! I’ll be getting lots of experience,” she says enthusiastically.
I chuckle, although I don’t like the implication that she’s taking this job to build experiences only. Her enthusiasm affects me, and I already don’t want her to leave.
Remembering that Brittney will stay in my house until she finds a place, I say to her, “I’ll give you my house key so you can spend the rest of the day unpack and rest. You’ll start working tomorrow.”
“I can start now,” she says. “I don’t have much to unpack.”
I consider. It isn’t a bad idea. I’ve been a receptionist on top of being a trainer for the past week. “Sure, that’ll be great.”
Brittney fits into the place perfectly, as if she’s been working here for a while already. Soon she’s answering the phone and helping clients with checking in and scheduling appointments.
“She’s a keeper,” Darrell says. “Where did you find her?”
“She’s my sister’s best friend,” I say with a grin.
Darrell whistles. “Is she single?”
I give him a warning look. “Don’t forget why I fired Patricia!”
“I know, I know!” he says, putting his hands up quickly. “Just kidding.”
Time always flies when I’m at the gym, but today it seems to pass with an increasing speed because of Brittney’s presence. Soon it’s lunchtime.
“Are you hungry, Brittney?” I ask her. “Would you like me to order you something for lunch?”
She’s learning how to use the scheduling app, and she looks away from the computer. “Thanks, but I’m not that hungry,” she says. “I had a granola bar not long ago.”
“Are you sure? I’m going to order In-N-Out,” I say, trying to tempt her with my favorite fast-food restaurant, a place few can resist.
As if on cue, her stomach rumbles and her cheeks flush. “Oops,” she says with a giggle. “In that case, I would like the double-double, please.”
My cock twitches at the sound of her giggle and her embarrassed but adorable face. I want to kiss her pink cheeks. But all I do is a light pat on her arm. “You got it!”
She shivers at my touch, and her cheeks are even redder. I take back my hand and quickly walk toward the elevator. Damn. I have a feeling I’m in trouble. I’m experiencinglove at first sightfor the first time in my life. Although I’ve known Brittney since forever, she isn’t the same little girl anymore. When was the last time I saw her? I don’t remember. The truth is, I haven’t given the girl much thought. Damn. How could anyone become so different in just a few years? And just why do I keep thinking about her, and why does the thought mess up my heartbeat? It’s not like I haven’t had any girlfriend. Not to be smug, I’ve been a pretty lucky guy and haven’t been short of girls since high school. I’ve never had to ask any girl out—it’s always been the other way. Two girls literally fought to go with me to prom night, and I felt terrible because of that. Luckily Connor agreed to come with us as a group, and that solved the problem. I guess I’m a spoiled bastard, and it’s why I’ve never taken any girl seriously.
“Lunchtime!” I wave the brown bag at Brittney when I’m back to the gym, which is quiet with only a few clients.
She smiles as she stands up from her desk and follows me into the lunchroom.
Darrell has finished his lunch, and another trainer went out to eat, so the lunchroom is empty.
