Page 21 of Take A Chance

“Look who’s running late this morning. Mr. Prompt has a reason to dilly-dally?” He picked up a weight and carried it over to a bench, and I followed.

“Late night,” I said, sitting on a bench facing him. My legs straddled the end, leaving room for my arm to extend. The bench he sat on was a few yards away, leaving space for us to both do our arm curls without colliding, but close enough we could chat. The cool red leather chilled me, but soon I would be sweating, anyway.

“Banging the nanny still?” Colin’s smirk and the way he waggled his eyebrows made me shake my head and roll my eyes. “Didn’t I warn you that you’re in for a lawsuit when she doesn’t get what she wants?”

“Don’t you think I’m capable of handling this on my own?” I slowly lowered the weight and curled my arm back upward. After the workout I got last night with Emma, moving her and working her over, my arms were already tired.

“I think your cock is thinking and not your brain.” Colin’s face turned red, veins bulging as he lifted the heavy weight.

“Well, my cock knows what it wants, and my brain agrees.”

We lifted for a moment with no chatter, and I switched arms. I thought he’d let go of the topic, but it was apparent that my change of status bothered him.

“So, that’s why you ditched me at the club? You know both of those women went home with me and I had an amazing time. One of them sucked me while the other sat on my face... Mmm.” His childish taunts would not trigger me. A few weeks ago, perhaps they might have, before I met Emma. Things were different now. I found myself having no desire for any other woman.

“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed the experience.”

“What, she’s so amazing you are satisfied and no longer want to play my wingman? You always get the pretty ones. It’s not like I’m selfish out there.” Colin transferred the weight to his other hand and continued lifting. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

“I don’t know. I’m just not interested anymore. That’s all.” I shrugged as I set the weight on the ground between my feet, letting my arms rest. I stretched a bit, holding one arm across my chest and counting to ten.

“Look, I tried to warn you not to get involved seriously with any of these women. They literally surf the clubs looking for a man to grift. They sleep with you, say they're pregnant—or purposely get pregnant—just to ruffle your feathers. You cut them a check, and they’re on their way, no baby. Or they leave the kid at a hospital and call you in the middle of the night to come get it.”

I clenched my jaw at the harsh reminder of my poor past choices. Colin wasn’t wrong. Women like the ones at the club last week definitely did what he said, but Emma wasn’t one of those women. And no matter what he said about how coincidental it was that she was also the woman who'd applied for the nanny position, I knew she hadn’t planned any of that. She was intelligent, but not in a deceptive way. Emma was as pure as they come. I could tell by the way she talked about my Katelyn.

“I understand your concern, but I assure you I’m perfectly fine. No one is grifting me, and Emma is not out for my money.”

He scoffed, dropping the weight and mirroring my stretches. “You have no clue, Blake. You’re so blind. This is how things went down with—”

“Don’t you dare say her name.”

I glared at him. He knew better. That name was never to be said in my presence under any circumstances. She may have given me Katelyn, but she tore my heart out with her manipulative tactics. The stare down between me and Colin was intense for a moment, but he relented, shaking his head. He picked up his weight and stood, strolling toward the racks to exchange it for a different one.

I finished my free weight reps and headed to the treadmill where I ran a full mile in under six minutes. It was my personal best time, catalyzed by Colin’s prodding. I ignored how he eyed me the entire time he was using the squat machines. If I continued that conversation with him, we’d end up arguing, and bickering in public was beneath me. He knew how to enrage me, and it was payback for leaving him at that club, nothing more.

When my workout was complete, I showered and dressed, passing Colin on my way out. He said nothing, so neither did I. Part of me knew he was genuinely watching out for me as a friend, but the way he communicated things was ridiculous. He could have just warned me without bringing Katelyn’s mother into this. That sore spot had never healed, and I didn’t need to be reminded how foolish I’d been.

I’d changed, put that life away from myself because my daughter would never grow up in that world. Katelyn was too precious to risk, so I got out. Walked away. Sent her mother packing as soon as I realized what was happening. I forgot about it, built a wall so I’d never even think about it again. There was no way in hell I was letting Colin drag me back into it when I'd worked so hard to stay away.

I checked out at the front desk and carried my bag toward the front door. I’d forgotten to call Gary and let him know I was coming out because I’d been so upset with Colin, but I saw the limo parked at the back of the lot. Gary was likely napping. It had stopped raining, though the sky was still overcast, so I decided to just walk to the car.

Emma was on my mind again. I wondered if she'd enjoyed sleeping in my bed with me. We had really connected during that conversation about Katelyn. There was just something about a woman who cared for my little girl the way I do. She had no idea how that made me feel. Yes, I was turned on by that, but God, did she grip my heart in inexpressible ways. And after that amazing sex, I hadn’t wanted to let her go, so I did the only natural thing. I brought her to my bed.

As I stepped off the curb to the pavement, I felt a strange feeling, like I wasn’t alone. I turned, thinking Colin had rushed to catch up to me and apologize or something, but there was no one there. The door was shut. The receptionist still sat behind her counter eating a muffin. So I scanned the parking lot and saw nothing. Still, my senses were on high alert.

The flashing light across the back of my property last night during the rain came to mind. I hadn’t thought much of it, and I knew Wilem and the guys were on watch, but now I was beginning to think maybe I should have paid closer attention. I headed out across the parking lot toward the limo, but with every step I took the paranoia grew worse. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a man at the far corner of the building. He wore all black and had a camera in his hand, snapping photos.

I stopped and turned toward him, and he stepped behind the building. Every hair on my body stood on end. I was being watched by someone and they were serious about it, but who would follow me? I continued watching the building until I heard the limo fire up, so I continued my path to safety. When I got to the car, Gary had the door held open, but I was too curious to climb in right away.

“You see that?” I asked him, nodding at the building.

“See what, sir?” Gary asked, yawning. He had been sleeping just as I suspected.

“That man, with the camera.”

Gary looked over his shoulder but shook his head. “No, sir, I didn’t see it.”

I couldn’t blame him. Though he was trained to use a weapon in my defense, Gary was not a security buff. He was a driver. Wilem was the one I should be talking to. I stared at that corner of the building, hoping to get another glimpse of whoever it was, but they never showed their face again.

---