Ignite Me (The Annihilate Me Series) Read online

  “This place is amazing,” I said.

  “I’m glad you’re happy, Madison. And I think you’re good with the waist training. What kind of cardio are you looking to try?”

  That machine is already taken, Luc. It walked away with the pretty blonde.

  “How about one of the ellipticals?”

  “Those are super effective. And as a bonus, they’re low impact, which will be particularly good for you given all of the running around you need to do for your job. I’ll have you on your own in five minutes. Follow me.”

  * * *

  Much like Wenn itself, Wenn Fitness proved to be an absolute model of efficiency.

  After Luc left me to my own devices, I realized that he was correct—I’d been here for only forty-five minutes, and he’d given me a comprehensive tour of the facility and a solid workout routine that hadn’t overwhelmed me, as some tend to do. This was something I thought I could stick with, and I felt that as I got into better shape, it would indeed make my job less grueling.

  As I used each machine, I couldn’t help but watch Brock as he went through his own training. Naturally, he had gone with the free weights—no pussy workout equipment for him. Seeing him out of his suit and in his workout gear was enough to throw my hormones into overdrive, but I still needed to remain focused, because I knew that it was just a matter of time before he made his move and came over to me.

  And when he did, my greatest fear was that someone I’d met at Wenn today who knew Blackwell would spot us together and perhaps relay that information back to her. It wouldn’t be anything malicious. Instead, it might be something on the order of “I saw your new personal assistant and Brock Wenn at Wenn Fitness the other day.” Although I’d done nothing to set this up, I felt set up. After all, over coffee this morning, he’d warned me when he’d said, “I don’t give up easily, Madison.”

  He had clearly meant it. But how was I to handle it? That was the issue I was faced with, because there was no question that I was deeply attracted to him. But protecting my job had to come first, so I just filled myself with resolve, kept on with my workout, and remained focused until the inevitable happened.

  When I was finished working out on the machines and went to use one of the ellipticals, it took Brock all of five minutes to join me on the elliptical next to mine.

  “This is a coincidence,” he said to me with a smile.

  Like hell it is, I thought.

  “Is it?” I said.

  “Actually, it isn’t. I overheard that you were coming here tonight. So, since we’re off hours, I thought I’d also join the club in hopes that you’d give me another chance so we could get to know one another better.”

  I stopped and looked at him. “I told you this morning that I can’t risk this. Not after what she said to me. I was hoping that you’d respect that. What if someone like Margaret walked in and saw us together? Do you really think that she wouldn’t say something to Blackwell if she did? I meant it when I said that my job is on the line here. I meant it when I said that I’m essentially broke and that I need this job. Blackwell will have my ass if she finds out about this.”

  “About your ass,” he said.

  “Please take me seriously, Brock.”

  “That’s the thing,” he said. “I’m taking you very seriously.”

  “You wouldn’t be here if you were.”

  He furrowed his brow at me. “Are you really going to allow one woman to prevent you from getting to know me?”

  “That woman happens to be my boss. She’s already made a point of turning me away from you. And right now, at this time in my life? I have no choice but to do what she says—you know that.”

  “That’s an interesting way to put it,” he said. “‘At this time in your life.’ If she wasn’t so against this, then you would take the time to get to know me. Am I correct?”

  I didn’t answer because I’d already given myself away.

  “Your silence speaks volumes, Madison.”

  “I can’t do this here,” I said.

  “Then where?”

  “Nowhere,” I said in a low voice. “Are you even listening to me?”

  “How about this?” he said. “There’s a pub not far from here. Gordon’s Pub. Do you know of it?”

  “Yes. I’ve seen it on my way to work. It looks like a hole in the wall.”

  “On the outside, it does. But it’s actually pretty great. How about if you meet me there in thirty minutes,” he said. “That will give us enough time to shower, dress, and walk over to it independently. All I’m asking for is a chance.”

  And that’s what terrifies me.

  “Will you meet me there?”

  I had no choice but to do it because I clearly hadn’t gotten through to him this morning. Somehow, I needed to shut him down once and for all.

  “I will,” I said. “But you need to know that nothing is going to change.”

  The moment those words came out of my mouth, I knew I’d just told a lie. I was so turned on by him, and I did want to get to know him better, despite the fear of God that Blackwell had hammered into me. I wasn’t a reckless kind of person, but here I was, for some reason being reckless.

  Who had I become? And why? It wasn’t like me to behave this way. I’d always listened to my gut, but this time my gut was saying two completely different things—steer clear of him, but please, if only for the sake of your Summer of Resolve, get to know him. What in the hell was I supposed to do with that? In the end, I just gave into him despite my fears. I said that I’d meet him at Gordon’s Pub.

  And God help me when I did.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  When I arrived at the pub freshly showered and dressed in my curve-hugging blue bandage dress—which one part of me was now happy that I’d worn for reasons that had nothing to do with work—I saw why Brock had chosen this place. It was unlikely that anyone from Wenn would come here. To say that the pub hadn’t aged well was an understatement, at least given its questionable façade, which looked shady at best.

  But when I stepped inside, the bar was nicer than I’d anticipated—a softly lit space that looked clean and was clearly popular. It was filled nearly to capacity, which suggested that Gordon’s was doing something right. Perhaps the food was good? Or maybe the drinks were cold and generous, which I hoped they were, because if I was going to try to reach Brock again, I needed a drink right now.

  As I looked around the space, which was mostly comprised of booths looping around a large bar that took up the center of the room, I heard my name being called, and found Brock holding up a hand from one of the far corner booths. He knew that I wanted discretion, and he’d likely chosen the booth for that reason. I thought that was sensitive of him, and because of that alone, I dreaded the conversation that was about to happen.

  He stood as I approached, and I saw that he was back in his white T-shirt and faded 501s. Because of his workout, he looked even more muscular to me than he had when he first entered Wenn Fitness. With my heart quickening in my chest for a whole host of reasons, I walked over to him and again noted how absurdly tall he was.

  “Thanks for coming,” he said. “You look beautiful, Madison.”

  I deflected the compliment. “After my workout, I wasn’t expecting to go anywhere else tonight, so I’m afraid that you’re stuck with a woman who only had a compact and a tube of lipstick on her.”

  “And look at how that worked out,” he said. “Flawless. Would you like something to drink?”

  Yes, please!

  “Are you having anything?”

  “I am if you are.”

  “Then you’re on. How about if we just kill whatever calories we just burned off with something solid?” I said. “A martini for me. Dirty—three olives.”

  “Done. A waitress hasn’t come by yet, so I’ll just go to the bar. It’ll be quicker that way.”

  And it was. When he returned to the booth, he had a sizable martini in one hand and a pint of dark beer in the other.<
br />
  “Here’s to getting to know one another,” he said as he held up his glass. “And to you for giving me a second chance.”

  This isn’t a second chance, Brock. I don’t know how many different ways I can try to get through to you, but apparently I’m going to have to find a way. Though God only knows how I’m going to do that since you’re clearly determined to plow forward in your pursuit of me.

  I touched my glass to his, took a long sip of the delicious liquid, and was happy to find that the martini was ice-cold perfection, which was probably one of the reasons Gordon’s attracted such a large after-work crowd. The drink was just right.

  “So,” he said to me. “Somebody’s got to get this started, and I guess that person is going to be me.”

  “All right,” I said. “Let’s talk.”

  “That’s the thing,” he said. “I know where you stand when it comes to us. But I think that we’ve done enough talking. So why don’t we just take it to the next level, because I’m not sure how much longer I can hold back, Madison.”

  And with that said, Brock stood, leaned across the table, placed his hand on the back of my neck, and kissed me so deeply that I wasn’t just shocked that he’d done so, but beside myself that I couldn’t keep from responding to it.

  As our lips pressed together, his tongue probed my mouth, and I found myself giving in to him—and for one heated instant, I was his. Despite everything that had transpired between us today, I allowed him to claim me with his mouth before we finally broke away for air.

  “Brock,” I said.

  “So, there it is,” he said when he sat back in his seat. He ran his hand through his thick, dark hair, he wiped the corners of his mouth with his thumb and index finger, and then he just shot me a look. “It’s real. I knew it was. The only thing I didn’t know for sure is that it was going to be that powerful. But it was.”

  “We can’t do this.”

  “Kiss me again,” he said. “Tell me you don’t feel what I feel. If you don’t, I’ll be gone, and I won’t ever bother you again. That’s a promise.”

  “But it’s not that simple.”

  “Why isn’t it that simple?”

  “I’ve already told you why.”

  “But you felt it too. I know you did. I felt that you did. Tell me otherwise.”

  “Of course, I felt it. I’ve felt something between us since the first day we met, but how does that change anything? How many times do I have to say this to you? Blackwell is watching my every move. I can’t lose this job. I’ve waited two long years not only to have a position that pays me enough to actually sustain me, but also something that might lead to better things. With the amount of cash I have on hand, I can tell you with no bullshit that my shelf-life in this town is limited, so I can’t allow this to happen. If Blackwell ever found out about this. . . .”

  “So what if she did?” he interrupted. “If we continue to do our jobs and do them well, what concern is any of this to her? Just tell me that, Madison. We are grown adults who happened to have experienced something rare and special. A deep, profound attraction. I’m not sure about you, but that has never happened to me before. And I’d be a fool to ignore it. So would you. Blackwell’s threats are meaningless. She’s just being a bitch.”

  “And that bitch could fire me.”

  “You saw how Jennifer took to you. Hell, I overheard it. So did the rest of the office. If Blackwell wants to fire you for seeing me, I don’t think she’d have a leg to stand on, especially if I told Jennifer and Alex myself the reasons why she let you go. But I couldn’t care less about any of that right now. What I really care about is this.”

  Again, he stood up and kissed me, and this time his kiss was so slow and tender, I melted into it because the way he was kissing was so undeniably sexy, I felt it in my soul. His full, soft lips lightly touched mine. His tongue plunged into my mouth—and then mine into his. I’d never denied my attraction to Brock, but this? This was beyond anything I ever could have imagined for myself. In fact, this was perhaps the most serious connection I’d ever felt with a man, which seemed ridiculous to me since we’d barely known each other for a whole week. But it was what it was, wasn’t it? Lightning had struck—and it had struck hard. Despite how conflicted I felt, I couldn’t deny that my desire for him was a fact. When he kissed me, there was an odd duality to it. It felt as if it was the first time I’d ever been kissed by a man, but it also felt as if Brock and I had been kissing like this for years.

  When he moved in for more, it was me—not him—who reached out, grabbed him by his T-shirt, and pulled him closer.

  And Brock didn’t hesitate. Our lips parted, he got up from his seat, he sat down beside me, and then he laid one mother of a kiss on me that left my head spinning in the ether.

  Oh, calamity, I thought. How am I ever going to extricate myself from this now?

  Time and again, our lips and tongues collided, we tasted each other, I felt his beard brush against my skin, and when it did, it sent shivers of pleasure throughout my body. As he continued to kiss my lips and my neck, I felt a stirring within me that was foreign and delicious to me. And even though it was happening, it somehow also seemed unobtainable to me. On some level, did I think that I didn’t deserve this? Or was I just afraid of it and what it could mean for my heart and for my job?

  That was a question for Rhoda, but for now, I just went for it, not giving a damn what the people seated and standing around us were thinking about our public show of affection, which was the polar opposite of who I was. Or at least who I thought I was. Brock was doing things to me now that made we want to kick caution to the curb. And so I shoved Blackwell and her threats aside in favor of savoring Brock’s lips on my own, his hands caressing my waist, and his musky scent filling my senses, which practically undid me.

  When we broke away from each other, all I could do was look at him, and when I did, I saw nothing but lust in his eyes—and also a sense of relief. I placed my hand on his inner thigh, and I felt his erection pulsing against my fingertips, and then he moved in for another kiss, which at this point I didn’t stop because I felt that this was right, that this was how it should be.

  What I was feeling was real. It was the first time in my life that I’d been caught up in this kind of passion and emotion. And what if something this innocent did cost me my job? I now had to wonder if that job was even worth it.

  With Brock on my lips and his hand now burrowing between my legs, there was something here that I obviously couldn’t ignore any longer. I’d tried my best to steer clear of it, but here it was—the truth of just how attracted I was to him and how attracted he was to me. I needed to acknowledge what was happening between us and rejoice in it and feel lucky enough to experience it, because I knew that this kind of passion didn’t come around often—and that somehow, there was a reason that it was happening to me now.

  “I’m crazy about you,” he said in my ear when we pulled away from each other.

  “I’m crazy about you too. I’m sorry that I’ve been so difficult. I’m just scared, perhaps now more than ever.”

  “We’ll get through this,” he said. “But let’s not have her steal this moment away from us. I don’t know where this is going, but I have a good idea, Madison, and I can tell you that I’m a very happy man right now.”

  “Apparently, you are,” a woman said as she stopped beside our table. She was a short, middle-aged woman with a shock of bottle-blonde hair and bright green eyes that flashed as she looked at us. Her name tag read “Moira.”

  “Would you like to order now?” Moira said. “Or should I come back later, after the entire pub has finished watching you both enjoying your main course?”

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “Things just, uh, sort of happened.”

  “Oh, yes they did,” Moira said. “For a moment there, I considered bringing over an oxygen tank for you two to suck on. Or a fire hose to cool you off. Anyway, let’s hope all of that is over. What would you like to eat that�
��s—how should I put it? On the menu?”

  “I haven’t even looked at the menu,” I said.

  “Really?” she said. “I can’t imagine.”

  “Could you give us five minutes? Please?”

  “To look at the menu? Sure. But please actually look at the menu before I return, OK? Because some of us need to eat when we leave here tonight, and for someone like me, who earns her living through the tips I receive, let’s just say that the more tables I turn, the easier life is for me. So, I’ll give you five minutes to decide what you’d like to eat, and then I’ll be back.”

  Her face softened when she said that, and then she just shook her head at us. “Look, kids, I might be old, but I get it, OK? I’ve been there before, with a guy named Stan, who was unlucky enough to marry me twenty-eight years ago, the poor son of a bitch. There was a time when Stan and I were the handsome couple who couldn’t keep our hands off each other. We made our share of scenes—but we also learned when it was time to rein it in.”

  * * *

  When we left Gordon’s Pub, Brock reached for my hand when we stepped onto the sidewalk, and then we started to walk down Fifth.

  Who are we now? I wondered as I felt the heat of his palm against mine. A couple, or just a passing moment of lust that had ignited one mother of a fireball at Gordon’s Pub?

  I wasn’t sure. Clearly, it was more than it had been before, but because this was so new, I wasn’t sure what the dynamic was between us now. Brock had mentioned the attraction each of us had felt on the day we’d first met—and so had I. He’d said that he’d never felt anything like it before, and I’d said the same. This was foreign territory for me, but I was here, I was present, and damned if I wasn’t enjoying holding his hand right now.