Clare stood outside of Millie’s apartment after work. She had been so busy the last two days, with Millie being fired for no damn good reason other than that asshole ex of hers, Stewart. She had been holding on to her award from the gala and wanted to see Millie.
No one answered when she knocked on the door, so she pulled out her cell phone to text her. Maybe Millie would be back soon and Clare thought she could wait for her.
Just as she finished texting and was about to leave, the door to Millie’s apartment opened.
Clare was stunned to see the tall, very muscular man answer her door. She swallowed hard and instantly picked up on the man’s sex appeal and bright smile. Looks like Millie is on the rebound and in the right direction. This guy was all muscles.
“Can I help you?” he asked in a very scratchy, deep voice that made her toes curl.
Millie, you lucky lady. Good for you.
“I’m looking for Millie.”
“And you are?” he asked in a tone that demanded an answer yet was sweet, too. Man, this guy was lethal.
“I’m Clare, a friend of hers from work. Well, her old job, anyway. I wanted to drop off her award from the ceremony over the weekend.”
He raised his eyebrows as if he hadn’t a clue about the awards ceremony. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“She didn’t tell you, did she? That’s Millie for you. She never boasts about her success and her caring ways. She helped to get major funding for the new women’s shelter downtown.”
“No, she didn’t tell me. I’m kind of here to surprise her. We used to date and things didn’t work out because I had to go out of town for business for a while. I was hoping to win her love back.”
“Oh, how sweet. Well, I’m sure she’ll be home soon. She never goes out, really. Kind of a workaholic. What was your name?”
He smiled at her then gestured for her to come inside.
“Why don’t you come in and join me? The name’s Frank,” he told her as she walked into Millie’s apartment, hoping to find out more about the hunk with all the tattoos and big muscles.
* * * *
Millie headed into the dojo a few minutes before nine o’clock. She acknowledged Hank and then the other men and women in the class along with Lena and Sage.
She had met Sage yesterday back on the Triple C when they arrived with paint colors and ideas for the gardening around the building. That was when she met Anthony and Jeremy Lewis again. They were very good-looking men and she could see the resemblances between them and both Hank and Dalton. Jeremy had been a huge flirt and Anthony seemed very businesslike and in command. He liked to be in charge just as it appeared Dalton did. She wondered when she would meet the fifth brother, Marco.
Millie took position behind Lena and Sage. From her position, she could see Hank clearly and also had a view of the larger room where Dalton worked with a group of six men. They were grappling and working on maneuvers with hand-to-hand combat. It looked intense.
“Okay, class, let’s begin.”
“Attention!” Hank declared and half the people lined up straight, bringing their right feet together with their left feet and hands by their sides.
He began to explain the simple moves and this went on for the first fifteen minutes of class. Finally, he gave up and had them warm up by running around the perimeter of the room. In between, he would instruct them to kick the bag a few times, then punch the bag, and finally work on the beginning of some moves.
She was bored out of her mind but finally got the chance to show him what she could do. Well, at least a little bit. She didn’t want to show off and she didn’t want him to think that she was messing with him. It was enough that he had three women in the front row drooling over Hank’s every move and nagging him every few minutes about showing them again and again how to place their fists and arms just so he would touch them.
It had become quite nauseating.
It was finally her turn toward the last few minutes of class. Hank would show a series of moves, but only a few because the others were beginner
s and they couldn’t memorize the moves as quickly. It took a lot of practice, but Millie had learned a lot in two years.
“Okay, Millie, nice and easy. I want you to watch what I do then repeat it.”
She tried to hide her smile as Hank gave just a few moves and she immediately followed them with vigor and perfection. His eyes widened.
“That was great. Want to try another one?” he asked so sweetly, and she didn’t want to lead him on making him think she was a natural when really she had expert training. So she did his next moves and then a few more until he decided he had been had and got her back.
“Class, it seems that Millie is a natural. I’d like to spar a little with her and see what she’s got. What do you think?”