I nod, my grin still firmly in place. "Yes, baby girl. You're overdue for a lesson with me anyway. Why not now?"
She looks down at her clothes. I'm assuming she came from work because she's wearing leggings and a polo shirt, and I can see the thoughts swirling in her head that she's not dressed for a workout.
"We'll just do fifteen minutes of technique, no sweaty workout clothes required. Then we'll go eat." When she continues to hesitate, I tug on a strand of hair that's escaped her messy bun. "It would make me feel better if you knew a little bit of self-defense. Especially now that you're single."
And even though my comment makes something flash in her eyes, it also deflates any argument she might have. She makes her decision and nods. "Okay. Are we staying in here?"
I press my hand to the small of her back and usher her down the steps. "Yup. Right here. Drop your bag, we're starting with bitch slaps."
She laughs but does as I say. And before I realize what she's doing, she's pulled her shirt over her head and dropped it on top of her bag. She's left in only a thin white tank top, through which I can definitely see the grey bra she's wearing underneath.
I swallow roughly and try to avert my eyes, immediately regretting this plan. She's not indecent in any way, but she's definitely less clothed than my focus can handle after what happened last night. Being that close to her…
My self-control seriously needs to get its shit together.
I clear my throat and force myself to turn back to her. She has a hint of a smile on her lips, which immediately makes my apprehension disappear. Self-defense really would be good for her, and I'm not going to be the asshole horndog that fucks something up for her just because my attention goes to the curve of her neck, or the sliver of skin exposed between her tank top and tight leggings, or the perfect ass whose shape I want to trace with my…
I wrench myself away from the vision that is Hailey. Theunassumingvision, since she clearly has no idea that she looks completely edible and is wreaking havoc on my focus. She's staring at me with those beautiful blue eyes that melt me every time I see them.
"Okay, what are we starting with?" she asks, a hint of eagerness in her voice.
I clear my throat again. "I told you, we're starting with bitch slaps."
Her smile morphs into a confused frown. "Seriously? That's a thing?"
I nod, holding my hand out to show her my palm. "Punching someone is actually pretty dangerous if you don't know how to do it—or even if youdoknow how to do it—because you run the risk of breaking your knuckles. So it's actually better to do an open-palm slap." I touch the heel of my palm. "This is what you want to slap with. Not the fingers, but the heel. It's harder and stronger, and if you do it right, you can actually knock someone out with it." I grin. “Although if you’re going to punch someone, remember your focus should be on driving your first two knuckles into your target’s face.”
I get in my fighting stance, legs shoulder-width apart and my right leg back, as Hailey just looks on in wonder. I don't know how much Remy has taught her, but I do know she's at least done a few lessons with her sister to learn the basic weapons: punches, kicks, knees and elbows. "You already know how to stand," I tell Hailey. "So get in your stance for me."
She does as I say without question, bringing her fists up to her face without my instruction.
"Good. Remy's shown you how to punch, so keep some of the same things in mind when it comes to slapping. The power comes from your body, not just from your arm. You want to put your whole hips and ass into a strike. So when you slap, you start with your hand down by your side and then you whip your whole body and arm around when you want to throw it. Twist your hips when you do it."
I watch as she tries to follow my instructions, but her slap looks more like a mosquito is irritating her than a self-defense technique. She's still only using her arm instead of her whole body. I can feel myself start to sweat when I realize I'm going to have to touch her to correct her form.
I exhale a stuttering breath and step up behind her to place my hands gently on her hips. She freezes at the sensation but doesn't push me away, just twists to look over her shoulder and peek up at me from under her lashes.
"You have to put your hip into it," I mumble. "Throw it again."
This time when she does it, I twist her hips at the same time. Her palm whooshes through the air, and even I can feel the power difference between the strikes.
"Oh," she breathes. I quickly step away from her and gesture for her to do it again, this time on her own.
Her next rep is better. She's starting to put her body into the strike, instead of just swatting with her hand. I'm nodding my approval when Aiden pokes his head in the room.
"Hey, man, everyone's heading out. You good to close up?"
I rip my attention away from Hailey so I can give Aiden a nod. "Yeah, I'm good. See you Monday."
"You got it, boss. Have fun with Little Porter." I aim a murderous glare in his direction, but the massive grin on his face stays right where it is. I can hear his chuckle as he leaves the room.
I turn back to Hailey. "Okay, that looks good. Has Remy shown you how to throw a knee? That's the other important self-defense move I always teach. Go right for the balls."
She grins and nods. "Yeah, we've done both knees and elbows. I like throwing elbows, they're fun."
I chuckle at her enthusiasm. "Okay, those are the only strikes I was going to go over. Has she done anything on the ground with you? Any of the jiu-jitsu moves?"
When she shakes her head, I rub my chin in thought. “Every street fight will probably end up on the ground at some point, so jiu-jitsu is arguably the most important type of self-defense,” I start to explain. “A few basic moves can help you to push an attacker off, stand up, and even get out of the worst possible position of someone sitting completely on top of you with their hands around your neck. So that’s probably what we should work on.”