I let out a snicker. “If you’re looking for fancy, you’ll be sorely disappointed. It’s small and old but there’s a room in the back we can use.”
“Not a problem. I can handle that.”
I glanced at her and smiled despite my attempts to keep any emerging feelings under control. She was special, this one. As soon as I let the thought form in my mind, I instantly regretted it. No, she was like everyone else, and I could not allow myself to think differently.
She was just a client.
Just…a client.
***
“Thanks, man. I appreciate you letting us use the room.”
“Anytime. You know you’re always welcome.” My buddy, Adam, waved us toward the back, but having worked out there before, I knew where it was.
Adam and I used to hang out a long time ago when we were right out of high school, and although we didn’t see much of each other these days, we were still on good terms.
Kayla was glancing around the room as if she’d never been in a place like this, and she probably hadn’t. A boxing ring took up the center space and several workout stations surrounded the perimeter. This wasn’t your typical gym, and some of the regulars looked a little rough around the edges, but we wouldn’t be rubbing elbows with them. All we needed was a space to practice.
Once we made it to the back room, I ran through a few survival scenarios with her and asked how she would handle them. Earlier, she’d been excited at the prospect of learning something new, but as I posed one hypothetical situation after the next, her bottom lip began to quiver slightly.
I put a light hand on her shoulder. “You okay? I know talking about these things can be upsetting at times, but it’s important to remember that knowledge increases power. If you know what to do in a given situation, you’ll come out much better than if you have no idea how to defend yourself.”
“You’re right.” She glanced away, wringing her hands in front of her. “I guess it all got a little too real when you posed some of those situations. I’ve had a couple of those things happen to me.” Her voice broke. “And I’m still dealing with the effects of the trauma.”
“Hey, we don’t have to do this. If it’s too much—”
“No, I need to push myself.” She straightened and stood at her full height as if making an effort to face her demons. “I can do this. Let’s move on.”
I nodded. “Okay, but if you want to stop, just let me know.”
“I will.” She bit down on her bottom lip and appeared so vulnerable in that moment, I wanted to take her into my arms and comfort her. I felt myself reaching for her and then stopped myself. Remain professional.
She was entirely too cute for her own good, and I was a sucker for a damsel in distress, not that she would stay in this state forever. I had every confidence she could learn the skills to stand against any perpetrator, no matter the size. What I was about to teach her were skills anyone could practice.
I backed up a few steps and widened my stance. “All right, let’s say someone grabs the hair at the front of your head.” I demonstrated by putting my fist at the top of her hairline. “I want you to put your hands on top of mine and bring both elbows down so your arms protect your face. If he tries to punch you, block him with your arms. Now, I want you to twist your arms to the side, moving your body with it so it breaks his hold on your hair.”
She twisted her arms and body, breaking the hold. “Like that?”
“Very good. You’ve got it.”
“That wasn’t too hard.”
“Let’s try the next one. What would you do if I put my hands around your neck?” I demonstrated the chokehold, and her eyes widened a little.
Her fingers flew up to my hands, and she tried to break my grip but was unsuccessful. “This isn’t working.”
“I want you to flex your neck and tilt your chin down, then step forward to put me off balance.”
She did as I asked and then made eye contact with me. “All right.”
“From here, hinge at the hips and straighten your legs like you’re reaching down for a deadlift. That will break the hold.”
It worked like a charm, and once she was free, a wide smile broke out over her face. “I never knew it could be that easy.”
“That’s because I’m not trying to hurt you. In a real-life situation, everything will move fast and you won’t have time to think. You’ll just react, and it’s easy to forget what you’ve learned when you’re thrown off guard. That’s why it’s important to practice these moves until they become second nature.”
Her expression sobered, and she nodded. “Yeah, I can see that.”
“Let’s go over a few moves you can use to get away.” I pointed to the bottom part of my hand. “Use the heel of your palm and aim for the nose.” I thrust my hand forward quickly to show her exactly how to do it. We practiced that a few times and then I gestured to the point of my elbow. “This right here can be a deadly weapon if aimed at the throat.”
I had her practice pivoting her body and thrusting her elbow at my throat over and over until she did it in one fluid motion. After she had that down, we moved on.
“Let’s talk about the eye-jab. Take your three middle fingers and aim towards the bridge of the nose. Depending on where they fall, your fingers will go to the left or the right once they hit the bridge. When you hit
