“Not that it’s any of your business, but that second register is exactly for purchases like this one.” I hold up the bag. “If you’re not waiting for a sandwich to be made, you can go right over there.”
“You think you need all of those cookies?” he says now, changing the subject, and then takes a large bite of his sandwich, chewing as he continues to watch me.
“Why do you care? It’s not like that little class of yours is going to help me burn any of these off. I barely broke a sweat last night.”
The two guys sitting next to him choke on their lunch, laughing through their mouths full of food.
“Is that so?” he fires back.
I keep the act going, loving how I can see him grow increasingly frustrated. “Yup. I was not impressed with your stamina at all.”
“Fucking, A,” one of the guys spits out, wiping his mouth that is stretched into a pleased smile as he boils over in laughter.
Javi’s jaw becomes tense, the only indication that I’m rattling him. “I was going easy on you, Princess. You have no idea what my true stamina is like.”
I shrug and then turn to leave. “I’ll believe it when I see it. Have a good day, boys.” I wave, but then stop and do a Princess-style wave for good measure, loving how Javi’s eyes narrow but the grin on his face stretches wider before I turn around completely and exit the deli, pleased with showing him that I’m not some girl he thinks he can treat like dirt even though being that bold made me feel like I was about to throw up the little of bit of my lunch I was able to gobble down so far.
But I’m a woman on a mission to be taken seriously in all aspects of my life, and somehow I feel like standing up to Javi a bit put me on the right path.
Chapter 8
Javier
I’m having trouble pinpointing why I’m so anxious as I sit in the chair at the desk of the gym, waiting for my next class to start.
At least that’s what I’m trying to convince myself. But deep down I think I know exactly what has my hackles raised and my chest tight.
It’s knowing that any moment now Sydney Matthews is going to walk through those doors and make me want to punch something.
After our little run-in at Russo’s yesterday, Cory and Trilch both gave me shit for the way the woman tried to put me in my place. And I’m not gonna lie—the confidence she portrayed and the words she spit back took me by surprise. Apparently Sydney has grown a bit of a backbone since I last saw her, and I can’t deny that watching her eyes light up with disdain for me didn’t give me a half-chub in my jeans.
When we returned to the site of the new houses being built in the Ashwood community, I fought to keep images of her out of my head—her long, dark hair, those pools of aqua in her eyes that reminded me of the ocean in the tropics, her long legs stuffed into closed toe heels that I would love nothing more than to see draped over my shoulders as I plowed into her…
Obviously, my conscience sent me into a downward spiral as I realized I was fantasizing about the woman that I had engrained in my mind years ago to hate. I don’t know who she is now though, but if her little display at the deli was any indication, I’d say the woman still has an entitlement bone in her body and I can’t wait to see if I can bend it in place.
The bell above the door rings and a few of the girls in the self-defense class walk in, giggling and waving to me before talking to themselves as they make their way over to the lockers to deposit their things. As I watch them walk away, a familiar voice catches me off guard as I jump up in the chair.
“It’s not very professional to check out your clients, don’t you think?” Sydney’s vision is planted directly on me, along with a hand on her hip.
“Are you jealous?” I ask, moving to stand and the difference in our height makes me tower over her. I’m just shy of six-feet, but without heels on Sydney has to be five-five.
She scoffs. “Please. I’m just wondering if you’re going to be too busy drooling over those girls to actually give us a decent workout tonight.” There’s a fire in her eyes as they momentarily dip down to my mouth, my jaw ticking as I watch her.
“Don’t worry, Princess. I made sure to incorporate plenty of moves to get you sweating tonight. I’m going to show you just how good my stamina can be.” I grin knowingly in her face and then walk off, taking a deep breath to bring my pulse down to normal as I open up the room and the girls start to file in.
Even though the class is designed to teach the women how to deal with a person attacking them, it’s also a grueling workout. In order to possess the strength to fight your opponent, you must build those muscles, which in turn, builds confidence.
So at Sydney’s request, I put the girls to work—lunges, push-ups, crunches, burpees, and laps around the mat. I focus on cardio while building in some strength training that will guarantee to leave them sore for a few days. And I do the workout right alongside them so Sydney has no choice but to eat her fucking words.
As she rests on her knees and finishes her last round of push-ups, I
