Prologue

Jackson was going to be busy for a bit, so Missy set about straightening up in the gym that they'd be running together. She'd never envisioned such a big role for herself when she'd accepted his invitation to interview for a trainer's position, but she was eager and found that she enjoyed all the things leading up to getting this gym off the ground. She was going to be head trainer, as well as being Jackson's own personal trainer and chef... it was exciting. The man himself was just something else – he was a professional wrestler and had quite the resume though she hadn't known much about him when they'd started talking. Something about him though, made it easy to banter with him, they'd hit it off great and he had appreciation for her skills beyond what he'd hired her for. The sex was amazing, for one. Missy hadn't ever had a lover who was so damn creative, he had likely forgotten more tricks than most guys ever knew. The other day he'd done this thing and she'd climaxed so hard that she'd literally been stunned, it was only half a joke when she'd Tweeted that she'd forgotten her middle name for a minute and a half. She was sort of kicking herself for having never had an older lover before now, if this was the kind of payoff that came with it, but on the other hand it just made the whole thing all that more exciting.

He was just as out there as she was with his comments, and that was something Missy appreciated too. His sense of humor was another perk; he got her tongue in cheek wry comments without her having to explain just why it was funny in the first place. So as far as she was concerned, this was about as close to ideal a situation as could be. She heard the front door open, and looked up – she thought she'd locked it when she came back from her walk on the beach, but she hadn't heard the key. Hmm. Someone she didn't recognize was standing there and peering around, looking a little lost so she came forward from around one of the new weight benches with a bit of a 'business smile' on her face. "Oh hey – we're not really open right now. Grand Opening is Labor Day Weekend if you wanted to come back and fill out some membership forms."

The guy's head snapped up when he heard her talking and a strange smile came to his lips. "Oh I'm not here for that. I've been seeing you around, wanted to introduce myself."

Okay... Missy stopped short, giving him a look. Her instincts were telling her something was off, and she surreptitiously got her phone out and swiped her thumb across the screen, keeping it down by her leg and out of sight. A quick text to Jackson: Hey, are you close? Weirdo here and I don't want to call the cops. She pasted a smile on her face before she spoke. "Well hi... I'm Missy, I'm partners with the man himself that owns this gym. Maybe you've seen him around too? Big guy, real prone to kicking the shit out of people..."

She let the words hang in the air, the threat implicit. Maybe the guy would buy a clue and figure that Jackson was actually in shouting distance. He seemed a little hesitant, but took a couple steps to close the distance between them. "Oh yeah, older dude with the silver hair. So what?"

Missy backed up a few steps, her gaze going around her to see if she had anything to use to defend herself in case it came to that. The guy was just giving her the serious creeps, and she startled when she saw he had moved even closer. "You need to leave. This is a place of business even if it isn't open, and we're going to have deliveries all morning." She made a pointed glance toward the security cameras even as she backed into the counter, wincing. "So, nice to meet you and all that but..."

His hand snapped up and grabbed her wrist, gripping it painfully tight and making her drop her phone. "So you're saying, I need to hurry? I can do that. Girl like you, won't be a problem."

Missy's cheeks flamed red, not from embarrassment but from being sheerly pissed off. "Girl like me? You don't know me. Now get out of here, or I promise you, you won't like what happens." She had a pretty good clue about what he thought he was going to do, but she kept her panic down and used her free hand to shove him in the chest. "Let me go, get out of here and we'll forget what you just said. Dude, I'm serious."

He smirked at her, shaking his head. "I'll leave when I'm done, and you're not going to do anything about it. Don't act like you don't want this, you're a freaking little whore. This is just what girls like you get what you deserve..."

He trailed off when she hit him hard in the solar plexus, she knew more than enough to wind someone just by being a trainer. All the air rushed out of him and he let go of her wrist in surprise, and she shoved him off balance and darted past him toward the unlocked front door. He grabbed the back of her shirt, the material bunching up and choking her even as she yanked the door towards her, cutting off her yelp of outrage. But then a shadow fell over her and her eyes went wide, as Jackson smoothly moved her to the side and ripped the guy's hand from her collar. His expression was just a little too calm, his voice holding an extra note of bass. "Hey. Pretty sure that she wants you to go. You really, really should go."

The man went pale; Jackson was at least twice his size even if he thought he could take him because of his age. He sidled around the pair, but Jackson wasn't quite done. He shoved the man's shoulder, making him smack into the door frame and gave him a level stare. "I see you around her again, and that'll be the last time anyone sees you." He let that hang for a second before murmuring, "you dig?" Smirking, he removed his hand from the creep and let him run, turning back to Missy and giving her a quick look over.

She was rubbing her neck where the shirt had raised red marks, but gave Jackson a wry little smile that didn't convey even half of how grateful she was he'd been able to show that fast. "That... deserves an extra gold star."