Hot Pickle - J.J. Knight Page 0,21

could lean in and kiss him.

But I do not have a stepladder. And I should not kiss him.

I hardly know him. This is only the third time we’ve crossed paths.

But as we bid each other yet another farewell, and this time he walks outside the door, I think to myself, maybe not today. Or tomorrow.

But someday soon…

I will be kissing this man.

And I can’t wait.

11

Max

When I walk into Buster’s Gym the next morning, my mind is on Camryn.

Buster himself stands by the check-in desk, greeting everybody. He’s sixty, tall, and built, his shiny bald head a fixture at his gym. He doesn’t have a list or an electronic scan for his members. He knows us all by name.

“Franklin’s warming up,” Buster says. “And it sounds like we may be putting someone else’s name over the front door before long. Never had a winning bodybuilder here.”

“I wouldn’t count on that,” I say. “Beginner’s luck.”

Buster shakes his head. “No such thing. It’s all preparation and performance.”

“I guess we’ll find out.” I cross the tiny entryway and poke my head into the weight room.

Franklin sits on a bench doing bicep curls. He spots me, and I point behind me. “Let me drop off my stuff.”

He nods in acknowledgment and turns back to his weights.

The gym is busy at this time in the morning. I’m letting the deli crew open up, so I can get in a good, long workout. I’m buoyed by the thought of seeing Camryn later today. But I’m also conflicted because neither of us has told Franklin that we’ve seen each other again. Twice.

It shouldn’t be a big deal. She’s a service provider, and I’m a customer. After all, Franklin himself put us together.

But still. I know I’m hesitating.

I shove my bag in a locker. When I slam it closed and spin the combination, I decide I’ll mention Camryn to him casually, in passing. It won’t stand out as anything important. But it’ll be off my back.

When I return to the weight room, Franklin’s already stacking weights on the bench press bar so we can spot each other. He’s lucky to have found an open rack. The room is crowded, and the accordion door stretched across the opening to the annex means a member of the McClure team, all MMA champions, is working out inside. Their family frequently has closed workouts when someone’s prepping for a match.

I try to imagine Buster taking down the sign that announces these famous fighters work out here and replacing it with my ordinary mug. Ridiculous. Bodybuilders don’t command the fame that fighters do. They’re on pay-per-view, after all. Even our biggest events at the international level are only promoted in snippets shown on sports channels.

“Prepping a warm-up stack,” Franklin says. He’s about to grab another plate when he pauses and squints his eye at me. “I swear you’re darker than yesterday.”

He’s given me an opening, so I take it. “Camryn’s touching me up to make sure everything’s even for the final coats. I don’t want to make the same mistake I did last time.”

I don’t expect his reaction whatsoever.

He slams the plate down with a clang.

When he turns to me, his expression is nothing like I’ve seen before. Pure, unadulterated fury.

“Do you mean to say you went over to her apartment without telling me?”

Shit. He’s on me like a vulture on roadkill. There’s something more than what he told me, some rogue asshole coming onto her last year. Or the ex who broke her heart.

They can’t be all that close. I lived with this dude for two years in college, and I’ve worked out with him for the last sixteen months. Camryn hasn’t gotten more than a passing mention.

But I have to bring him down. He looks like he’s going to pop a vein in his forehead.

“Wasn’t aware I needed permission. She let me know she should buff out all the extra crap she had to put on me to fix the Ride ‘Em Shiny disaster.”

“And neither of you thought to tell me about this.” His face is mottled red to the roots of his hair, like he’s been sprinting in the heat.

Damn. He needs to chill. “It was no big deal. Like twenty minutes of quick fixing stuff up. She’s a pro, dude. What’s your problem?”

I say this as casually as I can, although inside I’m seething. What the hell does he think is happening between me and Cam?

He holds my eyes for several long beats. I remain relaxed and slightly inquisitive as