Bachelor Swap - Lacey Black Page 0,44

spending time out with Dolly. I’m actually a little jealous. After riding her again this past weekend, I’d welcome any further opportunity to saddle up.

Instead, I grab my keys and the gym bag Matthew keeps in his closet and head downstairs to the gym. Since it’s the middle of the afternoon, the large space is practically empty. A man who looks familiar runs on a treadmill off to the side of the room, and after a brief eye contact, he throws me a head nod. Otherwise, he pays me no attention, which is how I like it.

I slip inside the locker room and change into the T-shirt and shorts inside. Fortunately, Matthew and I wear the same size shoes too, and he’s got a pair of new Nikes in the bag. I change quickly, using one of the empty lockers to hold my clothes, and return to the gym. The man from earlier is now using the free weights, so I head over to one of the treadmills to keep my distance.

I warm up with a quick two-mile run, something I haven’t done in a while. Hell, when was the last time I went for a run? Months. Probably eight or nine of them, actually. When I finish, I’m breathing a little harder than I should be, which is slightly embarrassing, and even though I’m fatigued, the endorphins are coursing through my blood.

I head for the leg press machine next and pick a weight a little too aggressively. The first ten reps aren’t too bad, but by the time I’m halfway through the second set, I can definitely feel the burn. My calves and thighs are crying, and when I finally hit ten a second time, I’m more than ready to move on to another machine. Unfortunately, the guy is still lingering by the weights.

“Wilder, haven’t seen you in the lounge much lately,” he says casually, flexing a bit for the large mirror along the wall.

I slip two forty-pound weights onto the barbell. “Haven’t been around much,” I confirm, not elaborating any further.

The slightly familiar man moves around the gym for a few more minutes before grabbing a hand towel. “I think I heard Manchester was headed for the sauna. Wasn’t he one of the other bidders on that company you’re buying?”

I don’t respond, mostly because I don’t know if this Manchester guy was bidding on the company or not. Instead, I take my own hand towel to mop up the sweat on my face before I wipe down the machines I used with a disinfecting cleaner. But I can’t help but wonder what this Manchester guy knows. He wasn’t mentioned in the information on the business deal Matthew left me, but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to see what he knows, right?

Tossing the hand towel in the bin, I return to the locker room and strip down naked. I hear the door open behind me, and as I throw a towel around my waist, I see the guy from the gym behind me. “I heard he secured investors to put in a better offer, one Jerald is considering,” the mouth says as he strips down to the buff and turns around reaching for a towel to cover his sad little dick.

I’m not sure if this guy is spewing the truth or just trying to get under my skin, but I’m not letting him get to me. I head for the sauna door, leaving the mouth with the tiny dick behind.

Inside the sauna, I’m pleased to only see one man. He’s sitting in the corner with his head back against the wall and his eyes closed. I take a seat across from him and just off to the side, not wanting to catch a glimpse at anything peeking from beneath his towel. I’ve already seen one too many today, that’s for damn sure.

Just as I lean back and get comfy, the man across the room opens his eyes. “Wilder,” he says politely.

“Manchester,” I reply, taking a stab in the dark at who it is.

“Heard you were meeting Jerald tonight,” he says, catching my gaze.

“Maybe. That a problem?”

Manchester shrugs his shoulders, his belly protruding over his towel. “Not a problem. I had hopes he’d reconsider my offer to purchase his company, but something tells me I’m barking up the wrong tree. He seems to like you, for whatever reason.”

I don’t respond, just lean back against the wall and suck in a deep, humid breath.

“Rumor has it you’re not even looking to