it’s Call of Duty. Just a second.” The sound cut off, and I pictured him pausing the video game. “What’s up?”
I sat up straighter in my bed and forced myself into professional mode. “I was thinking we could operate with a verbal agreement until your audition. Assuming you’re on board with me acting on your behalf until you officially sign.”
He said it like I’d caught him off guard and now he was playing catch-up. “Yeah, sure. That sounds good.”
“Do you have a demo you can send me?”
There was a pause. “Uh—”
“Or a recording? I’d like to have a sample on hand for Ardy. He’s Stella’s manager.”
“I can record something on my phone,” he said.
I smiled at his eager tone. He was trying to be helpful, but it wasn’t needed. “No, let’s have you come by the office. There’s a small studio setup we can use. What’s your schedule tomorrow?”
“I’ll be at the gym until noon, then I’m supposed to help Bill with demo at one o’clock. That’ll take the rest of the day.”
He was going to spend all morning at the gym? No wonder he looked so good. “Can you shave an hour off your gym time, so we can lock down a track?”
“Not really, unless I can come by early? My class is at ten, and I have two clients after.”
Class? Clients? “You’re taking a class?”
He chuckled. “No, I’m leading it. I do the Bootcamp Burn on Wednesdays.” When I didn’t say anything, it prompted him to continue. “I’m one of the trainers at Motivation Gym.”
Fuck me, he was a pool boy and a personal trainer. I was like the ultimate cougar, snatching up the hottest boy toy. “I didn’t know you did that.”
“Yeah. My degree is in Athletic Training. Being a personal trainer ain’t exactly what I had in mind, but it’s a start.”
My laugh was tight with embarrassment. “I almost asked you today if you wanted to work out together sometime.”
“Totally. I’m always looking for new clients.” He said it laced with innuendo. “I could even give you a discount.”
Was I blushing right now? At least he wouldn’t be able to tell. His effect on me was powerful, and I sucked in a preparing breath. “Hey, listen. Since we’re going to be working together, we need to talk boundaries.”
The single word from him made it impossible to tell how he felt about my statement. “Yeah?”
“Is it stupid to think we can keep business separate from what we did today?”
His answer came quick. “No, it’s not stupid.” He paused, likely composing what to say next. “Boundaries. What did you have in mind?”
I pressed my lips together. I hadn’t dated anyone in forever—not that what we were doing was dating anyway—but I was horribly out of practice. He had far more experience than I did in this department. That imbalance left me unsure, but there was a bigger issue at work too. “No one can know. If word got out I was sleeping with a client, it could be bad for my career.”
“Erika,” he said, his voice deadly serious, “I’m not going to say anything. You can trust me.”
It felt as if my heart were made of rubber bands, and his words stretched the outer band until it was taut. If he let go, it’d snap back with a sharp, stinging pain. All the trust I’d poured into my marriage had been rewarded with heartache.
“Okay,” I said quickly, trying to gloss over my anxiety. “But just to be safe, can we keep it professional anytime we’re not alone? Or talking business?”
He paused for so long, I wasn’t sure if we’d been disconnected, but then his tone was rich, telling me he was smiling on the other end. “Are you telling me not to flirt with you?”
I tried to be practical. “I need to deal with Troy ‘the artist’ right now, not Troy ‘the guy I’m banging.’”
His laugh was loud. “Banging,” he repeated. “Okay, okay.” He settled, and his sigh was colored with amusement. “I get it. When you want it strictly business, you let me know and I’ll give you that.”
“Good,” I said, feeling a sliver of relief. “I need it business tonight because we’re behind where we should be. The audition is in a week.”
“Oh.” He’d said it the same way I expected he said ‘oh, shit.’
“Yeah. I’d like to schedule you for as many performances as we can before then. Get you as comfortable as possible with your material in front of a crowd.” There was nothing