Page 78 of Work It Out
Oh, shit. How old had she been?
But he knew. Fuck him, he knew, and it made him ill.
They sat like that for a long time, Rayah idly tracing patterns in his chest hair with one petite finger as he plotted the painful demise of some faceless demon. Without ceasing her squiggles, Rayah spoke in a whisper that sounded startlingly young. “That’s what he called me. Baby,” she explained. “I hadn’t thought about him in years, not more than the occasional prayer that he’ll burn in hell. I’d almost forgotten he’d called me that.”
Damn, he was forever putting his foot in his mouth with her. “Do all endearments bother you?” He swallowed. “I know I’ve called you sweetheart before.”
She shook her head without raising it from his shoulder. “No. That doesn’t bother me. I didn’t think baby did anymore, either, but that was all he ever called me, and only when we were alone.”
Her doodles had felt like nothing more than swirling lines, but now he could suss out the occasional shape or letter. A heart here, aJor aKthere.
“That’s why I hate doctors,” she said, pulling his attention back to her. “And lawsuits. He was the team doctor, and I sued the pants off him after I turned eighteen. I didn’t have enough evidence or support to go after him criminally. Even then, I cut it close on the statute of limitations for a civil suit.
“I’d met Blaine at rehab the year before, and he helped me learn how to pull out of the thought spirals before the panic got too bad. I met Samuel when I filed suit. He was working the summer in his uncle’s law office to see if he wanted to be an attorney.”
A deep breath filled her chest. “That’s where I got the money to build this place. Well, the settlement made a hefty down payment on a loan anyway. Grandpa left me the cabin and the land. My mortgage and the energy bills alone are insane, but I’m doing okay now. Even after what you paid is gone, we’ll be all right. My team’s smart, and they work hard. Our name’s out there now. And pairing up with Desert Dreams or that place in Sedona may not have worked out, but this is Northern Arizona. There’s no shortage of spas to partner with.”
She was changing the subject, but he could respect that.
“Better never franchise, though.” He brought their hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles.
Her frowns were adorable. “I hadn’t planned on it, not anytime soon. But why do you say that? Don’t you like—”
Jake shook his head. “You’ve done something amazing here, Rayah. You’ve managed the balance between exclusivity and community, swank and accessibility.”
“Then why shouldn’t I franchise?”
He kissed her head to hide his smile. He’d never heard a more beautiful sound than the return of her sass. “Because then this place would sound more like the setting for an adult film than a fitness center.”
“I still don’t—”
“It’d be no big deal if this were Flagstaff or Phoenix.” He sighed dramatically. “But alas, it’s Bigbone.”
Confusion, then horror, followed by a shout of laughter. “Bigbone Explosion. Oh my God. How did no one point that out before now? I work with a bunch of overgrown children. They can make tofu sound sexual.”
“No idea,” he lied, breathing easier the longer she smiled at him. She didn’t need to know they’d all noticed, but none of them had had the heart to tell her.
Rayah shifted on his lap, adjusting to keep her balance. His dick, however, didn’t get the memo on her intentions. It hardened like she held a boner remote, and she’d hit the on button. Nothing, thenbam! Ready to go.
Rayah stiffened for a beat at the feel of his erection prodding against her thighs like a pussy-seeking missile.
“Ignore him,” Jake said as jauntily as he could. “He’s an idiot who can’t read the room.”
A tiny smile curved her lips. “That describes most men, doesn’t it?”
“A hit, cupcake. A very palpable hit.”
She toyed with the curve of his bicep. “I do know that’s not true, just to be clear. I’m not some bitter, man-hating harpy. I wouldn’t be here without Blaine and Samuel. They stood by me through it all. They never asked for details, and I never told them. Blaine would go to jail for murder. Samuel knows more, but his uncle kept the worst of it from him. I also just…couldn’t.” She shrugged, then frowned. “At least, I don’t think I told them. I had a lot of panic attacks back then. Sometimes I don’t remember everything.”
“Do you still have them often?” Jake asked, though he doubted she could’ve hidden them from him this long. The term “panic attack” got thrown around a lot for bouts of anxiety. Real ones left their victims as wrecked and jangled as she was now. Or worse.
“I haven’t had one in years. I didn’t see this one coming. I—” She swallowed. Cleared her throat. “I knew Dr. Orman for five years. Everyone thought he was this amazing, dedicated doctor. In a lot of ways, he was. He spent all of his time with the team, even traveled with us, and he did it pro bono. He was every girl’s surrogate grandpa, including mine. At least, he was in the beginning.”
Jake wanted to throw up. He didn’t want to hear any more, but she needed this. They needed this. If she could survive hell—then trust him enough to talk about it—he could sure as fuck hold her while she purged the poison.
“He didn’t do anything inappropriate until after I wrecked my shoulder the first time.” She fiddled with the hem of the shirt between them. “My mom had just been diagnosed with cancer. Dad wouldn’t let me quit to be with her. I was a mess, and Dr. Orman was nice to me. He listened.” She scoffed. “Isn’t that the way it always starts? At least, my therapist said it is. He helped me, then he made me feel like I owed him.
“The first time…I was sixteen, and no one had touched… I was so sheltered. I hadn’t even had a boyfriend. It shocked me. When it happened again, I called him on it. He said it was part of my therapy. Then I was scared because he wouldn’t let me out of the therapy suite. He said it wasn’t nice to keep leaving him in pain.”
