have the decency to look as wiped as Kat felt. Glancing at the wall-mounted clock, she was surprised it had been an hour-and-a-half session. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to hate you when I get out of bed in the morning.”
The other woman shoved her towel into her bag, then rose to her full height about an inch shorter than Kat. “Did you hate me Monday?”
She winced, remembering Sunday’s late-afternoon sparring session. Sherry took her martial arts seriously. “I plotted your murder.” Kat tossed her empty water bottle in the trash. The private training room in Sloane’s gym was starting to feel as familiar as her bakery, except Kat wasn’t hiding here as she once had in Sugar Dancer’s kitchen. No, here Kat trained to live not hide. Her aches and pains were welcome reminders that she was getting stronger. “But I was in too much pain to carry it out.”
Sherry raised her brows. “I don’t think so. You gave as good as you got. I showed John the bruise on my thigh from your knee-strike kick. He was impressed.”
He wrinkled her nose. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. I underestimated you on Sunday. I don’t make the same mistake twice.” Scooping up her bag, the blonde shook her head. “That’s when I knew you were committed to learning.”
“I am.” After grabbing her bag, she followed Sherry out of the room. “So I was wondering, once this thing between Sloane and me ends, he won’t be able to work with me any longer. Can I hire you?”
Sherry snorted and swung around in the hall. Music pumped from hidden speakers, but the hallway was empty. “You’d pay me.”
“Of course.” She should be paying her now, but when Kat mentioned it at their first training session on Sunday, Sherry said Sloane had that covered. “Listen, I don’t like Sloane paying you at all. That’s kind of gross.”
“It is, isn’t it?” She beamed cheerfully.
Kat leaned back against the wall. “How much do you charge an hour? I’ll pay you and I’ll tell Sloane. He won’t care.” A total lie. He would blow a vein or something, but he’d have to find a way to live with it.
“Can I be there when you tell him? I’ll teach you for free just to see you stand up to him.”
She lifted a brow. Sherry had an all-American girl look; no makeup, skin flushed from exertion and set against her blonde shoulder-length hair. Probably made all men with a pulse want to protect her, never realizing she could kick their ass and laugh while doing it. “Sloane doesn’t scare you.”
“Nope. However, most people are intimidated by him. But what makes you different is you really don’t want him paying.”
A wave of sadness settled over her chest. She knew exactly what Sherry meant. Sloane made sex and relationships a business deal. Those who knew Sloane probably thought he was that cold and callous. They didn’t understand. Deep inside, he didn’t believe a woman could love him long term. So he made it a deal to protect himself, buying temporary, meaningless connections. It hurt her to think of him going through life like that.
She refocused on Sherry. “What Sloane has given me? Money can’t buy.” It was a gift, one that she could keep forever even when what they had between them ended. And it would. She had his interest now. Most likely for the reasons Sherry pointed out, she was different from his other plus-ones. But long term? She wouldn’t be able to hold the interest of Sloane Michaels permanently. But maybe she help him heal from his emotional wounds because Kat didn’t believe what they had was meaningless. And then he’d find someone—
Her chest clenched. Yeah, it was best not to finish that thought.
“What has he given you?”
How did she explain it? The way he supported her struggles to grow into the woman she aspired to be? Really, there was only one way. “Me. He gave me the confidence to just be me.”
Sherry sucked in a breath. “Drake was right about you.”
Kat couldn’t follow
The other woman shoved her towel into her bag, then rose to her full height about an inch shorter than Kat. “Did you hate me Monday?”
She winced, remembering Sunday’s late-afternoon sparring session. Sherry took her martial arts seriously. “I plotted your murder.” Kat tossed her empty water bottle in the trash. The private training room in Sloane’s gym was starting to feel as familiar as her bakery, except Kat wasn’t hiding here as she once had in Sugar Dancer’s kitchen. No, here Kat trained to live not hide. Her aches and pains were welcome reminders that she was getting stronger. “But I was in too much pain to carry it out.”
Sherry raised her brows. “I don’t think so. You gave as good as you got. I showed John the bruise on my thigh from your knee-strike kick. He was impressed.”
He wrinkled her nose. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. I underestimated you on Sunday. I don’t make the same mistake twice.” Scooping up her bag, the blonde shook her head. “That’s when I knew you were committed to learning.”
“I am.” After grabbing her bag, she followed Sherry out of the room. “So I was wondering, once this thing between Sloane and me ends, he won’t be able to work with me any longer. Can I hire you?”
Sherry snorted and swung around in the hall. Music pumped from hidden speakers, but the hallway was empty. “You’d pay me.”
“Of course.” She should be paying her now, but when Kat mentioned it at their first training session on Sunday, Sherry said Sloane had that covered. “Listen, I don’t like Sloane paying you at all. That’s kind of gross.”
“It is, isn’t it?” She beamed cheerfully.
Kat leaned back against the wall. “How much do you charge an hour? I’ll pay you and I’ll tell Sloane. He won’t care.” A total lie. He would blow a vein or something, but he’d have to find a way to live with it.
“Can I be there when you tell him? I’ll teach you for free just to see you stand up to him.”
She lifted a brow. Sherry had an all-American girl look; no makeup, skin flushed from exertion and set against her blonde shoulder-length hair. Probably made all men with a pulse want to protect her, never realizing she could kick their ass and laugh while doing it. “Sloane doesn’t scare you.”
“Nope. However, most people are intimidated by him. But what makes you different is you really don’t want him paying.”
A wave of sadness settled over her chest. She knew exactly what Sherry meant. Sloane made sex and relationships a business deal. Those who knew Sloane probably thought he was that cold and callous. They didn’t understand. Deep inside, he didn’t believe a woman could love him long term. So he made it a deal to protect himself, buying temporary, meaningless connections. It hurt her to think of him going through life like that.
She refocused on Sherry. “What Sloane has given me? Money can’t buy.” It was a gift, one that she could keep forever even when what they had between them ended. And it would. She had his interest now. Most likely for the reasons Sherry pointed out, she was different from his other plus-ones. But long term? She wouldn’t be able to hold the interest of Sloane Michaels permanently. But maybe she help him heal from his emotional wounds because Kat didn’t believe what they had was meaningless. And then he’d find someone—
Her chest clenched. Yeah, it was best not to finish that thought.
“What has he given you?”
How did she explain it? The way he supported her struggles to grow into the woman she aspired to be? Really, there was only one way. “Me. He gave me the confidence to just be me.”
Sherry sucked in a breath. “Drake was right about you.”
Kat couldn’t follow
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