Trust in Me (6 page)

“O-kay,” Briana said with a mock pout.

They started with the office. It held two
large dark oak desks with leather chairs. There was a sofa along
one wall and a large white board along the other. It was simple and
uncluttered now, but would surely be the hub of the Rec Center.

“Hey, my dad said he talked to you the other
day. Said you called to set it up,” Colin said as he looked around
the room. “How’d that go?”

“Great. I figured who better to get advice
about opening a business in this town, than your father. He’s been
running the store for years. He gave a lot of insight,” Rich
answered his friend.

“That’s good. He's very smart and one helluva
business man,” Colin said. “It was smart of you to contact
him.”

“I have my moments,” Rich said with a chuckle
as he led them out of the office and towards the kitchen.

Briana started to squeal when she caught her
first glimpse of steel, and took off running for the kitchen.

Colin laughed at his girlfriends’ excited
shouts. He turned to Rich, “She’s going to want to cook in there
every day until we go back to Austin.”

“You won’t get any complaints from me,” Rich
said with a smile. “I’ve been living on frozen meals and bar
food.”

They walked in to find Briana running her
hands along the stainless steel countertops and gazing lovingly at
the appliances.

“I can’t wait to break it in,” Briana
said.

“Just let me know when you’re ready,” Rich
replied.

After a few minutes of adulation, Briana
allowed Rich to continue with the tour. They went into the women’s
locker room, where the girls voiced their appreciation of the
separate showers with shampoo and conditioner dispensers and the
sauna.

They poked their heads into Rich’s personal
space briefly, then made their way to the studios.

“Is this the one that Roni will be using,”
Kent asked.

“Yup,” Rich answered. “There is a small room
in the back that she can use as an office.”

“I’m sure she’s thrilled,” Kent said with a
smile. “I can see her in here. If you guys haven’t seen Roni dance,
you’re in for a treat.”

“She’s amazing,” Nicole added. Rich just
nodded his head in agreement, then ushered them out of the
space.

He gestured down the hall back towards the
entrance, where the construction crew was working. “That will be a
large resale area. I’ll talk to the instructors for input on things
that clients will need for their classes, as well as items they
think would sell well.”

“Oooh, goody,” Briana said, her eyes
brightening at the idea. “I have some catalogs I can show you.”

Rich chuckled at her enthusiasm and said,
“Sounds good, Bree.”

He showed them the section that the
construction crew would work on last. It was where the rooms for
the other classes, such as Art and Music, would be built. They
walked back towards the fitness center and Boxing area. Rich was
excited about showing them his favorite part of the Center.

This time it was the guys turn to make sounds
of pleasure and stroke the equipment lovingly, while the girls
stood back and laughed.

“Would you like us to leave you alone,”
Briana asked in jest.

“Hey, we let you have your moment with the
kitchen, give us ours, “Colin responded.

They walked around and tried out some of the
equipment before heading back towards the basketball court.

“The guys bathroom is a mirror image of the
women’s, so we don’t need to go in there,” Rich said as the passed
it. They stopped at the doors of the court and peaked in the
windows. “They just laid the flooring and will put up the baskets
before adding some bleachers.”

“I am totally amazed at everything you have
accomplished here," Kent said as they made their way back towards
the entrance. “I think it’s going to be wildly successful. I know
I’ll be first in line to join that gym and check out the boxing
area. You should be really proud of yourself, Rich.”

“Thanks, man,” Rich said. “I wanted to ask if
we could do an interview about the Rec Center for the paper. And
take out an advertisement for the Grand Opening.”

“Absolutely, “Kent said. “I’ll check the
calendar when I get back and I’ll call you to set up a time.”

“Great. Bree, I’ll be finished with
interviews this week, then I will contact everyone to set up a
meeting about the Grand Opening. Start thinking about what you’d
like to serve. Also, I’ll come up with some mock advertisements for
each of the classes, and I’d love your input on the cooking and
baking flyers.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Briana said. “I’d love to
help in any way I can before we leave. I almost wish we still lived
here, so I could offer classes full time.”

“Nah, we need you at Culinary School, so you
can come back and teach the other instructors the things that you
learn,” Rich said as he gave her a hug. “Thanks for coming by
guys.”

“Thanks for letting us have a peak,” Nicole
said. “I will pull the names for the gift exchange tonight and will
text you your person.”

“Perfect, I’m looking forward to it,” Rich
said.

He saw them out, then walked back to his
office to start on the paperwork.

Chapter Ten

Roni hung up the phone, walked to the window,
and stared outside at the vast expanse of Texas land. She brought
her hands together and squeezed, trying to minimize the shaking, as
a single tear escaped and slid down her face.

She was officially divorced.

She was only twenty-two, and already had a
marriage and a divorce under her belt.

She thought of all the dreams she’d had for
herself just four years ago.

She’d graduate high school, go to New York,
and become a full time dancer.

She was wrong.

Then she’d met Hank, and those dreams had
changed. She thought they’d be married, have kids, and have a
beautiful life together.

She was wrong.

Instead, the three years they were together
had been a nightmare. A series of fights, fists, and tears.

Now she was here, and was truly happy.

Her new dream was to open her own dance
studio, enjoy her friends, and be there for Kent and his
family.

Was she fooling herself?

Was it even possible for her to ever be
happy? How could she trust her instincts, when every one she’d
until now date had been wrong?

She should be happy that Hank was finally
completely out of her life for good, but all she felt was
emptiness.

Roni turned and grabbed her purse. It was
getting dark, and the construction crews had probably shut down for
the day, but she had to go see her studio.

She hopped in her car and drove over to the
warehouse, worried that Rich would be out, and no one would be able
to let her in. She wasn’t getting her key until the next day, when
everyone met for their first meeting to discuss marketing, resale,
and the Grand Opening.

When she pulled into the lot, she saw his
Charger and another vehicle. She got out and tried the door, and
was relieved to find it still unlocked. She walked inside and saw
Rich and the guys she’d seen hanging around before, Jason, maybe,
walking down the hall.

Rather than announce herself, she walked
straight to the studio.

She walked inside and spun slowly, inhaling
deeply as she moved. The fresh paint and varnish smelled like hope.
She perused the room, touching ever surface, trying to convince
herself that this was real. This time her dream was going to come
true.

As thoughts of Hank crept back into her mind,
she lifted her leg onto the bar and began to stretch, not even
conscious of what she was doing.

She felt foolish for believing he loved her,
even after he’d started to hit her. He was the only man she ever
kissed. The only man to ever touch her. She felt cheated thinking
about it.

Roni felt unsettled and out of sorts. She
needed something to bring her out of this funk. Something to prove
that she was still desirable, that this divorce wasn’t an ending,
but rather, a beginning.

Roni stretched a bit more as her thoughts ran
rampant in her head. She heard the front door shut, then the lock
being turned. She walked quietly to the door of her studio and saw
Rich turning from the front door.

She walked a little more loudly out into the
hallway, causing him to start and turn.

“Shit, Roni,” Rich said with a quick laugh.
“I didn’t know you were in here. I thought I was alone. When did
you get…?” Before he could finish his sentence, Roni catapulted
into his arms, her lips fusing onto his.

Rich stumbled back a step, taken off guard,
before he caught himself and began to return her kiss.

She could tell he was surprised, but she had
to hand it to him, he went with it.

Her back slammed against the wall and her
legs came up around his waist, as their kiss became more frantic.
Roni put her hands behind his head and in his hair, running her
fingers through and pulling lightly. She suddenly became aware that
their bodies were touching in every possible way, and she reveled
in the feel of the liquid fire running through her veins. She
rocked against him and felt the moan that rumbled through his
chest.

She broke from his mouth and trailed kisses
along his jaw, loving the feel of the roughness of his skin against
her smooth lips. She licked his neck and began to suck on his
earlobe, when she heard his sharp intake of breath. His response to
her was driving her mad and she tried to press her body even closer
to his.

Rich’s hand came around to cradle her under
her bottom as he backed away from the wall and began to lead her
down to his room.

Roni latched on tighter; terrified that he
would stop and ask her questions.

He didn’t.

Rich kicked open his door and maneuvered
around his space until he reached the bed. He lowered them both
slowly, Roni still attached to his body, then rocked into her once
they reached the mattress.

Roni moaned loudly, the sensations she was
having were amazing. She didn’t know if it was because it had been
so long since she’d been touched this way, or because it was Rich
that was touching her, but she knew she wanted to go on feeling
this way forever. Utterly alive.

Rich kissed down her neck and over the swell
of her breast. He brought his hands up to cup her breasts, kissing
and suckling her nipple through the fabric of her shirt, before he
sat up, looked down at her button down top and ripped it open. Roni
gasped and lifted off of the bed so he could undo the clasp of her
bra, eager to have his mouth on her flesh.

He didn’t disappoint her.

He removed the rest of her clothing and
kissed, nipped, licked, and sucked every inch of her skin. Each
touch made Roni more frenzied. The feel of his lips, the rough
contrast of his jeans against her, and his fingers. Oh… his
fingers. They seemed to be everywhere all at once. Intent on giving
her pleasure unlike any she had ever known.

Roni reached for the hem of his t-shirt and
tugged, urging him to lift it over his head. Then she worked the
button of his jeans, her breath catching when he slid them down,
revealing his nakedness underneath.

That first touch of skin on skin felt
wonderful. Roni writhed a bit underneath him, wanting to feel his
satin skin sliding against hers.

“Holy shit, Roni,“ Rich moaned against her
lips. “You’re going to kill me.”

The fact that he was so obviously turned on
made her feel powerful. She pushed him lightly, so he turned and
lay on his back, giving her the ability to gain more control.

She looked down into his handsome face, then
leaned down to kiss the cleft in his chin, before claiming his
mouth once more. She felt totally confident and comfortable with
him. She wanted to do and say things she’d never felt able to do
before, and she was certain she was safe with Rich. Certain he
wouldn’t judge her, or be turned off by anything she did or
said.

Roni felt her courage rise with each intake
of Rich’s breath. With each moan, and with each whimper. She
couldn’t believe that she’d just made him whimper, it pushed her
over the edge.

She told him to keep his hands above his
head, then started her descent down his body with her lips. She
loved how smooth his skin was over his hard muscles. She kissed
across his chest and down over his abs. Then she went back and
sucked on his nipples, her body tightening at the sounds he was
emitting.

She ran her hands along the length of him,
pausing to caress his shaft, her vision greying when he told her to
slow down. She slithered back up his body, licking her way up his
neck to the soft spot behind his ear before whispering throatily in
his ear, “I want to fuck you now.”

Roni brought her lips up to his and kissed
him as he stared into her eyes. Pupils dilated. Rich reached a hand
out and opened the drawer next to his bed. He pulled something out,
closed it, then handed her a condom.

“Be my guest,” Rich said with a saucy
grin.

Roni smiled back at him, then moved down to
open the condom and slide it over him.

The smile left her face as she rose back
above him and looked down into his hazel eyes. She kept her eyes
locked on his and she lowered herself onto him, her body expanding
to accept the length of him inside.

“God, you’re so tight,” Rich murmured,
closing his eyes momentarily, letting the sensation fill him.

Once he was fully inside, he jerked his hips
involuntarily, telling her to move.

She began to move up and down, the pressure
starting to build within her. She moved faster and faster, moving
her body to find the right spot. When she found it she began to
move quickly, bending down to kiss him briefly, before pulling back
and moving even faster. Rich put his hands on her hips to help her
stay in place.