Ace Killian

chapter 16: Eleanor

Naomi's P.O.V

the training was harder than I expected. jake was relentless.

Ace watched from the corner of the room, his gaze cold and calculating as I kept getting knocked on my ass.

I hit the floor again for the hundredth time.

"Ugh" I groaned, frustrated beyond belief.

"This is to fucking hard" I gritted out, on the verge of tears.

jake knelt down next to me, his voice soft but firm.

"Hey, hey, calm down, alright? the first day is always the toughest. You'll get better"

I nodded, swallowing my frustration, and forced myself to stand again.

Jake came at me with a swift jab, but I managed to dodge it.

"Good, good. stay on your toes" he smirked, the encouragement just what I needed to keep going.

I dance around, weighing my options. jake was bigger, stronger - I'd have to outsmart him.

I feinted a left jab and followed through, but jake dodge with ease, grabbing me from behind. in a panic, I slammed my head into his face, making him stumble back with a loud curse.

"Ah, fuck!" he grabbed his nose bleeding.

in the moment, I swept his feet from under him, sending him crashing to the mat.

straddling him, I raised my fist, ready to strike.

"I surrender; I surrender!"  jake cried, his hand up in defeat.

"good" I said smiling, but then I froze when jakes hands moved to my waist, his blood nose still visible. He looked at me with a playful glint despite the blood.

"But remember this," he said, his voice low, "never hesitate. always finish what you start. your hesitation gives your opponent an advantage."

in a swift movement he flips us over, jake is now on top. hands resting on either side of my head.

before I could respond, Ace's cold voice sliced through the room.

"Remember who she belongs to, jake" Ace said, his tone flat.

both of us laughed nervously as we stood up, the air suddenly thick with tension. 

Ace had just gotten off the phone, his conversation a mix of business and ... personal.

he came over to us, his expression unreadable.

 "Let's see what you've learned" he said, peeling off his suit jacket and loosening his tie.

 I glanced at Jake. my eyes wide with shock.

"You can't be serious" 

"No, no I'm not fighting him" I muttered, backing away.

Ace gave a low chuckle "What? scared, Princess" 

"You wish" I smirked, trying to hide my nervousness. 

pondering, I then took a ready stance.

jake stepped aside, eagerly watching, probably wondering how long it would take Ace to pin me.

in less than a minute, Ace had me on the mat, his weight pressing me down so hard i couldn't even breathe.

"Ugh " I groaned, trying to wiggle free.

Ace's face was mere inches from mine, his breath hot against my skin. Our lips brushed briefly, and my heart skipped a beat. I bet he could feel my pulse racing.