Bad Rep

SEVEN

The next day, Eli's truck rumbles loudly as he pulls away from the curb, dropping me off at the gym. I stand outside for a moment, staring at the building, guilt sitting heavy in my chest and trickling like acid down to my stomach.

For what feels like the hundredth time in the past twenty-four hours, I contemplate if working with Rhodes behind Eli's back is the right move. But as I stare at myself in the reflection of the tinted glass doors—at a girl I don't recognize anymore and am disgusted with—I feel like I have no other choice.

Taking a deep breath, I square my shoulders and hold my head high, walking into the gym. The blast of the AC is welcoming as I sign in at the front desk before going to the back to find Rhodes to get this over with.

I stop in my tracks, nearly chocking on my own spit as I spot him on the ground on his hands, his right knee bent out as he rolls his hips, stretching his left quad with a foam roller. The movement looks so wildly sensual, but I know it's not. The man is just stretching out his muscles.

He shifts his weight to his forearms, his head bent down, still skillfully rolling his hips, and I clear my suddenly dry throat, catching his attention.

Noticing me, his powerful body pops up effortlessly. "Hey," he greets me, so cool and casual.

"Hi. Uh, I—I'm here," I annouce awkwardly, feeling like I just caught him in an intimate moment—even though it wasn't.

"Great." He claps his hands together, eager. "Let's get started."

He has me warm up by stretching and spending a few minutes on the treadmill before we move over to the weights. We focus on legs today and he teaches me how to adjust the bar rests on the squat rack after my little incident yesterday. By the time we're done I'm a panting, sweating mess, and while he may not have been as demanding as Victoria, I feel like I got a solid workout in. And instead of looming over me the whole time, watching me, Rhodes actually worked out with me when he didn't need to spot me.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Rhodes asks as he puts away our medicine balls, only a little out of breath, making me feel a tiny bit better about myself.

"Yeah," I pant, hands on my hips, still trying to catch my breath.

He gives me a small smile and a departing nod, walking over to his office to pack up for the night.

Legs sore, I waddle over to the locker room to grab my things and wipe my brow with a paper towel, cringing at the amount of sweat that came off. I cringe again when I get a glimpse of my reflection, my face beet red and my hair worse than a birds nest.

After cleaning up a little, I walk outside, the air warm and muggy as the sun sinks below the horizon. Scanning up and down the curb and parking lot, I don't spot Eli's truck. Glancing at my watch, I realize he's a few minutes late, but I guess he just lost track of time. He has a big competition coming up so I know he's probably focused on that, wanting to spend even more time at the gym to prepare.

Tired, I take a seat on the curb to wait for him, unable to stand any longer.

About fifteen minutes later, Eli is still nowhere to be found.

The door to the gym opens behind me.

"Claire?"

I turn my head to find Rhodes walking towards me, car keys in hand and gym bag slung over his shoulder.

"What are you still doing here?" he asks, stopping at the edge of the curb, towering over me.

I feel my cheeks tinge pink with embarrassment. "Eli's running a little late," I reply lamely.