Marie Harte - Working Out

Wilson rubbed his throat and nodded. He glared up at Mac but didn’t say a word.

“Good to know.” Jonas latched onto Wilson’s arm. “Let me help you out. Bill, let’s escort Mr. Dickhead to the door.” Bill and Jonas walked Wilson out.

Pleased to have dealt with the guy without knocking out all his teeth, Mac turned to Maggie, prepared to receive her gratitude.

Instead, she knocked him in the chest. “What are you doing?”

Even in the dim light of the bar, he saw her flush. Man, he hated that she looked even better when embarrassed. As usual, his imagination prodded him to wonder if she looked that pink all over when she blushed.

Shane’s chuckle turned to a cough when Maggie included him in her scowl.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Mac replied, overly polite. “Was I supposed to let him feel you up, then drag you back to his place for some fun? You looking to get bent over for a good hard fu—”

She clapped a hand over his mouth. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence.”

“I’m telling Shelby about this later.” Shane sounded way too amused.

Maggie threatened, “You do and I’m telling her you were flirting with those girls at the bar. Yeah, I saw you.”

“I was not.” Shane didn’t sound so pleased now.

Mac licked the fingers over his mouth, wanting to lick a helluva lot more than that. Man, he loved it when she turned mean.

Maggie whipped her hand away, looking so appealing he had half a mind to throw her over his shoulder and take her somewhere private for the rest of the night. Hell, make that, the rest of the month.

“You are such a Neanderthal.”

“Flatterer.” Mac winked.

She sighed. “I didn’t need your help. I was talking to Brent when that jerk Wilson showed up. I recognized them from the gym, so I didn’t think anything about it. They would have walked away if you hadn’t—”

“Bent his hand back like a pretzel?” he offered. “Showed him how to behave around women?”

“Stuck your big fat head where it didn’t belong.” She seethed. Her blond hair fluttered like a halo around her face when she shook her head. “I know you thought you were helping, but I had it all under control.”

“Yeah? How? By playing the part of a bone between two hungry dogs? Brent’s not so bad, but Wilson is definitely an asshole.”

She blew out a breath. “Well, yeah. But you didn’t have to be so—”

“Forceful? Manly? Impressive?”

“Intrusive. Domineering. Aggressive,” she countered.

“Don’t forget obnoxious and brutal,” Shane had to add.

Mac flipped him the finger, which only made his best friend laugh.

Maggie groaned. “Is it too much to ask that I have a relaxing night away from Jameson’s Gym? Just one.”

She had been putting a lot of hours in at work, but only because so many patrons wanted to take her class. Ever since Maggie had started working for him four months ago, she’d steadily grown her aerobics following from one class once a week to two classes five days a week. And people wanted more.

“Sorry, baby. Want me to rub your shoulders to relax you?” Before she could protest, he put his hands on her, the way he’d been wanting to since he’d seen her appear in the bar. He kept his touch firm but not punishing, and her moan turned him instantly hard.

“Get off me, and don’t call me baby.” Yet she made no move to leave his touch.

“Why not see Shelby for a massage? You look tense,” Shane noted.

Mac could vouch for Shane’s girlfriend. Shelby continued to work on his knee, and her deep tissue work had actually improved his flexibility. “Yeah, Shelby would help if you asked.”

“I’m fine. I know Shelby would help if I asked. I’m her best friend, remember?” Maggie tugged her shoulder away, and Mac grudgingly let her go.

Man, I need to get laid. Any more time near Maggie Doran and I might explode. He shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to concentrate on willing away his erection. “Hey, if this is because I’m working you too hard, I can always cut back on your hours.” He liked her around, but he didn’t want to work her to death.

“No. Actually, I need the workouts, and the extra money helps.” She rolled her shoulders. “But that wasn’t bad, Jameson.”

She never called him Mac, and that distance bothered him. “No problem, Doran.”

“You’re good. You should think about going into massage therapy. Especially given your wonderful way with people.”

Shane snorted. “Yeah, like he could really give Shelby a run for her money.”

“Ha ha.” Mac sneered at Shane before turning his attention back to Maggie. “Don’t worry, sweetcakes. I’m not giving up my day job.”

“About that,” Shane said. “So is your uncle really quitting the gym and leaving it all you or what? He’s been saying that for two years.”

“Who the hell knows? Ian Jameson is as big a pain in my ass as you are.”

“I strive to please.”

Maggie snickered and said to Shane, “You are a pain, but a cute one. I’ve never seen Shelby happier than she’s been with you.”

Shelby—Maggie’s best friend. Yet another reason Mac should end his fascination with the woman. Bad enough Maggie worked for him. She was also best friends with Shane’s girlfriend. Too many close ties would turn their relationship to shit when a fling between them ended.

No fling. No relationship. No sex. The woman is trouble. How sad he had to remind himself of that fact daily.

Mac tuned back in to the conversation and heard something about a Christmas party. Feeling less than celebratory after realizing he’d spend another lonely night without female companionship, he got up to order another beer.

The women at the end of the bar waved at him. He nodded back but made no move to engage. Since the day he’d first laid eyes on her, Mac’s desire burned for one woman and one woman only.

Freakin’ Maggie Doran.

He was doomed.

Maggie spent the next week doing her best to avoid Mac. For the past four and a half months, she’d been on a no-man diet. Though celibacy wasn’t fun, it also wasn’t as annoying as the many losers she seemed to attract. Except her boss had been keeping her awake at night. Fantasies about the man tempted her to cave in to her desires and try him on for size. Talk about a colossal mistake.

In an effort to stop thinking about him and return to her fun-loving self, she’d arranged a date with her best friend. Tonight, she finally had Shelby to herself again. Though Maggie loved that her friend was finally dating a decent guy, she missed their Friday night movies.

She smiled at Shelby over Shelby’s kitchen counter, bemused to see her friend so carefree and happy. “Shane is good for you.”

Shelby’s brown eyes glowed with humor. “I thought we were doing a girls’ night. No boys or boy-talk allowed.”

“Right.”

“Yet you bring up he-who-must-not-be-named.” Shelby’s grin turned sly. “Oh wait, that’s not Shane. That’s studly Mac Jameson, your secret crush.”

Maggie made a face.

“Oh yeah. I’ve seen the way you look at him. The same way he looks at you. You like him.”

“Girls’ night. Quit breaking the rules.” Maggie reached for her margarita and took a sip. “Oh man, I needed that.”

“You need more than a drink, I’m thinking. You poor born-again virgin. Go out and get laid, isn’t that what you told me before? You know, when I was all pathetic and sad?”

“Don’t pity me. We had a deal to be cat ladies together. The pain of your betrayal wounds. Truly.”

Shelby laughed. “Dream on. Before Shane, I was going to be happily alone forever. No cats, dogs, kids, men, nothing but my mother and Ron to nag me into an early grave.”

“At least you would have had Mimi and Ron. I just have Trevor, and I can’t keep track of him.” Maggie’s brother spent as much time abroad as he did stateside. Like she really believed his bull about working for a shipping company when the government signed his paychecks.

“And speaking of Trevor, is he coming home for Christmas? Because I thought you were spending the day with us.” Us meant Shelby, Shane, Shelby’s mother and Ron. Shelby’s mother put the E in eccentricity, but she had a heart made of gold. Mimi and Shelby’s surrogate father, Ron, made an unstoppable team. The odd pair had pseudo-adopted Maggie years ago, for which she’d always be grateful.

Maggie sighed. “The last time I spoke to big brother, he planned to come home by mid-March. Nope. You’re stuck with me for Christmas.” Maggie glanced past her and gaped in horror at the calendar on the wall. “Hell. That’s in just three more weeks.”

“Yeah. Better get moving, slacker.” Shelby smirked. “I’m already done my shopping.”

“That’s because you’re anal retentive. And your boyfriend is as big a planner as you are. You two are so annoying together, it’s sickening.”

Shelby sighed. “It is, isn’t it?”

Maggie guzzled her margarita. “We need little umbrellas to be more festive. And we’re done talking about men.”

“Fine by me. Oh, here are the mozzarella sticks.” Shelby turned off the oven and took the tray out. She stared from them to Maggie and frowned. “I’ll have to run an extra mile or two this weekend because of tonight. Sometimes I hate that you’re blond, gorgeous, and eat like a horse. You should be as big as a house but look like a perpetual size two.”

“I work out or I would be a house.” Maggie popped a nearby chip and sighed with pleasure. “These are so bad for me.” She turned to grab a mozzarella stick and bobbled the hot treat onto her plate.