Club Thrive: Vendetta (The Club Thrive Series Book 2) Read online

  I’m deep in thought when Miranda walks in. “Why didn’t you call me after your date?”

  I shrug. “I don’t know. After dinner he had to work, so I went home to work too. I’m hoping that if I get a little done while he’s working, then I can leave at a normal time during the week.”

  “Yeah, right. You leave at a normal time? You’re a workaholic.” She laughs, flipping her long dark brown hair over her shoulder, taking the seat across from my desk. Crossing her long legs, she looks up at me and says, “How’d the date go?”

  “It was nice. He took me to Home. We shared an appetizer and had dinner. The conversation was great.”

  “What does he do?”

  “He’s the head bartender at Thrive. He works there Thursday through Saturday nights, and he’s a trainer at the local gym Monday through Wednesday.”

  “No way, he must be really hot if he’s a trainer.”

  I smile. “Well, I haven’t seen him without his clothes on but yeah, he’s pretty hot.”

  “When are you going to see him again?” she asks.

  “After he kissed me good-bye, he told me he’d call on Sunday, but I never heard from him.”

  “Whoa wait, he kissed you good-bye?”

  I chuckle. “Yes, he did, and it was a very sweet kiss too.”

  She squeals. “Any idea why he didn’t call you?”

  “No. I thought about texting him, but I didn’t want to come across as needy or desperate, so I decided to wait and see what happens.”

  “I’m sure something just came up. Give him a chance.”

  I nod, pushing the power button on my laptop to start it up.

  “I hope it works out for you. You deserve happiness after what you went through with your ex.”

  “Thanks, Miranda, but I’m not rushing it. Don’t get me wrong; it felt good to go on a date and the kiss…was amazing.”

  “You’re glowing,” she says. I look up from my laptop. “Let’s do lunch this week. I’m in the office all week. What’s your schedule?”

  “I can do lunch tomorrow.” It will be nice to catch up and have some boy talk.

  “Sweet, I’ll let you get to work and we’ll catch up more then.” She claps excitedly.

  “Cool. See you at the meeting.”

  I watch Miranda leave my office. She’s a good friend. We started working at Millennium about the same time. We connected instantly, and started working together to help each other grow within the company. I made it to marketing coordinator a few months before her, but we’ve always helped each other. She and her boyfriend just broke up about a month ago. They hadn’t been seeing each other long, but she said their sex life sucked, so she had to break it off. I tried to tell her that hers was better than mine. My sex life revolves around my Battery-Operated Boyfriend, which recently died.

  Now that my laptop has booted up, I see my emails alerting me that it’s time to work. I’m relieved to see the signed contract back from one of my clients. I’ve been waiting for it since the middle of last week, and promised Tanya if I didn’t have it today I’d get on them about it, but I hate pestering people. Now I’ll be able to take it to the meeting and let her know that I have a new client. Clicking print on the contract, I grab the client’s folder from my drawer, opening it to the section where I store the contract, two-hole punching the document and put it in place.

  Evelyn peeks into my office as she’s walking past. “Good morning, Katie.”

  “Oh, good morning, Evelyn. How was your weekend?”

  “It was good, thank you. I took TJ to the park for a picnic.”

  “Very nice. Did he enjoy it?”

  “We both did.” She pulls her phone out from her bag and shows me some pictures. Her son is really adorable. He has short brown hair with light brown eyes, and the most adorable smile. The cutie even has a little birthmark on his cheek. It’s pink and it looks like someone left a kiss mark there.

  “He is so cute, Evelyn.”

  “Thank you.” She tucks her phone back in her bag. “Anyway, do you need anything before the staff meeting?”

  “Can you pull our active clients? I want to be able to fill Tanya in on what’s going on, in case she asks.”

  “Sure, I’m going to check my email, then I’ll pull those for you. Let me know if you need anything else.”

  “Will do, but I should be fine.”

  I need to finish checking my email. I respond to Scott first, thanking him for sending over the contract and telling him that I’ll be in touch once I start putting his marketing plan into place. I have a few more emails to answer, so I quickly get to it because I need to get to our Monday morning meeting soon. After hitting send on the last email, I grab what I need for my meeting and walk over to our fully stocked kitchen, saying good morning to a few co-workers on the way. The coffee pot is off, which is weird for this time of day, so I turn it on, pull my favorite coffee cup from the shelf, and make a cup with our single-cup brewer. Once my coffee is done, I stroll off toward the conference room.

  When I get there, Tanya is there as well as Evelyn, Miranda, and Kyle. Kyle is from our finance department, and Tanya’s the owner who manages and oversees everything. Miranda and I are both marketing coordinators, and Evelyn is our assistant. This team makes up our small business crew. We handle all of the smaller companies, some of which are just starting and want to invest in their growth right away.

  “Good morning, everyone,” Tanya says, taking her usual seat at the head of the conference table.

  The room gets quiet, and Tanya opens her folder to start the meeting.

  “Katie, where are you at with the contract for Scott?”

  “Have it right here. I just printed it before coming into the meeting. I sent him an email thanking him and letting him know that I’ll be in touch soon.”

  “Great,” she says happily. “You have another appointment this afternoon, correct?”

  “Yes, I’m meeting Melanie this afternoon to go over a plan and hopefully get her on board.”

  “Good. Miranda, give me an update,” Tanya says, turning to her.

  Miranda starts informing us about what she has going on for the week. I know it’s not much because she told me she was in the office all week. I don’t know where her head has been, but she’s been struggling to get contracts signed and eventually, Tanya is going to freak out on her. My mind drifts to Shane. I really thought we hit it off. I can’t help but wonder why he never called me yesterday. Then suddenly I’m concerned, because he doesn’t seem like the type of guy to just blow someone off. What if something happened? God, I’m torturing myself. I should just call him.

  “Earth to Katie.” Kyle throws a crumpled-up piece of paper at me.

  “Sorry, guys. What was your question, Kyle?”

  “Your florist hasn’t made a payment in a while.” He slips a statement toward me.

  I furrow my brows, picking it up to get a closer look. “What the hell? She promised me she was sending payment two weeks ago.”

  “Well she lied,” he says, making a funny face.

  I scribble a note into my book to call her as soon as the meeting is over. Miranda chuckles because she knows I hate pissing anyone off. I work hard to make sure my clients are happy, and that we get paid on time.

  He turns to her and says, “I don’t know what you’re chuckling at, because one of your clients hasn’t paid yet either and they owe us more money than her client.” Her eyes go wide.

  “Sorry, Kyle, who is it? I’ll get on them.” He tosses her a statement and when she sees it, she bites her lip, “Oh, shit,” she says in barely a whisper.

  “Yeah, ‘oh, shit’ is right.”

  I notice poor Evelyn fidgeting. Kyle scares the shit out of her and I don’t know why. He’s one big gay teddy bear. He tries to be hard on us but he’s really not. He’ll be gossiping with us by the end of the day. I think he does it to impress Tanya so she doesn’t get pissed at finances, but that’s just my opinion.

  Ta
nya finishes taking a few notes, and when she looks up at us she says, “Anything else?” We all shake our heads. “Good, get back to work. I want updates on these past due accounts by the end of the week.”

  Tanya jumps up from her seat, and is the first out of the room while we gather our files. As soon as she’s out of the room, Kyle comes over and says, “So, I heard you went on a date this weekend.” He wiggles his eyebrows and I laugh. I knew he wasn’t really mad at us. I see Evelyn release the breath she was holding.

  “Gee, I can’t imagine who would have told you that,” I say, looking at Miranda and giving her my signature one-brow-raised look.

  She shrugs at me. “We’ve all known you a long time, and we were there for you when you were dealing with your ex. This is a big deal.”

  “Whatever,” I say, turning to Kyle. “I went on a date. I’m not sure anything will come of it. He said he would call me yesterday and never did.” I hand my files to Evelyn. “Will you take care of these? I need to get ready for a meeting.”

  “Of course.” She takes the files from me and walks off to put them away.

  “Now if you two will excuse me, I have to head out for a meeting.”

  “He’s going to call you,” Kyle shouts as I’m halfway out the door, but I ignore him, shaking my head as I go.

  ***

  Shane

  Looking at my watch, I panic as I’m running into the gym because I’m late. I don’t do late, but I didn’t sleep well last night. I was too worried about Sky; I didn’t calm down until I finally got ahold of Logan and heard what happened. I went by the hospital to check on them and luckily, she’s going to be fine. The asshole who put her there has been arrested. I felt so bad about not calling Katie, but by the time I got everything done and then went to check on Logan and Sky, it was getting late. I have no idea what time Katie goes to bed, and I didn’t want to wake her. I probably should have sent her a text. I have three minutes before my first client. If I hurry, I can shoot her a text when I get inside. I know she’ll be at work, but hopefully she’ll respond when she can.

  When I get to my desk I can see that Susie is still on the elliptical, and that means I have a few minutes. I quickly pull out my phone and begin tapping out a text.

  Shane: Hey Katie, I’m so sorry I didn’t call you yesterday. If you can call me after work, I’ll explain.

  I’m putting my phone into my back pocket when I see Susie approach. “Hey, how was your weekend?”

  “Good, how was yours?”

  “It was okay. Started out good and ended a bit rough. Remember I told you I had a new boss at the club?”

  “Yeah.” She wipes her face with a towel and wraps it around her neck.

  “Well he got a call from his girl, and he and Jonah, the head bouncer, had to run out to help her. I ended up having to close the club shorthanded.”

  “That sucks.”

  “Yup, but we need to get to work.” I hand her a bar. “Give me ten.” She takes her position and begins lifting the bar over her head, the way I showed her.

  She finishes, and I take the bar from her while she has a break. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I’ve put on weight and it’s driving me crazy.”

  “How much weight are we talking?”

  “Five pounds,” she says with total frustration.

  “Well you’ve been meeting with me for about six weeks now, so when you come in on Wednesday I’ll do your measurements and body fat analysis. Maybe we can try to figure out what’s going on. You may see results there that’ll make you feel better.”

  “Fine, but I’m going to kick your ass if I don’t see any results.”

  I hand her back the bar. “Okay, Susie.”

  She laughs and starts lifting the bar again.

  Thirty minutes later she’s walking out the door, and my next client is already here and on the treadmill. I sneak a peek at my phone, but I still haven’t heard from Katie, much to my disappointment. I hope she’s not too mad that I didn’t call her yesterday. I know I said I would, but it’s not like I blew off a date or haven’t called her for a week. I shake my head and put my phone back into my pocket.

  “Hey, Shane,” Steve says, shaking my hand. He’s another trainer here. We work close to the same hours, so we’re usually here together. We’ve both been training here for a few years now, so we’re tight. He’s come to hang at Thrive a few times too.

  “You looked distracted just now. Everything okay?”

  “I went on a date this weekend, and I told her I would call her yesterday but wasn’t able to. This girl is perfect for me, and now that I texted her to apologize, she’s not getting back to me. I guess I’m just hoping it’s because she’s working and not because she’s pissed.”

  “How’d the date go?”

  “Great, we shared an appetizer before dinner. Had some great food and conversation. She’s a friend of my boss’s girlfriend. I met her at the club. She’s hot.”

  “Dude, I know it’s been a while, but don’t stress it. If she’s into you, she’ll get back to you.”

  “You’re right.” His client walks over at the same time as mine, and we all walk off into the gym. One of us should probably train these two girls at the same time because they come in together, and the four of us always end up walking around the gym together to do their work out. They’re not very serious about it, but whatever, that’s their problem. As long as they pay their bill, I’ll walk around getting them to do as much as I can.

  ***

  I’m finishing my last client of the day, when my phone vibrates in my back pocket. It takes all I have to not fish it out and take a look, but I really have to wait until my client leaves. My boss is pretty strict about us about maintaining a professional demeanor at all times. That means no personal stuff during training.

  Jamie does his last rep of squats, and I take the bar to place it back on the rack. “Great workout, man.”

  “Thanks. I have that competition next week, and I think I’m actually ready.”

  “Dude, you’ll kill it. Remember everything I’ve taught you and you’ll be fine.”

  “Thanks, man. I’ll see you on Wednesday.”

  He wipes the sweat from his face and walks off toward the men’s locker room, and I make my way to my desk. I need to check my schedule for tomorrow. I tend to have pretty packed days because I only work here the three days. That means I need to get in as many clients as I can. The clients I see two days a week tend to come Monday and Wednesday, and the clients I see tomorrow are the ones who can only afford to see me once a week. I work them a bit harder and then give them instructions for the remainder of the week.

  Jamie walks past me, waving good-bye as he heads out the door. I wave back and grab my phone. I smile when I see it’s a text from her.

  Kate: Are you at the gym?

  Shane: Yeah, just finished with my last client.

  Katie: Do you want one more?

  Shane: Really?

  Katie: On my way. I need to start using the membership I’m paying for.

  Shane: I’ll be changed and waiting for you.

  Katie: ;-)

  “Was that her?” Steve asks, sneaking up behind me.

  “Yeah, what gave it away?”

  “You’re smiling like a dude in high school who just got laid for the first time.”

  “You’re an asshole.”

  “Thank you. What did she say?” he asks with laughter.

  “She’s on her way here so we can work out together. I have to go change.” Grabbing my duffle bag from the floor, I make my way into the locker room to change. I’m not allowed to workout in my trainer shirt and that’s fine with me; I wouldn’t be comfortable in it anyway. One of the sweet perks of working here is I get to work out for free, as long as I bring a change of clothes.

  I’m walking out of the locker room when I see Katie walking in. “Hey!” she says, walking up to me and giving me a hug.

  “How are you?” I ask, trying not to d
rool as I see her in her business attire. Damn, she looks hot in a pencil skirt and button-down shirt.

  “A little tired, but ready to get a workout in.”

  “Good, why don’t you go change out of those sexy business clothes and I’ll work you out?” She grins at me, walking off shaking her ass as she does. Damn her. She’s being a tease and she knows it. I’m willing to bet this is part of the payback for not calling her, but two can play this game.

  Steve walks up behind me and puts his arm on my shoulder. “Dude, you weren’t kidding. She’s hot. Does she have any siblings?”

  I shrug. “Beats me. We haven’t gotten that far yet.” I look over at him and say, “Clean up the drool. She’s mine.” He laughs.

  Steve is younger than me, but he’s pretty mature for his age. You’d never guess from hanging out or talking to him that he’s only in his mid-twenties.

  Katie comes walking out of the locker room in Capri leggings and a sports bra covered by this tight tank top, which makes my cock twitch in my shorts. God help me; this is going to be a hell of a work out.

  Steve whispers, “You have to find out if she has a sister.”

  “Ready?” she asks.

  “Sure, first let me introduce you to my co-worker, Steve.”

  She shakes his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Trust me, the pleasure is all mine.”

  I elbow him in the ribs. “Let’s go workout before I have to hurt him for flirting with you.” She giggles and takes my hand as we walk off toward the cardio machines. “Listen, I’m really sorry I didn’t get to call you yesterday, and I promise if you let me take you to dinner I’ll tell you all about it.”

  “I’m not really sure I’m going to feel like going out after this.”

  We both walk over to the elliptical. “I didn’t want to tell you here because I wasn’t sure how upset you would be, but I don’t want you to think I just blew you off.”