Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
“Your trainer should be waiting for us at the pool this morning. She’s got a very impressive resume, and I think you’ll like her. She sees your potential and isn’t going to make things easy on you, but you won’t regret it.”
“I’m excited, actually. I don’t mind hard work.”
“Good. How did you sleep?”
“I was out as soon as I got in bed. The trip and all the excitement wore me out. How about you?”
“Oh, I slept fine,” I lie to her. Now isn’t the time to tell her that I was up half the night pining away for her like a lovesick school kid.
I scan the room and see that a tall, muscular boy is watching us. He has perfect teeth and a movie star haircut. By the looks of him, I assume he’s a diver. He realizes I’ve noticed him and casually turns away.
“The dark-haired boy by the wall. Do you know him?”
Marissa peers around and then slumps down in her chair. “God, yes. I know him. That’s Everet King. He’s a diver. We were at Nationals together this year. What a jerk.” She shakes her head and frowns.
“Jerk? From the looks of things over there, he’s the life of the party.”
“He thinks so. The way the girls all jump on him makes me sick.”
“Not jealous, right?” I feel a slight tinge of jealousy growing in my chest.
“Jealous? Ha, no. My father made me go to the National Gala with him. He looked at me like he was a vulture waiting to eat me. When we danced, I had to slap away his hand from my butt twice. He even tried to get me to go out to the parking lot for, well, you know what for. He’s nothing but a sleazy jerk.”
He put his hands on her ass? Well, shit. I might just walk over there and smash his head into the wall.
“Well, I’ll be keeping an eye on him, but if he gives you any trouble, you tell me immediately. I’ll wipe that pompous grin right off his face.”
She blushes and shrugs. “I’d like to see that.”
I look over and see that the punk is still eyeing us, so I stare at his face so hard it must feel like lasers piercing his flesh. He holds out for as long as he can then nods to his diver buddies and they all leave the dining hall.
That’s how the betas operate. They know they’re weak so they run in packs to try to seem more menacing. What he doesn’t know is that my blood is boiling with pure rage, and he’s the target. His friends are inconsequential. One blow from me and they’ll fall like dominoes.
We finish breakfast and make our way to the pool where the trainer I hired is waiting. She came at a high price but nothing is too good for my little girl. I’d sell everything I own to make her happy, and I think she’ll be pretty happy with a gold medal.
I scan the pool deck and find Andrika Romanov. She’s wearing her signature bright orange windsuit, which makes her hard to miss in this ocean of U.S. Olympic team gear. She always went against the grain and that quirky personality coupled with her two back-to-back gold medal performances made her very famous in these circles.
She shakes Marissa’s hand. “If you swim as good as you look, this is going to be easy.”
Marissa grins. “It’s an honor to meet you. You were one of my heroes growing up.”
With the formalities out of the way, Andrika turns her focus to me. “If it’s alright with you, we’re going to begin. I’ve booked a lane until lunchtime.”
I nod my head and find myself a seat in the bleachers where I can pretend to be using my phone while I watch Marissa train. She slips out of her warm-ups and my heart slams against my ribcage when I see her in her red, one-piece swimsuit.
Damn, it never gets old. This is how all of my fantasies about her start. She’s shivering, damp, wearing that suit and I peel it off her with one hand. Then, I bend her over the pool ladder rails and ram her from behind.
Maybe watching isn’t the best idea. I break a sweat and worry that I might just come in my pants. It takes every ounce of willpower I have just to avert my eyes from her perfect form. When I do, a different sensation blasts a hole in my psyche. It’s rage. I clench my fists, stomp down the bleachers, and storm to the other side of the pool.
Everet King is standing against the concrete wall shirtless watching Marissa. She bends over to set her warm-ups on the bench, and he pantomimes grabbing her ass and thrusting his hips. He’s grinning for his friends but has his tongue hanging out of the corner of his mouth like a horny dog. He doesn’t see me coming and I elbow him in the chest, forcing him against the wall. He licks his lips, leaving a wet, red streak across them.