Body Lock Read Online Free Page A

trainer leaning over the ropes was huge. Even from across the room, I could make out his bulging muscles. He was tall with a buzzed head. He instantly scared the shit out of me.
    I surveyed the rest of the area looking for an employee that wouldn’t send me running for the hills. The smell of dirty laundry and sweat assaulted my nose. Music blared from the speakers hung in the corner with duct tape. Heavy metal no less. There were no inviting green eyes or warm smiles. The sign above the door simply read, ‘Champs’. It was a small, but well utilized space. Boxing rings lined two walls. Free weights and bags lined the others, leaving an actual cage in the middle of the room. The lighting wasn’t the best and there was no front desk or greeting area. I must have looked like a lost puppy.
    An older man popped out from an office. The door was labeled, Boss.
    “Howdy there. Something I can help you with?” He was a short man with a mushy mustache and beady, but kind eyes.
    “Yes, sir. I’m Dakota Asher.” I stuck my hand out and tried to ignore the cartwheel in my belly. “I guess I should have called, but I wanted to look into your membership plans.”
    The man chuckled and wiped his hands with a bandana. “Well Dakota, I’m Jim. Everyone calls me Boss. I’m the owner of this here fine establishment. I‘d love to help you out, but we don’t exactly do membership plans here. You train. You pay. That’s about it. What are you looking to do?”
    I knew I needed an advantage. There wasn’t a single woman in the entire gym. Boss was nice enough, but I caught on to his snickering. If I didn’t stand my ground, he was going to laugh me right out the door.
    “I want to look into some MMA classes. I was told this is the perfect place.” I didn’t want to tell him I found his place on Google and picked it because it had a zero rating. I didn’t want to run into anyone who knew Scott.
    It worked like a charm. Boss beamed. “You were told right.” He scanned me from head to toe and arched one gray, bushy eyebrow. “I’m not trying to be rude honey, but have you trained before?”
    I knew I had gotten a little too thin since leaving the gym. But that didn’t keep me from trying to pull off my charade. Besides, he didn’t specify MMA. “Yeah, it’s been awhile, but I know my way around a gym.”
    Even I wanted to laugh myself out the door.
    He twisted his lips and nodded. I hoped Boss wasn’t a card man, because he had a terrible poker face. It was all over his face. He thought I was insane.
    “Alright then. Let’s get you on a bag and we can discuss memberships later.” He grinned, emphasizing the word memberships. He was picking at me.
    I jumped when Boss let out a deafening whistle. “Ford, haul ass!”
    My knees weakened. My shirt moved with the hammering of my heart in my chest. I tried to maintain my composure, but the bustle of the gym still made me queasy. Blood rushed up the back of my neck as I watched Ford march across the room. He was built like a brick wall. He stood well over six feet tall with broad shoulders and a bare chest that appeared to be solid muscle. As he moved closer, I could make out his steel blue eyes and his strong, chiseled jaw. The way he wet his full bottom lip with a swipe of his tongue was mesmerizing. Even the sweat glistening off his dark, tanned skin had me captivated.
    What the hell have I gotten myself into ?
    “Ford here is our head trainer. Since you’ve had some experience, we’ll have him give you a run through and go from there,” Boss said.
    I nodded in reply, unable to look directly at Ford. I felt like a kid trying to avoid looking at an eclipse.
    “Ford, this here’s Dakota. Take good care of her.”
    “Boss, I don’t think...”
    “Son, not now. You’re on deck.” Boss narrowed his beady eyes, drawing his bushy brow together. It was clear that it was his way of putting Ford in check.
    “Yes, sir.”
    Boss gave a curt nod before vanishing back into