The Only Way is Up

Part Eight

Chapter Eight

It had seemed reasonable at the time, but as soon as Kim and Mike left...it all became a little awkward. Suddenly it felt all a little strange, being alone with Maxim, even though there were still half a dozen people indirectly with them.

Nicole toyed wither class nervously, and it wasn't until Maxim took it from her fingers that she realised she was close to snapping the stem.

"I won't bite, you know?"

Frowning she looked at him, "do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds with your accent?" It was his turn to frown so she laughed, "well you sound all Russian and like a baddie in James Bond, yet you are spouting really British phrases. It's like an oxymoron."

"A baddie?"He pondered that for a moment, then stared at her. "From James Bond? You mean a villain? Why must the Russian's always be the bad guys?"

She shrugged, "I don't know, I suppose that goes back to the cold war...and then there's you, fitting the bill so perfectly! All angst and aggression."

He laughed, a natural gut deep laugh and it was contagious, "that's how you see me?"

She shrugged, "you are all moody, secretive, controlling. What else am I to think?" When he rolled his eyes she added, "are you like this to all your trainees?"

His expression changed then and she once again found him hard to read, it was a prolonged moment before he answered, "you're the only one I train."

Those words took an age to sink in, a personal trainer who didn't train people? That didn't make sense.

"I don't understand...aren't you popular?"

He ran a hand over his face, "I'm training you as a favour to Mike. I don't train people; I'm not a personal trainer. Not really."

That confused her even more, "so why are you doing it? What are you doing at the gym?"

"It's a long story."

Suddenly she could see the curtain fall, he wasn't about to say any more.

"I have time, and I think I deserve to know just who the hell you are."

Gripping his fingers around her wrist, he led her through the crowds, heading for the door before she could protest. Out in the street, fresh air hit her like a sledgehammer and it took a moment for her to find her feet, and trust them. He'd dropped her hand and stood a few feet away watching her.

"Who are you Maxim?"

She shook her head, "so I'm a debt, is that what this is? A bargaining tool?"

Taking her hands he tugged them, trying to catch her attention, "I have trained people, I CAN train people, but it's not what I came here to do. I am asking a big favour of Mike, and I promised I'd help him out. He told me that you are important to him, and that he trusts me to work with you. That's all there is to it."

"It doesn't make sense." The fresh air wasn't helping; in fact she was feeling decidedly nauseous.

"There's nothing to make sense of. I am the trainer Mike planned for you, that's all."

She took a few deep breaths, "I need to go home."

"There's a cafe at the end of the street, it's still open, let me buy you a coffee. Then I'll see that you get home."

Not wanting to, but seemingly unable to deny him, she allowed him to lead her to the cafe. Then she sat and watched as he ordered a couple of drinks. She couldn't miss how every other woman in there checked him out, she already knew that he was attractive, more than that, and he was young, very young. Where did he fit in to this world?