Offside (46 page)

Either way, the awkward apparel didn’t seem to change the women’s opinions of Scott. And Zach couldn’t blame them. There was something magnetic about Scott that couldn’t be hidden by any amount of layers. Zach could feel it pulling at him even now.

Shoving his hands in the pocket of his jeans, he leaned against the wall near the door. Out of the way and far enough to resist grabbing Scott—all the people watching be damned.

The women broke from their little groups and formed a square around the instruction area. The instructor was an older man—at least sixty, but in damn good shape. Wrinkles lined his face and the light shone off his bald head. His neck was thick and his arms and legs were more muscular than the biggest Cobra. Zach couldn’t see how the vulnerable women taking the course weren’t intimidated. Another woman training them would probably be easier.

The instructor looked over the women, a slanted smile on his lips. Something in his warm brown eyes erased Zach’s doubts. His tone was as soothing as any Dom’s would be when comforting a skittish sub, with the slight, firm edge that would remind them of who was in control. “Did you all do your homework?”

All the women shouted, “Yes, Carl!”

“Good girls.” The man folded his arms over his barrel chest, pacing around the mats, studying the women. He pointed to one in the rows closest to the windows. “Akira, you were too shy to get in front of the class last time. Let’s try again, shall we?”

Akira stepped up, head held high, a very forced smile on her lips. She glanced over at Scott as he spoke quietly to her, then nodded. Her gaze flicked toward the door and her eyes lit up.

Zach followed her gaze and grinned as Mason came to stand beside him. “Captain.”

Mason’s lips twisted slightly. He shook his head. “Still not used to that.”

“I can imagine. I wouldn’t want to trade places with you.”

One brow arched, Mason jutted his chin at Scott, who’d taken his position behind a much more confident looking Akira. “You took on something pretty big. If you can handle him, I think the team would be easy enough.” Mason paused. “I could use an alternate the men respect.”

“Yeah . . .” Zach watched Akira kicking Scott in the nuts for a while. There was no hurry to give Mason an answer. He didn’t want the job, but neither had Mason. Which probably made them better suited than any of the men vying for the positions. He sighed as he looked away from Scott giving Akira a bear hug from behind. “Who’s getting the other A?”

“Ramos.”

“Ah.” Good choice. But surprising. “You choose all Doms for a reason? I like Ramos, but the men might resent someone so new to the team being picked over the guys who’ve been with us longer.”

“Tough. The men need what you two can give them.” Mason focused on the attack simulation. Akira dropped Scott to his knees with an elbow jab right to the exposed area beneath the padding covering Scott’s ribs. Scott carried on for a while, making Akira laugh. Mason smiled as she helped Scott to his feet and hugged him. “Never thought I’d say this, but I hope Keane keeps Demyan. He’s pretty decent. I like how he is with Akira.”

“So do I.” Zach straightened as another woman came forward. “Damn it, what is Chicklet doing here?”

Mason shrugged. “I think the Dartmouth police force is involved in the program.” He gestured toward a small group of women in grey sweats to the right. “Laura’s here.”

Laura wasn’t an issue. Zach had seen the sub with her Mistress at the club. She was always composed, graceful in her submission with a kind of quiet strength he admired. Chicklet was an amazing Domme, but when it came to her pets she was as protective as a lioness over her cubs. Wayne, one of the club’s bouncers, had tried to take liberties with Laura weeks ago—apparently under the mistaken impression that being involved in a scene with her once gave him the right to play with her whenever he felt like it. Laura hadn’t panicked when the man had cornered her. Simply said “red” loud and clear.

Wayne seemed to think she needed some convincing, so he’d kissed her. His lips had barely touched Laura’s when Chicklet sauntered over in her thigh high ass-kicker boots and grabbed hold of Wayne’s balls right through his leathers.

“You want to act like a horny sub with no discipline, I’ll treat you like one.” She’d kept squeezing until Wayne dropped to his knees, then snarled right in his face. “You ever touch what’s mine again without my permission and I’ll nail these to the floor. Got it?”

The big man had been kicked out of the club by Richter shortly after, but Zach doubted anyone would ever forget how Wayne had nodded with tears in his eyes, completely emasculated. Chicklet could be the most easygoing person Zach knew, but once you got on her bad side . . .

Scott was definitely on her bad side. Zach still wasn’t sure what he’d done to get kicked out of Vanek’s place, but one look at Chicklet and it was clear things weren’t settled between them.

A smart man would have backed down. Any sub, man or woman, would have knelt and begged forgiveness. Scott showed no signs of being either as he removed his face mask. Then the rest of his pads.

Chicklet might have her reasons for being pissed at Scott, but Zach couldn’t just stand back and watch her beat the shit out of the man. Especially since it was obvious Scott had no intentions of defending himself.

Mason slapped his hand into Zach’s chest before he could intervene. “Leave it. They both need this.”

“We need him on the ice in a few weeks.” Zach wouldn’t bother bringing up how it would affect him to see Scott hurt. No matter how much he deserved it. The only thing Mason would care about was what Scott meant to the team. “Taking off his gear is just plain stupid.”

“I won’t argue with you there.” Mason grinned, something in his eyes reminding Zach of who this man really was. The team captain, maybe, but he’d been the team enforcer much longer. His idea of justice was a little skewed. “But I respect him for not tucking tail. So will she.”

Like I give a shit.
Zach cracked his neck, eyes narrowing as he met Mason’s level gaze. He was more than willing to take the man on to protect Scott. And he could probably get Chicklet to back off. Unfortunately, that would only serve to make his feelings for Scott very public. Which would be worse than anything Chicklet could dish out.

Can you seriously just stand here and watch this?

The expression on Scott’s face when he faced Chicklet made the choice very easy. Scott let his arms hang limp by his sides, whispering, “I’m sorry.”

Damn it, Mason was right. Scott needed this. He done something that he still felt guilty about, and he wouldn’t be able to move past it until he’d made things right with the woman.

Chicklet nodded and slapped Scott’s shoulder, her sharp laugh making Scott jump and Zach tense. “I believe you. Now let’s show these ladies how even a big tough chick can be taken by surprise. And how she can get out of it without getting nailed with an assault charge.”

Scott let out a nervous laugh. “You’re going to hurt me, aren’t you?”

The woman’s grin was wicked. She leaned close to Scott, but her tone carried.

“Just a little.”

* * * *

Scott caught Zach eyeing him with concern and tried to give the man a reassuring smile, but the way Zach’s eyes narrowed, he knew he’d failed. It wasn’t like he was scared of Chicklet, exactly. She just reminded him of Xena: Warrior Princess. With spiky hair. And a few more muscles.

Chicklet moved away from him, addressing the women as she paced in a slow circle around the mats. “Some of you might be wondering why I’m here. Well, let me clear that up. I was the victim of an assault in my early twenties. A man attacked me in the alley behind my father’s bar.” She paused and squared her shoulders. “I spent a few months in jail for ‘defending’ myself.”

Agitated mutters filled the room. The women around them exchanged confused looks. Scott had to stop himself from checking where the exits were.
Jail? Fuck, this woman is going to serve me up to Zach in little pieces when we’re done.

Chicklet held up a hand to quiet them. “Don’t get me wrong. It was worth it to take that bastard down, but I know I went too far. I’ve been training in martial arts since I was very young. There are laws against using excessive force. There’s no point in bitching about them. You shouldn’t hesitate in doing whatever you have to when threatened,
but
—” Her lips thinned “—the most important thing to know is
if
there is a threat. Wanting to use your skills to teach the fucker a lesson can either land you in prison or worse, put you in even more danger.” She nodded to Scott. “Attack me.”

No man in his right mind would attack Chicklet, but she was making a point, and it was important that the women around them understood it. Yeah, she could kick his ass. But the ability wouldn’t necessarily give her the advantage.
In some alternate universe.
He tipped his head back as Chicklet turned away from him and whispered a prayer to the higher power that was probably laughing his ass off right now. Then he lunged.

Shouting “Help!” as Scott wrapped his arms around her waist, Chicklet dropped her weight and smoothly swept his feet out from under him. Scott grunted as his back hit the mat. Chicklet leaned over him, her hand on his throat, and punched the mat by his head.

The women cheered.

“No.” Chicklet shook her head. “Not ‘yay!’ Akira, come back here. You do it. Demyan, get padded back up. And don’t hold back.”

Jesus.
Scott pushed up to his feet and shook his head. Akira wasn’t ready for this. “Choose someone else.”

Akira bit her bottom lip. Looked past him and took a deep breath. “It’s okay. I’ll be okay, Scott.”

Scott shook his head again, then sighed as the women just stared at him. “Fine, but I don’t need the gear. Let’s just get this over with.”

Chicklet grabbed his arm. “You won’t be doing her any favors if you’re too gentle.”

“I don’t think I’m doing her any favors anyway.”

“You are.” She grabbed the chest pads, shoved them at him, then groaned when he ignored her. “Stupid boy. Don’t bitch if you get hurt.”

With a sick feeling in his stomach, Scott got into position behind Akira. She’d been to a few of these classes. Hopefully, she’d learned enough to put him on his ass quickly.

Akira’s waist felt small in his arms. So fragile. He locked on to her just tight enough to make her predicament feel real. He could feel her pulse racing against his cheek as he pulled her close. She whimpered.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Zach block Mason. Akira dropped her weight. Squirmed.

Jabbed her heel into his foot. He cursed under his breath, then found himself on his back. When she swung at him, he latched on to her wrist and jerked her down onto the mat. Rolled over her.

“Perfect.” Chicklet patted his shoulder as he stood, waving him aside before he could offer Akira a hand up. She smiled at the smaller girl. “So, my little Amazon. What went wrong?”

“I should have gone for his eyes or something.” Akira chewed at her bottom lip. “But I didn’t really want to hurt him.”

“Not sure why not, but you’re wrong anyway.” Chicklet chuckled at Akira’s blank look. “Scott, grab me again.”

Do I have to?
Scott ground his teeth, repeating the same attack. The fall stunned him, and he groaned as he slid back, bracing himself for Chicklet to hit him or something.

The women were quiet. He sat up and spotted Chicklet at the other side of the room. “Do you understand? Akira is not a big girl, but she got him down. Which was perfect. But instead of using the opportunity to get away, she attacked him, both giving him another chance to grab her, and opening herself up to charges if she managed to injure him. Notice she wasn’t shouting either. Escape wasn’t the priority. She was angry and wanted to make him pay. That’s a mistake on so many levels.”

Escape wasn’t the priority.
Scott rubbed his hand over his face, backing to the other side of the room to take a few swigs from his water bottle. He stayed far away from Zach and Mason, avoiding their gazes, feeling both watching him. He had these weird moments during the courses sometimes, but he didn’t need anyone making something of it. A few minutes to breathe and he pulled on the padding, feeling fine. Perfectly fine.

They went over similar scenarios for a while, then moved on to something else that hadn’t been covered before. Carl took over for this lesson.

“Everything you’re being taught is meant to help you defend yourself. But in a real-life situation, you might end up being taken down no matter how much you’ve trained.” Carl waited for Chicklet to lie on the floor and positioned himself between her legs, arms barred by her sides. “Chicklet is a big, strong woman. I’m bigger. And once I have her like this.” He nodded to Chicklet and she started struggling. “She’s trapped. Most of your assailants will be bigger and stronger than you are. They expect you to fight. But they have one goal in mind.” He used his weight to hold Chicklet down, his muscles tense, but using little more effort than that to restrain her. He grabbed her wrists when she swung at him. “Getting tired, Chicklet?”

“Yes.” Chicklet let out a broken sound and her whole body went limp. She dropped her head back on the mat. “I give up.”

Akira stood close to Scott’s side, breathing hard, her face pale. He blinked as she moved closer to him, then glanced over at Mason. Mason’s lips were drawn in a tight thin line, but he inclined his head, letting Scott know it was okay. Scott put his hand on her delicate shoulder, somehow finding some strength to give her.

Carl stared at Chicklet for a moment. “You what?”

Chicklet didn’t move, simply whispered, “I give up. Please don’t hurt me. I’ll do anything you want, just don’t hurt me.”

The tiny woman at Scott’s side covered her mouth with her hand.

“Good.” Carl lowered his hands to Chicklet’s hips. “Very good.”

What happened next took even Scott by surprise. Chicklet moved fast, dragging her body out from under Carl and sending two quick jabs—that didn’t connect—at his face. She was on her feet and across the room before anyone reacted. Suddenly the women were chattering excitedly and clapping. All except for Akira. She was pressed tight against Scott’s side, shuddering.