Private Lesson: Tae Kwon Do Me (2 page)

“
Perhaps you should take a
break, Ms. Kinkaid?”

“
Yes, that’s precisely what
I was thinking, too.” I feel my lips curving into a smile, and I
can only imagine how good that cold water is going to taste, going
down my dry-as-shit throat. “See, I knew you were just messing with
me, you know, earlier.”

As I go to put my arms down, I’m met
with a chuckle from Master Park, and not the pleasant kind, either.
More like sarcastic, like he’s fucking with me again.

“
Oh, Ms. Kinkaid, tsk,
tsk.” Master Park shakes his head, adding, “Your father told me you
lack discipline…that you manipulate people into getting your
way…that everything comes just a little too easily for
you.”

“
That right?” I ask, sweaty
palms resting on my hips, wondering what else my father’s told him
about me that he shouldn’t have.

“
Yes, and judging from what
I’ve seen so far…I’m inclined to believe him.”

“
Hmph.” I swipe at my
sweat-riddled face with the sleeve of my
dobok.
“You know what? I’ve changed
my mind about you.” Master Park just stands there, wearing a stoic
face if I’ve ever seen one, hands folded across his chest, shaking
his head at me. The nerve of that…that…shit, I can’t think of
anything clever to call him. Goddamn him, he’s so irritatingly
perfect. Instead, I resort to defending myself with the best weapon
in my arsenal—my big mouth. “You shouldn’t judge a book by its
cover. Not very martial artsy of you. You don’t know anything about
me.”

“
All I know is what you
show me, Ms. Kinkaid. And what I see is a young woman with little
to no respect for anything or anyone besides herself. I mean,
you’re the first student I’ve ever had in my fourteen years as an
instructor that’s sewn her name to the front of her uniform. So
disrespectful.”

“
But—” is all I get out
before Master Park cuts me off. How rude.

He begins, “And—”

So I do the same to him.
Right back atcha,
Master.
“
But,
I just wanted to—”

“
And,
” he raises his voice over mine, effectively cutting me off
again, “you act as if you don’t want to be here. So?”

“
So what?”

“
Exactly why are you here?
Why did you sign up for a private lesson with me that costs so much
more than the group one? Why, if obviously, you can’t take what
we’re doing here seriously?”

Like I would tell him why. Sure, I’ve
got a big mouth, but for me to just come out and say it? That being
alone with him is the sole reason why I got my dad to pay for
private lessons? That’s pretty bold, even for me. So I stand there,
hot, thirsty and uncomfortable, searching my mental rolodex for
something halfway plausible to say, feeling a bit vulnerable since
Master Park just pretty much called me out.

Before I can answer him, he turns his
back to me and starts walking away. The nerve. “Ms. Kinkaid, please
stop wasting my time, as well as yours and your father’s. It’s
clearly apparent to me that you are not here to learn, so let him
know that this will be your last private session with
me.”

“
That’s not fair!” I
begrudgingly acknowledge what he’s saying is probably the truth,
but for some reason, being confronted with it just plain
sucks.

“
Ms. Kinkaid, I’m sorry,
but I’ve made up my mind. I wasn’t sure before, but after what I’ve
seen today, well…”

For reasons unbeknownst to my carefree
self, I’m starting to get upset. I feel the emotion building
quicker than my attempts to stop it. Chest tightening, breaths
coming in uneven inhales and exhales, I let it do its thing…all as
Master Park keeps talking bullshit out of his mouth.

“
So not fair…” I don’t
finish my sentence, wondering what he must think of me to turn down
good money for his livelihood. I mean, he doesn’t seem like he’s
just swimming in wealth.

Damn…I do believe he’s hurt my
feelings.

“
It’s getting late,” he
says, back still turned, moving his head round and round while
standing in place. He cracks his neck a couple of times, then,
“Goodnight, Ms. Kinkaid. I wish you luck.”

My rising anger getting the better of
me, I reply, “I’ll fight you to stay in your class.” What? What did
I just say?

He turns his head first, then the rest
of his body slowly follows, until he’s facing me again. That’s
better. I don’t like him very much right now, but I can’t deny how
easy on the eyes he is.

Master Park laughs, then abruptly
stops, the widest fucking grin marring his otherwise perfectly
handsome features. “Don’t be ridiculous, Ms. Kinkaid. First off,
I’m sorry, but it wouldn’t even be a contest. Secondly, you’d have
to actually want it bad enough…never mind. There’s no point in
talking about this. Goodnight, Ms. Kinkaid.”

There goes my anger again, it’s about
ready to boil over, and for the life of me, I don’t really know
why. Maybe it’s because of the way he’s talking to me…like I’m a
joke or something. Like he’s not taking me seriously. Or maybe it’s
because this is the first time someone’s actually turned me away.
Huh. I don’t know, but whatever the reason, my hands have turned
into tight fists…and I want to punch him in his suck-hole right
about now. How dare he not take my dad’s hard-earned money? Who the
fuck does he think he is?

“
Wipe that grin off of your
face, right now, Master Park.”

“
Please leave.” He gestures
toward the door with his hand, still wearing the stupid grin on his
face. “Go. Now. I’ve had a long day.”

“
No.” Ooh…I kinda like
standing up for myself. “Fight me.” I’m totally out of my comfort
zone, but something’s overtaken me, and I’ll be damned if I know
how to stop it.

He throws his head back and lets out a
laugh that echoes throughout the room. As he does this, I imagine
kneeing him in the groin…no, not there. Last resort. After I’m done
beating him senseless, I may have the urge to beat the
ever-living-shit out of his dick. Yeah, I’d like that…but first
things first. Delusions of grandeur, here I come!

I put my dukes up—show him
what I think is
my
“scary” face, then start hopping from side to side, like I’ve
watched boxers do on TV. I unleash the violence pent up inside,
punching the air with my left fist, then my right, repeating the
awkward movements, all as I make Bruce Lee-like fight cries that
end up sounding more comical than anything else.

“
I’m not going to fight
you. This whole thing is starting to make me feel a bit
uncomfortable, Ms. Kinkaid. I’d like for you to leave.”

“
Yes, you’ve said that more
than once now, Master Park,” I say back to him, still doing my best
impression of someone who knows what the fuck they’re doing. Which
clearly, even to an untrained eye, I am not.

I know my present behavior is out of
character for me, and the questioning look on Master Park’s face
seems to be a good indication that he’s bothered by it as well.
Great. Super-duper. ‘Cause I’m not going anywhere. Not until he
takes it all back—what he said earlier about me—and lets me stay in
his class. Wow…am I really fighting to pay to stay? Huh…what’s
gotten into me? “You want me to leave? Then make me, Master
Park.”

He shakes his head at me for the
umpteenth time, his lips thinning into a tight line. “Do as you
wish then, Ms. Kinkaid,” he says, turning his back to me
again.

Ready or not, dumb or really beyond
stupid or not, I take this moment to strike at him, lunging forward
like the black belt I’m clearly not, wrapping my arms around his
waist and using my leg to twirl around his as I summon all of my
one-hundred-and-twenty-pound strength to try to take him down to
the ground. I feel his weight give a little, and I pull with all of
my might and drag him to the mat. Yes, success! We fall, and I
somehow end up on top of him. Nice!

“
Enough,” Master Park
grinds out.

He’s much bigger and
stronger than me, and I can sense just how much when he bucks his
hips from his submissive position, sending me up into the air on
the third one, a fraction of a second before he spins me around in
a fluid movement and onto my back. And just like that,
he’s
on top now, pinning
my wrists on the mat inside his large hands, his pelvis pressing
hard into mine, turning this from awkward to sexual in no time
flat. At least, for me.

“
Please, Master Park. Give
me one more chance.” My gaze meeting his, I stare into the purest
color of blue I’ve ever seen in someone’s eyes.

“
No.” He gracefully moves
off of me and lands lightly on his knees, only to rise to a
standing position in the blink of an eye afterward.

Stubborn asshole. I wonder if he’s
fucking with me, and if he is, why? I remain flat on my back with
my legs spread, with my pussy still tingling from the rather
opportunistic meeting of our pelvises.

“
What’s it going to take?”
I roll to my stomach, shift up to my knees and jump to my feet,
adding, “For you to change your mind?”

Beyond reason, I pad over to the door
and lock it, sidestep my way to close the blinds of the four very
large windows up front, then turn on my heel to face him, hands on
my cocked hips as I wait for Master Park to answer.

“
What do you think you’re
doing, Ms. Kinkaid?” His voice is stern, but I’ll be damned if I’m
going to let a little thing like tone and inflection stop me from
getting what I want. “Why did you lock the door?”

I don’t answer him because I don’t
quite know why I did those things, either. I mean, though my crush
is genuine, I’ll be the first to admit I am confused by my body’s
actions right now.

All I know is my heart feels as if
it’s going to explode out of my chest any second now, and my legs
are really wobbly…so much so I have to stop my little grandstanding
to take a seat on the bench behind me. “Whoa,” I say as I close my
eyes, gaining my equilibrium.

I open them as his hand gently touches
my shoulder, a paper cup resting against my lips. “Here,
drink.”

“
Thanks,” I mumble, still
feeling lightheaded and weak.

After I down the cold water in two
quick gulps, it’s not long before I’m regaining my composure, but
just as I do, Master Park squats on the bench next to me, causing a
whole new wave of anxiousness to wash over my already confused
state of being.

“
Better?” he asks, without
a hint of emotion on his face that I can see.

“
Yes.” Regardless of his
stoic expression, his gesture of kindness, however small, leads me
to believe he’s ready to see things my way. Finally. “So, I take it
I can stay, right?”

“
That depends,” looking
everywhere but at me, Master Park adds, “entirely on you, Ms.
Kinkaid.”

On me? Just a few minutes ago, he
couldn’t get me out the door fast enough. Now I have a say in the
matter? Fine, I’ll play along. “I’m listening.”

Clearing his throat, he runs his hand
through his short, clean-cut, Beckham-like haircut, then slides
that same hand over to his near-hairless chin, scratching at the
tiny bit of stubble there for a second or two before he replies,
“I’m going to ask you a question, Ms. Kinkaid, and all I ask is for
you to answer me…with complete and utter honesty.”

Sounds simple enough. So, why’s my
heart stuck halfway in my throat? If it were anyone else but Master
Park, I’d have no problem taking that statement at face value. But
since it is, and being that I’m still feeling somewhat on edge, I
can’t help but wonder what angle he’s playing at. Except for his
“scary” face, I have a difficult time in deciphering what he’s
thinking, if there’s a hidden meaning behind what he’s saying, if
he’s messing with me, or if he’s just ornery every time I happen
see him.

So, why the hell am I interested in
him in the first place again? He’s tough, can be mean at times, and
isn’t particularly nice to me…maybe I’m a glutton for punishment.
Can’t put a finger on it, but there’s something about him that’s
definitely drawing me to him. His good looks and athletic build
don’t exactly hurt, but I’ve met countless guys that fit that
description. Maybe it has something to with our age difference,
maybe it doesn't…or the fact I can’t seem to pique his interest in
the least, no matter what I do, or what I wear. But one thing’s for
sure…Master Park has me completely flustered.

“
Sure, Master Park. If it
helps me stay with you…I mean, here, in the class, you know, for
self-defense.” Way to go, Scarlett. Really, truly smooth. “What’s
the question?”

He doesn’t ask it right away. And the
silence between us is beginning to bug the shit out of me. Like,
awkward! His eyes moves side to side, as if he’s thinking up the
hardest question to ask me. A deep breath escaping his lips, Master
Park crosses his arms and sits up straighter than he already is,
and asks, “Why are you here, Ms. Kinkaid?” I have my answer ready,
but his next sentence stops me from spilling it. “The real reason.
I demand total honesty. That is our deal.”