MasukBailey POVHer face had gone red with anger, jaw tight, eyes blazing."Lola, sit down.""I'm going to kill him, Bailey.""Sit down."She stood there for a few more seconds, fists clenched at her sides, breathing hard through her nose.Then she sat.Slowly."That man," she said, her voice low and shaking, "is the worst thing that ever happened to you. And I promise you, every single word he said was a lie. Every one."My eyes burned."I know," I whispered."Do you? Because the fact that you kept this in for three weeks tells me those words are still sitting in your head."I didn't answer.She leaned forward."You are beautiful, Bailey. Strong, yes. Built different, yes. But that's what makes you incredible. Any man who can't see that is blind and stupid. And Phillip was both."A tear slipped down my cheek before I could catch it.I wiped it fast."Okay," I said, clearing my throat. "That's not the only thing I need to tell you."Lola's eyebrows rose."There's more?""Remember the gig?
Bailey POVI didn't go straight home after the burger place.I drove halfway home and stopped.I sat in my car for ten minutes, parked at the side of the road, engine running, fingers tapping the steering wheel while my brain went in circles.The feeling of Mark's thumb on my lip wouldn't go away.His eyes watching me while he sucked the ketchup off his finger wouldn't go away.The way he said "good" when I told him Phillip was gone wouldn't go away.Nothing was going away.And I had nobody to talk to about any of it.I couldn't bring myself to tell Steven. My brother would ask too many questions. My other colleagues at the academy barely knew me well enough for small talk, let alone something like this.That left one person.I picked up my phone and called Lola.She answered on the second ring."If you're calling to cancel on something, I swear to God, Bailey.""Can I come over?"Silence.She knew that tone. The one I only used when things were bad."Door's open," she said.Twenty mi
Bailey POVMonday's session ran late.I didn't plan it that way. But Mark's start out of the blocks was sloppy, and I refused to let him leave until he cleaned it up.So we stayed.Long after the sun dipped below the trees and the park lights flickered on, casting everything in a soft golden glow."Again," I called out.He lined up. Ran forward. Drove hard through the first thirty meters.Better.Much better."Time?" he asked, jogging back."Four point two. That's where you need to be every time."He nodded, hands on his hips, breathing steady despite the hour of work behind him."We're done," I said, clicking off the stopwatch. "Good session."He wiped his face with the bottom of his shirt. I kept my eyes on my clipboard.Lesson learned from Saturday."You hungry?" he asked.I looked up."What?""Food, Coach. The thing humans need to survive."I gave him a flat look."I know what food is.""Then you know you need some," he said, grabbing his bag. "Burger spot two blocks from here. My
Bailey POVAfter four straight days of hard sprints, Mark's body needed a break.His hamstrings were tight. His hips were stiff. I could see the tension sitting in his lower back every time he bent forward during warm-ups.So Saturday morning, we weren't running.Today was stretching and mobility work.I laid out two mats on the grass at the far end of Lincoln Park, away from the joggers on the main track. Private. Quiet.Just us.I was already regretting the setup before he showed up."Morning, Coach."I looked up and wished I hadn't.Mark walked toward me in black shorts and a white tank top that clung to every muscle like a second skin. His arms, shoulders, chest, all of it on display.My eyes dipped for half a second.Then snapped back up."Sit down," I said. "We're starting with seated forward folds. Legs straight, reach for your toes."We both sat on our mats, facing each other.I folded forward easily, fingers wrapping around my shoes. Years of training made it second nature.M
Bailey POVThe next few sessions followed the same pattern.I pushed. He performed. We kept things professional.Or at least, I tried to.Mark showed up on time every morning, warmed up without complaint, and followed my program to the letter. He didn't flirt. Didn't cross any lines. Didn't mention the lounge.He was the perfect student.And that somehow made everything worse.Because when he wasn't being cocky, when he wasn't testing me, I had nothing to hide behind. No anger to shield me. No irritation to keep my walls up.Just him.Working hard.Sweating.Breathing.Moving.And me, trying not to notice.By Thursday, I decided to push him harder than I had all week. Not because his training needed it, but because I thought he'd get tired and give up.I felt like a woman standing too close to fire. And I hated that feeling. "Repeat sprints," I announced as he finished his warm-up. "Two hundred meters. Ten sets. Ninety seconds rest between each."He looked at me."Ten?""You heard m
Bailey POVI didn't sleep that night.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face. That stupid, cocky grin. Those pale blue eyes dragging over my body like he had every right to look.Mark.My student.My athlete.The boy who now held the most the humiliating secret of my life in his hands.I rolled over in bed and stared at the ceiling, my chest tight with frustration.How did I let this happen?One decision. One reckless, emotional decision, and now I was trapped.Phillip's words still echoed somewhere in the back of my mind, but they felt distant now, buried under something heavier.Fear.Real, suffocating fear.If Mark talked, my career was over. Everything I'd built since retiring from the track, every late night, every sacrifice, gone. Just like that.All because I danced in a lounge for five thousand dollars I hadn't even collected yet.My phone buzzed on the nightstand.I grabbed it.Unknown number."Tomorrow. 6 AM. Lincoln Park track. Don't be late, Coach."My jaw clenched so
Fabian POV.I stood up and went to the window. The courtyard below was empty and washed in faint moonlight. For a second, I wondered where he was sleeping tonight. Whether he was still awake, replaying the same moments. Whether he was thinking of me, like I was of him.Probably not, I told myself
Steven POV.Guilt surged through me at his question. "Of course not, why would I avoid you?" I lied, trying to sound carefree.His gaze said he wasn't buying my lie. In the real sense, he'd done nothing wrong to me. To be honest, all he did was help me when I was in distress, first with my car an
Steven POV.Hours later.The storm didn’t end, it just changed shape.By evening, the rain had slowed, but the wind still howled, rattling the window like it was begging to get in.I’d spent the entire day pretending Fabian wasn't now living with me.While I stayed indoors, He, on the other hand, h
Steven POV.My voice trembled as the words spilled out, each one a painful reminder of the ridicule and belittling I'd endured for years. The sting of being called a Sissy still lingered, but it was nothing compared to the bets they'd placed on me, predicting I'd end up a cocksucker. Determined t







