Chapter 7: Trained by Him

The training hall was a cavernous space that smelled of floor wax and old leather. I walked in, shuffling my feet in a pair of oversized jogging pants and a hoodie that felt like a tent.

Gio was already there. He wasn't wearing a shirt, just black athletic shorts and hand wraps that he was tightening with his teeth. The sight of his back—the broad expanse of muscle and that "K" tattoo—was impressive, I’ll give him that. But I didn't let it show. I just yawned loudly, the sound echoing off the high ceilings.

"You're finally here," he growled without turning around. "I don't pay you a fortune just to wander around my house and waste my time, Samson."

"I wasn't wandering! I was looking for the gym. Your house is a maze, Boss. I almost ended up in the kitchen twice. I wouldn't have minded, but I figured you'd be cranky if I showed up with a sandwich," I replied, stepping onto the mat with a casual shrug.

He finally turned, a slow, predatory smirk spreading across his face. "We’re going to see if you can survive a minute without crying. Get over here."

I let out a snickering laugh, crossing my arms. "Crying? Me? That’s rich coming from you. The only one who cried when we met was you, Boss. Remember? Something about a 'scary needle' at the hospital? You were practically trembling. I thought I was going to have to give you a lollipop."

His smirk vanished, replaced by a dark, dangerous glare. "I told you never to mention that again."

"Oh, right. Selective amnesia. I forgot," I teased, giving him a mock-salute. "So, what’s the plan? Are you going to show me how to look scary, or are we actually going to move? Because so far, I’m just standing here getting a tan from the lightbulbs."

"Get over here," he barked.

I stepped forward, and before I could even settle into a stance, Gio moved. He was terrifyingly fast. He grabbed my wrist, spun me around, and slammed his chest into my back. In one fluid motion, he pulled my arm upward, locking it behind my shoulder blades in a tight restraint.

"Rule number one," he whispered into my ear, his hot breath making the tiny hairs on my neck stand up. "Never let an opponent take your back."

The heat of him was overwhelming. He was holding me so tightly I could feel the hard planes of his chest pressing against my spine. He leaned over my shoulder, his face inches from mine, staring straight into my eyes from the side. The "bro" vibe vanished instantly. It was raw, high-tension intimacy masked as a threat.

"You're wide open, Samson. I could snap your arm before you even realized I was in the room."

I knew I couldn't overpower him, so I changed tactics. Instead of fighting the grip, I went limp. I leaned my entire weight back against him, letting my head fall back until it rested comfortably in the crook of his shoulder. I could feel his heart skip a beat against my back.

"Wow, Boss," I murmured, my voice dropping into a playful, soft lilt. "If you wanted a hug this badly, you could have just asked. You don't have to use 'training' as an excuse to get this close to me. I know I’m charming, but save the heavy breathing for the first date, yeah?"

Gio’s breath hitched. He went completely still, his body stiffening as my head rested against his bare skin.He was momentarily paralyzed by the sheer audacity of my flirting—and the unexpected softness of the contact.

In that split second of his hesitation—the moment his grip loosened from pure shock—I didn't waste time.

I dropped my weight suddenly, ducking under his arm and spinning out of the lock. I danced back a few feet, breathless but triumphant.

"Rule number one should actually be: Never lose focus," I said, pointing a finger at him while he stood there, stunned and looking a little dazed. "Because what if a girl flirts with you and outsmarts you while you're distracted? You’d be dead before you even got her number, Boss."

Gio let out a sharp, cold laugh, his grip tightening into fists as he shook off the confusion. "That would never happen."

"Oh? You’re that disciplined? What if she's really pretty? Like, drop-dead gorgeous?"

"It’s not discipline," he said, his voice turning ice-cold. He stepped back, looking at me with a gaze so filled with loathing it made the air feel heavy. "I wouldn't let a filthy 'thing' like a woman get close enough to breathe my air, let alone outsmart me. They are manipulative, weak, and useless. I’d sooner put a bullet in my head than let a woman distract me."

I stayed still, watching him. I wasn't afraid of his anger—I'd faced worse—but a cold knot of anxiety twisted in my gut.

He didn't just dislike women; he despised them. He saw them as sub-human. If he ever found out that the 'bratty nurse' he was currently training was one of those 'things', he wouldn't just be angry. He'd be lethal.

"Right," I forced a dry laugh. "Good thing I'm a guy then, huh? Otherwise, you might have to kick me out into the rain again.

"

"Don't joke about it," he snapped. "Now, again. Show me the sweep."

I charged at him, determined to focus, but as I went for the sweep, my foot caught the edge of the mat.

"Whoa—!"

I tumbled forward, my hands searching for anything to grab. I caught the waistband of his shorts, pulling him down with me. We hit the mat in a tangle of limbs. I landed flat on my back, and Gio, unable to stop his momentum, landed directly on top of me.

His arms were braced on either side of my head. His chest was heavy against mine, and our legs were completely entwined.

I looked up, breathless, my face inches from his. He was staring down at me, his eyes wide, his breath hitching as he looked at my face.

Then... the sound of the heavy double doors swinging open echoed through the hall.

"Hey, Boss, the shipment from the docks just—"

Jett froze mid-sentence. Behind him, the other three members of Kard filed in, their jaws dropping in unison.

From their perspective, the man who famously hated women was currently pinning his male nurse to the mat in a very heated, very breathless position, while my hands were still tangled in his gear.

I felt a flash of anxiety. Not because of the fall, but because I was trapped under a man who hated my kind, in front of a group of men who could uncover my secret in an instant if I didn't get up right now.

"Uh..." Jett cleared his throat, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Are we... interrupting a private session? Or did the nurse finally win?"