Firecracker Gone Astray - Firecracker #2 (Erotic Romance) by Megan Flint Read Free Book Online Page A

be,” she
    Trixie stooped to tie her shoelaces.
    “Is everything alright?” he asked.
    She looked up at him, a little perplexed. “Of course. Shouldn’t it be?”
    “It’s just that you weren’t at dinner last night. You could have met everybody.”
    “Oh, well thanks for noticing, but I wasn’t hungry.”
    Erik cocked his head, a little doubtful of her reason. “I heard that Vanessa came by to talk. Did she say anything rude? If she did, I’ll speak to her about it.”
    “Not at all. I just wanted to make sure my body was rested enough to handle anything you throw at me today.”
    “Okay, if that’s all it was, " he said, only half-satified with her excuse. "Mind if I walk you there?”
    “By all means.”
    Erik could be so formal, but Trixie didn’t mind a little old fashioned in her men. He escorted them to a large convention room where everybody was already waiting. Exercise mats were provided, along with hand weights and electrolyte beverages, but the room was also filled with an arsenal of exercise equipment.
    In addition to the usual fitness gear, like kettle bells, medicine balls, and skipping rope, there were sledge hammers, thick tossing ropes, and treaded tires the diameter of her height. That was just the small equipment. There were also larger standing pieces, like hand-over-hand bars, pull up bars, and parallel bars.
    Trixie was familiar with all of the equipment, but couldn’t say she had used them all. Vanessa bounced over to where they were standing, chipper and smiling, continually hopping up and down in one place.
    “Everybody’s ready when you are Erik.”
    She handed him a microphone headset.
    “Great, thanks Vanessa, I’ll be there in a moment.”
    She continued bouncing in place while looking at Erik, then at Trixie, then back at Erik. He raised his eyebrows, twisted his mouth, and waited for her to get the point.
    “Okay, I’ll make sure all the stations are ready.”
    “Please,” he said.
    Vanessa bounded away. Erik turned back to Trixie.
    “We didn’t get a chance to talk yesterday, but I’m really glad you came.”
    “I could hardly resist, especially after how my last class ended,” she said, flirting again.
    Erik grinned in the transparent way she liked.
    “I’m going to be all over the place for the next few hours, but wait for me afterwards, okay?”
    “I’ll do that, but I don’t expect my body will want to move much after this.”
    “I’m sure you’ll do great,” he smiled.
    Vanessa chose that moment to start blaring music, boring a stare at Erik from across the room.
    “I’ve been summoned. The taskmistress likes to be punctual.”
    He turned on the microphone headset and ran off to stand in front of the class.
    Trixie looked for an available spot, but there was only one, beside Vanessa in front of Erik. She had apparently saved a place.
    “How thoughtful of you to hold me a spot for me,” she said, approaching Vanessa.
    “I hope you got enough sleep last night.”
    “Like a stone,” Trixie said.
    “Good. I don’t want to hear any excuses when I beat you in front of Erik.”
    “Oh, I don’t think there’s any danger of that. I’d be happy in your shoes if you can simply keep up with me,” she answered with a smile.
    Hearing their exchange, Erik launched into the class immediately.
    “I’m happy to see you all made it,” he said, his voice booming through amplified speakers. “None of you are strangers to my workout, but some of you are new to boot camp. The next three hours are going to push your limits, but then you wouldn’t be here if it didn’t.”
    Erik started much as Trixie expected, with warm up exercises, but those quickly gave way to more intense cardiovascular workouts, emphasizing the arms, legs and core muscles. She wanted to pace herself, but that wasn’t going to be possible with Vanessa at her side. There would be a short rest before the next hour started, but not a meaningful one.
    Vanessa frequently looked over at