Marie Harte - Working Out

“Talk to me, Goose.”

“What is your need to talk about every damn thing?” Mac sneered. “I hate when you quote Top Gun . Fucking squid movie.” The Navy had nothing on the Corps.

“Look, what’s the problem here? So you like her. You date, fine. It works or it doesn’t. That’s life.”

So why did Mac worry about the not working part? He didn’t want to think about not being able to argue with her at the gym when she worked. And he couldn’t believe how much he looked forward to seeing her. Even without the sex, he liked being with her. For Maggie he’d consider going to a freakin’ coffee shop and sitting around, bullshitting with the other metrosexuals.

Jesus. He really needed to get laid.

“She’s not bitchy or a money-grubber,” Shane was saying. “You can trust her, and hell, I like her. She’s hot, has a job—has two jobs—and her own place, and is friends with my girlfriend. I mean, what’s not to like? So why all the worry?”

Maybe Shane could help him. He did tend to think like a woman. “Because I think with her I’ll want more, but I don’t know if it’ll scare her off or not.”

Shane blinked. “More as in… Oh, more .” Shane knew about Mac’s proclivities toward dominance. They’d talked about it a few times, and Shane had tried the D/s thing with his ex but hadn’t found it satisfying. Personally, Mac loved it. But partners into his kind of kink were hard to come by, and he didn’t want an anonymous hook up at a sex club. He’d been there, done that. Mac was tired of vanilla. He wanted sex that felt right, and he wanted to explore that path with Maggie.

“What if she isn’t into it? Think that would throw you off?” Shane asked.

“I don’t know.” The crux of the matter. Mac had always known exactly what he wanted in a steady partner. His ultimate fantasy girl would have to be strong and independent away from him. He didn’t want to babysit and he had no urge to deal with a 24/7 slave. But in the bedroom, he wanted to dominate. He wanted a woman to crawl to him, to satisfy his needs because she wanted to. She would want him to care for her and pleasure her because she’d know that turned him on. An equal and fulfilling exchange.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt that with anyone. Maybe he never had, but he had the urge to fit Maggie into that role. One step at a time, moron. You haven’t even fucked her yet. Why not take it slow before you scare her off? His hormones were totally screwing with him.

“You should see the misery on your face.” Shane looked gleeful, until Mac glared at him again. Shane lost the smugness, but not the pleasure behind his words. “It’s about time you found a decent woman. Give it a shot. Like you said, take it slow. My bet is you end up falling hard for her. And then all that Dom shit won’t matter, because you’ll be in love.”

“Go easy on all the love talk, Nancy.”

Shane laughed. “Whatever. You should try it sometime. A woman you actually like outside the bedroom can be a ton of fun. Look, I feel sorry for you. If you want, you can double with me and Shelby to take off the pressure. You said you wanted a different kind of relationship than the ones you normally have. No fucking and flying,” he said, repeating Mac’s earlier comments.

“I know. I’m being careful with her. We haven’t had sex yet.” Not exactly.

“Which for you is a miracle.”

“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” Mac growled. “It’s six thirty.”

“Oh, right.” Shane flipped him a one-finger salute. “Heading back to my place, where my hot, sexy girlfriend will be waiting for me with dinner.”

The lucky bastard. Mac shrugged. “Yeah? Well I’m going home to a crotchety old man with control issues.”

“Sounds like you and your future are closer than you think.” Shane laughed. “Tell your uncle I said hi.”

“Yeah, yeah. Give Shelby a kiss for me.”

“Dream on.”

“Later, slacker.” Mac watched his buddy leave and decided he’d worked long enough. After letting his night manager know he was taking off, he drove home for a family dinner, which usually consisted of Mac slaving away while his uncle nagged him about something. Hopefully Ian would remember to bring some beer this time.

He saw his uncle’s truck parked in front of the house and pulled into the driveway. The door opened and his uncle held up a six pack of Mac’s favorite microbrew.

“Come on, boy. I brought pizza. Well, get the lead out.” Ian slammed the door shut.

Mac smiled. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be a total waste. Pizza and beer would go a long way toward making Ian’s lecture easier to bear.

Just shoot me now.

Maggie swallowed another sigh as Mimi waved her hands above her head, the bangles clanging like it was the fourth of July. Shelby grinned at her with evil intent.

“I thought you and Shane had planned on a quiet night at home,” Maggie accused.

“Nah. I left him a note. He has the house to himself tonight. I wanted to spend more time with you, best buddy.” Shelby turned a bright smile on her mother. “And then I thought about how long it’s been since I had dinner with Mom and Ron too, and here we are.”

In hell. Maggie knew what this was about. Payback. Just because Maggie had, with the best of intentions, interfered in Shelby’s love life, Shelby now felt like she had to do the same to Maggie. But Shelby didn’t seem to understand Maggie didn’t want her help. Or maybe she did. Shelby could hold a grudge.

“Now, dear. Tell me more about Mac Jameson,” Mimi said to Maggie.

Ron dug into his noodles. “He’s to-die-for handsome. All that muscle. Yum.”

“I know that. I’ve met the man, like a Greek god to us mere mortals. I want to know what Maggie thinks of him.” She turned to Maggie. “Well, dear? Is he a bit thick?”

Maggie choked on an egg roll. He’d felt like more than a handful to her.

“As in,” Mimi continued, a merry glint in her eye, “can he handle a conversation, or is he as dense as a brick? Is he homophobic? Does he like color? I’ve only caught the bare minimum from our brief meetings.”

“He likes Maggie’s art,” Shelby added. “I’m pretty sure he’s not homophobic. I don’t know his favorite color, but from what I do know, he’s a great guy. He’s been nice to me.”

“Because you’re dating his best friend,” Maggie pointed out. “He’s okay if you’re into the muscle-bound, control-freak type.”

“Sound right up your alley,” Shelby asnwered.

“But I’m not in the market for a man. I’m concentrating on finishing a few more projects for the gallery. Kim has a buyer coming in January. He’s already expressed interest in a few pieces she put on the website. She thinks he might want to put some in his galleries on the East Coast.”

“That would be wonderful.” Mimi beamed. “You should focus wholeheartedly on your work. Shelby, quit bugging the girl.”

Shelby stared. “You’re kidding, right? You three stuck your big noses in my business not that long ago.”

“Out of love,” Ron reminded her. “Maggie seems to have a head on her shoulders. You, sadly, were hopeless.”

“He’s right.” Maggie grinned. “You were so pathetic about your ex that you couldn’t see what a great guy Shane is. You should be thanking us.”

“True.” Mimi stared at Shelby, waiting. Then she sighed. “Stubborn girl. Fine. Don’t thank me.” Ron cleared his throat, and she amended, “Don’t thank us. But Maggie, you I trust. You could have any man you wanted if you had the time to pursue one. Don’t you worry about a thing.”

Maggie breathed easier. They finished dinner and she left to use the restroom. Thank God Mimi had a little faith in her.