Chapter Five
The next morning, Rin breezed through the chores she did around the bed and breakfast to help out, eagerly watching the clock. She was psyched, prepped and ready thanks to YouTube and Sylvester Stallone. She may have even tried to emulate some of the fast jabs while running in place. Luckily, no one had been around to see that, since she almost tipped over and had to catch herself. Regardless of that lapse in grace, she couldn’t wait to get in that ring.
Unfortunately, Mike had other plans. As it turned out, he had no intention of throwing her in the ring with a “Let’s see what you got” attitude. Nope. Mike Myers was too thorough for that. First was stretching, then some jump rope which she hadn’t done in years, then finally on to lesson one: Wrapping her hands. He wrapped her hands for her then undid all of the work he had done with a “Now you try.” Luckily that was relatively easy. Next, he gave her a pair of boxing gloves. “This pair should be light enough for you.” He said as he pushed them onto her hands and expertly laced them up. “Technically, these are meant for an older child since they’re only about eight ounces, but I don’t think you want to try anything heavier right yet.” Rin nearly snorted, not at all surprised that she would need gloves meant for a kid. Most of the time she still had to shop in the girl’s department to find clothes that fit.
With hands wrapped, gloves on and laced, Mike turned her to the big punching bag he called a heavy bag. He gave her a little nudge and nodded with his head when she just stared at him. “Go ahead and hit it.”
Mike didn’t say anything, but Rin knew her first punch was pathetic. She’d never thrown a punch in her life, and watching other people in movies didn’t actually translate into knowledge of the mechanics behind a proper punch. That’s when Mike stepped in to show her how it was done.
Rin had stripped off her sweatshirt after the rope jumping exercise had gotten her heart rate up, and the tank top she now wore provided zero barrier when his hand landed on her shoulder to correct her form. The feel of his calloused palm on her skin sent a zing of awareness rocketing down her spine and her breathing went erratic. He was saying something, trying to teach her as she’d requested, but she didn’t hear a word of it.
“Rin? Do you need a break?”
Rin shook off the haze of desire that had suddenly overtaken her and forced herself to focus. “Sorry, sorry,” she said with a shake of her head and what was probably an overly bright smile. Thank God he hadn’t been able to sense what she had been feeling or she would be mortified right now. Trying to act casual, she knocked her gloved hands together and gave a quick jog in place while swinging her head side to side. “I’m good. You were saying?”
Rin forced herself to focus as Mike demonstrated a few punches and explained things like wrist position and follow through. Unfortunately she kept getting so distracted watching him move that she really wasn’t retaining the information. Mike Myers was a beautiful male. True, she had thought he was handsome yesterday, but watching him move was a delight to her senses – graceful, powerful, and fierce.
When he finished, she was turned toward the bag and told to give it another try. Rin felt her cheeks heat with a blush. Once again, she’d barely paid attention and was going to be found out. So needless to say, she was quite surprised when Mike said “Better,” and encouraged her to continue.
What seemed like an eternity later, Rin’s arms felt like they were going to fall right out of their sockets. She’d learned how to jab, right cross, left cross, uppercut, and hook. Had gone through different combinations of each until she could barely lift those light weight kid’s gloves.
“Good job today.” Mike said as he ushered her out of the gym. “Tomorrow we’ll step it up a notch since you’ve got the basics down.”
Rin let out a groan and Mike chuckled.
“Admit it. You’re a sadist.” Rin grumbled.
Mike barked out a loud laugh. “Tell that to my friend, Tim.”
Rin was about to ask if she had met this Tim person when she caught sight of a bamboo green car that was obviously a classic. She let out a little ooh of wonder and walked over to get a better look. “I love this color. What kind of car is this?”
Mike visibly puffed up with pride. “You like her? She’s my baby. A 1968 Dodge Charger. She was in rough shape when I bought her. But now look at her. Purrs like a kitten and runs like a champ.”
Rin ran her fingers lightly over the glossy paint. “She’s beautiful.”
Mike pulled out a set of keys and gave them a jingle. “Want to start her up? Feel the power?”
Rin balked at the idea. Pulling her hand away from the car as if she’d been burned she took a step back. “Oh, no, definitely not.” She said, shaking her head vigorously. “I couldn’t possibly.”
Mike looked confused at her over exaggerated response and Rin blushed as she admitted. “I don’t know how to drive. I’ve never driven anything but a bicycle in my life.”
Mike pushed the keys back into his pocket and smiled reassuringly. “You should learn. Especially if you’re going to be staying in this area. I’d be happy to teach you.”
Rin thought about it for all of two seconds. It would mean spending even more time with Mike and she rather liked that idea. “I think I’ll take you up on that.”