Chapter Six
Mason
Nothing like a cold beer, a half-crowded bar, and a hot yoga instructor to get you through hump day. I knew it was a shot in the dark to get Missy to come out with me tonight, but I was glad I decided to come back and ask. All cockiness aside, her little tricks to destress really worked, and I managed to get through the day in a better mood, and without killing anyone. When I first got to her studio, I didn’t call right away; instead, I stood outside watching her clean up. She was so sexy in her cropped top, spandex pants, and bare feet. I imagined being in there with her and bending her over the table in the back of the studio, right next to the “tranquil fountain.” Finally, when she looked like she was about to leave, I called her and was surprised that she said yes to getting a beer with me.
We walked across the street to the pub, and I bought us a pitcher while she scoped out a table. The music was pretty low, and she grabbed a table in the back corner, allowing us more privacy. I poured us both a glass and sat down. She looked around the room, obviously nervous as to what to talk about. There was something about this chick that was so sexy, but part of me just chalked it up to the fact that she could get her ankles behind her head.
“So I used the breathing technique today,” I said, trying to break the silence.
“Oh, yeah? That’s great.” She smiled. “How did it work?”
“I seriously went from 100 to 20 in like three seconds,” I replied, shaking my head. “It was so simple but did so much for me. I have this investor that knows exactly what buttons to push. On top of that my best agent also happens to be my childhood best friend, and he was plucking my last nerve today.”
“Ha,” she scoffed. “I know what that’s like. I can’t imagine working with anyone else than Eliza, but sometimes I want to kill her. It’s a blessing and a curse, and sucks when you have to actually put on your boss hat.”
“Thank you,” I said, sighing. “Someone that understands.”
She was definitely starting to respond better to me when I didn’t act so cocky. It was hard since I was so used to that working on women, but with Missy, it just created a wall. And a wall was not what was going to get me into this sexy little vixen’s tight spandex pants.
“You know, I like this chiller side of you.” Missy laughed. “I think part of your problem was your huge ego was casting a shadow over your common sense.”
We both laughed and carried on our conversation well into the night. She was funny, bright, and had no problem telling me exactly how it was. Her assertiveness was sexy in a way I had never experienced before, and I found myself thinking about her taking control instead of my normal male, dominating response. In all reality, she seemed to be letting loose, and the idea of actually nailing her seemed more and more like a reality.
“So, I have to ask,” she said, looking over at me. “What was it like growing up with two majorly famous musicians?”
“Well, it was normal to me, I guess.” I laughed. “I traveled back and forth with them during the summers, but for grade school, I went to a private school in Los Angeles. When I got older, I told them I wanted to be in New York, so that’s when I started at Childress Academy. I love California, but New York is just in my blood.”
“Do you go to Cali very often?”
“A few times a year,” I said. “Mostly for work, but since my parents moved to San Diego when they retired, I scoot over there and enjoy the beach while I’m in the area. How about you?”
“Well,” she said with a deep breath. “I grew up just outside of Dayton, Ohio, on a farm. I never really knew what I wanted to do with life, but I knew for sure I wanted to live in the city. So, after high school, I got accepted to NYU with almost full scholarships and got a degree in business.”
“Nice,” I replied, impressed. “And that’s how you started Zen?”
“Not exactly.” She laughed. “I couldn’t find a job out of college, so while I was sitting around circling help wanted ads, I started learning all about working out and eating healthy. I realized I loved it, so I took that knowledge and opened Zen. I got a personal training certification and a yoga teaching certification, and the rest is history.”
“Funny how life works,” I replied. “How long have you been open?”
“Just a year,” she said. “But I’ve tripled my revenue and acquired a really solid base of people. It’s been awesome. Exhausting but awesome.”
I looked up at the empty pool table and stood, reaching out my hand. I wanted to continue talking, but I also wanted to get a little playful. There was nothing more solid than letting a girl beat you at a game of pool.
“Come on,” I said, taking her hand. “Let’s relax a little together.”
“Okay,” she sang. “But I have to warn you, I’m a bit of a shark.”
“Oh, yeah?” I laughed to myself thinking about the hours and hours of pool I used to play at my parents’ condo. It was like my escape from the chaos of a famous existence. When everyone was at the house partying with my parents, I would hide out in my dad’s office and play myself at pool. After a while, I started watching pool matches on television and practicing their moves. I got pretty good at it, but after opening the company, playing pool became something I never even thought about. Hopefully, she didn’t beat me too bad.
“Show me what you got,” I said after racking the balls and rolling the cue ball to her. “Don’t embarrass me, though.”
Just like my first yoga lesson with her, my cockiness was quickly extinguished. She was actually really good, and I was actually really rusty. She ran the table on me so bad I couldn’t not challenge her to another game. There was no way I was going to let the sexy yoga instructor beat me so badly at a game of pool. However, after seven games and two pitchers of beer, I realized there was no way I was going to beat this chick.
“Okay,” I said, setting down the cue stick. “You have to tell me, how did you get so good at pool?”
“I have insomnia.” She laughed. “I know the owner of the bar, and he lets me come in at night and play when they’re closed. I’ve spent many, many nights here playing myself in pool and working things out in my head. It’s actually pretty therapeutic. Some of my best ideas have come from a late-night game of pool.”
“Well, damn,” I pouted. “You’ve shown me up again.”
“Again?”
“Yeah.” I blushed. “I thought I was pretty bad-ass at yoga, but you kicked my ass yesterday. I hurt in places I didn’t know you could hurt in.”
“You want to know a secret?” She leaned in close, and I could smell the lavender lotion on her skin. “I just did that because you were so cocky. I woke up so sore I thought about canceling my day. In fact, I haven’t been that sore since after the first week of classes at Zen.”
“I knew it,” I said, laughing. “You, my friend, experienced Karma full force.”
“I guess I did.” She laughed with me, looking me deep in my eyes. At first, with our closeness and the way her eyes turned dark, I thought for sure we were headed for a kiss, but she blocked that quickly. “Well, I guess it's getting late. We should probably get out of the bartender’s hair.”
“I’ll grab the tab,” I said, tossing her my stick and smiling.
As I waited for the bartender to run my credit card, I watched Missy move around the table, collecting her bag and stacking the glasses. I didn’t want this night to be over, but I also didn’t want to push too hard. I knew she lived across the street, but I couldn’t just invite myself in, so I walked her sweetly out the front door and stood on the sidewalk facing her. I decided to go for it, considering I wasn’t the kind of guy to hold back.
“My car’s right over there waiting,” I said, nodding my head in the direction of my driver. “You want to come over to my place and have another beer?”
“No,” she sighed as if she were expecting the offer. “I have a really early hot yoga class in the morning. I need to get some rest. But thank you for a great conversation and letting me beat you in pool.”
“I wish I could say I let you, but alas, you are the pool master,” I said with a bow, smiling at her laugh. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow at noon?”
“Yep,” she said, backing up into the street. “Be ready.”
I stood on the corner watching as Missy laughed and turned toward her building. She pulled down the gate in front of her shop and locked it before turning and entering a large red door. She waved at me and disappeared into her stairwell. I stood there for a moment replaying that moment like she was a ghost. She had such a great personality, and she was so damn hot I could barely stand it.
I turned and walked over to my driver, letting him know I was going to walk for a little bit. He nodded and started the car, knowing he would have to follow behind. As I strolled down the sidewalk, I thought about our conversation inside of the bar. She was very honest and forthright, and I had found myself telling her more than I had any other woman on a first date. There was something about that girl that made me really comfortable. So comfortable that I told her about my childhood and where I grew up. Most people got no more information from me than they could find online. I liked to keep some things out of the spotlight, especially since I grew up in it. It was never easy being the kid of two famous hippy musicians, and though some kids loved the spotlight and the fame, I almost ran from it at every pass. The media was relentless and seemed to capture every embarrassing moment of my youth for the world to see.
With Missy, everything seemed easier. She was smart, so I could have a conversation with her. She was beautiful, so it was easy to want to get close to her. And, to my surprise, she understood the stressors of being an entrepreneur in today’s society. I stopped under the streetlamp and looked around, realizing I wasn’t paying any attention to anything. How did I let this girl get into my head so fast?
I shook the thoughts from my mind and signaled my driver, who pulled up and opened the door. I climbed in and tossed my jacket and tie in the seat next to me. I was getting way too into this chick, and I needed to simmer down and stick with the chase, a feat I was finding more difficult than I could have imagined.