The gym was buzzing with its usual Saturday morning energy when Ross ambled over to where James was setting up for his bench press routine. They'd been workout acquaintances for months now, both religiously committed to the same 9 AM Saturday slot, nodding acknowledgments across the weight room, occasionally spotting each other when needed.
"Morning, James," Ross said, settling his towel on the nearby bench. His usual easy confidence seemed slightly off today, replaced by something that looked suspiciously like nervous energy.
"Hey, Ross." James adjusted his grip on the barbell, already sensing that this wasn't going to be one of their typical brief exchanges about weekend plans or workout routines.
"Good session today?"
"Yeah, not bad."
Ross cleared his throat, fidgeting with his water bottle. "So, uh... I hope you don't mind me asking, but that woman who came in with you today?" He gestured vaguely toward the cardio section where Victoria was currently maintaining a steady pace on the treadmill, her form flawless even twenty minutes into her run. "The dark-haired beauty? She's... well, she's absolutely gorgeous."
James felt his jaw tighten slightly. "What about her?"
"Well, I was wondering if maybe you could introduce me?" Ross's words came out in a rush, like he'd been rehearsing this conversation. "I mean, this is the first time I've ever seen you bring someone with you, and you two seem close, like friends... I don't know."
"She's my bos..." The words tumbled out automatically, years of professional habit taking over before James's brain could catch up. He stopped mid-sentence, a strange smile tugging at his lips as something warm and possessive unfurled in his chest. "She's my girlfriend."
The confidence in his voice surprised even him. My girlfriend. When had that started feeling so natural, so right to say?
Ross's face went through a comical series of expressions; first surprise, then mortification, then something approaching panic. "Oh! Oh God, I'm sorry. I didn't...I had no idea she was..." He ran both hands through his hair, making it stick up at all angles. "Shit, man, I wouldn't have asked if I'd known she was taken."
"Ross, it's fine..."
"No, it's not fine!" Ross was practically vibrating with embarrassment now, his hands gesticulating wildly. "I wasn't trying to move in on your girl or anything. I just thought...well, you seemed friendly with her, and sometimes people work out together as friends, right? I mean, not that I was assuming anything about your relationship status or hers, but she's just so..." He trailed off, glancing toward Victoria again before quickly looking away. "God, I'm such an idiot. Of course she's with someone. Look at her!"
James couldn't help but be amused by Ross's flustered rambling. "Breathe, man."
"I'm just trying to explain that I wasn't being disrespectful or anything. I would never knowingly hit on someone's girlfriend. That's just not who I am, you know? My mom raised me better than that. And it's not like I make a habit of approaching random women at the gym anyway, but she's just so stunning that I thought maybe..." Ross caught himself spiraling again and forced himself to stop. "I'm making this worse, aren't I?"
"You're overthinking it," James said, genuinely unbothered by the whole situation. "You didn't know. No harm done."
Ross looked skeptical. "You're really not mad?"
"Why would I be mad? You've got excellent taste." James allowed himself another glance at Victoria, who was completely absorbed in her workout, wireless earbuds in, utterly oblivious to the conversation happening about her. "She really is stunning."
Following James's gaze, Ross shook his head with something like awe. "How the hell did you manage to land someone like that? She looks like she could be an A-lister celebrity or something."
If only you knew, James thought, picturing Victoria in her natural habitat commanding boardrooms, dismantling competitors with surgical precision, building corporate empires with the same focused intensity she brought to her treadmill routine. Here, in her sleek Alo workout gear with her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail, she looked softer somehow. More approachable. But no less magnificent.
"Lucky, I guess," James said simply.
"Lucky?" Ross laughed, the tension finally leaving his shoulders. "Brother, that's not luck. That's pure skill. Seriously, good for you." He clapped James on the shoulder with genuine warmth. "And she genuinely looks content with you. That's rare, man. Usually people look kind of awkward or forced when they're dragged to the gym with someone, but she seems like she actually wants to be here."
James felt that warm feeling in his chest expand. Victoria did look content when she was with him, didn't she? Relaxed in a way that he was beginning to realize was rare for her.
"Just promise me you won't mention this conversation to her?" Ross added with a sheepish grin. "I'm embarrassed enough as it is. The last thing I need is your gorgeous girlfriend thinking I'm some kind of creep who hits on taken women."
"Your secret's safe with me."
"Thanks, man. I appreciate it." Ross grabbed his towel, preparing to head to his usual squat rack. "And hey, seriously good luck with her. Hold onto that one."
As Ross walked away, still shaking his head at his own mortification, James found himself turning his full attention back to Victoria. She was nearing the end of her cardio session, her pace steady and controlled, a light sheen of sweat making her skin glow under the gym's fluorescent lights.
He wasn't the only one watching her.
Now that Ross had drawn his attention to it, James began to notice the subtle and not so subtle glances Victoria was attracting from around the gym. A group of college guys by the free weights kept finding excuses to look in her direction between sets. Two women near the cable machines were having what appeared to be an animated whispered conversation while periodically glancing her way. Even Derek, the gym's usually stoic personal trainer, seemed to be taking longer routes around the facility that happened to pass by the cardio section.
They have no idea who they're looking at, James realized with a mixture of amusement and pride. To them, she was just another beautiful woman working out on a Saturday morning. They couldn't see the brilliant mind that had built a multimillion-dollar company from scratch, the strategic genius who could dissect market trends and corporate weaknesses with surgical precision, or the complex, fascinating woman who took photos of their toothbrushes and had strong opinions about everything from international trade policy to the proper way to make coffee.
But she was his.
The possessive thought sent a warm, proprietary feeling spreading through his chest, a sensation that was becoming increasingly familiar and, if he was being honest with himself, increasingly addictive. It wasn't just physical attraction, though that was certainly there in abundance. It was something deeper, more fundamental. Pride, yes, but also something that felt dangerously close to...
James cut that line of thinking short. They were together now, in whatever way that meant for them. A relationship that had grown from professional boundaries into something far more personal and intimate. The fact that he'd just automatically referred to her as his girlfriend to Ross felt natural, right even. It wasn't just convenient...it was the truth, wasn't it?
Wasn't it?
Victoria must have sensed his intense scrutiny because she glanced over, catching his eye in the mirror that lined the wall. She raised an eyebrow in silent question, and he responded with a small smile and a thumbs up. She rolled her eyes in that way that had become endearingly familiar, but smiled back before returning her focus to her cool down.
Mine, the voice in his head said again, quieter this time but no less certain.
James reached for the barbell, adding weight plates for his next set. Whatever was developing between them, whatever these feelings meant, he found he didn't want to analyze it too closely. Not right now. Right now, it was enough to know that the most captivating woman in the room, hell, the most captivating woman in any room, would be going home with him.
And watching every other person in the gym try not to stare at her while knowing she was completely, utterly his?
That felt pretty damn incredible.