Mafia Marionette

Day One

Here's the thing about exercise: it requires motivation. Think of it like this... when training a dog, there are two ways to accomplish whatever task you are attempting. The first method is with the stick. If the dog does something bad, you swat it with the stick. That way, the dog will learn that if he does something bad, he will be beaten with a stick. 

I know. Animal abuse, probably. But it works. It's called negative reinforcement.

The opposite of negative reinforcement is positive reinforcement. Duh. So instead of using a stick, the trainer uses a treat. That way whenever the dog does something right, you give the dog a treat, and the dog ends up expecting a treat every time he does something good.

It has been proven that positive reinforcement is the best way to train someone. I'm serious. I studied it in that one psychology class that I took in college. Random shit like that always stands out in my brain.

Now, I don't really like the idea of comparing myself to a dog, but I have to agree with science on this one. Positive reinforcement is key to getting me to do what you want me to do. 

And Jace, my new personal trainer, is my positive reinforcement.

When we arrive in the gym on the ground floor of the building , there are only two people inside. One is a middle-aged man sporting a goatee and a comb-over. He should really give up on the comb-over. Embrace your baldness, dude. Bald is beautiful and whatnot.

Just one look at the other guy and I perk right up. I mean I perk everything up. My eyes brighten. I stand a bit taller. I stick my chest out a bit more. His back is to me but I don't need to see his front to know that he's ripped. His biceps are huge. His forearms are big. I can literally see the muscles rippling in his back through his compressed workout shirt. He's also got these tight athletic gray pants on that give me a pretty good view from behind. He has muscles everywhere. This has to be Jace. And I have to be panting, I'm so attracted to him already.

He turns and even from across the room, his green eyes pull me in. His blonde hair is short but yet long enough for me to sink my fingers into. I mean, if he let me. Would he let me? No. Stop it. Don't be weird.

As he approaches, I get a chance to study his features some more. His face is chiseled, but his jawline is hidden behind an even layer of dark stubble. No complaints here. Stubble looks good on this guy. As he approaches, I can see he walks with confidence. Almost a swagger, I would say. His lips pull up in a smirk and his eyes seem to shine even more.

"Hey there," he says, and his deep voice wraps around me. I want to hear him say more. Say my name, handsome. 

"Jace, buddy!" says Noah, my escort who I actually forgot was here for a moment. Go away, Noah. Leave me with this Adonis. "How ya been?"

Jace gives a genuine smile as his eyes drift toward Noah. A dimple appears in the shadowed valley of his cheek and I. Nearly. Swoon! 

"Great, man," he says to Noah, both of them completely ignoring me as they do a bro-hug. I don't mind. I use their distraction to my advantage and continue my perusal of Jace. Those eyes. Fuck me, I've never seen anyone with eyes so green. They seem to literally sparkle. I wonder if they sparkle all the time, or if it's something about the gym lighting that makes them glimmer. I cock my head to the side and try to see if the sparkle changes at all, but it doesn't. Both eyes are still gorgeous and sparkly. And locked on me. 

Oh shit. Why is he looking at me all expectantly like that? "What?" I ask, straightening my head.

"I said, what's your name?" Jace says chuckling. 

I smile and flip the end of my ponytail off my shoulder. "Maddison," I say. "I'm the newbie."

"Oh so you're Asher's new interest." Jace nods his head, a subtle smirk lifting one corner of his lips.