"Fat ass," I grumbled as I woke up, shoving Dexter off of me. He made an indignant snuffling noise before crawling to the edge of the bed. Glaring at him, I rolled over and eyed the alarm clock sitting on my nightstand. It was ten on the dot. How did that even happen?

Sighing, I threw my blankets off and immediately regretted it. The cold air washed over me and caused a series of shivers to skitter down my spine. Apparently I had forgotten to turn the air conditioning off the night before. Dexter's eyes followed me as I left the bedroom. Once in the hallway, I switched off the air and enjoyed the silence left in the apartment after the fan quit running. A small smile tugged at my lips as I headed to the kitchen. As soon as sound of dog food hitting plastic rang through the still air, I heard a thump come from the bedroom that signaled Dexter getting up. He trotted into the kitchen only a few seconds later, and as he began to eat I started a pot of coffee.

Once the coffee maker began to bubble, I filled Dexter's water bowl as well. He glanced up at me for a split second before returning to scarfing down his food. I couldn't help but laugh at him; he was acting as if he never ate. Which was nothing new, but it made me giggle every time. Shaking my head at him, I left the coffee to brew and crossed through the living room back into my bedroom. I rummaged through my dresser until I found a pair of destroyed skinny jeans and a faded band t-shirt, and then I tossed them onto the bed along with my undergarments. Satisfied with my outfit for the day, I headed to the bathroom.

I switched the water on to let it warm up as I stripped out of my oversized t-shirt and underwear. After I tossed them into the hamper that sat in the corner of the room, I stepped into the tub and pulled the tab for the shower. The hot water hit me and caused a content sigh to slip past my lips. The heat eased the tension that had built up in my shoulders over the past few days and I couldn't help but to revel in the feeling for a little bit. Before I was ready, I felt the slight temperature change in the water that signaled the iciness that would hit me within the next five minutes. As fast as I could, I washed my hair and my body. As I let the conditioner sit in my hair I debated whether or not to shave my legs. Deciding I might as well get it over with, I grabbed my cream and razor.

I stepped out of the shower just as the cold water started to pelt me. Thankful that I beat the freezing water, I wrapped my hair in a towel as well as one around my body. When I emerged back out into the apartment, the strong smell of fresh coffee enveloped me. Another smile fitted itself onto my face as I hurried into my room to get dressed. It took me four tries to get my jeans on because my foot kept going through the hole in the thigh instead of the one it was meant to go through. Huffing, I sat down on my bed to fight with the wretched things that I loved so much, but my entire body went rigid when I heard a knock on my door. It wasn't a dainty knock so I knew it wasn't Devyn – not that she didn't pound on my door every once in a while, but it was never with as much force as was being hammered upon my poor door.

There was a moment of silence before the three strong knocks sounded again. Cursing, I hurried to pull my shirt over my head and threw the towel that had been around my hair onto the bed. Making as little noise as possible, I dashed into the kitchen and grabbed the largest knife out of my chef's block. If whoever it was broke down my door, I was not going down without a fight. I crept towards the door, holding the knife close to my side. Dexter walked right next to me, a low growl rumbling in his chest as he picked up on my anxiety.

"Juliette, are you in there?" a familiar voice called.

"Oh, for God's sake," I spat, dropping my tense stance and crossing to the door. Swinging it open, I glared into Lucas's sparkling hazel eyes as he smiled at me.

"Morning!" he exclaimed.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Why do you have a knife?" he countered, eyeballing the blade that dangled from my hand.

"You were pounding on my door like a crazy person, I was scared."

"Oh, I'm sorry, sugar," he apologized, eyes softening. "It's just this things been ringing off the hook and it was driving me nuts. Vince said it was probably yours."

When I looked down at what he was holding in his hand, I saw my phone. Sighing, I took it from him with my free hand. It had to have fallen out of my purse the previous night. "Thanks, Lucas," I muttered, stepping back from the door. "Do you want to come in?" I offered.

"Sure, but not for too long. Is that coffee I smell?" he asked as he stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind him.

"Just started a pot," I informed him as I made my way to the kitchen. Lucas followed behind me, and Dexter watched him from his perch on the couch. "You remember Lucas, Dex. Calm down."

The dog was all but glaring at the new male in the apartment, but he settled down into the couch and quit growling. Lucas and I made our way into the kitchen and I poured both of us a cup of coffee. He grinned at me when I handed him his cup. "Thanks, sugar."

"No problem," I replied, checking my phone. Sure enough, there were multiple missed calls from both Devyn and Dante, and quite a few texts as well. Groaning, I sent them each an identical text letting them know I was fine and that my phone had just been dead. Sure, it was a little white lie, but they could just deal with it. I was not about to listen to their speeches if they found out why I really hadn't answered their phone calls.

"So . . ." Lucas trailed off as he took a seat at my small table. The table looked dwarfed compared to him.

"So, what?" I asked.

"How did your phone end up in the car?"

"Oh, please," I grumbled, rolling my eyes as I poured creamer into my coffee before going to sit across from him. "Your pain in the ass of a boss insisted on driving me home from work last night. I was exhausted, I must not have realized it fell out of my purse."

He pouted. "That's not what I was imagining happened."

"Sorry to burst your bubble," I said, laughing. I took a sip of my coffee and let the warmth of the liquid soak through my veins. I was going to need it to get through the day. I was thinking about calling Anthony to cover my shift, but I had something else on my mind as well. There had been too many instances lately of me running into some nasty situations. I was going to start looking around for a self-defense trainer.

Lucas snapped his fingers in front of my face. "You there?"

"Yes," I griped, swatting at his hand. "Just have a lot on my mind."

"Anything to do with us?"

"Everything to do with the lot of you," I grumbled.

"Sorry," he replied, sounding genuinely upset that he was part of what was making my life so difficult.

"It's okay," I said, smiling despite myself. Lucas still reminded me of a golden retriever, and I couldn't stand the defeated look in his hazel eyes. "I'm a big girl. I'll get it figured out."

That seemed to brighten his spirits. "If you say so." He checked his watch, sighed, and tossed the rest of his coffee back in one swig. When I raised my eyebrows at him, he just shrugged. "Speaking of figuring things out, I have to get going. Vince sent me out to do more than just return your phone. I'll see you soon, sugar."

"Don't count on it."

"Oh, I am," he teased, reaching over to muss my wet hair. I glared at him, causing him to burst into a fit of laughter. "I'll tell Vince you say hi."

"Don't you dare," I said, voice low as I narrowed my eyes at him.

He shrugged again before standing. He stretched his arms over his head and headed for the door. "You never know with me," he threw over his shoulder before slipping out into the hallway.

"Asshole," I muttered before getting up to collect his mug. With a sigh, I took both of our cups into the kitchen to wash them. Once they were both clean, I placed them back into the cabinet and headed towards my bedroom. There, I took my stash of cash out and counted out how much I needed to pay rent. When I had the amount I needed, I reached into my nightstand and pulled out an envelope and filled it with the cash. After that, I sealed the envelope and wrote To Kyle, From Juliette on the front. Heaving myself off the floor, I left the apartment, mounted the stairs, and made my way up to the fourth floor. I knocked on the door to 4D and only had to wait a few moments before it opened.

"Mornin', Jules," Kyle greeted.

"Good morning," I replied with a smile before handing him the envelope.

He grinned, running a hand over his full head of salt and pepper hair. He took the envelope from me and opened the door a little farther. "Would you like to come in?" he asked, and I could catch the scent of tea brewing on the stove.

"Not today, I've got to get going. I'll try to stop in later this week though."

"Don't be a stranger, Jules," he said with a laugh. He shook his head at me with a smile in his eyes before he shut the door. Kyle was in his late fifties, and he was one of those blessed men who just looked better with age. However, I was blessed that he was one of the best landlords I could hope to get in this part of town. He always understood if I needed an extra few days to get the cash together to pay him, and I think it might have had something to do with the fact that he had always been sweet on my mother before she passed. However, I was never one to look a gift-horse in the mouth, so I had jumped on the opportunity when he offered me the apartment over three years prior. Now, I tried to come see him whenever I could. He was the closest thing I had known to a father in a long time.

Sighing, I turned away from the door and made my way back down to my own apartment. I walked in only long enough to exchange my slippers for socks and converse and to braid my wet hair before I was on my way again. Dexter whined at the door, and I knew he wanted to go with me. However, I had no idea where I was going or how long I would be, so he had to settle with just being taken out to do his business. After I had him back in the apartment and had securely locked up, I began to walk towards the downtown area.

I knew that there had to be a studio around somewhere that taught one on one self-defense courses. Not that I had anything against the large group classes that the gym closet to me offered, but that was not was I needed to know. With Vincent and his gang hanging around, I needed to know a little bit more than how to spray someone in the eyes with mace.

It surprisingly didn't take me too long to locate a small gym that advertised personal trainers. Crossing my fingers, I walked into 24/7 Gym and strolled to the front desk. For having such a mediocre name, the studio itself was relatively nice. I could see multiple rooms lining the halls that had different classes going on in them, and then at the very end of the hall was the room with treadmills, weights, and the like.

The man at the front desk looked up when I approached the counter and raised an eyebrow at me. "Can I help you?" he asked, putting down the folder he had in his hands before angling his body so he was fully facing me.

"Um, I hope so," I said, biting my lip. "I need a personal trainer and I saw the advertisement at the door." I jerked my thumb towards the flyer posted against the front door.

"I'm one of the trainers here, what is it you're looking for?" he questioned, his eyes roaming over my body. If it were any other time, I might have felt a little violated with how closely he was scrutinizing me. However, I could tell when a guy was checking me out, and that was definitely not what this guy was doing. His eyes were calculating and analytical. He was seeing what he had to work with.

"Self-defense," I replied, crossing my arms over my chest.

"We have a class –"

"I really don't think that would work for me," I stated, cutting him off.

He raised his eyebrows at me. "Oh really?"

"Really."

A grin pulled at the corners of his lips. "Well then, let's see what you've got. Follow me." And just like that he headed down the hallway, not even bothering to look back to see if I was following him.

That was not what I had been expecting in the slightest. Nevertheless, I scurried after him. He stopped at the second to last door on the left and held it open for me, ushering me inside. He really wasn't what I had expected either. He couldn't be much older than me, and he wasn't hard to look at. He had light brown hair and tan skin that a lot of people would kill for. When his eyes met mine I noted that they were a warm tawny color, but then I realized he was speaking and I had to focus on his words.

". . . your name?"

"Juliette," I replied, hoping that I had correctly deduced what he was asking.

"I'm Jack," he said, extending his hand my way. When I shook it, his grip was firm. "Now, why don't you enlighten me on why the class wouldn't work for you?"

"Well . . ." I bit my lip. How should I go about this? "I work really late hours at a bar, and I walk home a lot. Because of that, several bad situations have risen in the past few months and I haven't been able to get my hands on a gun yet. I would like to be able to feel comfortable in kicking someone's ass if they tried anything."

"Alright," he said, grinning at me. "That is a very valid argument. I'll take you on. We'll start now."

"But I'm not wearing –"

"Are you going to be wearing gym clothes on your way home from work?" I shook my head. "Exactly. So, let's get started."

Sighing, I pitched my purse over into the corner of the room. This was going to be interesting.

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