Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 101254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Technically, he’s right.
“If you want my help—and I’ve got a plan way better than yours—no drugs. Got it?”
“What are you thinking?” Carlos asks.
“I’m thinking there are better places to hit than a damned store that never closes. We can hit a place that’s empty in the middle of the night. A place that has a hell of a lot more cash stashed away. I’m talking fifty grand at least, with absolutely no chance of getting caught.”
…
Present Day…
I already took my plunge early this morning with Braden, but I’ll do another so Tessa can see that it doesn’t kill me.
We walk into the resort to the workout room, where Spencer is waiting for us.
“Mr. Black,” he says. “There you are.”
“Hello, Spencer. This is Tessa Logan.”
Tessa holds out her hand.
Spencer shakes it. “Very nice to meet you.” He rakes his gaze over her body, of course.
Everyone does. Men and women. It’s beginning to irk me, even though I’m guilty of it myself.
“Ms. Logan and I would like to take a cold plunge.”
“Yes. I’ve got everything ready as you instructed,” Spencer says.
I take Tessa’s hand, and together we follow Spencer through the gym, out onto the deck adjacent to the workout area.
“Fifty-five degrees?” Spencer asks.
“It’s the only way I fly,” I say.
Tessa is chewing on her lower lip. “I don’t know, Ben.”
“Try it for three minutes. You’ll be amazed at how much better it gets after just the first minute. Spencer will tell you when the first minute is up, right, Spencer?”
“Absolutely, whatever you want.”
“And I’m going to go first.”
“Didn’t you say you and Braden already did one?” she asks.
“Yeah, we did. We both went eleven minutes today. Braden, of course, was determined to not let me beat him in anything.” I resist an eye roll. “But I don’t expect you to do anything without watching me do it first, so I’ll do five minutes this time, and you’ll see how easy it is for me, and you’ll have no problem with three minutes.”
Tessa draws in a breath, and then, to my surprise, she removes the sarong tied around her chest, revealing an amazing bright-red bikini.
I suck in a breath.
I’ve seen her in a bikini before, but this one is scant. Her tits are nearly falling out of the top. And the bottom? It’s a thong.
Oh my God.
Not something I expected Tessa to wear.
I unbutton my shirt and toss it on the back of a chair, right next to Tessa’s sarong.
Spencer pulls the thermometer out of the tub and glances at it. “Good news for you, Ms. Logan. It’s actually at fifty-seven.”
She scoffs. “Like I’m going to be able to tell that it’s two degrees warmer.”
“You’d be surprised,” Spencer says. “But since you’ve never done it before, no, you probably won’t be able to notice.”
“But I will,” I say. “It’ll be slightly easier for me.”
Spencer holds up his stopwatch. “I’ve got the timer ready, Mr. Black. Five minutes, you said?”
“Yeah, five minutes.” Then I look at Tessa. “Watch me. I’ll keep my eyes closed because I need to concentrate. All I need to do is breathe. Breathe and stay warm.”
“You’re not going to stay warm.”
“No I’m not, but just watch me.”
I close my eyes, draw in a deep breath, then shake my arms and legs to get ready.
Then I step into the tub, suck in a deep breath, and submerge myself up to my neck so that my chin is just touching the water.
Oh, coldness.
Sweet, sweet coldness.
I close my eyes and breathe in through my mouth and out through my nose and then in through my nose and out through my mouth.
Each time is different, and I do what feels right.
And though I know Tessa is there watching me, she flows from my mind, and all I do is concentrate on my breathing.
Five minutes is nothing, and Spencer’s timer goes off before I know it.
I pop out of the cold tub, and Spencer hands me a heated towel.
Tessa shakes her head. “I don’t know…”
“I’m certainly not going to force you,” I say, “but trust me when I tell you that this will help you.”
“Can you explain how?”
“I could, but I’d rather you try it first because I think you’ll see the benefits once you do it. Three minutes isn’t long, Tessa.”
“How about one minute?”
“One minute doesn’t really give you any benefit,” Spencer offers, “because it takes one minute to get used to the cold.”
“But you don’t really get used to the cold,” she says.
“No, not in the sense that you mean. You’re not going to all of a sudden feel warm.” I smile. “But you’ll see what he means. And that minute will go by quicker than you think. If you want, I can have Spencer tell you when each minute is over.”
She’s chewing on her lower lip. “Maybe…” She steps toward the tub. She gazes at it, clearly contemplating.