Balance (Off Balance Book 1) (5 page)

Dad cleared his throat. “I’ve gone ahead and secured one of the top floor units at Cape Harbor for her. It’s a two-bedroom condo across town in one of my gated communities, and I also purchased an SUV for when she’s ready to drive.

“As you know, being a Rossi brings a lot of publicity, and I need to make sure Ana is safe. She appears much older than she is and has a strong head on her shoulders, unlike most girls her age. I know you’ll be nearby if anything should happen, but I still worry about her being so far away. I took the necessary precautions before allowing her to move here. Ana doesn’t want for anything, and anything she does need, she’ll have so she can focus on gymnastics. My wife has even gone the distance to have her meals delivered to her condo and a tutor in place.”

Stifling a groan of embarrassment, I chewed the inside of my lip instead.

Dad always managed to find a way to mention money and how much of it he had. It was humiliating and I detested the pompous manner he spoke about it, friend or not. It was mortifying, especially sharing the fact he ordered meals for me. He knew I was responsible enough to make wise decisions, unlike my brother who reveled in the Rossi name and money.

I stared at Konstantin, trying to gauge his reaction at the unnecessary shit my father elaborated on, but his face gave nothing away. His cold stare—the resting dick face—could rival my mother’s. I stifled a chuckle. The way his presence demanded attention caused my heart to hammer against my ribs. As long as he didn’t open his mouth to spew more ridiculous ballet suggestions, I couldn’t help being drawn to him.

“All right, Adrianna, not only do your parents have to sign, but so do you.” Another form? Enough already. Sell me to China, they have good gymnastics coaches over there. So what if they lie about their ages.

Konstantin handed me a stack of papers.

“The first is your commitment to the gym, your oath to train hard and give one hundred and fifty percent, and to not quit, not that I expect you to. However, should you decide to end your time here at World Cup before the year is over, there will be a hefty fee charged to your parents, just like I do with every teammate. I am sure you know this is not an easy gym to get into, hence the need for this obligation. This agreement is renewed every year.”

Just as I was about to press the pen down to sign my name, naturally Mom had to get her two cents in.

“Ana, this is a very expensive endeavor. I’m sure more than most parents would be willing to spend. We know you’re responsible and trust you to do the right thing, but your father and I would be very upset if we had to pay an unnecessary fee on top of it all,” she warned with glaring eyes. “Are you sure you’re committed to this?”

“More than anything in the world,” I mumbled under my breath. If she wanted to test my resolve at the eleventh hour, she could throw any doubts out the window. I was looking my dream straight in the face, and a few more documents to sign would not get between my goals and me.

“Anything?” Her voice heightened her question. She had no idea how much this meant to me, or how dedicated I was to gymnastics.

“She gets it, Joy,” Dad said, and then gave me a satisfied smile.

For whatever reason, my mom pushed me hard on just about everything. It was disconcerting and I wished she’d back off and encourage me instead.

Dad understood my dedication because he was the same way. Once we found something to pour all our sweat and blood into, there was no going back. Our devotion drove us.

“All right, the next document states you will not date anyone while you are under my authority and training,” Konstantin said, eyeing me as he slid it across his desk. He couldn’t be serious. I’d never heard of a coach doing this before.

“I know it sounds juvenile, but this is actually a very important piece of paper you will have to sign. I do not need you losing your focus. You will end up skipping practices and pissing me off. It could ruin your career and it will only waste my time. My time is precious. I expect, and deserve, your focus and determination, not anyone else.”

“I understand.”

I scribbled my name without reading and pushed it back. Konstantin held my gaze. “You should always read the fine print before you sign anything,” he said quietly, sounding disappointed.

He peered down at my signature, his eyes moving as he read. “Right here states,” he said, pointing, “you will be under my supervision during gym time.” Konstantin handed a paper to my father and said, “This is basically the same agreement I gave your daughter. Since she is fifteen and with no real parental guidance, she will be under the supervision of World Cup while training here. Anything she does after she steps out of the gym is not my responsibility; therefore, neither I, nor World Cup will be held accountable for her actions. All the gymnasts living on their own while training here must sign it.”

Dad read over it silently then looked at me and said, in an unyielding voice, “I hope you realize how much faith and trust we’re putting in you to be responsible, young lady. This is no joke.”

Wide eyed, I nodded. “I understand completely, Dad.”

Dad signed the agreement and Konstantin stacked the papers together, bound them with a paper clip and set them aside. Kova crossed his arms firmly across his chest, leaned back in his leather chair, and looked directly at me.

“My training is unconventional, it is tough and brutal. There will be days when you will not be able to stand the sight of me. It is intense and exhausting. I am not here to be your friend, I am not here to pat your back when times get rough, I am not here to coddle you. I am here to be your coach and help get you to the next level. I come from Russia with some of the strictest coaching around. I have learned from the best, and just because you are your father’s daughter does not mean I will go easy on you. You will forget everything you were taught in the past and relearn through me. I will give you all the possible means you need, but it is up to you to dig deep and be the athlete you want to become. You must have the drive and the passion in order to go places. I am just here to guide you down that path and show you your capability.” He paused. “This, Adrianna, is your chance to leave. I can rip up these papers and you all can go home.”

I looked at Konstantin and realized two things: I was about to get my ass handed to me, and he didn’t use contractions.

Okay, so I was still a little obsessed with what came out of his mouth. I couldn’t help it, that accent was sexy as hell.

I stared at Konstantin with confidence. He met my gaze. With all the passion and drive that breathed through my veins for my love of gymnastics, I poured it into my next sentence.

“I’m not leaving.”

The wicked smile that slid across his face nearly knocked the wind out of me.

“Well, that wraps up all the necessary formalities. If you would like, I can show you around the gym now.”

K
onstantin opened the door leading into the impressive gym. We followed close behind, taking in every square inch around us. I couldn’t stop the unsteady leaps in my stomach from the adrenaline pumping through my blood.

It reminded me of walking into home period on the first day of school. I hadn’t had this feeling in quite some time since I’d been homeschooled for the past year, but I remembered it like it was yesterday. Everyone hated the first day.

Gymnasts on the nearby apparatus glanced up, surveying us from head to toe. Mom didn’t miss a beat in her three-inch Christian Louboutin heels while my dad strutted around like he owned the place. And here I was in dark denim shorts, a baby doll shirt, and sandals, feeling every bit as relaxed as the Floridian I was.

Konstantin showed us all the parts of the gym, including the rooms in the back that I was curious about. I assumed they were for strength training, but they were actually used for various dance classes and stretching techniques.

“Holly, watch yourself on that dismount. Remember, even the smallest step is a tenth of a deduction. Girls, I would like you to meet Adrianna. She is a level ten, but plans to test for elite. She will be your new teammate here.”

He made his way over to the uneven bars and introduced the girls. “This is Reagan and Sarah.” He nodded his head at each of the girls, arms crossed firmly against his chest. “They are senior gymnasts and have been training in the elite program for a couple of years. If you have any questions about what goes on here, I am sure they will be more than happy to help.” Motioning to another girl, he said, “This is Holly. She has been with World Cup since she was a child, her twin brother is also training here.”

“She’ll be training with us?” Reagan scoffed.

“That is what I said,” he said sternly.

The ugly glower on Reagan’s pinched face fueled a fire inside of me. It was hard not to stare at her. Her features bunched together, giving her an overly dramatic expression. Just because I wasn’t in the elite program yet didn’t mean I couldn’t train with them. Gyms all over the world had mixed classes, and most gymnasts benefited by watching the technique of their teammates while on an apparatus.

I could see her definitely being a problem. Living amongst the wealthy had shown me how to view the true colors of people quickly, no one could pull off bitchy better than blue bloods, and I had been conditioned by some of the best.

“Coach, why isn’t she training with her level then?”

Coach? Coach!

“You’re the coach!
My
coach?”

“Adrianna!” my mother gasped, mortified over my outburst.

“Last time I checked. Who did you think I was?”

The girls on the team snickered. Warmth climbed my chest and hit my cheeks and ears over my outburst.

“You mean you didn’t know, Adrianna,” Mom said, adding fuel to the fire. How convenient of her to pay attention now.

Lifting one shoulder, I said candidly, “He’s dressed for a business meeting, not prepared to be covered full of chalk for the next eight hours. How’s he going to spot in those clothes and dress shoes? I assumed...” I trailed off, biting my bottom lip. My shoulders dropped. “I don’t know what I assumed, honestly. I just thought he owned the gym and didn’t coach. A lot of owners don’t coach.”

My cheeks blossomed with heat when I glanced at my
new
coach. The veiled smirk he donned matched the glimmer in his eyes. I’d never had a young coach before, much less someone as attractive as Kova. Intimidating was an understatement. How the hell was I supposed to concentrate when he was the
coach
for fuck’s sake?

“As for the rest of you, I decide who you all train with, and as of right now, she is with us.” Kova turned toward me and gave a pointed look. “Is this going to be a problem for you?”

“Not at all,” I lied.

Yeah...This was definitely going to be a big problem. Like when your gynecologist is hot kind of problem.

“Good, let us carry on and finish the tour so your parents can get you settled. I expect you here early Monday morning.”

I nodded and we walked over to the men’s team, where they were sharpening their skills to perfection. Just when I thought gymnastics couldn’t get any tougher, I observed the brute strength it took for a male gymnast to balance himself on the rings while keeping them steady with very little movement. It was quite impressive to watch their arms slowly extend out to the sides, perpendicular to their bodies while their legs were straight and together to perform an Iron Cross. The control along with the upper body muscle it took was utterly astounding and probably why females were unable to do it.

“Gentlemen, this is Adrianna Rossi. She is a level ten but will be joining the senior girls to train.”

There were three senior gymnasts Coach introduced, Alexander, Gavin, and Hayden. Solid bodies with flawlessly sculpted, vascular arms. Their shoulders were carved and contoured, the silky smooth skin curved around the tissue and hugged the muscle underneath beautifully. And the best part was it was all natural muscle from years of training, not the steroid-induced kind of shit.

There was something about a male gymnast’s body that just did it for me. They yielded so much power and control. It was beauty hiding in plain sight.

I waved. “Hi,” I said shyly, and they gave a few polite smiles.

Basketball shorts hung low with form fitted shirts that stuck to their bodies from exertion. One guy, I think his name was Hayden, was shirtless and had that boy next door charm written all over him. Washboard abs, dimples on both cheeks, and perfectly straight, white teeth. He had it all. This guy could cut steel on his abs, which were covered in powdery white chalk. And the V all girls went crazy for—sharp as a knife and pointed right down to his groin. I couldn’t help but admire it. But the best part of him, by far, were his arms. From his broad shoulders to his wrists, his honey colored skin glowed with vitality.