Let Me Tease You: Steamy Older Man Younger Woman Romance (Let Me Love You Book 5)

Let Me Tease You: Steamy Older Man Younger Woman Romance (Let Me Love You Book 5)

Mia Madison



Bianca





“That’s it for today, guys.”

I stood up from my yoga mat and smiled as the diverse members of my class started collecting their things. “For the record, I think you’re all making really great progress.”

It was always a great feeling to be able to see weeks of hard work began to pay off firsthand. My group was small but determined, coming faithfully week after week. Seeing their progress was just as rewarding for me as it was for them.

“Are you going to be here next week, Bianca?” Rona, the shy housewife who hadn’t even been with me for a month, bit her lip as she waited for my answer.

She had no reason to worry, though. I wasn’t going anywhere. I needed the class as much as they needed me. Yoga was my therapy. My escape. My life. I truly lived and breathed the practice.

“Same time, same place,” I replied, giving a little wave to some of the other members who were already beginning to file out the door. “I wouldn’t miss this class for anything.”

It was the truth, too. Even if the stars aligned and I was somehow able to open my own yoga and dance studio — my lifelong dream — there wasn’t any doubt in my mind that I’d convert every single one of my yoga students who devotedly attended my class every week. They were like family, and family had to stick together.

Rona looked around uncertainly, seeming to hesitate for a few moments while the room emptied. Finally, in a hushed tone, she continued. “I really wanted to thank you. I’ve been meaning to ever since my first week here, but I know you’re busy, and I don’t like to interrupt…”

“Girl, I’m never too busy for you guys.” I smiled, hoping to put her at ease. Whatever was on her mind apparently had her all worked up, and I quirked an eyebrow as she fidgeted and looked toward the door again. Unable to wait, I asked, “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, sorry.” She clasped her hands behind her back as if that disguised the fact that she was jumpy as hell. She smiled sweetly, nervously, and drew another breath. “I just… you don’t know how much this class means to me. My husband and I are new to Miami — we moved here when his job transferred him — and it can just be so intimidating to try and start over somewhere new, you know?”

I nodded. As a second-generation Cuban in Miami, I didn’t know exactly what it was like to pack up and start a new life, but I could definitely relate to the feeling of trying to get a handle on life and the anxiety that came with meeting new people and doing new things.

Plus, it hadn’t even been a year since I was the one picking up the pieces and getting my life back on track.

“I do know how intimidating it can all be,” I confided. “I went through a rough patch last year, and it was humbling for me to realize who my real friends were at the time, and how few of them I actually had. It’s part of why I teach these classes now. It was an escape for me back then, but now it’s my fuel. It keeps me going even when everything else in my life gets a little crazy.”

“Yes! That’s exactly it. You put it so much better than I could, but that’s how I feel about coming here. It’s new and scary in its own way, but also safe and friendly, and when I walk out the door, I feel stronger and more confident than I did when I walked in. And it’s like that for me after every single class.”

My heart swelled with joy. If only my mother could hear Rona’s words. She’d been so disappointed when I’d left Desmond. There was a part of me that wondered at the time if she’d have been a little less upset if I hadn’t also been walking away from his NBA paycheck and lifestyle.

I was willing to give up a lot to be with that man — my own dreams and plans for the future had been the first things to go — but when it became clear that he was never going to give up his partying and running around, and when he’d flaunted one too many side chicks in the tabloids, he simply had to go. I could give up a lot, but never my dignity or my self-respect.

No man was worth that, no matter how thick his wallet — or anything else on him — happened to be.

“Oh Rona! I’m really glad to hear it.” I squealed. “I think you’re doing a great job, and I can see you becoming more confident as the weeks pass by. Pretty soon, you’ll be doing burlesque shows with me at the club.”

I winked and she laughed. There was no way in hell I could picture timid little Rona doing burlesque, but who was I to say what the future held for her? She might just surprise everyone. Still, hearing her testimonial had made my day, and further solidified my sense of purpose.

Hearing her open up about the change yoga’s had on her was tremendous. It affirmed my sense of devotion to teaching, because it would be her words that would come in handy during moments of doubt, those occasional times where I wondered if I was wasting my time, or if I was really making a difference in someone’s life besides my own, even if it was just in some tiny way. It would have been easy enough to do yoga by myself, in the comfort of my apartment, after all, and I wouldn’t have had to deal with the owner of my current studio, or the pathetic cut of the fees he gave me from my students — each of whom paid damn good money to be there.

I was making a difference, though. Rona confirmed that, and just knowing that simple fact meant the world to me.