Chapter 948: Deal


    ?


    Thete morning sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Tom''s indoor gym, as Lucy and Tom stood side by side on a pair of treadmills, both dressed infortable


    workout gear.


    Lucy wore a fitted tank top and leggings that hugged her body, while Tom sported a loose t- shirt and shorts. The air was filled with the soft rhythm of their footfalls as they settled into a steady pace.


    "This is nice," Lucy remarked, her voice breathy but cheerful as she nced at Tom. "I''m d we finally get to do this."


    Tom grinned, his eyes twinkling with a yful challenge. "Are you in for apetition?" he asked, increasing the speed on his treadmill slightly.


    Lucy grinned, "As long as you don''t n to cheat as usual, you know I''m always in. What''s the prize?"


    "As usual. You can ask me for anything..."


    "If I win I want to see Dawn," Lucy stated simply.


    Tom raised a brow, "I thought you were over that."


    "I still want to see her regardless of Kimberly''s attitude. So, if I win it will be up to you to arrange the meeting. Make seeing her possible," Lucy said and Tom sighed.


    "Alright. When I win..."


    "Excuse me? What do you mean ''when I win''?" Lucy asked incredulously and Tom chuckled.


    "Because I n to win," he said and Lucy giggled.


    "Sorry, but I don''t like your use of when. I said IF not when. Saying when sounds to me like you already n to cheat," she said and Tom chuckled.


    "Why are you nitpicking? Are you scared of losing already?" Tom asked and Lucy rolled her


    eyes.


    "What do you want IF you win?" Lucy asked and Tom grinned.


    "I want us to go to a strip club," he said and her eyes widened in shock. "Thomas Hank!" She eximed and heughed, amused by her reaction.


    "Why would you want to go to a strip club?" she asked and he shrugged.


    "It''s one of my fantasies. Going to a strip club with mydy," Tom said and Lucy''s brows pulled together as she thought about it.


    "But you''ve never told me that before. Have you been to a strip club before?" She asked and Tom looked at her with an amused smile.


    "Of course," he said and her brows pulled together.


    "I''ve never been to one before and I''m not sure how I''m going to feel about seeing other nakeddies or seeing you look at them," she said with a frown.


    "Don''t you want to find out?" He asked, and she pursed her lips as she considered it.


    "Okay. If you win we will do it. But you will have to promise me that we will leave if I''m notfortable being there," she said, and Tom gave her a nod.


    "Sure. First one to get winded loses," he said and Lucy grinned, a mischievous glint in her eye.


    "Oh, you''re on. I hope you''re ready to eat my dust," Lucy said, and with that, she matched his pace, her feet moving fast as the treadmill sped up.


    They fell into afortable rhythm, and for the first few minutes, they ran inpanionable silence, both focused on their breathing and the steady rhythm of their strides.


    The cardio was invigorating, their bodies gradually warming up as they pushed themselves harder. The gym was spacious, and the mirrored walls reflected their determined expressions back at them, each of them stealing nces at the other. Tom would wink at her at intervals and Lucy would giggle and then wink back.


    After they had run for a while, Tom couldn''t resist throwing a light-hearted jab her way. "You know, Jewel, if you need to take a break, I won''t hold it against you. I''d hate for you to overexert yourself."


    Lucy shot him a sideways nce, her lips quirking up in a smirk. "I''m just getting started, my love. Don''t tell me you''re already struggling to keep up?"


    Tomughed, the sound deep and genuine, echoing through the room. "Struggling? Far from it. I''m just giving you a head start, that''s all."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The banter continued, theirpetitive spirits driving them to increase the pace. Beads of sweat began to form on their foreheads, and their breathing grew morebored, but neither was willing to give the other the satisfaction of slowing down first.


    Lucy''s eyes flicked to Tom''s treadmill disy. "You know," she panted, her voice light despite the exertion, "I think I''m pulling ahead. Maybe I should slow down so you can catch


    up?"


    Tom shook his head, a grin stered across his face. "In your dreams, love."


    Minutes turned into an intense cardio duel, the pace quickening as they egged each other on. The room filled with their breathlessughter and the sound of their footsteps pounding the treadmill belts.


    Tom stole another nce at Lucy, noticing the determined set of her jaw, the way her ponytail bobbed with each stride and the slight flush of her cheeks. She looked focused, but there was a yful glimmer in her eyes that told him she was enjoying this just as much as he was.


    Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was probably only twenty minutes, Tom felt the burn in his legs intensify. His breathing was ragged, and his heart pounded in his chest. He knew he was close to hitting his limit, but he didn''t want to be the first to admit it.


    "Okay," he gasped, slowing his pace just slightly, "I''ll admit it... you''ve got stamina, Jewel." Lucy, who was also starting to feel the strain, shed him a triumphant grin. "Told you... I''m not... an amateur."


    But even as she said it, she could feel her legs beginning to wobble, her breathing in shorter gasps. She nced at Tom, noting that he too was struggling to maintain his pace.


    "How about... we call it... a draw?" she suggested, slowing her treadmill to a brisk walk. "We''re both too stubborn... to admit defeat."


    Tom, grateful for the reprieve, nodded in agreement and matched her pace. "Agreed," he said between breaths, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "But for the record, I was totally about to win."


    Lucyughed, the sound a little breathless but filled with genuine amusement. "Sure you were," she teased, grabbing a towel from a nearby rack and tossing it to him. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."


    They both slowed their treadmills to a stop, stepping off with a slight wobble in their legs as


    they panted.


    Tom burst into a peal ofughter as he watched Lucy copse on the floor and Lucyughed as he joined her, spreading out his tired legs too.


    Neither of them said a word as they waited for the adrenaline of their workout to fade and for their breath to return to normal.


    "I was going to win, you know? I decided to show you mercy because your legs were wobbling and you begged to call it a draw," Tom said, still catching his breath as he watched Lucy sit up to drink some water.


    Lucy guffawed. "The only reason I asked us to call it a draw was because you looked like you were going to copse and my love for you is greater than my desire to win," Lucy said and


    Tom chuckled.


    "So, since neither of us won, I guess we won''t be fulfilling the demands," Tom said and Lucy


    shrugged.


    "Or we can fulfill both," Lucy suggested.


    "Okay. Let''s do that," Tom said with a nod.


    "Not bad for our first time using the gym together," Lucy said, rolling her shoulders to


    release some of the tension.


    "Not bad at all. But we''re not done yet. How about a swim to cool down?" Tom suggested.


    Lucy''s eyes lit up at the suggestion. "A swim sounds perfect," she said with a smile. "I could definitely use a cool-down after that."


    They headed toward the indoor pool, which was just adjacent to the gym. The air was cooler in the pool area, and the water shimmered invitingly under the lights. The pool itself was a generous size, with a design that fit perfectly with the rest of the house.


    Tom peeled off his damp shirt and tossed it onto a nearby lounge chair. He shot Lucy a yful look. "Race you to the water?" He suggested as he took off his shoes.


    Lucy didn''t need to be asked twice. She quickly removed her shoes and socks, then her tank


    top, leaving her in just her sports bra and leggings. Without waiting for Tom, she sprinted to the edge of the pool and jumped in, the cool water enveloping her in an instant.


    "I knew you were going to do that," Tom said,ughing hard as he dove in right behind her.


    They both surfaced with wide grins, shaking the droplets from their hair.


    letting water soothe


    tired


    is perfect," Lucy sighed, floating on her muscles. The tension from their workout melted away as they glided through the water, the


    sound of their gentle sshes echoing in the room.


    Tom swam up beside her, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Think you can outswim me,


    too?" he challenged, sshing water in her direction.


    Lucyughed, sshing him back. "No. I''m not interested in any morepetitions. I just


    want to rx."


    "Are you sure that''s the reason or you''re just scared?" Tom asked, and their Laughter bubbled up as they swam inzy circles around each other and yfully bumped into each other.


    "You''ve got a really beautiful house," Lucy said, and Tom smiled.


    "We, Lucy. This is our home," Tom said and she nodded. "Yeah. It is," she said with a soft smile as she sshed water on his face.


    "Outswim me," she called to Tom as she quickly swam away and Tom chased after her


    laughing.


    Lucy reached the end of the pool first, slightly breathless andughing as she grabbed onto


    the edge, and Tom joined her,ughing too as he wrapped his arms around her, their faces just


    inches apart.


    Tom grinned at Lucy, his eyes gleaming with a mix ofughter and affection. "You''re full of tricks," he said, his voice warm and teasing.


    Lucy, still catching her breath, gave him a yful shove. "I could say the same about you,"


    she replied, her heart racing from more than just the swim as Tom lowered his head to kiss


    her.


    The kiss was long and deep, and by the time he pulled back, they were both breathless again. "I think kissing is like cardio. It leaves you breathless," she said and Tomughed out loud.


    "All exercise leaves you breathless," he said and she shook her head. "Walking doesn''t," she said and Tom chuckled.


    "Didn''t you just walk on the treadmill? Why were you breathless?" He asked and she grinned.


    "Whatever. I guess kissing is an exercise for the lips," she said as they both floated in the


    water enjoying the moment.


    After a while, Lucy paddled over to the pool''s edge and pulled herself out, droplets of water


    glistening on her skin as she sat down, letting her legs dangle in the water. "I should probably start getting ready," she said, thinking about her cooking ss.


    Tom swam over to join her, resting his arms on the pool''s edge and looking up at her with a


    small smile. "Yeah, I guess we can''t stay here all day," he agreed, though there was a touch of wistfulness in his tone.


    Lucy reached down to ruffle his wet hair, her fingers lingering for a moment. "It was fun


    working out with you. We should do this more often."


    "Definitely," Tom replied, his voice warm and genuine.


    Lucy stood up and grabbed a towel from the nearby rack, wrapping it around herself. "So,


    what is your n for the rest of the day?"


    "I''m hanging out with Harry," Tom said as he climbed out of the pool, shaking the water


    from his hair. "We''re going meet up with some friends at the Gentlemen''s club, maybe grab a


    drink." "Friends? Philip?" Lucy asked curiously.


    "No. We have other friends. We don''t meet up often ''cause we all don''t have the time, but we


    do business together," he said and she nodded.


    "I see. You will have to give me their details so I invite them to our Christmas ball then," she


    said and he smiled.


    "I''m sure they will be on the list Harry will be giving you," Tom said and Lucy nodded.


    "Sounds good," Lucy said as she gathered her things.


    "About the stripping club... can we do it today?" Tom asked as they headed for the door.


    "Lucas ising over, remember?" She said and he nodded.


    "Oh, yeah. How about next weekend then?"


    "We are traveling for my ss reunion," she said and he chuckled.


    "Okay. The next weekend..."


    "It''s Aurora''s wedding."


    "Shit! Why do we suddenly have so many activities lined up?" Tom said and Lucy giggled.


    "We can do it on Sunday after their wedding on Saturday," she said and Tom grinned.


    "Deal."


    "What about seeing Dawn?" Lucy asked and Tom cocked his head to the side as he thought


    about it.


    "Give me some time to work it out and I''ll get back to you," he said and she nodded.


    "Deal."


    *****


    Quick Question: I n to join a contest with JD story.


    Because of the rule of the contest, I might have to break out of my character in naming the


    story and my writing style.


    I want y''all to choose the name.


    Stolen Identity: The Mute Heiress


    Or


    The Billionaire''s First Love Is The Mute Hidden Heiress.


    Also, would you like me to write in first person POV or maintain this third person POV?