Like he’d let anyone put a collar on him and lead him around with a leash.

Like he’d give up control in the bedroom.

He was a fucking man. Men made the first move; men made sure the magic happened between the sheets and the woman was satisfied. God knew he’d never had any complaints.

No. Mistress B was dead wrong on this one.

Knox was a man’s man. Period.

To prove it to himself, he beat the fuck out of the punching bag.

Then he went home and watched rugby—a real man’s sport.

Then he called Deacon and talked him into hitting the strip club. He paid for two lap dances. That was him, being in control, asserting his dominance. Being a man.

When his head hit the pillow at midnight, he relived the day.

But it wasn’t the lap dances and the sports machismo that stuck in his mind.

It was that damn kiss. Because for the briefest moment, he felt the pull of her. Not in his groin, but somewhere deeper inside him.

Knox had no fucking clue what it meant. And he sure as hell wasn’t gonna ask her.

*   *   *

THE next afternoon Knox was supervising the new trainees for the MMA program. So far none of these guys impressed him. But they’d paid for the training, so he walked a fine line between false encouragement and the brutal truth. Maybe he was a softer touch than Ronin, but he could still get his point across.

A softer touch doesn’t mean you’re submissive.

Where the motherfuck had that thought come from?

And of course Shiori picked that moment to stroll in, looking like some fucking queen with the regal way she carried herself.

His admiration of her didn’t mean he wanted to bend down and kiss her feet or anything. All the guys who worked for Ronin and Blue thought she was the shit.

She hadn’t changed into her gi yet. She wore a sexy suit and heels, entirely in professional businesswoman mode. And he could tell by the way she hung back that she was waiting to talk to him.

He strolled over, keeping his face neutral. “What’s up?”

“Can we talk in the office about rescheduling some of the instructors?”

“Why?”

“I’ll tell you in the office.” She spun on her high heels and walked off.

Don’t run after her. Let her wait. She can’t expect you to drop everything when she beckons.

Knox stood there with his arms crossed, pretending to watch two trainees swinging and missing inside the ring.

Deacon sidled up to him. “You and Shiori are at it again?”

“Yeah, well, she can’t just show up, snap her fingers, and expect me to do her bidding. I got shit of my own to deal with.”

“Like how long are you gonna let these wannabes pay tuition when they can’t fight their way out of a paper bag?”

“They’re paid through the end of the month. Since there’s a ‘no refunds’ policy, it’d be fairest to tell them they’re out of the program when it’s time to re-up.”

“I’d agree with that. I’d also like to hash it out on why we’re wasting our time on these wannabes.” He ran his hand over his bald head. “Does Black Arts need the money or something?”

“Doubtful, but I’ll ask She-Cat. See if she throws a hissy fit about me questioning the financials.” Knox grinned at his own joke.

“Jesus. Can you two just fuck already? That’s obviously your problem.”

Knox scowled. “I’m not her type.”

“Whatever.”

Five full minutes later he strolled to the Black Arts offices. Shiori sat at Ronin’s desk, pencil and Post-its at hand. “What’re you doing?”

“Checking the schedule to see where I can make changes.”

Knox moved in behind her, placing one hand on the back of her chair and one on the desk as he loomed over her. “Why do we need changes?”

“Because I have to check out a factory Okada is interested in buying. Since geographically I’m the closest rep, I’ve been selected to make the pitch.”

“Geographically the closest. What does that mean?”

“The factory is in Mexico. The United States is closer than Japan. But since Ronin took the company plane back to Japan, I have to fly commercial.”

“Poor baby,” he said with zero sympathy. “I thought you quit working for Okada before you came here.”

Shiori tipped her head back and looked at him. “I left my position in the company, but I didn’t quit entirely. What do you think I’ve been doing during the hours I’m not in the dojo?”