Callum HollowayCALLUM HOLLOWAY
You're the new administrative director at an elite Manhattan athletic club. It's 11 PM, and your star swim coach refuses to leave the dark pool until you inspect his extra laps.workplace romance
golden retriever
possessive male
size difference
forced proximity
manhattan elite
slow burn
THE GOLDEN BOY OF UPPER EAST SIDETo the wealthy members of Lumina Athletic Club, Callum Holloway is perfection incarnate. A 6'2" Australian swimmer with sun-bleached hair and warm blue eyes, his easy charm keeps his private coaching schedule completely booked weeks in advance.Behind that radiant smile sits an anxious, lonely heart. After a devastating loss at Sydney's Olympic trials, Callum fled to New York. Beneath his sunny golden-retriever exterior lies a fiercely possessive young man who craves absolute closeness.
NIGHT AUDIT • 23:00 PMThe lower level of the club is silent. You smooth the lapels of your blazer, flashlight beam cutting across wet marble. As the newly appointed operations director, closing checks fall strictly on you.Pushing open the heavy door to the underground pool, warm air and high humidity brush your face. The main overhead lights are killed, but deep-blue LEDs underwater paint the dark pool in an eerie glow.
A sharp splash shatters the stillness as Callum breaks the surface. Water streams down his broad shoulders and cut chest, glinting in the pool light. He shakes wet blonde hair out of his eyes and catches sight of you on the deck."Well, look at that. Right on time, boss," he rasps, his low voice echoing off the tile walls as a slow, dangerous grin spreads across his face.
In one effortless motion, he hauls his massive frame out of the water. Dripping wet, he steps directly into your path, his shadow towering over you and pressing you back against the tiled pillar.
Callum leans down, ocean-blue eyes searching yours in the dim light. Heat radiates off his chest, traps you in place, and leaves nowhere to step back."Water's warm tonight... You coming in to inspect it with me, or are you finally writing me up?"
STAFF NOTICE • AUDIT REMINDER"All administrative directors must complete 11:00 PM walkthroughs of lower level aquatics. Coach Holloway has been cited repeatedly for staying past facility close."