Chapter 6 Training Day

"You're better than I thought," Dante says as he gets back on his feet.

It's been two weeks since I've had Dante as my bodyguard. So far, we've gotten along better than when we first met. Three days ago, I suggested having Dante as my training partner. Knowing how crazy the Romanos are, I should be physically prepared when I face them. Dante's a tough training partner, but also helpful in correcting my form and techniques. I think I've improved a lot in the last few days than two years ago.

"Well, you should've expected better from a mafia boss's daughter," I say with a smirk.

"Alright, princess. Show me more of what you got," Dante says with a challenging smirk. Once I register the pet name he just called me with, my heart skips a beat.

No. I can't let him distract me. Stay focused, Alessandra.

"Gladly," I say as I smirk back at him.

With my gaze locked on Dante, I let the air fill my lungs as I prepare to fight him again. He's been going easy on me so far. I mean, I've won against him three times in a row now, so it shouldn't be that difficult to beat him again.

I start this round with a quick jab, but Dante manages to dodge it swiftly by taking a quick step back. Judging by the smirk on his face, my failed attempt only makes him even cockier. I see. He's levelling up his game. I should step up, too.

"Come on. You can do better than that-"

I give another quick jab at Dante's way while he's a bit distracted, but his fast thinking helps him block the punch. Dante sends his fist my way, but before it can get to me, I turn away from him and kick the back of his legs. The attack sends him crashing to the ground once again. His wide-eyed gaze makes me smirk. Dante immediately jumps to his feet and gets back to his stance.

"Dante. You're my bodyguard. You should be better at fighting," I tease.

"I'm just taking it easy on you," Dante says.

"Then show me your true skills," I say.

"You think you can handle it?" Dante asks.

"Absolutely," I say.

Dante throws another punch at me, not sparing me more time to prepare. After I deflect his punch, I hit his side. A grunt leaves Dante, but he immediately regains his focus. The playful demeanour that once graced his face has been replaced with a stern look.

Oh shit.

"Come on, Dante. At this rate, I think I'll succeed if I try to run away again," I say, and Dante lets out a bitter chuckle in response.

"I admit your skills are beyond those of ordinary amateurs. Remarkable, even," Dante says.

"What can I say? I'm a skilled and fast learner," I say. In my peripheral vision, Dante's leg moves toward me, and with a step to the side, I dodge his kick swiftly. Now that I'm face-to-face with him again, I can't help but give him a cocky smirk.

"Very agile as well," Dante says.

"Why, thank you- AH!"

The air leaves my lungs once my back hits the ground. Before I can react, Dante pins me down on the mattress. My wrists are under his grip. Trapped underneath Dante, I try to escape him, but even the technique I've learned from my previous trainer doesn't seem to work on Dante.

Damn it. He's too strong and heavy. However, the trick should've worked on everyone, no matter the size difference.

"Not so strong now, are you?" Dante asks with a smug grin.

"You cheated! You distracted me!" I say with a deep scowl. Dante lets out a chuckle, but it doesn't seem like he's going to let go of me anytime soon.

"That's your lesson for today: don't let yourself get distracted," Dante says.

"Okay. Fine. Lesson learned. Now get off me," I say. Even after what I just said, Dante still won't budge and keeps me pinned under him. Fuck.

"No. You have to do it yourself," Dante says.

"I've tried it, but you're too fucking heavy," I say. I give it another try, but to no avail. This is impossible. He's way bigger than I am. No matter what I do, he still won't move away from me.

"Try it again," Dante says. With a grunt, I give all my strength to push him off me, but as I expected, Dante doesn't even move an inch. I throw him a "see" glare, and it makes Dante look even more serious and scary than before.

"Again. Are you going to let someone do this to you and not try to escape?" Dante asks. When his grip around my wrists tightens, a wince escapes from me. Noticing that I'm hurting, he loosens his grip a little. Determined to get Dante off of me, I try again, yet I still receive the same result. After a couple more attempts, I let out a sigh and frown, giving up on trying to get Dante away from me.

"I can't," I say, defeated.

"Again," Dante urges.

Feeling frustrated, I finally give all my strength to push him off of me, throwing him off balance. I take the chance to roll us over and pin him down. Dante grins at me, satisfied with my achievement.

"Satisfied?" I ask.

"That wasn't so hard now, was it?" Dante says. "However-"

I let out a yelp as Dante rolls us over again. Now I'm back to square one with Dante above me. "Once you have the upper hand, never lose your focus."

"Well done."

My eyes widen at the sound of my father's voice. Dante and I scurry away from each other and sit next to each other. Since when was he here? Did he watch Dante and me the whole time? Oh lord. I hope he doesn't think there's something between Dante and me.

"Thank you, father. Have you been watching us the whole time?" I ask.

"Not too long, but enough for me to know that you've improved a lot. You both did well, as I expected. And Dante, you should train with her more often so she's prepared for anything in the future," my father says. Is he not mad? I'm not really sure. His expression and behaviour can be difficult to read sometimes, including now.

"Gladly," Dante says.

"Alright. I'll leave the two of you to train again," my father says. Once he's out of the gym, I turn to Dante, and for the first time, I see how nervous he looks despite how hard he tries to hide it.

"I'm not going to lie, I'm afraid your father will kill me if he sees us in the same circumstances again in the future," Dante says.

"Honestly, same. Don't worry, though. I think we're safe for now, I guess," I say.

"As much as I like training with you, I'd rather not take my chances," Dante says. If my father kills Dante, he'll get me a new bodyguard, and I don't think I'll like him as much as I like Dante. So, we should be cautious around each other and not bring any suspicious attention to ourselves.

"Uh, yeah, me too. Let's get out of here," I say.

"Let's."