Weighting for Christmas

by A. J. Harmon

  “Of course. See you around six o’clock.”

  Carrie heads off to the locker room and I’m left standing in the middle of the machines feeling pretty damn proud of myself. I’ve made so many changes in my life since last year, and it looks like I can help someone else make positive changes in their life too. I feel kind of squishy on the inside.

  I look up to see the most handsome… most sexy man I have ever seen leaning on the door frame of the massive double doors that lead into the room I’m in. He looks good enough to fuck right here… right now.

  His hands are stuffed into the front pockets of his jeans and his leg is crossed in front of the other, his leaning shoulder keeping him upright. The corners of his lips are turned slightly upward and there is a twinkle in his eye.

  Yes, my Chad is the most gorgeous man alive.

  I smile and head in his direction. He pushes off the doorframe and walks toward me, his hands still in his pockets, the twinkle in his eye getting brighter the closer I get to him.

  “One of the things that I love about you,” he gleams, “is that you are always surprising me with how wonderful you truly are.”

  “Huh?” I question, not having any idea what he’s talking about.

  “You. Wonderful,” he smiles warmly.

  “You’re weird.”

  “Let’s go home. I feel the urge to take you to bed,” winks Chad.

  “You don’t have to ask me twice.”

  *****

  With my nice pay raise came more responsibility, and with more responsibility came more culpability. Over the next couple of weeks, I came home from my job angry, irritated and frustrated. It seemed that anytime there was a problem, I was either the cause, or at the very least, responsible for getting it fixed. I now understood why the last person left after only being in the job for a few months.

  “That’s a question you have to answer for yourself,” replies Chad after I made a comment about the money probably not being worth the hassle of the promotion.

  “But they aren’t going to let me go back to my old job. They’ve already filled the position. I either stay where I am or leave the company.”

  “Would that be so bad?” Chad asks.

  “I don’t want to be out looking for another job in this economy. That would be financial suicide.”

  “What if you completely changed the line of work you were in?”

  I skeptically look at Chad. “Like becoming a mail carrier? Or a professional dancer?”

  “You could do either,” he grins. “But I was thinking about something else.”

  He has a look on his face that scares me. He’s most certainly entertaining an idea that I’m sure is well out of my comfort zone.

  We’re getting ready for bed. Chad’s finished brushing his teeth and I am braiding my hair so it doesn’t get stuck in my armpit, or Chad’s, while I sleep. It’s happened, you know.

  In the bedroom, I toss all the throw pillows on the floor and pull back the duvet. The nights have been warm, so we’ve been sleeping with the sliding glass door open and just a sheet, and naked, of course.

  Once we are in bed, Chad’s arms around me and my head lying on his chest, he continues his thought.

  “You’ve been working with Carrie for a couple of weeks now.”

  He pauses.

  “Yeah,” I say.

  “I’ve been kind of watching you.”

  “I know,” I grin. “I’ve seen you lurking.”

  “I do not lurk,” he rebuts.

  “Whatever,” I laugh. “Get to the point.”

  “What would you think about… well, I’ve been thinking about this for a really long time, a couple of years actually.”

  “Thinking about what?” I ask.

  “Opening my own gym.”

  “Seriously?” I push myself up on my elbow and look into his eyes.

  “Yeah, but not just any gym. I want to cater to the people who… well, the ones who need it badly.”

  “The chubbies?”

  He laughs. “Okay. The chubbies.”

  “People like me who’ve never stepped into a gym and have no idea about fitness?”

  “Exactly!” Chad exclaims. “I knew you would get it. And the way that you’ve been helping Carrie, well, you’re just a natural.”

  “I am not!” I scoff.

  “Yes, you are. And I think that you enjoy it.”

  “But I’m still a chubby myself!”

  “No, you’re not,” Chad disagrees vehemently.

  “I haven’t lost more than a pound in weeks,” I bark.

  “This? Again?” He’s annoyed with me. I kind of harp on this a lot. “Kate, you are not a number. Repeat after me. I am not a number.”

  “I am not a number,” I mumble.

  “Say it again. This time like you mean it,” he orders.

  “I am not a number.”

  “Better,” he acknowledges.

  “Your body is a thing of beauty. You are lean and healthy and powerful. Oh, and damn sexy,” he growls.

  “Coming from the sex God himself, I will take that as a compliment,” I giggle.

  “Mmm. Let’s finish our discussion later,” he growls again and rolls out from under me.

  Chad scoots down the bed, tossing the sheet off and spreading my legs wide so he can nestle between them.

  “I’m hungry,” he grunts. He takes his thumbs and parts me, leaving me fully exposed as he gazes at my already throbbing clit. Just the thought of him turns me on. “And that’s exactly what I want.” He swipes over me with his long, wet tongue and then uses his teeth to nip and then suck, taking only a few seconds before I’m engorged and writhing underneath him with aching need.

  He takes two fingers and thrusts them deep inside me, all the while continuing to suck on my nub until a powerful orgasm pulsates through my body leaving me thoroughly satisfied and all but lifeless. But he doesn’t stop sucking, prolonging the exhilaration only he can give me.

  As I lay, gasping for breath, he gently kisses me, all over my body, leaving no inch untouched by his lips. As he eventually reaches my mouth, leaving it until very last, I am serenely basking in afterglow.

  “Your turn,” I purr, and then roll him over so that I am on top and in full control. I copy him as I inch down the bed, leaving a trail of kisses over his pecks, his rock-hard nipples, down his torso and in his belly button, and then on to that tantalizing trail of hair that leads to the treasure I seek. His cock is rigid… solid like stone, standing at attention, waiting for my mouth to claim him. I do just that. I open as wide as I can and take him in until his tip touches the back of my throat. I close my lips around his velvety skin and I suck gently until I feel his hips under me begin to roll.

  With his bulging, hefty balls in my hand, I gently squeeze and then release, and squeeze and release, all the while sucking his cock and using my teeth to graze up and down his length. Once his hips start bucking, I release his balls and hold myself up on my hands, his cock still in my mouth and my lips gliding up and down over his cumbrous rod, moving harder and faster.

  As Chad grabs my head and holds me still, I know it’s time and I swallow the warm salty liquid as he pumps down my throat.

  And then, we sleep.

  THIRTEEN

  “It’s part of your job description, Kate.”

  I bite my tongue.

  I’m sitting in the office of the VP of Accounting, the woman who answers directly to the CFO. This is not the moment to throw a hissy fit if I want to keep my job.

  “In order to continue our day-to-day operation within the budget, you have to let three people go. There is a severance package outlined in the memo in your hand.”

  I glance down at the memo. Each employee gets one month of continued health benefits and six weeks’ salary. It’s not much, but I guess it’s better than nothing.

  “And their work load?” I ask. “Who will be taking that on?”

  “It will be spread between your employees, of course.
”

  What a stupid answer. We have been running short-handed for almost four months, since Meghan left on Maternity leave, and subsequently quit the day before she was supposed to return to work. To add more to their already burdened plates would be insensitive and, quite frankly, bad for moral and not to mention efficiency and accuracy.

  “I’m not sure that’s going to be altogether possible,” I begin.

  “You’re welcome to take on the load.”

  “The workload of three full-time employees?” I gasp.

  I am not answered. The meeting is over and I am dismissed. I have until the end of the week to decide which three of my department will be laid off.

  For the rest of the day I am severely out of sorts. I can’t concentrate and I can’t even begin to decide which three people will get the shitty news that they no longer have a job.

  Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

  When the clock strikes six, and my crew has all left for the day, I lean back in my chair and decide there’s no use going over it all for the umpteenth time. I need to see Chad. I need him to hold me and tell me it’s all going to be okay. I need him to take my mind off work.

  Walking into the gym, Chad’s last client appointment ends at seven and then we’re going to dinner, it’s almost as though the intense stress that is plaguing me just melts away. Knowing he is in the building calms me.

  I say hi to Jess who is at the front desk and wander through the gym until I come to the weight room, the place Chad is most likely to be working.

  She’s back.

  Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

  Anna Baxter has spent the last few weeks on a movie set in Vancouver, Canada, filming her first movie. It’s been wonderful having her gone. But apparently, my bliss has abruptly ended. I was kind of hoping that when, or if, she returned, she’d find another gym to use now that she is some sort of movie star. No such luck.

  I stand in the doorway and watch her and her perfect body. Her hourglass figure would make any man drool, and probably some women, too. Even while working out to Chad’s tough regimen, her makeup is perfect, highlighting her big doey eyes and perfectly pink pouty lips. Fuck, I hate her.

  When she places her hand on Chad’s bicep and throws her head back and laughs, my fists clench. Then her other hand flattens against his chest. Are you fucking kidding me? Oh, no.

  “Hi,” I yell as I stomp across the room, weaving in between the different equipment.

  Chad’s head swivels to look at me and his huge smile nearly washes my fury away. Nearly.

  Anna Baxter’s expression, however, is not one of happiness. In fact, the glare I get is downright evil. Bitch!

  “Anna?” Chad says. “Have you met Kate? Kate? This is Anna.”

  “Hi.” At least I sound civil.

  “Hello.” She does not. “I think I have a few more minutes with my trainer, so if you don’t mind,” Anna rebukes my appearance.

  “Sure thing,” I smile, wanting to claw her eyes out. “Chad, I’ll just wait in your office.”

  He nods and smiles at me as I step backwards, Anna’s hands never having moved from his body.

  *****

  “I want a big, juicy cheeseburger,” I snap when Chad askes where we are going for dinner. “Preferably with bacon, egg and some onion rings.”

  “On the burger?” Chad chokes.

  “Yes. And I want cheese fries and a chocolate shake.”

  “Wanna talk about it?”

  “After I eat.”

  Chad has learned quickly that when I’m angry, he should just throw food at me and then walk away until I’m ready to talk. Usually a bag of Oreos will do the trick, but today I have double the anger so it’s going to take a little extra grease to get me off the ledge.

  Once we’re settled at a table and the waiter is off getting us a couple of beers, Chad reaches for my hand across the table.

  “Does this have anything to do with Anna being back?”

  “Does this have anything to do with Anna being back?” I repeat in my stupidest highest pitched voice.

  “Nice,” Chad smirks.

  “Sorry,” I grimace. “I just had such a shitty day at work and all I wanted to do was come and see you and I walk in and there she is with her hands all over you.”

  “Her hands were not all over me,” Chad frowns.

  “Oh, yes they were!”

  “Kate, come on. You know that there is absolutely nothing between me and Anna except client and trainer.”

  “I know,” I pout.

  “So what’s with all the jealousy?”

  The waiter places a beer in front of each of us. I’m not even a beer drinker, but after the day I’ve had, it sounded good.

  “Do you not understand that women fall over their tongues when they’re around you? Good grief, Chad. It’s like you’re clueless about your own hotness.”

  He just laughs. “I work hard. I can’t help it if women like it,” he grins.

  “Oh, shut up.”

  He just laughs more.

  The waiter is back to place our order, which we do, and then disappears again.

  “I got something for you today,” Chad says, changing the subject.

  “A present?” I perk up. I love getting presents, except from my Mom. Her presents usually suck rocks.

  “But first I have to ask you something.”

  “You have my attention,” I say, my curiosity on high alert.

  “I know we haven’t been together that long, but when you know, you know, and I know,” he says.

  “Know what?”

  “That I’m in love with you.”

  “I already know that,” I grin. “I mean, how can you not be?”

  “Exactly,” he chuckles. “So, I thought it was time that you move in with me.”

  “What?” I thought he was going to ask me to marry him!

  “You should live with me… in my house… in our house… like, you know, full time, not just on the weekends.”

  So, it’s not a proposal, but it’s pretty damn good. I can’t hide my smile. I’m ecstatic at the prospect of waking up beside him every morning. And, the big bonus is that he lives a good ten minutes closer to my job. Right there is a good reason to accept.

  “Is this just so I can save on gas getting to and from work?”

  The belly laugh that pours from him has other diners looking at us. “Yes, Kate. My only concern is how much you spend on gas. So?”

  “Yes. Of course I’ll move in with you, if for no other reason than just to piss off Anna Baxter!”

  “Kate.”

  “I’m kidding.” I’m not.

  “Well, now I can give you your gift then.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a key, attached to a keychain with a little charm on it.

  I take the key and throw my arms around his neck, and my tongue down his throat.

  “I should give you presents more often,” he grins.

  “Yes. I couldn’t agree more,” I nod.

  I look at the charm dangling from the keyring.

  “It’s a little barbell!” I exclaim. “That’s adorable.”

  “Just a little something to remind you of the guy who is madly in love with you.”

  I’m about to kiss him again when the waiter approaches, two side salads in hand. Chad says if I’m going to eat a half-pound burger and fries, I, at the very least, have to have some lettuce first.

  *****

  We’re lying in bed. I’m fidgeting with the blanket and Chad is on his laptop reviewing his schedule for the following day. Once he’s done, he places it on the bed-side table and rolls over so he’s looking at me.

  “Why was your day so horrible today?”

  “Have I said I hate my job?”

  “You have,” Chad nods.

  “Well, today I was told I have to fire three of my team.”

  “Why?”

  “Because we are over budget.”

  “That sucks.”

  “It does. And I have to divide the un
assigned workload to the rest of my team.”

  “Ouch,” Chad cringes. “You guys are already overloaded.”

  “Yep. Or I can take it on.”

  “What?” Chad sits up. “You’re already working fifty hours a week. You can’t.”

  I sigh… dramatically. “So what do I do?”

  “Quit!”

  “I can’t quit! I have to support myself.”

  “Why? I make enough money.”

  “Not enough to support my shopping habit.”

  “True,” he chuckles.

  “You could scale back,” he suggests.

  “We both know that’s not going to happen.”

  “Again, true,” he agrees. “Or…”

  “Or?”

  “I have a plan.”

  I might be a little scared.

  *****

  As adults, we sometimes find ourselves in a position we dread, or have tried to avoid. Today, I am planted firmly in the middle of the worst dilemma of my professional career. It has eaten away at me all week, causing insomnia, stress eating, and even a minor case of hives. Today, I have to fire three of my former co-workers, now the employees I supervise.

  Chad has given some excellent advice. He says that if I don’t fire three people, the higher ups will do it and then I get absolutely no say in who stays and who goes. I need to let the people go who had areas on their yearly evaluation that needed improvement. Keep the best and hope it all works out.

  And, at least now I know Chad’s plan. I am extremely excited about it. I can see ourselves in just a few months living the dream he’s been working hard on for the last several years. And to tell the truth, I see it as my dream as well. A year ago, my life was so very different and the prospect of opening a Fitness Gym was not ever on the radar.

  We met with the bank this week for a preliminary introduction, and now the real work begins. It’s quite fortuitous that my degree is in accounting and Chad’s in sports medicine. The loan officer was impressed with our individual knowledge and said we made the perfect partnership. I would have to agree.

  We both need to stay employed in our respective jobs until we are approved for financing, so, I must fire three people today.

  Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

  I pull employee files and spend the morning reviewing my employees. Unfortunately, I know a little about each of my team, so it’s hard not to think about how losing a job would impact each one of them and their families. Did I say I hate this?