I peered over at him incredulously, careful to keep my stride even. Was he serious? I thought that cheesy chat-up line had died with the dinosaurs.
Grabbing the small towel next to me, I wiped my forehead to prevent the sweat beads there from blinding me at any moment. “No. This is… my… first time…. I’ve got… a month’s… trial.” I wheezed, my exertions beginning to take their toll on my respiratory system.
“I thought I hadn’t seen you around before.” My eyes rolled of their own accord. Who was this guy, and what crappy school of pickup lines did he graduate from?
Mr. Cheesy Chat-up Lines started saying something else, but it got lost in the noise as his feet began pummelling the machine. I ignored him and diverted my attention back to the TVs I couldn’t hear. There didn’t appear to be anything interesting showing so I focused on the monitor in the middle, the one showing what looked like a martial arts fight. The guys were trapped in some sort of cage and were beating the crap out of each other. It looked like a modern day version of a gladiator fight in Ancient Rome.
The TV kept my attention for a while until I’d seen enough of their grappling. I couldn’t work out if it was fighting or foreplay, and the thought turned my stomach.
Glancing down at the screen in front of me, I was impressed that I’d managed to power walk for over half an hour. Take that Barbie-bitch, I thought, pressing the screen to start a cool down.
When I lifted my eyes up again, my gaze locked straight ahead onto a bulging bicep, or rather the God who the bicep was attached to. He was standing sideways from me giving instructions to a slim brunette on a cross-trainer. Holy Moly, the dude was hot! She was giggling and batting her eyelashes at him. Oh please! Can she be any more obvious? Ignoring the woman, I trained my eyes back onto the guy. He really was a work of art, in a tall, brawny kind of way.
As my machine gradually slowed down, the guy running next to me said something but I didn’t reply. I couldn’t. My eyes were glued to the muscular stranger in front. Standing with his arms crossed over his chest and his legs spread wide, he oozed power and authority. He must have been about six feet tall, with dark hair that was cropped short at the back and sides but longer on top. He had broad shoulders and a muscular upper back that progressed down into a narrow waist. A nice firm arse was distinguishable through his black track bottoms.
I grabbed my water bottle to moisten my suddenly dry mouth. As I tilted my head back to drink, Mr. Sexy peered over his shoulder, looking right at me and piercing me with his electric gaze. The liquid trapped in my throat as I choked and spluttered, the motion causing me to lose my footing. I screamed an embarrassingly girly squeal as my arse hit the belt and I was catapulted off the machine, landing on the pristine wooden flooring with a loud thud which was quickly followed by the water from my bottle spilling all over me.
“Shit! Are you okay?”
Embarrassed by my less than graceful fall, I chanced a glance up at Mr. Cheesy Chat-up Lines. He’d jumped off his machine and was looking down at me, his lips curling at the corners as though he was trying to repress a smile. Bastard!
“I’m fine,” I said curtly, dragging my sore, humiliated backside off the floor. The throbbing sensation radiating out from my lower spine proved I would no doubt end up with a lovely bruise as my souvenir of my visit. Reaching over the machine, I grabbed my towel with a huff and turned to leave, ignoring the idiot’s sniggering.
As I limped off towards the changing rooms, I chanced a glance in the direction of the hottie. His focus was back on the brunette, and he was paying me no attention. I breathed out a deep ‘thank fuck for that’ sigh of relief and carried on into the ladies’ changing rooms. For some bizarre reason, I was thankful he hadn’t witnessed my elegant dismount of Satan, otherwise known as the treadmill. There had been something in his eyes in that one moment that he’d looked at me that left me hot and bothered in my most intimate places. I would have been absolutely mortified if he’d seen me fall.
***
Thankfully, the changing room was quiet and almost empty when I barrelled in through the heavy wooden door. For how busy the gym was, there were only a couple of women standing around chatting and one drying her hair. Relief swept through me that I might actually be able to shower and change without humiliation.
I grabbed my stuff from the locker and found the quietest corner. Away from scrutinising eyes, I performed the towel tango, quickly undressing without baring an inch more flesh than was essential. With my modesty protected by the burgundy towel wrapped tightly around me, I disappeared into the shower area. My eyes lit up when I discovered individual cubicles, each one made private, thanks to the white curtains hanging around them. Having to shower in front of others was not something I’d looked forward to doing.
My body felt fatigued, and there was a dull ache in my lower back from my rather ungainly meeting with the floor. The heated water soothed and caressed my skin, easing the knots in my shoulders and soothing away the pain in my butt. With my eyes closed, I stood and savoured the feeling of warmth from the water as well as the heat that flooded into me when I remembered the hot trainer. Visions of his naked form joining me appeared unbidden behind my closed eyelids. Thoughts of his strong hands massaging shower gel into my flesh and aching muscles caused a shiver to run along my spine. I relished the feel of his hands skimming down my back, around my hips, up to my breasts… my eyes sprung open at the realisation that I’d been fantasising about a stranger and was about to fondle myself in a public shower. With wide eyes and a racing pulse, I quickly squeezed more soap into my hand and rushed through washing my body down. I needed out of the shower before my imagination ran wild again.
When the sweat and tension of my exertions—and the fantasies—was washed away, I dried off and walked into the main changing area. I’d finished up much earlier than expected and knew Adam wouldn’t be anywhere near done with his routine, so I debated what to do. I could send him a text to say I’d left early and gone home. Or I could stick around and wait for him. We’d planned to stop in at a local bar when we finished so we could spend some time catching up. With how busy we were at work, we’d barely had the time to say hi and bye to each other in recent weeks. I missed him. I missed our chats and banter, but most importantly, I missed the calming influence he had on me. With the presentation looming before me, I needed that more than ever.
I remembered that the gym had a small café that served various healthy and nutritious meals, snacks and drinks. I vaguely wondered if they counted coffee as healthy and nutritious. I did, after all, take my coffee with milk so it was therefore part of my daily calcium intake surely? I figured I could sit in there and use my phone to catch up on emails while I waited for Adam. I also secretly hoped I might catch a glimpse of the hot trainer again.
I was brushing a piece of lint off my jumper, still lost in my indecent thoughts, as I walked out of the changing rooms, so I didn’t notice the person casually leaning against the wall opposite.
“Good evening, Olivia.”
Surprised, I jerked to a stop and lifted my gaze. The black track bottoms and white polo shirt, embroidered with the Golden Oakes logo, could have been filled out by anyone, but standing in front of me was my fantasy man himself. It was clear this guy was at the peak of physical fitness, each bunching muscle and pulsing vein evidence of the fact. After staring for far too long at the hint of a tattoo playing peek-a-boo from the sleeve of his shirt, I reluctantly dragged my gaze up to his face.
Holy Mother Mary, the guy was just… he just… he just was. He was perfection.
It took everything in me to not fall back against the wall and fan my face. It had suddenly become very hot in there.
“Are you all right?” he asked, pushing away from the wall. I blinked in confusion as I saw lips move and heard the words, but my brain obviously wasn’t processing either fast enough for me to react. It was dull white noise muted by the whooshing of blood through my ears. “Did you hit your head when you fell?”
“What?” My voice was hoarse and quivered.
“I saw you take a tumble off the treadmill. I wanted to make sure you were all right.”
I noted how his voice was deep and gritty, with a rasp that indicated he was either a smoker or someone who had at some point put his vocal chords through the wringer. Either that or he was just pure alpha male. It was sexy as hell and made my stomach and thigh muscles clench.
He stepped closer, looking at me with concerned eyes. “You seemed to land quite heavily. Are you hurt?”
The cavern of my mouth suddenly felt parched, and I wished I hadn’t wasted my water earlier by tipping it all over me. Although, with how hot I suddenly felt, it would have been likely I might have just poured it over me anyway just to cool down. Licking my lips, I looked him in the eye and managed to say, “I’m fine.”
He scrutinised me for a moment, his gaze flicking up and down my body before nodding and walking away. His confident swagger only highlighted his slim waist, firm backside and muscular thighs.
“Wait,” I yelled after him as my senses slowly returned.
He turned around and stared at me expectantly. His brow arched emphasising a large scar that ran through it.
“How did you know my name?” I mumbled.
“Your membership form. I hadn’t seen you around before, so I checked what your deal was.”
“Oh.” I was annoyed with myself for barely managing one syllable words around this guy. I was usually well known for not being able to keep my mouth closed, but for some reason, this guy completely dazzled me.
“Are you sure you’re all right? Can I get you a drink or something?” His long legs ate up the distance between us as he walked back along the corridor towards me. When he stopped, he stepped in closer and I caught a whiff of his cologne, or deodorant, or maybe it was just him. Whatever it was, it was sexy, powerful and deeply provocative. I drew in a slow, deep lungful of air and closed my eyes, intoxicated by him. I wanted to savour the moment and commit his scent to memory…
“Shit.” Hands were suddenly circling my waist, tugging me against a firm chest.
“What are you doing?” My eyes darted open, and I craned my neck to look up into silver-grey eyes. I re-estimated his height; he must have been nearer six-two, towering over my five foot seven inch body. The guy was a mountain. A sexy, lean, man-mountain.
I used our closeness to get a sneaky grope of his body. My hands subtly pressed to his abdomen and I skimmed them up, memorising every dip and plane of his toned torso. He was definitely packing a mighty set of abs under his top. Moving my hands higher, they eventually came to rest on his rock solid pectorals. If the gym was going to be full of men like him, maybe coming back wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
Nathan. That was the name embroidered on the material beneath my fingers. It suited him. It was a strong name, one that oozed power but not arrogance. I liked it. A lot.
“I thought you were going to faint. I didn’t want you to fall again,” he said, looking down at me, concern back on his beautiful features.
I pushed away from his chest, getting one last grope as I did so. “Thank you, Nathan, but I’m fine.”
He chuckled and I looked away, embarrassed that he’d picked up on my subtle fondle. I caught sight of Adam through the glass wall partition. He was standing near a pillar chatting with a leggy brunette. It was obvious they were discussing more than the correct posture when lifting weights. His arm was resting on the pillar, and he had one leg crossed over the other. She was leaning towards him with a smile on her face. Her stupid fake lashes looked like spiders crawling over her face and I shuddered. The sight made my skin crawl. Adam lifted his free hand and caressed the black widow’s arm, a move I’d seen him pull on countless other women. There was no way we would be meeting up now. Adam would be entertaining only one person that night and it wasn’t going to be me.
I returned my gaze to Nathan, deciding I needed to get out of there as quick as possible. I was now more determined than ever to get home and wallow in my humiliation with a cold beer or two.
Keeping his eyes locked on mine, Nathan reached down for the bag I’d previously dropped. I snatched it from him and heaved it on to my shoulder. “Thanks,” I mumbled, wincing when I twisted awkwardly, the movement tugging on my bruised backside.
“Olivia, I don’t think you are all right. Did you hurt your back when you fell?” Shame washed over me again, his words reminding me that he’d witnessed my epic tumble. “I can get someone from the spa to loosen you up if you’d like.”
Outraged, I narrowed my eyes on him. “Loosen me up? You know nothing about me. How dare you insinuate I need loosening up? I’m perfectly calm and relaxed. If anyone needs loosening up it’s… it’s...” I couldn’t get my mouth to articulate the words I wanted it to, so I gestured up and down his body.
Nathan grinned. “I’m not insinuating anything. I can see you definitely don’t need to loosen up. You are obviously the epitome of tranquillity. But I was suggesting a gentle massage to help relax your back muscles and reduce your discomfort.” Oh. “So what do you say? Would you like a massage to help you feel more comfortable?”
Only if it’s you giving it to me.
“No, no need. I’ll be fine. I’m just going to…” With blazing cheeks, I pointed towards the front entrance and side stepped around him.
“You really should get it looked at, Olivia.” He said it with such a firm tone that I stopped walking again.
“Why’s that, Nathan? So I can help line the already bulging pockets of the gym’s owner? Or maybe you earn commission on the number of referrals to the spa you make? Do you walk around out there watching and waiting for dunces like me to make fools of themselves so you can refer them to the spa? Do you—”
Nathan glared at me, a smouldering dark look that made me take a step backward. “You are not a dunce,” he said through gritted teeth. “And no, I don’t get commission. I’m offering you a massage on the house to try to ease the pain caused by falling from our equipment. If you don’t want it…” He shrugged and turned to walk away.
“Wait!” I found myself shouting out for the second time, somewhat taken aback by his obvious anger. He swung back around and although his dark glare had gone, the tight lines around his eyes suggested he was still pissed off. “If there really is no catch, then I would love a massage. Thank you.”
Five minutes later, I found myself in a room decorated in earthy and neutral tones. The lighting was dimmed, and soothing Tibetan flute music drifted through the air from carefully hidden speakers. The subtle scent of lavender and chamomile permeated the air, and I felt myself relaxing as I drew in deep calming breaths. Easing myself face down on to the massage table, I draped a soft towel across my semi naked body and waited.
I jumped when warm hands began to gently knead around my neck and shoulder blades. “Sorry,” I mumbled, “I must have fallen asleep.”
“No problem. I’ll take it as a compliment that we can calm and relax you even before the massage.” I twisted my head to see whose hands I was allowing to touch me. A petite Asian girl smiled back at me. “Hi, I’m Cassie. So, you’ve made a bit of an impression on the big guy, huh?”
I sighed and returned my face into the cut out, groaning in pleasured pain when Cassie dug into a particularly tense muscle. “If by ‘big guy’ you mean Nathan, then I wouldn’t say that. He saw me make an arse out of myself when I fell off the treadmill. I think he felt sorry for me.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s what it is.” She giggled and continued kneading and rubbing my tense and sensitive flesh.
***
An hour later, I rounded my shoulders and neck feeling how loose and relaxed my muscles now were. Even the dull ache in my lower back had disappeared. “Thanks, Cassie,” I said with a smile as I pulled on my denim jacket.
“You’re welcome. Come back anytime. Try to stay upright on the equipment next time though,” she replied with a friendly laugh as I left t
he room.
I walked down a short corridor also lined with various pictures of boxers or fighters. I tried to study them a little closer but they were all action shots, obscuring the view of most facial features. I scrunched my nose at the brutality of the images and carried on towards the main entrance.
Nathan was standing alone behind the reception desk flipping through paperwork. I couldn’t decide if I should go over and thank him for the massage or whether I should just sneak past. I still felt like a total idiot for my incident on the treadmill and didn’t want to have to acknowledge it again by speaking to him.
“Olivia!” So much for hoping I’d be able to sneak past. “How was the massage?”
Plastering a smile on my face I strolled over to the desk. “It was wonderful. Thank you so much.”
“And how is the back?”
“Never felt better. Cassie has magic hands.”
Nathan leaned onto the desk, propping himself on crossed arms. “I’m glad to hear it. Will I be seeing you again? It’s just I’m a bit concerned about your treatment of our equipment.” The twinkle in his eyes was the only sign he was messing with me.
“I’ll definitely be back. I need to sort out this big, fat butt of mine,” I said with a wink and took a step towards the doors, surprised to find that I actually meant what I was saying. “I hope to see you around some more, Nathan.”
With a smile on my face and a spring in my step, I walked to my car and checked my phone. There were no missed calls or text messages from Adam. I took a quick look at the now half empty parking lot and couldn’t see his car. I guessed he really had left with the brunette after all. I was saddened that I wouldn’t get time with him, but I couldn’t deny the thrill that I got from being able to spend the evening on my lonesome, picturing a certain fit, toned and handsome personal trainer. For the first time in a long time, I had been affected by a man. I wanted to soak in a long, soothing bath and remember every exquisite detail of him.
Prepared to Fight Page 3