by Ava Manello
With having to be down in the bar soon I haven't got time to unpack yet. I take a brief glance around the room; if you've been in one Premier Inn you've been in them all. They're affordable, basically equipped but clean and comfortable. I quickly wash my face in the bathroom, then try and tidy up my hair. It will have to do for now. I've got a room with a bath and I'm wondering how early I can make my excuses from dinner and get back up here and soak. I'd rather have stayed in my room, had room service, a warm bath and finished the hot book on my Kindle, but I can't. I look at my weary reflection, give myself a pep talk and put on my game face, before heading to knock on Tiny's door so he can escort me down to dinner.
***
I can't believe how much food this lot just devoured. You'd think they hadn't been fed in a week. They'd ordered starters, steaks, baked potatoes, salad and desserts. The servings were more than generous and I'd struggled to eat half my pasta bake, having declined any other courses. My plate was empty by the time the waitress came to clear the table as Tiny kept leaning over and eating a forkful at a time.
"How can you lot eat so much and not have fat bellies?" I laughed, as we all started to rise from the table to head into the bar.
"Because we spend hours in the gym to tone up." he replied with a pained expression. "That and the routines and rehearsals keep us in shape." He followed this with a hip thrust causing me to laugh out loud. This set the rest of them off, and they sashayed over to the bar with a series of thrusts, bumps and grinds. I could see the disgusted faces on some of the older residents of the hotel, and blushed to my roots. This caused Tiny to guffaw loudly.
"If you're that embarrassed over a few simple moves, you're never going to be able to handle our full routines." he smirked. "Is Sally joining us for rehearsals, Eric?"
Eric looked at me with sympathy, but then made me feel even worse by letting me know he was expecting to see me there so I could get a real feel for the show, and how much work went into it.
I was about to make my excuses and head back to my room when Tiny grabbed my arm and dragged me over to one of the leather sofas in the bar area, dragging me down to sit beside him. That wouldn't have been too bad, we just about fit on there together, but Guido decided to squeeze in on my other side.
I like my personal space. There's nothing worse than feeling hemmed in, and having to hold my elbows close into my sides to avoid touching the person next to me. Given the choice, I'd have been in one of the leather tub chairs on my own. Well, given the choice I'd have been alone in my bedroom, but that didn't look like it was going to happen.
I tried not to look too uncomfortable but being squeezed in between these two guys, and not having a clue what the conversation was about, it wasn't easy.
It soon became obvious that not everyone had Tiny's manners and respectful nature, nor did they seem bothered that I was there, listening to them. I grew more and more uncomfortable as Guido, Jackal, Rick and Jonny shared stories of sexual conquests they'd made at the end of the last show.
I cringed at the crudeness they displayed. Eric looked on like a proud father figure. Alex and Tiny weren't joining in, they seemed to be having a separate conversation to the others, but as Alex was on the other side of Tiny to me, I couldn't hear what was being said.
I'd pretty much zoned out on them all when I was nudged by Tiny. "Sally? Did you hear Alex ask you about the gym?" I looked over to Alex who'd apparently asked me a question.
"I'm sorry Alex, I was miles away. What about the gym?"
"I just wondered what your normal fitness regime was. Did you want to come to the gym with me and Tiny before rehearsals tomorrow?" Alex asked quietly.
"I normally run most mornings on my own. I'll probably get up early and do that, Thanks anyway." I tried to decline as politely as I could. Like everything else in my life, running was something I did on my own.
"You need to come to the gym and let us give you a proper workout." Tiny grinned.
Yeah. Right. There was no way I was going to a gym, sweating my socks off, and looking like death warmed up in front of these two hunks. I'm fit, but I'm not toned. I'm a plodder more than a runner. I run to free my mind. Some of my best stories have been plotted out whilst running. I plug in my iTunes, close out the world and just free my mind when I run. When I get back from my runs I'm a sweaty, red-faced mess. The best part of running for me is the shower at the end of it. I was about to politely decline when Alex leaned closer.
"Come on Sally, it will be a nice change not to have to look at Tiny's ugly mug all morning." his smile was so warm and genuine. "It'll just be the three of us." He looked over at the rest of the guys. "They'll still be in their beds after spending all night in the bar."
I actually gave it a moment’s thought. I'd been considering hitting the gym lately, booking a session with a private trainer to try and up my fitness levels. I'd not been to the gym for months despite paying for it, and even then I'd not done more than hit up the treadmill before going to see my sports physio who was located in the same building.
"Okay, just this once." As soon as I said the words I regretted them. The good thing about my gym was the anonymity. It was rare that I saw the same faces, I didn't know them, and they didn't know me. I was in and out. Before I could change my mind and utter the words Tiny stopped me.
"No backing out now, Sally." he laughed. "I can see you trying to work out how to get out of it. I'll pick you up at 8am." Alex and Tiny grinned at each other, before high fiving. Damn. I was stuck with it now. With any luck they'd be off on the weights and I could find a treadmill in a dark corner on my own.
I'd exceeded my social quota for the month, never mind the day. I really needed some alone time, so feigning a yawn I excused myself from the group. Tiny and Alex, ever the gentlemen, stood up as I rose from my seat. The others were so lost in conversation I don't think they even noticed me leaving. Tiny offered to escort me to my room, but I declined. It was sweet of him, but it's not like I could get lost between the bar and the first floor room I was in.
I scurried off as quickly as I could, welcoming the quiet and solitude of my room when I reached it.
I drew a hot, relaxing bath, picked up my Kindle and lost myself in my book for the rest of the evening.
Chapter Five
Sally
I stayed up late last night reading the book on my Kindle. It's a weakness of mine, once I've started a book I don't like to put it down and this one had gripped me. The knock on the door at 8am is more than unwelcome, as was the alarm going off on my phone a half hour earlier.
I've put on my running kit, it's all I've brought with me and it will have to do for the gym. It's months since I was last at one and I have a feeling Alex and Tiny won't let me get away with hiding in a corner on a treadmill.
The gym is within walking distance of where we're staying so we decide to use the walk as part of our warm up. I cringe when we get there, as it's one of the huge chain gyms. No doubt it will be full of toned women in their fancy outfits all jogging gently on the treadmill, fearful of breaking out in a sweat and messing up their perfect hair. Look, I never said I was a happy morning person now did I. Until I've had at least my second cup of coffee I am best left alone; actually I'm probably best left alone most of the time.
Tiny hands me a bottle of cold water he's grabbed from reception, and as I feared, the place is full of gym bunnies. Typical. There are several guys here as well, but none of them are as attractive as the ones that are currently by my side. Alex points to a couple of treadmills that are well away from the others.
"I'm going to start you off gently, just a five minute warm up for the cardio." He reaches over and starts the machine. "Each minute I want you to up the speed by just one level.” he requests. This is a little alien to me, when I get on the treadmill I tend to go straight into my run. He's set me off at a very gentle stroll pace. Perhaps this isn't going to be as hard as I thought. I look to my side and see he's walking on his treadmill as well. Alex catches me
watching him and gives me a smile. He has the most gorgeous smile; his eyes light up with it. I'm a sucker for a nice smile. I look around for Tiny and see he's headed over to the weights area. I hope they're not expecting me to lift weights. I don't mind toning up but I really don't want to bulk up.
Before I know it the five minutes of warm up on the treadmill have passed and Alex guides me to an area away from the machines. There are a couple of exercise mats and some kettle bells. I give him a questioning look.
"I'm going to give you some exercises to help keep you toned, but first we need to do some active stretches." What the hell is an active stretch? It turns out to be very similar to the static stretches I do before or after a run but has more movement in it, squatting up and down and moving my arms a lot more. Alex explains that it's to keep the cardio element going.
"I'll start you off with the viper, it's fairly simple to use." He smiles as he walks over to an equipment rack. What the hell is a viper? The only viper I know is a deadly snake or a hot guy from Top Gun. Somehow, I doubt very much he's bringing me the hot guy from Top Gun though. I'm right. Alex heads back over with a long, fat tube with handles. The closest thing I can think of is one of the weapons they use to knock each other off the raised stage in the TV show Gladiators. I snicker. Alex doesn't look amused.
Alex demonstrates swinging the viper up in front of me, twisting it in the air then sweeping it back down through my legs, I have to twist it again for the upward pass. It's kind of like a figure of eight motion. It's a good job he's counting for me, as I have no idea how to remember the move and the count at the same time.
"Last two." he smiles. "There, that wasn't so bad now was it?" He's right. It actually felt pretty easy. I'm surprised he didn't ask me to do a second set.
Alex replaces the viper in the equipment stand and to my horror moves over to the kettle bells. I'm relieved when he picks up what looks to be the lightest one. The relief doesn't last long though as this bitch is heavy. This time he has me squatting, which feels immensely uncomfortable. It's not a natural position. I have to lift and twist with the kettle bell. When he calls last two I am so relieved. This was not a piece of gym equipment I ever want to see again.
Next up is the medicine ball. It looks heavier than the kettle bell, but to my relief it's not. Again he has me squatting, lifting and twisting with it. That was a hell of a lot easier. I almost suggested swapping it for a heavier weight but kept my mouth shut.
There's what looks to be a little table in the corner and Alex demonstrates the stepping action he'd like me to use. That is not a step; it's a bloody huge step. It resembles my coffee table at home it's that high. I have to raise one leg onto it in a stepping motion then step up and twist the other leg across in front of me before stepping back to the floor and repeating the action with my other leg. This is about the same time I realize just how bloody uncoordinated I am. Several times I start off with the wrong leg, in the end I just leave Alex to do the count and I purely concentrate on telling myself lead left or lead right. He makes me do two sets of these.
By the time we get to the weird looking machine in the weights corner I'm feeling fine, not what I expected from a private training session. I have no idea what the machine is called but Alex sets the pin in the right weight for me. I contemplate asking for a heavier weight after the first pull, but suspect he's going to get me to do multiple repetitions so leave it for now. I stand sideways and pull the handle on a long string across and up my body, adding in a twisting half turn. I'm sure that exercise is supposed to hurt but so far I feel fine. When we've done a few repetitions of this he leads me over to the cross trainer for the cool down. This is the opposite of the treadmill, I start off at a high speed and every minute slow it down a little more. The static stretches at the end are the only part of the routine I'm familiar with. They're the same ones I do at the end of my run.
When I look up at the clock I see we've been here an hour. It feels like only a fraction of that time. Despite my reservations I didn't hate the session. Granted I didn't like it either, but it could have been a lot worse. I could quite happily go for a run now. I won't. I'm not a total glutton for punishment.
"How do you feel?" Tiny comes up behind me, startling me.
"I'm fine. It wasn't as hard as I expected."
"I was watching you, you're not as unfit as you led us to believe." he laughs.
"I guess I'm not as unfit as I led myself to believe." This guy is just so comfortable to be around. Well, outside of the gym perhaps. The lascivious looks from some of the gym bunnies are making me feel really uncomfortable. They're eying Alex and Tiny up as though they were offerings on a menu. Tiny catches one woman watching him and winks at her. At least she has the good grace to blush, knowing she's been caught ogling.
Tiny looks back to me. "It's my turn to train you tomorrow. I'm going to see the sparkle in your eyes, have your cheeks flush red, and sweat running down your body as I work you so hard you'll ache everywhere the day after because of me". Shit. That sounded erotic. I really do need to stop reading those bloody books on my Kindle.
"I won't ache tomorrow, I just did my stretches." I say confidently. I've been running long enough to know when my body will ache and when it won't. Tiny and Alex exchange a look and burst out laughing.
"Just make sure you have some Ibuprofen on hand." Alex smirks. "Just in case." I give them both my most sarcastic look and skip over to the changing room to collect my bag. I'll shower back at the hotel.
Chapter Six
Alex
I had fun at the gym with Sally this morning. She's got a great sense of humor, she's attractive, and I just feel so comfortable in her company. On tour artificial and over made up women constantly surround me. They say what they think we want to hear in order to get into our beds. This isn't how I like my sex. I need a connection, not just some quick grope in a corridor or bathroom stall. Luckily for many of our fans some of the guys are more than happy to oblige.
Tiny and I are the only ones who don't get drawn in. Eric has the occasional dalliance, but at least he tends to choose the more normal amongst the fans. Guido is such a whore; he really doesn't care who he beds. I'm surprised his cock hasn't fallen off yet considering some of the places he's shoved it over the last year. He seems to think that wrapping it will keep him safe. I don't think he quite comprehends that baby oil and condoms don't actually mix well. Still, that's his lesson to learn.
Jackal, Jonny and Rick aren't quite the man whores that Guido is, but they're not that far behind.
Aside from the lack of morals they're a good team to work with. They show up for rehearsal on time, they pick up the moves I show them without too many mistakes, and we have a laugh together. Off the stage they're pretty normal guys.
We've arrived at the theater for rehearsal. It always feels weird being on stage in front of an empty auditorium. It feels kind of creepy. Most of the theaters we play in are really old; they have a history of memories and I'm pretty sure some of them have the odd ghost as well.
I'm trying to work on a new routine before the guys join me on stage. It's a solo I'll be doing whilst the rest of the guys do a costume change. We quickly discovered the audience doesn't like gaps between performances. It's the Christian Grey look again. I come on stage in ripped faded denim jeans and a white shirt hanging loosely over the top of them.
I was too embarrassed to walk into a sex shop for the accessories I needed so I went online. All I can say is thank god Lovehoney deliver in plain cardboard boxes. The last thing I wanted was my post lady knowing what she was delivering.
In one hand I'm holding a pair of shiny silver handcuffs, in the other I have a black and silver flogger. The metallic silver strands catch the light on stage when it moves. They had a suede one or a rubber one as well, but this looked the most effective for the performance.
The intro to Snow Patrol "The Lightning Strike - What if this storm ends" comes on and I start to move easily across the stage, more ballet styl
e than anything. How's that for attention to detail, not only did I buy the FSOG sex toys, I researched the playlist as well. As the beat increases and the singer stops, I toss the cuffs away and ease off my shirt, which I also discard. As the song moves on and the words come back I use the flogger, crossing my arm over my body I hit my shoulder with it, then switch to the other side.
There are hardly any words to the song; it's a much more visual experience than aural. My moves are graceful; I'm trying my best to look hot and tortured. As the music slows and quiets I draw the flogger down my chest, sinking to my knees. I've kept my jeans on, and done the routine bare chested.
I catch movement in the wings. It's Sally. She's looking at me almost in awe.
"That was beautiful.,” she gasps. "I've never heard that song before."
"Thanks. I'm not sure if I'll be able to use it in the show though."