by Mia Madison
Still, she was pretty. And small.
And it had been my experience that that was what guys cared about the most.
Later, as I left my shift and walked back to my apartment, I saw Ian. He had his back to me, but I ducked back into the shadows anyway. For some reason, I was hesitant to call out.
His toolbox was on the ground next to him and he was standing under a set of wooden stairs that led up to the second floor. No one ever used those stairs, they were for emergencies, but I supposed they needed maintenance from time to time, too.
Instead of fixing them, though, Ian reached up and grabbed the back of a step above his head. Lifting himself off the ground, he climbed up the underside of the stairs, as easily as if they were monkey bars at the playground. Not that I’d ever been very good at the monkey bars.
When he got to the top step, he reached out and clasped the edge of the small deck connecting the rickety staircase to a second-floor hallway. Then he did a set of chin-ups.
Good God, he was strong. I don’t think I’d ever met a man that powerful. When he’d picked me up the other day, it was like I weighed nothing. He made me feel petite and tiny. I wasn’t those things, but he made me feel that way. Plus, it had been such a turn on the way he teased me. Yeah, I’d been scared being upside down, but I knew he wouldn’t really drop me in the pool. He’d been teasing me, and I’d loved it. When I got home, I’d been too turned on to settle down.
For a minute, when he was holding me, I’d thought that he was getting turned on, too. But that was ridiculous. Normal guys didn’t have much use for a woman like me—so there was no way that a man who looked like that did.
It had been foolish to think he’d been affected by being pressed against me the way I had by him. Especially now that I’d met his ex. No man who’d fallen in love with a tiny woman like that could ever fall for me.
The next day, I brooded about it while at my other job. I worked at a dusty old place on the edge of town called Morgan’s. It was a small general store that had a little bit of everything—clothes, cosmetics, household goods, toys. All of which were rather old and outdated-looking. We didn’t get much business, so the owner often couldn’t afford to have two employees working at once. Consequently, I was often alone and had a lot of time to think.
The owner had left a list of tasks for me to do when there weren’t customers—which was most of the day. It mostly involved bringing up stock from the basement and restocking the shelves. I made the first few trips on the ancient freight elevator, but after my third trip, it stopped working. No matter what button I pushed, it wouldn’t budge.
After that, I had to carry boxes ups the rickety staircase. By my fourth time up the stairs carrying a box or two at a time, I was exhausted. I really did need to get in better shape. Not that I would ever be as fit as someone like Ian, but I wanted to be able to perform daily tasks without getting winded.
Taking a self-prescribed break, I pulled out my phone and looked up local gyms. Probably I couldn’t afford them, but the idea had been percolating in my brain for a few days now. Ian and Cole seemed to get such joy out of learning new exercises and tricks. Of pushing their bodies to the limit. Maybe some of that was rubbing off on me?
For the rest of the afternoon, I searched online for a local gym I could afford—which was no easy feat given my tight budget and the fact that half the ancient store had no cell phone reception whatsoever. Every time I’d get a signal and go to a gym’s website, the signal would cut out.
Finally, half an hour before my replacement was supposed to arrive, I found something. A gym called Lou’s was only a few miles from my apartment complex and had a very low introductory rate. One that I could actually afford.
Before I could change my mind—and before I lost reception—I signed up for an introductory appointment on my next day off.
As I cleaned up behind the checkout counter, I felt a little trepidation, but mostly excitement. I was doing something proactive. And I was doing it for myself. To feel better. To feel stronger.
I wasn’t doing it for Ian. Even if I exercised a hundred hours a week, I’d never be the kind of petite woman he liked.
Still, it wouldn’t hurt to think about him as I eased my way into an exercise program. The way he exercised all the time was pretty motivating. Hell, that rock hard body of his was the best motivation of all. I could never be with a man like that, but it didn’t hurt to fantasize about it. And if that provided me some extra motivation to work out, what was the harm in that?
Ian
“Ready, set… go!”
Cole took off like a shot as I clicked a button on my phone, starting the timer. This was his third circuit through the obstacle course I’d set up for him. 97 seconds was his best time so far.
I watched with pride as he wove his way through the picnic tables I’d dragged around under the pavilion. Some of them he had to crawl under, others he had to vault over.
Next up were tires laid out on the ground. Cole had to go jump into the center of each one before moving to the next. It was kind of like hopscotch without using a rock. Next up he raced to a big elm tree near the pool. Grabbing hold of the trunk, he scrambled up it like a money, using his hands and feet. Then he swung out onto a sturdy tree branch about seven feet off the ground. Hand over hand, he edged out until he could touch an aluminum can I’d hung on there. Then he dropped down, doing a backflip in the process. That might have cost him an extra second or two, but he was like me—he couldn’t resist the opportunity to do flips and such.
Cole raced through the rest of the course which required him to walk on his hands between two benches, run to the pool, jump off the diving board and land in a small inflatable raft which he then had to paddle to the other side. He dashed up and gave me a high five as I stopped the timer. “That was three seconds faster. Good job, son.”
The sound of clapping made us both turn around. Nikki was standing by her car, evidently having just gotten here from her other job.
Not even winded, Cole raced over to see her as I followed at a more reasonable pace.
“Did you see that? How far I had to jump to the raft? I think it blew in the breeze, it was at least a foot farther out than last time.”
As Cole spoke excitedly to her, Nikki nodded, and smiled, but the smile didn’t quite meet her eyes. Nor would she meet mine.
Huh. That wasn’t good.
Whatever was wrong, though, it didn’t keep her from being a good audience for Cole’s story. “Yes, I saw almost the whole thing. You moved so fast you looked like a blur.”
Cole laughed. She was so good with him.
“Dad says I can try one more time to beat my record. Will you watch?”
Nikki smiled kindly, but shook her head. “I’m sorry, I can’t. I have to go start my shift.” She indicated the leasing office with a nod of her head and then winced slightly.
“Stay here and watch. I have a feeling Cole’s going to shave off another few seconds this time.”
The beautiful young woman looked up at me for the first time tonight and smiled. “I’d love to, but I’m late.”
I glanced at my phone. “By a minute. Besides, I’m the boss. You’re on the clock, and your first task tonight is to cheer my son onto glory.”
She smiled again, but fell back as we walked over to the starting line.
I watched her out of the corner of my eye as Cole ran the course again. Something was wrong. Had I done something to piss her off? Or maybe it was something I hadn’t done? I couldn’t think of anything.
She looked as gorgeous as ever. Her blouse was fancier today, some kind of light pink material that buttoned up in the front. The top two buttons were open showcasing a rather impressive cleavage. And I didn’t have to worry about getting caught staring because she kept looking at the ground. What was wrong?
I didn’t have time to ask her because Cole was barreling toward us. I stopped the timer the moment he slapped his hand against mine. He squinted at the phone
as I held the screen up to him and then whooped. “92 seconds!”
Cole jumped up and down, and I couldn’t help grinning. “Good job!” I gave him another high five, and he turned to Nikki, his arms outstretched. He threw his arms around her and squeezed. Damn. I wished I could do that.
Nikki’s hugged him back, but she grimaced as she did so. Something was definitely wrong.
I fished a couple of bucks out of my pocket and handed them to Cole. “Why don’t you go get something to drink and cool off inside?”
Cole took the money as Nikki spoke. “I should go in, too.”
“No, you stay out here with me. Cole, tell Barb that Nikki won’t be in for a little while.”
Nikki looked ready to protest, but Cole had already run off toward the building.
Turning, to Nikki, I gestured toward a bench by the lake. “Step into my office.”
She looked from me to the building behind her a time or two before moving toward the lake. Slowly. Really slowly.
I walked slowly behind her, for once not appreciating the tantalizing view of her sweet ass. She moved gingerly, but I waited until she’d settled herself on the bench before I spoke again.
Crouching down next to her, I looked up into her hazel eyes. “What hurts?”
She gasped with surprise, but it hadn’t been hard to figure out. “N-nothing.”
Her hand was resting on the bench next to her, so I picked it up, enclosing it in my own. “What hurts?” This time I made my voice firmer. Deeper.
She stared at me for a moment longer, and then closed her eyes. “Pretty much everything.”
“What happened? Did you trip over something at Morgan’s?”
“No, I—” Her eyes opened and she stared at me. “You know where my other job is?”
“Barb told me. I’ve been in there a time or two—that place is so cluttered that it’s more of a fire hazard than it is a business. Why do you work there?”
Irritation flashed through her eyes, which was a good sign. If her pain were too severe, she wouldn’t have any energy left to get pissed off at me.
“Because I need the money. Obviously.”
The fire in her eyes would’ve been a turn-on and a challenge under other circumstances, but not right now. “There are lots of other places you could work.”
“Oh yeah? Know much about the job market nowadays? When’s the last time you applied for something?”
Taking her rhetorical question seriously, I thought about it. “The summer after my junior year of high school. A year before I joined the army.”
Her face softened a little—not sure if it was because of my honesty or my mention of military service. “Well, things are a bit different now. I’ve been looking for something ever since I got my degree in May. There’s just not much out there. I apply for a half dozen jobs every week—most of which I never hear back from. I’ve only been to two interviews this past month, and one of them was with Barb.”
I sat down on the seat next to her, still keeping her hand in my own. “Touché. I don’t know a lot about today’s job market, but I do know that you’re a bright and capable young woman. And you could do a lot more than that—if someone gives you the chance to.” A wave of guilt washed over me as I said this. Having her man my front desk didn’t exactly make me the poster child for utilizing her skills.
She nodded but didn’t look at me. With her head bowed like that, I wondered if she was looking at her hand in mine. And I wondered what she thought of that. But there were more important things to talk about. “Tell me how you got hurt.”
Nikki looked out at the lake now, and said something that I had to ask her to repeat.
“I said, it’s embarrassing.”
“Oh really?” I made my voice suggestive, hoping to make her smile, but she didn’t. I tried again, in a normal tone. “Come on, you can tell me. I’m sure you have nothing to be embarrassed about.”
She was silent for a moment, and then spoke in a quiet voice. “I joined a gym.”
Of all the things I’d expected her to say, that wasn’t on the list. “A gym? Why would that be embarrassing?”
“Because I’m not good at that kind of thing. At exercising.”
“That’s why people join a gym. To learn how to do those things. To get healthier. Which one did you join?” I looked down at her face. She was studiously avoiding my gaze, though I still couldn’t figure out what she had to be embarrassed about. “You’re trying to take control of your health. That’s good.”
“It’s called Lou’s. It’s off Route 15.”
“That’s bad,” I said without thinking. I hadn’t been there, but I’d heard bad things. A buddy I occasionally trained with had applied for a job there and quit within the week. “Hellhole” was one of the nicer names he’d called it. “Do you think you overdid it? A lot of times beginners try to do too much at first. Are you sore?” It was all I could do not to offer my services as a masseuse. If her muscles ached, I’d be more than happy to massage away the pain. And then replace it with all kinds of pleasure.
“Maybe,” she said, and I waited. There was more. “I think it was this one machine that did it.”
“Which one?”
“I’m not sure what it’s called. It’s for working your abs. I didn’t know how much resistance to set it for, and I think I used too much weight.”
“Can you bring your chart home next time? That way I can see what the machine is and suggest a resistance level that might work better for you.”
“What chart?”
“The one they gave you at the gym. To write down your progress and record what machines you’ve used at what settings.”
“They didn’t give me anything like that.”
“Really? You should ask whoever gave you your orientation.”
Nikki shook her head. “There wasn’t any orientation.”
Piece of shit gym, I thought. No wonder she got hurt. “So they basically just took your money and set you loose in there?”
“Basically,” she said with a sigh. “I didn’t know they were supposed to do more than that. I—I’ve never belonged to a gym before.”
Her tone was one of shame, and again, I wondered why. Lots of people didn’t go to a gym. The fact that she’d signed up made me proud of her. And frustrated as fuck. “That place doesn’t deserve your money. I could just train you. Gyms are great—most gyms—but you can get plenty of exercise without all the fancy equipment.”
“I know,” she said. “I’ve seen you do it.”
I chuckled. “I guess I’m a bit of a fanatic nowadays.”
Nikki was still staring at the water, and I wanted to put my arm around her, but I held back. I didn’t want to hurt her sore body—plus I’m not sure if she was ready for me to touch her like that. There’d be another chance for that kind of thing soon—I hoped. “Maybe sometime when you’re not working, we could go tour some other gyms. Find you something better.”
She was silent for a moment. “Lou’s was the only one I could afford.”
Shit. That dump didn’t deserve her business. Since I couldn’t put my arm around her, I traced a finger along her cheek and tucked a strand of honey-colored hair behind her ear. For a moment, she leaned her face into my hand, seeming to take comfort from my touch.
What the hell. Gently, I slid my arm behind her head, draping it lightly over her shoulders. For a moment she stayed upright, but then she gradually leaned against my side, resting her head against me.
We stayed like that for a long time.
Nikki
I waited a week to go back to the gym. After a few days, the strain in my lower back started to feel a little better. Ian had given me some suggestions for when to use ice and when to use heat. He also talked to me about how to move—and how to contract my abs before lifting things—to protect my back from further damage.
If he had his way, once I healed he probably wanted to make me do calisthenics by the lake while he played Army Drill Sergeant. But
no way did I want to do that. Too embarrassing to exercise in front of all the other residents. Too embarrassing to exercise in front of him. I wasn’t coordinated, I wasn’t in good shape, and even though those facts were readily apparent, I didn’t want to draw his attention to them repeatedly.
So I was back at Lou’s for my second workout. I’d come at 6 a.m. hoping that the place would be fairly empty, but there were more people here than had been during my first time. Unfortunately.
I started off with fifteen minutes on the treadmill. I put it on a slow speed, but after five minutes or so, I increased it. Then I tried the elliptical, but I couldn’t do that for very long.
After that, since I was still a bit sore, I sought out machines for arm exercises, figuring those wouldn’t reinjure my back. I tried a few machines that looked fairly self-explanatory, and then waited for one guy to finish one for exercising triceps.
The guy using it had a big busy mustache, and when he saw me waiting, he winked. “I’ll be done in a minute, darling.”
Darling? That was a new one.
The guy was wearing tight shorts and tennis shoes. No shirt. He definitely didn’t look as awesome as Ian did with his shirt off.
The man finished using the machine and stood up. “Saw you when you got in.”
“Excuse me?”
“I saw you get here half an hour ago. You did some cardio, right? And then just arm exercises. I’m Dan, by the way.”
Shaking the hand he offered, I mentally frowned. He’d been watching me that carefully? That was… creepy.
He was standing in front of the triceps machine, blocking it so that I couldn’t use it. “You’re supposed to work the core muscles first.”
“Excuse me?” I said again, not following.
“You work out your larger muscles first. Chest. Abs. Thighs… its’ really important for women to work those inner thighs. It comes in handy.” He winked at me, and I took a step back. “Also gotta work out the gluteus maxiumus. Even a nice juicy one like yours could use some toning. But not too much. A man likes something to hold onto.”