Of all the gyms in all the world of course Denise had to be at that one at the exact time Toni was there. Would she ever be rid of this parasite? Ugh. Her mood took an instant downturn and she tried to weave in and out of the equipment to make herself obstructed, but a couple of people came towards her and she was forced to halt her forward stride. She glanced over nervously at Denise, and breathed a sigh of relief as it appeared that her nemesis still hadn’t seen her. Toni marched forward, eyes darting towards Denise as she went along, praying and hoping that she could just make it through without being spotted. The walls were framed with mirrors though, and just as Toni made it to the end of the room she heard Denise cry out.
Toni halted and closed her eyes, cursing the universe for plaguing her with this unstoppable woman.
“What are you doing here?” Denise said, wiping her brow with a towel.
“I was just coming her to see what it was about. I thought I’d step up my game a bit, you know, I don’t want to start coasting.”
“Good plan, good plan, you’ve always got to keep pushing yourself. That’s what I’m doing. Can’t afford to relax for a second.”
“Yeah.”
They stared at each other awkwardly.
“I guess I’d better let you get back to your routine,” Toni said when Denise didn’t make any moves to leave.
“What are you going to be working on? I should tell you that the best equipment is in here. That way is just the classes and then it leads to the really heavy weights but I wouldn’t go back there if I were you, that’s only for the most dedicated people. Why don’t you come with me and I can help show you what to use.”
Toni huffed. If she agreed she’d be forced to spend the evening with Denise and miss out on the class she was looking forward to, but if she told Denise what she was doing…well, she supposed there was always the chance that Denise wouldn’t come. After all she was in the middle of her own exercise routine.
“Actually I did have a class booked. I thought I’d start some yoga, so I’m just going to head off to that. I’ll let you get back to whatever you were doing.” She smiled in an effort to be polite and then spun away, hoping to leave before Denise could latch on to her. A forlorn hope.
“Oh yoga?! I’ve always wanted to try that I hope you don’t mind if I tag along.”
“Actually I-”
“It’s so spiritual isn’t it? I’ve always considered myself a spiritual person. I used to read a lot of books on meditation but I get so busy nowadays is difficult to find the time. This will be fun I’m sure. It’ll probably be like when I used to dance. I hope my body will be able to take it.”
Of course she used to dance, Toni thought, was there anything this woman couldn’t do?
She could hardly back out now, although her enthusiasm for the class had severely diminished. The two of them walked along the corridor. Toni looking with interest at the other classes going on until they reached the proper room. Toni opened the door, and Denise abruptly entered.
“You’re welcome,” Toni muttered under her breath. They set their bags down at the edge of the room and walked to a couple of free mats. The class was populated with women and men of all shapes, sizes, and ages. Some of whom should never have been allowed near yoga pants, but that wasn’t any of Toni’s business. The room was well-lit with a high ceiling, and tinted windows gave the outside world a mysterious look, almost as though they weren’t really supposed to be seeing it. Denise started stretching, so Toni did the same. Everyone else was minding their own business as they stood by their little mats. Toni’s was purple, which she found pleasing, and the texture was firm yet soft as she pressed down against it.
“I’m glad I bumped into you today. I really should have done this sooner. I swear I get so wrapped up in my own world that I often forget there are classes here.”
Toni made no comment in response, she just limbered up and got ready for the next hour. She hoped it would be relaxing because bumping into Denise had made her tension levels rise, and it would take a miracle worker to bring them down to normal levels. That was when he arrived, and if ever there was a miracle this man was it. He opened the door and strode to the front of the room. Toni’s eyes were locked on him and her jaw dropped. He looked as though he had been sculpted from the essence of masculinity. Tight shorts stretched over his thick thighs and a thing vest left little to the imagination. His torso was in the shape of a ‘v’ and it was like his body was an arrow pointing down to…Toni flushed. Her heart fluttered as he stretched and showed off his biceps. He looked like a god. His short black hair was tidy, aside for an errant lock that drooped over his forward in a playful manner and he was tall, with a perfect physique that set the primal part of Toni’s soul aflame with desire.
She wasn’t the only one staring either. Other members of the class were all transfixed by him and Toni wondered whether some of them had come for the yoga or were actually here to gaze at that fine specimen of a man. People murmured to each other in wonder. Then she turned around and saw that Denise had that same look of lust in her eyes. Toni almost flew into a jealous rage, and it took her a few moments to settle down.
“Welcome one and all. Just to let you know this is the beginners’ class for yoga, in case any of you wandered into the wrong room. By the look of it though you’re all in the right place. Quite a good turn out today actually. I’m glad you’re all here, I’m Peter and I’ll be your instructor over the next few weeks. This is a casual class so if you can’t make one week it’s no big deal. Also feel free to invite other people you know. We run a number of classes through the week including ones for intermediates and experts so if you want to find out about any of those ask me after class or ask at reception and they will have a flyer or a leaflet or something. Today I’m going to start you off with some basic positions to ease you into things and we’ll go from there.”
Even his voice was like honey and as the words dripped out of his mouth Toni melted. His eyes moved over each of them and when they locked with hers she saw that they were a deep blue, like a lagoon in which she wanted to swim. The class started but Toni could barely concentrate. In front of her was the man of her dreams bending and stretching, and beside her was the woman of her nightmares moaning as she stretched her lithe body out. Of course it was for show because things came easily for Denise, whereas Toni was struggling slightly. She could see how things were supposed to work but her body wouldn’t quite do what she wanted. At least she wasn’t struggling like some of the other people though. Many of them were pushing their bloated bodies to the limit and had to make a tremendous effort to prevent themselves from falling over. The class was supposed to be relaxing yet many of the people were having to put a great strain on their bodies, and Toni wondered whether it wouldn’t have been better to have a fitness limit on the class. At least then she wouldn’t have to be surrounded with their heavy grunts and breathing.
Peter was calm and patient though. After showing them examples of the different positions he walked among them and gave advice to everyone, no matter how easy they were finding it. He was quick with his praise as well. Toni strained her eyes to keep gazing at him. Occasionally he would turn his back to her and she got an eyeful of his buns of steel. All of a sudden she was filled with a deep hunger and desire, something that she hadn’t felt since Ryan had broken up with her. She’d spent so much time focused on herself that she hadn’t had time for romance. There had been a few dates here and there but they had all been blind dates that her friends had insisted upon and they ended as you would have expected. No one had managed to replace Ryan in her mind, until now, and as she took the position of a crab Toni found her mind wandering to a place where she and Ryan were alone, peeling off their exercise clothes and she was showing him just how flexible she could be.
Then Denise moaned again and her fantasies came crashing down. Toni looked over and saw that Denise had a perfect form. Toni tried to force her body to mirror the other woman’s but her back started to ac
he and her muscles throbbed. Peter was coming closer and soon he would be around to them. She couldn’t let Denise be more impressive than her, not this time. Toni wasn’t going to let her get away with it.
Peter’s voice grew closer as he gave words of encouragement to the other people on Toni’s row. When he came to her she was able to smell the sweet scent of his aftershave. He didn’t smell like other things in the gym. He smelled clean, and that led to her thinking about what he must smell like when fresh out of the shower, and then she thought of him merely clad in a towel that was oh so close to falling off…”You’re doing well, good form, you need to keep your back like this though,” he said as he placed his hands on her body. One went underneath the middle of her back while the other lay flat on her stomach. His hands were large and strong, his fingers stretched across her body and she felt a tingle shoot through her. She gasped as he put pressure on her and shifted her position slightly. He looked up and smiled at her.
“That’s better,” he said with twinkling eyes. She thought she was going to melt. She managed to hold the position he had shown her and she bit her lip in thanks to God that she hadn’t made an utter fool of herself. But then she heard him go over to Denise.
“You’ve done this before haven’t you? This is perfect form, I’m very impressed. I think maybe we have a star pupil here.” Toni bristled with frustration. How she would long to her him speak about her in such admiring tones. She craned her neck to look over at the two of them and was filled with envy as she saw Denise flutter her eyelashes at Peter. She was in fact so envious that she created an imbalance in her equilibrium and found herself collapsing. Her arm gave way and she waved it about to try and regain some support but there was no time, and before she could plant her hand firmly on the ground her whole body crashed to the floor, and to her dismay everyone turned around and stared at her. Including Peter. And Denise. Toni blushed as she scrambled to her feet. Peter came to her aid and held out his hand. She took it and he hauled her up. As his hand wrapped around hers she felt a surge of electricity crackle within her.
“Are you okay?” he said. She nodded, her cheeks still flushed with embarrassment. She brushed her hair along her ear and looked up at him coyly. He smiled that easy smile of his again and she caught a glimpse of his immaculate white teeth.
“Just take it easy at first, it happens to the best of us,” he said as he patted her softly on the arm and carried on making his rounds. Toni smiled and circled her foot on the ground as she returned to her mat, and this time she didn’t bother looking at Denise because she didn’t want her good mood spoiled. The rest of the lesson was much the same. Peter taught them different things then came around to offer his advice, although by the end of it Toni was beginning to tire of his continued praise for Denise. She managed to not make a fool out of herself again though and when the end of the class came she took a bit longer getting ready than she needed. She hoped to get a few moments alone with Peter, but of course Denise wouldn’t let that happen. Still, Toni wasn’t going to be dissuaded, so once most of the rest of the class had departed she went up to Peter.
“Sorry about earlier, and thanks for checking that I was okay. Thanks for everything really, it was a good class.”
“I’m glad you think so, I’ll be seeing you again then?”
“Most definitely!” she said excitedly.
“And don’t worry about falling over. I used to be such a klutz that it took me ages to master these things. Shows anybody can do it I guess. It’s actually really good for curing clumsiness, if you keep at it.”
“I’ll be sure to practice at home then,” she said, although she couldn’t ever imagine him being clumsy. It was even hard to believe that he walked like mortal men. Surely he should have glided, or flown like some kind of superhero.
“Are you ready to go?” Denise asked, coming up to them. Toni cringed.
“Oh, and here’s my star pupil,” Peter said. Toni almost growled.
“I don’t know about star,” Denise said, tossing her hair back and letting her hand slide down Peter’s arm. Toni could have thrown up.
“Yes, I’m ready, let’s go,” she said flatly. Denise looked slightly disappointed at having to say goodbye to Peter so quickly, and Toni was certainly sad but she didn’t want that temptress to put Peter under her spell. Toni dragged Denise away.
“I look forward to seeing you two next time,” the instructor called out after them. Toni began to smile but when Denise remarked that he was cute the smile quickly faded. Denise rambled on as they made their way back to their cars and Toni offered a few grunts and minor comments here and there, but in the dark recesses of her mind she was already thinking of ways to stake a claim on Peter before Denise had a chance to. It was one thing having everyone else like Denise’s food better than hers but if Peter and Denise started going out…well, she couldn’t even picture it. It made her nauseous. On the drive home she gripped the wheel so tightly that her knuckles were white, and all through the night she tossed and turned imagining how horrible it would be if Denise trumped her once more.
The next day she looked up a load of yoga videos on YouTube and practiced different positions, making sure that at the next class she would be ready. She didn’t bother running that morning either because she couldn’t stand seeing Denise’s face too often. She quickly regretted that when she next saw Denise, who asked her why she hadn’t been running recently, as it made Toni feel like a failure.
But her practice paid off as at the next yoga class Peter was highly impressed with the progress that Toni was making.
“Have you been practicing at home?” he asked. Toni feigned offense.
“Of course not! I’ve just been listening to what you say, you’re a really good teacher,” she fawned. Out of the corner of her eye she caught the woman next to her (not Denise) rolling her eyes, but she ignored it. The following few classes went by quickly and Toni always kept an eye and Denise, making sure that she didn’t get any time alone with Peter. Sadly the same seemed to be true for Denise, so it was difficult for either of them to actually make any progress in their endeavor. However, on one fortuitous evening another lady accidentally walked out with Denise’s bag, so she had no choice but to chase after her. This time it was Toni’s turn to look smug and she pressed her advantage. She strode up to Peter and wore her sweetest smile.
“What I can I do for you?” he asked
“Well, actually, I have a little request,” she began.
“Go on.”
“I don’t know if this is inappropriate or not but, well, I have a little party in my neighborhood and I was wondering if you’d like to come along?” she asked, having to force out the last question because it had been so long since she’d actually been on a date that the prospect was daunting, but she couldn’t let Denise get ahead of her in this matter. Peter pursed his lips and studied her for a moment, and in those few seconds she wondered if she had made a gross miscalculation. He brought his hand up and rubbed his square jaw.
“Well you know, technically we do have a teacher-student relationship…”
Toni moved a few steps closer towards him and bit her lower lip.
“I always did have a crush on my teachers,” she said in a raspy, low voice. Peter raised his eyebrows but took it all in his stride.
“Then it’s an offer I can’t refuse,” he said. She gave him her cell number and the address, and then, seeing that Denise had returned to the room thanks to the wall of mirrors, leaned in for a hug. It took Peter by surprise but he leaned into it, and his arms wrapped around her slender waist. She could feel his soft breath on her neck and it made her shiver. Her hands felt his broad back and his sculpted muscles pressed against her. She turned and walked back to Denise with a confident swagger, and she enjoyed the shocked expression that Denise was wearing.
The night of the party arrived and this time Toni had made a simple dish because the real thing she was going to savor was Denise’s reaction when she walked in with Peter
. As such she had chosen to wear a red dress that clung around her figure, ensuring that Peter wouldn’t be able to keep his eyes, and hopefully his hands, off her. She glanced excitedly at her watch until he finally arrived. She opened the door and they kissed each other on the cheek. He smelled amazing, wearing a musky aftershave that titillated her senses. He wore a light blue shirt and some tight jeans, neither of which could hide his perfect physique.
“You look amazing,” he said. She thanked him and gave him a little twirl before returning the compliment.
“I’m not going to twirl for you though,” he said. She linked arms with him and led him down the sidewalk to Bradley and Dean’s, which happened to be opposite Denise’s place. The evening was a cool one and the stars were already glittering across a perfectly black sky. The moon shone and beamed down a silvery glow. It was an enchanted night, and Toni felt enchanting.
The party was in full swing when they arrived. Bradley and Dean were a flamboyant couple who always wanted their parties to be the biggest and the best. Music was pumping through the house and it was so loud that Toni could almost feel the floor vibrating. They made their way through and Toni gripped Peter’s hand, making sure that he couldn’t get away. Eventually she found Bradley, who eyed Peter up and down like a piece of meat.
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