by C. Morgan
She was nodding like she was mulling it over. “But you know who pays the bills. They don’t.”
“They give up because they don’t feel like they belong.”
“And you think we could make them feel better?”
I debated reminding her I could make them feel better because I had been one. “Yes.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Tell me what motivates you.”
“Me personally? I like being in good shape. That’s my motivation but that might not be everyone’s motivation.”
I took a bite of the grilled fish. I didn’t always eat healthy, but I figured if I was going to have dinner with my boss, I needed to put a good foot forward. She smiled and took a drink. “You will inspire people.”
“I hope to.”
“You will.”
I felt something touch my leg under the table. I moved it before taking another bite. “I was thinking we could find a trainer to work with people that have disabilities. That pool is a great place for a water workout.”
She nodded and urged me to go on.
“Maybe a group support system for those that are at truly unhealthy weights and need a little extra help.”
I felt something on my leg again. She was staring at me, casually eating while the something on my leg inched higher. Her foot was sliding up my leg. I had no idea where her shoe had gone, but there was no denying the toes inching up the inside of my thigh.
“And the usual stuff too,” I blurted out. “We could offer a discount for those who are only able to use the gym once a week. We get them hooked and then we increase their membership.”
I was nervously rambling. I hoped if I kept talking, she would stop. She wasn’t stopping. The toes were inches from rubbing over my crotch. I did not want her foot rubbing my dick, whether there was heavy jeans or not. Her toes and my crotch were not okay.
I had a bite of fish in my mouth, but I couldn’t seem to get it down. I was frozen. I was the proverbial deer caught in the headlights. When her heel rubbed against the inside of my thigh, I panicked. Fight or flight kicked in. The toes were what felt like a breath from my cock.
I pushed my chair back so fast I nearly fell backward. “I’ve got to go to the bathroom.”
I raced away, feeling like a complete fool. I made it to the safety of the men’s restroom and let out a long breath. “Holy shit,” I whispered. “What the fuck was that about?”
She was my boss. The last thing I wanted was to mess things up by getting into an affair with my boss. That was about the last thing on my mind. She was an attractive woman. A little older than myself and my boss. I was not looking for a relationship, but I sure as hell didn’t want to insult her.
I needed to find a way to shut her down without being a dick. I had been told more than once I could be an asshole. I didn’t mean to be, but I didn’t particularly enjoy wasting time on things that were never going to work.
“This is different,” I said and looked at my reflection in the mirror.
I wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. I did not want to jeopardize my job. I’d upended my entire life to move here. I felt like I was at a crossroads in life. I could give the woman what she was blatantly asking for. It wasn’t like she wasn’t attractive. I imagined the sex would be great, but my heart wouldn’t be in it. Not that she cared anything about my heart.
I groaned and rubbed my hands over my face. I couldn’t stay in here much longer. She was going to be suspicious. I needed to figure out what the hell I was going to do. Evade. Dodge and weave. That was my best shot at getting through this.
I took a deep breath and walked back to the table. “Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Yes, fine. How’s your salad?”
“Good.”
I was afraid to scoot too close to the table. I had to lean forward to take a bite of my fish that was now cold and gross. I gagged it down anyway before taking a long drink. “So, I was thinking more about some ideas I had.”
She leaned forward and I scooted my ass back so far in the chair I worried it would slide under the back rail so far I’d get stuck looking at my toes. Then it would be me asking for some butter or grease to dislodge my ass from the chair all because I didn’t want my boss’s toes on my dick.
“I have a lot of ideas,” she said in a sultry voice.
I cleared my throat and reached forward to grab my glass of water. Just as I put the glass to my lips, a waiter walked behind me and bumped into my chair. Water dribbled down my chin but that wasn’t the worst. The waiter tripped and the tray of drinks he’d been carrying clattered to the floor. Liquid bounced up and splashed my pant legs.
“Shit,” I said and hopped up.
The waiter glared at me. Obviously, he was pissed at me for having my chair halfway in the walkway. “I’m sorry.”
Two waitresses rushed to his aid. Once again, I was facing a crossroads. If I sat down and scooted my chair up to the table like a normal person, I was going to get a foot rubbed on my crotch. If I kept my chair out, I’d end up wearing something hot and sticky.
I sat down and slowly pulled my chair up to the table.
“You’ve got a little something,” she said and pointed to her own cheek.
I wiped my face and looked at my fingers. It was something red. I was assuming red wine. It was in that moment I saw my out. “I should probably get home and soak these jeans.”
“I can help you.”
I smiled, trying to be kind. “I have an early morning. Thanks for dinner. I’m looking forward to building up our clients and hopefully getting some new programs started.”
“I look forward to hearing more about your ideas.”
I raised my hand to get the check. “I have a lot. Let’s see if Bunny shows up.”
The waiter delivered our check with a scowl. I wasn’t going to be welcomed back. I was glad the place had grown enough that I didn’t have to come back to get a good meal. I pulled out my wallet, but before I could put my credit card down, Fran slipped her card in.
“Company business,” she said with a smile.
“I can—”
“Nope. We talked business, making this a business dinner.”
I offered my best smile. “Thanks.”
I wiped my face, making sure there was nothing else on it. We walked out of the restaurant together and fortunately, she didn’t try anything. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said before walking away.
I got the feeling she was irritated with me. I hoped like hell I didn’t just screw myself out of a job because I didn’t screw my boss.
By the time I got home, I was thoroughly stressed out. I knew there were laws against this kind of shit, but I didn’t want to sound the alarm just yet. I needed to find a way to make it work. I would have to have a conversation with Fran and let her know this was not what I wanted.
I didn’t know what the hell I wanted. I came back thinking there would be sparks between Alora and me. There wasn’t. I needed to get over it. I needed to find a way to put it in the past. I needed a personal trainer for my life. I needed someone to help me figure out what I wanted and how to go after it. The way I was living in this weird limbo was not working for me. I needed direction. I needed a goal.
I needed a life coach.
Chapter 8
Alora
I was surprised to see Sue waiting for me when I pulled into the parking lot of the gym. My little breakdown must have worked. That was only a little embarrassing, but I had felt better after a few margaritas.
“You ready to kick some ass?” she said with a dopey smile.
“Oh, yes, we are the two girls that are going to kick ass in there. Have you ever been inside? It’s very futuristic and some of those machines bite. I have lost more hair in there than I have in my entire life.”
We walked inside, swiping our cards before leaving our things in our designated lockers.
“This is so cool,” she exclaimed as we walked around the massive gym.
“Where do we start?”
“I think the treadmill is the easiest thing to figure out.”
“Great, let’s do it.”
We each climbed on a machine, and while it was easy enough to actually start the machine, it wasn’t easy to stay on. “I’m going to die,” I panted. “I can’t let go of the rails. If I do, I’m going to go flying off this thing.”
“Me either,” she said, her breathing just as labored as mine. “How do we make it stop?”
I pushed the red button and stepped onto the sides of the treadmill until the belt was no longer moving. “I’m sweating. Can we call it a workout and go?”
She stepped off her machine. “No way. Look at all this stuff. We should use it if it will make us skinny.”
“I don’t think it’s magic. We actually have to use it, and I don’t know how.”
“What about that trainer? He could show us.”
“There he is,” I hissed when I saw the man walking through the gym.
“Daaamn,” she whispered. “He’s hot.”
I nodded, watching him move with confidence and grace. He looked like he belonged in the gym. He was wearing a pair of blue basketball shorts and a white Nike tank that showed off his muscular arms. His short dark hair was an easy style that didn’t require a lot of time or effort. He just looked so chill, so easy.
“Yes, he is,” I agreed.
“Let’s ask him for that free session.”
“No.”
“Come on. We don’t know how to use this stuff and we are serious about losing the extra pounds, right?”
“Yes, but—”
“We can ogle him and learn at the same time.”
“Fine, but this is going to be so embarrassing.”
Truthfully, I didn’t need all that much convincing. I was thrilled to have an excuse to watch him. We walked over to a computer screen that allowed us to sign up for classes and training sessions. I stared at the screen and realized I didn’t know his name.
“Which one is he?” she asked.
“I don’t know.”
Another woman came over. I stepped out of the way. “Are you guys signing up with the new trainer?” she asked with a bright smile.
I was going to say no, but Sue jumped in. “Yes. Are you?”
“Yeah, I was just working with Jeff. The guy knows his stuff.”
Sue looked at me and winked. We waited for her to finish signing up before we stepped in front of the screen again. I pushed his name and waited while his schedule appeared. Every slot for the week was filled.
“Shit,” I mumbled under my breath. “He’s quite popular.”
“You snooze, you lose,” she said with a sigh.
“That sucks.”
“Hi, ladies!” a woman said from behind us.
Sue and I turned around to see a skinny, petite blonde with her hair pulled into a ponytail so tight her cheeks looked like they extended past her ears. My head hurt looking at her hair.
“Hi,” Sue said.
I recognized the chick. She was the one that was all over the trainer. Jeff. That was his name. Jeff. I mulled it over in my head a few times while doing my best to keep my resting bitch-face at ease.
“Are you guys looking for a trainer?” the woman asked.
“No,” I immediately answered.
“Yes,” Sue said at the same time.
I shot her a dirty look.
“My name is Bunny and I’m new here. I’m open right now. I’d love to work with you ladies.”
“No thanks,” I said. I wanted to get away from the perkiness before it rubbed off on me.
“That would be awesome,” Sue said. “This is our first day and we are a little intimidated by these machines.”
Bunny smiled. “I understand. Honestly, you may not even need the machines. I can give you a quick rundown on them and give you a few exercises to try. What are your goals here?”
“Goals?” I repeated.
“Sure, what do you want to look like in ninety days?”
I wanted to say like her, but my dignity kept me from blurting that out. “We’d like to lose a little weight,” I murmured.
It was embarrassing telling this beautiful woman I wanted to lose weight. She was perfect. Her body was thin and toned, with no fat or cellulite on her. “Great! I can help you do that. We’ll do a session today, and if you guys are comfortable working with me, we can do more team sessions or break it into individual training sessions. I know I always prefer working out with a buddy. Let’s go over to the treadmills.”
“We already did that,” Sue said.
Bunny smiled. “But now you’re with me, and I’m going to show you how to get your heartrate up, and I’ll explain why and how it is going to help you.”
I got the impression Bunny was an overachiever. She was probably a cheerleader as well. She was very perky and bouncy and everything I was not. “Great,” I said with a heavy dose of sarcasm.
Bunny and her tight little ass in the tight little yoga pants walked in front of us. She led us to an open mat area on the opposite side of the treadmills. It was right in front of the windows, so everyone walking into the gym could see us.
“All right, ladies!” Bunny said and clapped her hands. “We are going to start with some basic stretches. This is the key to a good workout. If you get hurt or you are hurting too bad after a session, you won’t come back. If you don’t come back, you won’t reach your goals.”
She flopped down, sitting on her ass with her perfect legs open in front of her. She gestured for us to sit as well. I was going to kill Sue. I preferred to take my humiliation in small doses. This was a little much for me.
“All right, lean forward and touch those toes if you can. If you can’t, no worries. You will get there.”
I wanted to strangle the blonde bunny. Who in the hell named their kid that? I was guessing it was her stripper name. She was probably a trainer by day and a stripper by night. Judging by the looks of her body, she’d be a great stripper.
We went through a series of movements that seemed more suitable for Gumby than a plump girl who had not touched her toes since the third grade.
“Now that we’re all stretched out and loosened up, we’re going to do some cardio!” Bunny said as she practically bounced off the mat.
I rolled over to my hands and knees and got up. It wasn’t graceful, but I didn’t bounce. At least not like that. I would certainly bounce if I fell. She got us up on the treadmills once again. When she set it at a slow walk, I was relieved.
“Let go of the bars and swing your arms,” she ordered. “We’re going to get those hearts pumping.”
“I need to hold on.”
“No, you don’t. You can do this.”
“Uh, I kinda do.”
She grinned and gently pulled my hand from the bar. “Look straight ahead, right out that window. Walk like you are going out those doors.”
I almost fell several times before I finally got a good stride. I was swinging my arms and feeling like the queen of cardio when the evil woman bumped up my speed. “Oh!” I cried out and reached for the bar, but it was too late. My ass was already at the end of the treadmill. Before I could regain my balance, it spat me off and dropped me on my ass.
Sue burst into laughter. She was holding on to her bars and laughing at me. “I hate you,” I told her.
Bunny was at my side. “You got this,” she said and extended a hand. “We all fall, but we all get back up.”
I took her hand because I actually needed help up. I got to my feet and stumbled backward, right into a hard chest. My butt pushed against a very male crotch, shocking the hell out of me. I jumped forward and nearly fell face first onto the treadmill that was still going. I turned around and found myself staring at the hot trainer. My face burned and I imagined I
looked like a tomato.
“How’s it going?” he asked.
I found that to be a really stupid question considering I’d just been outwitted by a treadmill.
“Good!” Bunny said before I could answer. “We are working on some cardio and then we’ll do a little strength training.”
I realized he wasn’t talking to me. He was talking to Bunny. Of course, he was talking to Bunny. Why would he talk to me when she was in the vicinity? It was like a planet wanting to hang out with Venus when the sun was right there.
Jeff looked at me and nodded once before looking at Sue. I got the feeling Jeff didn’t like me all that much. He’d offered to train me, and I had shot him down.
“Have you talked with them about what they hope to achieve?” he asked Bunny.
I wanted to slap him and let him know that while I was a blob with no business on a treadmill, I did have ears and a functional brain. He didn’t need to talk about us in front of us.
“I have. They are interested in losing a few pounds. We are going through a basic workout that will get them to a point where they can really go after their goals.”
“Good. Don’t let me interrupt.” He took a step back, his arms folded over his chest.
“You’re going to watch?” I blurted out.
A faint twitch of his lips told me he was amused by my question. “I’m observing.”
I wanted to tell him to observe something else, but Bunny was already ushering me back onto the offensive treadmill. I wanted to scream. Could this day get any worse?
It could and it did.
“All right, we’ve done our cardio. Let’s drop back to the mat and do some crunches. We want to build on the momentum.”
She lay down to demonstrate what she wanted us to do. Sue and I looked at each other, both of us knowing there was no way our bodies would fold like that. Unfortunately, Bunny wasn’t a quitter. She pushed us to do it.
And then Jeff helped.
The only thing that could make the moment any more embarrassing was a loud fart escaping my body. With the way they were trying to fold me in two, it was a valid fear. Fortunately, the universe spared me that little extra bit of humiliation.