Page 2 of Bodybuilders for the BBW

“Get stronger, get fitter…” I mumbled out the resolution I’d made that night, turning it into a mantra.

“Be able to take those pups of yours for a run,” Mandie said with a nod. “So…?” Was I ready to go inside? The gym was still intimidating as fuck, but only if I let it be. I stared at that manly logo and then nodded. “Well, alright.” Her grip on my arm tightened. It was like she was frightened I’d run away as she hauled me over to the door. “Wait until you meet Drew. He’s a total crack up.”

I didn’t want funny, didn’t want to laugh, I wanted to say, but I kept my mouth shut as the doors slid open. I wanted calm, assured, and, most importantly, someone who could meet me at my very low skill level and help me make some gains. My love life might completely suck, but that didn’t mean the rest of it had to. I saw my ex’s face for just a second, that twist of a sneer, but just as I did the last time we spoke, I shoved the memory out of the way. I refused to spend another second thinking about a dickhead who didn’t even deserve me in the first place.

I wanted me and that’s what mattered.

“OK,” I said, “introduce me to the amazing Drew.”

Chapter2

Katie

The amazing Drew was like pretty much all of Mandie’s friends: gorgeous. This massive, dark-haired guy with a full sleeve tattoo turned around when we approached the front desk and then grinned, sweeping my sister up into a hug.

“Hey, girl. So what’re we working on today? Wanna shoot a tandem video? My man said my lats were looking pretty amazing this morning.” He turned around and flexed, muscles all across his back popping. “The response to the last video was incredible. We had a ton of new signups.”

“And I’m bringing in a new one today!”

This is the moment I hated. My friends and colleagues could meet Mandie and be like ‘hey, how are you,’ but her friends? They always looked me up and down, wondering how the hell I was biologically related to my sister. To my relief, Drew just shot me a huge grin.

“This is Katie?TheKatie I keep hearing about?”

“Um…” I started to say, wanting to take a step backwards.

“My sister wants to start lifting as well,” Mandie told him.

“So what’re your goals?” he asked, but didn’t wait for an answer. “Muscle definition, lift heavy?”

The temptation was there to be overwhelmed, but I forced myself to stand tall and answer the man.

“I have no idea what most of them mean, but…” I saw the dogs I visited several times a week at the shelter, one in particular. Bronson was a pit bull crossed with something, and while he looked like a scarred war veteran, he was really this soft little cuddle bug. That’s why he’d been used as bait dog in the illegal dog fighting ring he was rescued from. He was my motivator, so I thought of his funny face when I finally finished the sentence. “I want to be able to take the dogs for a run without feeling like I’m having a heart attack.”

“Leg strength, then,” he said with a nod, and then reached out and steered me into the gym. “You know that Mandie can help you with that, but let me give you a quick tour. You’ve come here before?”

“Casually,” I said, feeling my cheeks start to burn. “Just to use the treadmills.” I looked down. “Not very often though.”

“I’ll leave you in Drew’s capable hands!” Mandie called up as we walked further into the gym. “I’ve just got a quick video to shoot while you get the grand tour.”

That just left me and a strange man in a space that seemed to be a sea of black rubber matting and gleaming chrome. Just my kind of place. I shook my head and let Drew draw me along.

“So was Mandie always that full on as a kid or does she just drink way too many energy drinks?” Drew asked me.

I stopped, surprising myself with a loud laugh.

“Oh no, she’s always been like that. Mum took her in to be assessed for ADHD as a child, but the doctors said no. Mum’s still sure Ritalin could help.” I glanced over to where she had set up her phone to shoot. “Mandie’s always been…” I shrugged. “Mandie. Like she expects the world to be her oyster, and it always is.”

“Soo…” He shot me a sidelong look. “I could be overstepping here, but have you thought about a personal trainer? I mean, your sister knows what she’s doing, but you guys, you seem to have very different energy.”

I was doing so well. I’d walked in here like I had a right to be in a place like this and made small talk with a complete stranger, and yet here we were again. People comparing me to Mandie and finding me lacking. I let out a long breath, ready to reply, when he continued.

“That isn’t a negative comparison.” His brown eyes seemed to see right down into my soul. “If the world was full of Mandies…” He glanced over at Mandie and snorted. “The world would be a whole lot noisier, at the very least. My partner is a bit like her. He’s always super chipper about everything,” he groaned. “Like first thing in the morning, he jumps out of bed.”

“Oh god,” I snorted. “And wants to talk before you’ve had your first coffee?”

“Greg doesn’t even drink coffee,” Drew told me as a conspiratorial aside.

“No coffee!” I yelped. “OK, I don’t even know this guy, but you know you’ve gotta break up with him. That shit is intolerable.”

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