Page 41 of Resistance Training
I answer the blonde’s question as succinctly as I can, and she walks off. When Vivian looks over again, I hold my watch up and tap at it, signaling that it’s time for her session. She nods, tries to wrap things up with the ladies by giving all three of them hugs. Mabel and Dolores go off to their yoga class, but Cindy comes over to join me and Larry.
“I got here early today, Coach. I swear,” Vivian says.
“Don’t call me Coach.”
Larry and Cindy have their arms wrapped around each other, facing us, like they’re posing for a prom photo. “Oh, y’all have got to join us for dinner and drinks after your session tonight,” Cindy says to me. “Vivian said she’ll come if you do.”
“Aww, we wouldn’t want to impose.” Shit. I made us awe. “You and Larry are still in your limerence phase. You need to enjoy more time alone together.”
“Mitch does make a good point,” Vivian says, without missing a beat. She places her hand on my bicep, so breezily, like we’re a couple. I flex, not because I want her to feel my muscles, because I want her to know how uncomfortable I am. “Wewouldn’t want to be the third and fourth wheels on your date. You two lovebirds have a wonderful dinner.” She holds her hand out to Larry. “You must be Larry. I’m Vivian. I just heard so many wonderful things about you fifteen seconds ago!”
“And Mitch was just telling me everything I need to know about you,” he says to Vivian and Cindy, very meaningfully.
“Let me guess—by refusin’ to talk about her, right?!” Cindy says.
“You know it.”
“Great talk,” I mutter. “Time for Vivian’s session.”
Cindy reaches out to squeeze my cheeks. “My sweet, scared little Scorpio baby. It’ll be okay.”
I refuse to look at Vivian but I can feel her studying me, and I have lost control of this situation, and I hate it. “Okay, thanks. Great workout, Larry. Have a great night.” I walk off toward the private room, slowing my pace when I realize Vivian is hugging them goodbye.
She catches up with me and says, “So, what did Blondie want?”
Aww, she’s jealous. We’re back on track. “She just had a question.”
“Oh yeah? Was the questionHi, can you look at my butt and tell me if it’s perky enough?”
“That may have been the subtext.”
“Did you get the progress pics I sent you?”
“I did.” I need to change the subject immediately. “You didn’t check in with your meals after breakfast today.”
“You’re right,” she says, feigning innocence. “I forgot.”
I hold the door to the private room open for her, ushering her inside. Just as I thought. She’s wearing those new kind of leggings that are cinched in at the back to make the booty look more rounded and perky. It is definitely perky enough. She is hot and evil, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let her get to me today. “Did you forget, or did you not want me to know what you ate for lunch?”
She exhales loudly. “Fine. My friend Marlo really wanted me to check out a new fish-and-chips food truck near our office, and I have no regrets because it was delicious.” She hangs up her bag, places her water bottle on the floor near the coat rack, for noreason I can see other than to bend over and stick her beautiful round ass out. Then she unzips her tight little jacket, still facing away from me, and shrugs it off. She gingerly hangs that up and then turns toward me, revealing a black sports bra that lifts and pushes her tits together, and I want to stick my face in there.
Fuck.
Well played, Sparky. Well played.
“I also had a grande caramel macchiato after lunch because I had back-to-back meetings and I deserved a caffeinated treat.”
“That’s, like, two hundred fifty calories and over thirty grams of sugar.”
She places her hands on her sexy hips, flares her nostrils, and says, “No. Regrets.”
“Okay. Sounds like you want to do some HIIT today.” I stroll over to the center of the room.
In the mirrors I can see her grab her water bottle and follow me. “I absolutely don’t want that. Bradley, I have something important to tell you.”
“Mitch. More important than the seven thousand calories you consumed at lunch?” When I turn to look at her, the expression on her face is so earnest I’m actually nervous. “What?”
She reaches out and places her hand on my shoulder. “I just want to tell you, assuming you still haven’t read the emails I sent you…”
