Page 1 of Undressed In The Crease

Chapter 1

Lenny

Why and how did Nick Miller first come into my life?

It was a long shift at the gym, I was tired and vulnerable.

Wasn’t that it?

It didn’t help that his gorgeous body and haunting clear blue eyes that are more a light gray stared me down as I cleaned the machines around him.

I hate working the late shifts, but everyone else was off at the Kappa Delta frat party which I wasn’t invited to, nor did I have any interest in going. I was the only one who didn’t request to take off.

So, here I am, stuck working late Saturday night when I could be enjoying the last few nights of the semester in my quiet dorm reading a book or packing.

But, why is Nick here and not at the lame keg party?

I have no idea.

I never asked and he never said.

Parties like that are definitely his scene. The school’s hockey team, the Drexton Hall Huskies, for whom he plays goalie, had been knocked out of the Frozen Four and the D1 men’s playoffs. He didn’t need to be in the gym that night either, his season was over.

There is no good reason for him to be working out at the gym this late.

Yet here he is, running on the treadmill way past closing.

My manager let him stay to finish his workout without hesitation, because why not? Who cares about your tired, overworked employee who has to wait for the last person to leave to finish wiping down the machine he’s using?

I’ve been following him throughout the gym since his squats, cleaning up around him, hoping he’d get the hint.

Not at all checking out his ass.

Ok, there may have been some glances. But after the clock struck ten, he moved on to the leg press, now I’m pissed.

Does he have no decency to know he’s keeping me from leaving?

Is he not considerate enough to realize we are closed?

No. Twenty minutes passed and he just jumped on the treadmill for his finishing run. I might as well be invisible.

I know his routine. I’ve watched it from afar for the past four months since I started working here. Usually, it’s on early Saturday mornings. But for some reason, he skipped this morning and is now torturing me with a late night.

Not that he intended to make my life miserable. Nick Miller doesn’t even know me. I’m just the girl working at the gym that he’s never even seen before. I am invisible to him.

I did everything else to close out the day, except clean the last treadmill he’s running on. I've been pretending to clean the bike in front of him for the last five minutes.

I’ve already cleaned it twice.

He jumps off the treadmill after a quick run and I breathe out a sigh of relief.

Finally.

Nick lets out a laugh, before taking a swig from his water bottle, as I come barreling over to finish my cleaning duties.

Is he laughing at me?

Definitely not. I am invisible.

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