Big & Beautiful 5: Fat & Fine

The next day I woke up still in a shitty mood. I hadn’t called Rose’s daughter yet, and didn’t know if I ever would, but I needed to do something to stop feeling so off.

It was time. I had to do it eventually, and like ripping off a band-aid, I was going to get it over with. Between Cade’s words echoing in my head and my mother’s constant badgering, I figured it was time. Not that I’d admit it to her. She wasn’t going to know a thing about me joining a gym. Ever.

Thankfully Dave’s Gym wasn’t far from my studio so if I decided to join I could exercise in the morning before starting work. I groaned. Just the thought of exercising daily made me feel sick, but I knew I had to do it if I wanted to make Cade sorry.

After fixing a bagel with only a little cream cheese for breakfast and chugging a cup of coffee, I was ready to go. I threw an outfit into a bag, hoping they had a locker room where I could shower before work, and left. I decided on fitted shorts and an old t-shirt to work out in and prayed I wasn’t out of place. I tied my long hair into a thick braid to keep it out of my face and left.

The parking lot outside was busier than I expected for a Thursday morning. Pushing aside my fears and insecurities I grabbed my bag and headed in.

The first thing I saw when I walked in was light. I was shocked by how bright the place was. I expected dim lighting and a shabbiness that came with most gyms. A woman behind the front desk smiled pleasantly at me. “Can I help you?”

I guess it was pretty obvious I was new. “Uh, yeah. My friend works out here and suggested it. I was thinking about joining.”

“Oh, excellent. I’m Jennie. If I can get you to fill out this paperwork, I’ll take you for a tour. We give you two weeks to try the place out for free before you have to actually join. They like to make sure you want to be here and not feel like you have to because you joined. Oh, you can sit over there to fill out the paperwork, and I’ll tell you all about the place while we walk around.”

She pointed to a comfortable-looking chair with a table right next to it. I smiled at the too-perky Jennie and walked over to the table. The front room was large, two-story height, with tons of windows up high. From the outside, the place looked like an old warehouse, and inside it looked the same, but not worn down like I’d imagined.

Off the front room, I could see different rooms that appeared to be focused on different activities. One room held lots of spinning cardio equipment, from another came the clang of weights, and the last boasted loud music that had to be the classes Addi mentioned. Two doors behind me had ‘Men’ and ‘Women’ on them so at least I knew there were locker rooms.

I filled out enough paperwork to purchase a new house and went back to Jennie for my tour. “I think I’m all set.”

“Great!” she said. “Let me get someone up here, and I’ll walk you around.”

A voice from behind me said, “I’ll take her, Jennie.”

I turned and saw the most beautiful man I’d ever laid eyes on. He was coming from a hallway I hadn’t noticed before, but he fit the part of a gym rat. In a t-shirt that looked like it would fit a normal person just fine, his shoulders, chest, and arms threatened the seams. The shirt floated around his middle just enough to let me know he was lean, but not so much to make me think he was small there.

His legs were covered in shorts that also looked like they could use some extra space, and he had the bulkiest calves I’d ever seen.

If I ran into the guy in the street I’d run for my life, but in the gym he fit. If I did an ad for the place, he’d be the cover model, easily. His shaved head, sharp hazel eyes, and chiseled jaw took his incredible physique straight to holy damn. Even with the scars across his right eyebrow and chin, he was stunning.

And exactly the kind of guy I’d sworn off. Forever.

“Brady!” Jennie exclaimed, clearly surprised to see him. “Are you sure?”

She looked at him with an edge of something that I couldn’t tell if it was fear or embarrassment. If she was afraid of the guy I wasn’t sure I wanted to be alone with him. Then again, it was a gym. He wouldn’t risk his job.

“I’m sure, Jennie. Thanks.”

Brady nodded at me and let his eyes drift over me just briefly. He didn’t look me in the eyes but he nodded in my direction before taking off toward the first of the rooms.

“Did Jennie tell you we give you two free weeks before you have to join?”

“Yeah,” I answered, trying to clear my head. This guy was intense. He looked like he could crush me with his bare hands and that he was barely reigning in his desire to do just that.

“Good. Well, this is the cardio room. We keep all the equipment up to date and have someone come in every week to make sure things are running well. If you notice any problems with one of the machines just let anyone know and we’ll make sure it gets on the schedule.”

“Okay,” I said, not really sure what else I could say.

“If there’s an empty machine you’re welcome to jump on. If not, we ask that you use the board. When people are waiting we also ask that you’re only on a machine for thirty minutes. If the place is dead, like now, you can stay on as long as you’d like.”

I looked around the crowded room and wondered what busy looked like if that was dead. There were people on three quarters of the machines. So much for not scaring too many off.

“The next room is the weight room,” Brady said as he walked away. “We have free weights, kettlebells, medicine balls, and weight machines. The trainers’ offices are in here, and they can help you with whatever you need. If you’re not sure how to use a machine or want some help with a certain area, just ask.”

“Are you a trainer?” I asked, hoping I wouldn’t end up with him training me. He was a little too intense for me. Like he never had any fun. Although he was nice to look at.

“No, I’m not,” he said without explaining. “We don’t want people getting hurt so the trainers are paid staff, not here to get extra pay for what they already do. Usually there are two trainers available for sessions and one who will work the floor. If no sessions are booked, the others will be on the floor, too. We always have three here so there’s no reason to get hurt.”

“I won’t,” I shook my head, feeling like a child being chastised for playing around.

Brady looked at me again. His intense stare made me want to fidget, but I stood my ground. He leaned into me, almost like he was going to kiss me, then someone slammed weights together. Brady backed up so fast I thought I’d imagined his movement.

Hell, maybe I did.

Brady blinked once, then twice, and turned away from me. He walked to the third room. “In here we do aerobics classes. The schedule is posted every month and you can take home a copy plus we keep it updated on the website. We try to keep a variety of classes so sometimes we’ll drop a class that isn’t as popular and pick up a new class. You should be able to find just about anything at some point during the month.”

I nodded and looked over the schedule posted on the wall. Spinning, yoga, pilates, zumba, kick-boxing… yeah, that wasn’t going to happen. Getting my fat ass to the gym was going to be painful enough. Showing my uncoordinated skills in a room full of other people was something akin to torture in my book.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, not willing to tell him it wouldn’t happen.

“Can I ask you something?” he blurted out.

I looked up and found him studying me. He was close, too close. At that distance I could see the hints of green in his eyes and smell the cool, fresh scent that seemed to seep out of him. More scars were visible, not only on his face, but on his arms and one down his leg. His nose kicked to the side like it’d been broken more than once too.

All that, combined with the way he towered over my 5’9” body by six or seven inches, I should have been running from him. For some unknown reason, I couldn’t though. It was like he had me under some sort of spell. I couldn’t turn from him, and I didn’t want to. I wanted to know what he wanted.

I finally nodded, and Brady sucked in a breath. He turned away, like all of a sudden he didn’t want to ask. I saw the struggle on his face and wondered what could be so bad.

Closing his eyes, he shook his head then said, “Why did you want to join Dave’s Gym? We ask everyone.”

I knew that wasn’t what he wanted to ask me, but I didn’t push it. After that day, I knew I’d likely never see him again. Even if I did join, I’d make sure I didn’t work with Brady. And I definitely wasn’t going to be alone with him again.

He stirred up way too much that I was trying to run from. He was too good-looking for my own good, and I wasn’t getting involved with another jerk who would ditch me as soon as someone thinner came along.

“I just figured it’s about time I get in shape. My friend is a member and likes it here.”

Brady nodded as though my answer was perfectly acceptable. Only I knew it wasn’t really the truth, but I’d never share the truth with him. I’d rather announce it at one of the weddings I had coming up than tell Mr. Perfect the real reason I wanted to join a gym.

“Is there anything I can answer for you?” he asked, his attitude changing as though he flipped a switch. He was still cold and distant, but he seemed eager to get away from me also.

“No, thanks,” I mumbled.

Brady focused on me for a few seconds then reached out and clasped my hand in his. Sparks flew from our joined hands through me, but I forced myself not to react. There was no way in hell a guy that looked like him would be attracted to a woman like me. It didn’t matter how many sparks flew, they were figments of my imagination.

Brady’s eyes met mine and something that looked dangerously close to desire flashed across them. I pulled my hand from his to break the connection and thanked him for his time, then walked back over to where Jennie was sitting at the desk.

“How was the tour?”

I glanced back to where Brady was, but he disappeared. “Um, it was fine. I guess. I mean… who was he?”

“Brady?” Jennie asked as though I could be talking about any number of men.

“Yeah, Brady. He said he’s not a trainer. He’s a bit intense.”

Jennie laughed softly. “Yeah, Brady’s intense, but he’s great. And no, he’s not a trainer. He owns this place.”

Shock dropped my jaw to my chest, and I had to force it back into place. “Owns it? How?”

Jennie shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s always owned it since I worked here.”

I glanced behind me to make sure Brady wasn’t there and leaned over the edge of the desk. “Can I ask you a question? I need you to tell me the truth.”

Jennie cocked her head to the side and looked up at me. “Yeah, sure.”

“How in the world is a man who’s so frightening able to hold on to employees?”

Jennie laughed, a loud, gut-busting laugh. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes and she struggled to catch her breath. “Oh, that was funny. Brady is intense, yes, but he’s not frightening. He’s great to work for. He really cares about the people he employs and he loves his clients. The turnover here is almost non-existent.”

I pondered her words and wanted to believe she was lying, but something about her told me she wouldn’t. She adored Brady. He chafed the hell out of me, but not her, and apparently not anyone else.

“Why were you scared when he said he’d give me a tour?”

“Scared? No. Shocked is more like it. Brady is big on everyone doing their job and no one stepping over the borders. He likes order. For him to show you around was more of a surprise than anything. I’ve never seen him show a new client around.”

“Never?” I asked, wondering why in the world he’d take time out for me.

“Never. He usually hides in his office most of the day. I guess he had some free time. Every once in a while he gets out here and associates with the rest of us, but he’s always pretty quiet. Most people think he’s a client because he doesn’t usually take an active role that people see. He’s really in touch with what’s going on though. Best boss I’ve ever had.”

Judging Jennie’s age, she hadn’t had many bosses. She was easily five years younger than me, putting her around twenty-four. Still, if she thought Brady was okay then there wasn’t a reason for me to worry.

“So what did you think of the place?” she asked, drawing me from my mental assessment.

“Oh, it looks good. Basic, but I don’t want fancy. What do I need to do to start my two weeks?”

“Great. Well, you’ll get a temporary pass that will expire two weeks from today. After that you’ll have to decide if you want to stay or not. I’d suggest trying out a little of everything in that time. You know, talk with a few trainers, take a few classes. See if we have what you like.”

“Sounds good. I’ll think about it,” I told her, knowing I’d never step foot in the aerobics room. I smiled as Jennie took a picture for my pass and waited for it to print. She pointed out the locker room and suggested bringing a lock if I wanted to lock up my stuff next time, then waved as I walked away.

As someone who’d never really done any exercise, I had no idea what to do. I didn’t want to get hurt, but I needed to make changes. Fast. Checking the time, I decided to start with some cardio and go from there.

Thirty minutes later I peeled myself off the exercise bike I’d been using. I wiped it down, then trudged to the locker room. The water was hot, which I was grateful for, and helped relieve some of the ache already settling into my muscles. I knew I’d overdone it, but no pain, no gain, right?

Or in my case, no pain, no loss.

Either way, I was going to lose weight if it killed me. And I was going to make Cade regret the day he dumped me.

Except as I showered and dressed, then drove to work, it wasn’t Cade I couldn’t stop thinking about. It was the stoney-faced, heavily built, hazel-eyed hottie who owned my new gym.

And I couldn’t stop from wondering what he’d look like if the cloud of intensity following him dissipated.

Or if I’d be able to resist.