Chapter 8: Let's Get Physical

I sat biting my bottom lip in anticipation of Luke’s answer.

“You can clearly swim, and I need some work in that department,” Luke said.

“Sure,” I said. What he didn’t know is that I would have promised him the moon if it meant I could see more of him.

“OK, Stella. Come to my place tomorrow. I’m not ready to get in the pool quite yet, so let’s start with some weight training.”

“Yep. OK.” I nodded.

“And make sure to bring an extra set of clothes. You never know what’s going to happen.” He laughed, looking at my inappropriately sized get-up.

I smiled as he took one last sip from his glass, stood up and walked out of the restaurant, humming a tune. I could barely believe what just happened. It worked! I was going to be Luke Mulligan’s trainer. I went back to the locker room and changed, wrapping one of the standard white country club towels around my waist. Still keeping my bathing suit and the gummed up flip-flops on, I walked to my car.

I sat in my hot, Honda Civic that I’d had for 6 years with barely working air conditioning, as I texted Daniel and Michelle. They both sent wildly inappropriate emojis celebrating our victory. I felt happier than I had in months.

***

When I arrived at Luke’s mansion the following morning, instead of Luke answering the door, Lyle let me in. Lyle was a tall, thin Black male dressed in a loud pink and purple plaid shirt and black pants that were well tailored to his skinny frame. A pair of dark rimmed glasses rounded out his look.

“Who are you, honey?” Lyle said with a hint of a southern twang when he opened the door and saw me standing in front of him.

“I’m Stella.” I reached out my hand for a handshake, to which Lyle sneered and shook his head.

“I don’t shake. I don’t do germs.”

“I’m here to train Luke.” Lyle’s face brightened.

“Oh, good. He needs to lose some of those pounds. The pants just aren’t sitting right on his crotch anymore.” Lyle rubbed his hands on the area between his thighs to indicate what he meant. “I’m his stylist if you haven’t figured that out yet.”

“Oh, OK.” I nodded. “Nice to meet you.” Lyle swiped through his phone as if he was already bored of our conversation. I waited by the door, trying to think of something more to say to Lyle when Luke walked in wearing a pair of navy pants and a white button down with a small floral pattern.

“No, no, no.” Lyle clucked as he circled Luke. “This isn’t the right pattern. I hate these colors. Hate them.”

Luke looked my way, “I see you’ve met Lyle?”

“Yes.” I smiled knowingly. Lyle wasn’t entirely incorrect. The outfit wasn’t right for Luke, yet he managed to look dreamy all the same with his jovial smile lighting up his face.

“Take it off,” he said to Luke, throwing his hands up. “I can’t stand looking at it anymore.” He turned his head away and went back to swiping his phone.

Luke scampered over to the entryway where a medium brown box sat. “I think this is the new tent I ordered.” He looked like a little boy at Christmas, so cute and exuberant. He carried the box over to a small table and ripped it open with brute force. He had so much strength in his hands. Reaching in, he pulled out a large green bag, smiling.

“I don’t know why when he has all this,” Lyle motioned to the room all around us, “he insists on roughing it,” Lyle said.

“I like camping, being in the great outdoors,” Luke said. “Lyle here doesn’t like to get dirty.”

“Dirt and this skin don’t mix.” Lyle grimaced, pointing to his face. I found it a turn-on that Luke liked to camp, proving he was more down to Earth than I realized.

“OK, darling. Make sure she has you doing some crunches. We don’t need any more rise in that dough ball you’ve got forming there,” Lyle said, tapping Luke’s belly and walked toward the door.

Luke smiled at me. “Nice to see you dry.”

“Yes and in better fitting clothes.” I borrowed one of Michelle’s workout tops to go with my black sport leggings. Usually I wore old t-shirts to work out, but I knew I had to up my game with Luke.

“I’ll go change and meet you in the gym. Just down the hall.” I nodded and started walking there, my gym bag slung around my shoulder. Once I put my bag down , I started warming up.

Luke walked in looking as delicious as usual in a pair of basketball shorts and a tank top. He started copying my movements - jumps and squats, lunges to the left and the right.

“What are we doing today, boss?” he asked as he put on some workout jams, bopping along to the music, periodically singing a line or two. I thought it was cute how he wasn’t afraid to sing and groove with a virtual stranger.

“I thought we’d start with some weight lifting exercises, some compound movements that involve the core.” He chuckled.

“You don’t have to listen to Lyle, you know. I can lose the dough ball just fine.”

“I know,” I said. “This will help in the water too. You need a strong core to swim.”

“You must have abs of steel then.” I smirked.

I started by showing him a windmill move with weights and moved onto squatting and push press. Luke lifted a good bit heavier than me, but got tired after only a few reps. The sweat soaked through his tank top, and he looked glossy, as if his arms were screaming for me to lick them dry.

I kept moving, taking little rest before showing him the next exercise. Together we pushed and pulled, squatted and lunged. Luke started looking more fatigued, his breath more rapid than my own. He suggested we take a water break.

I obliged, grabbing my water bottle from my bag. I couldn’t take my eyes off of Luke, the way he tossed his head back slightly when he took a sip from his water bottle. I tried not to stare, but I started thinking about how hard it was going to be to refrain from jumping Luke’s bones when he laid on the bench to bench press. Even his sweat smell was attractive – a little musky, but otherwise manly, like the scent of the deep woods. His panting made me think of sex scenes in R-rated movies, and I imagined the two of us in bed together.

“Stella,” he said, breaking me out of my trance. “Another set?”

“Yep. Another set.” I nodded and walked back to the weights, fixing my gaze on the floor instead of Luke. “I think it’s cool you’re into camping.” I tried to think of the least sexy thing to say.

“Yeah, I like to get away now and again. Where things are just…simpler. You camp?” he asked, heaving a weight above his head.

“No,” I bent down to pick up a dumbbell.

“You prefer hotels.” He nodded in assurance.

He had no idea. I hadn’t been on a proper vacation or stayed in a hotel for years. My parents couldn’t afford it.

I shook my head. “We didn’t go on many vacations. Instead, we went to the beach since it’s close by.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to assume.” He squatted and pressed the weight.

“No, it’s OK. I think I’d like to go camping sometime. I’d certainly love to get away from the city for a little.” I rowed the weight.

“Camping helps me clear my mind.”

“I know how you feel, going to the beach does that for me.”

When we’d finished, both panting and sweating by this point, we both wiped our foreheads with a towel. I noticed Luke tired more quickly than me. It was clear he needed to work on his endurance.

“I’m sorry,” he breathed, “I ever doubted you,” he took another sip of water between breaths.

“That’s alright,” I said.

“You’re tough, Stella.” Did I mention I loved the way he said my name? It rolled off his lips like a soft kiss. Then he grabbed my bicep and felt my muscle. The calluses along the top of his palm due to weight lifting, tickled my arm, and I giggled. It felt slightly arousing, and I’m sure I blushed.

I started to think maybe Luke wasn’t just flirting with me to stroke his ego. Maybe he actually liked me, found me attractive even. I mean, cute is something reserved for bunny rabbits or kittens. I’d take it, but being so close to him made me want to take cute up a notch to sexy or hot.

Needless to say, for a split second, I actually thought about the possibility a movie star who probably had women throwing their panties at him left and right, might actually consider me attractive. He was not only strong, but seemed genuine as well. I forgot about all my baggage, the self-loathing I still harbored about my body, partly due to Ryan, and considered Luke might be interested in a romantic relationship – with me.

He stepped back and flicked my butt with his towel. “Good workout, boss. You’re a beast.” I stood still like a statue, analyzing those words. That was buddy talk, not what I wanted to hear unless he was talking about me being a beast in bed. “Let’s just keep this professional,” he added.

And my heart sank.