Ernie Boudine -- early thirties, still lives at home with mom -- has never had sex, hasn’t even been kissed. In his mind the only guys who get in on the action are the muscled-up bodybuilders he worships on his computer. But Ernie knows to attract such a god He’ll need to transform his current blob of soft muscles covered with an ample layer of fat into body beautiful. Personal trainer Butch Noonan discovers his boyfriend has been cheating on him. Troy is the last straw. Butch decides he’s done dating bodybuilders with their self-centered and egotistical attitudes. Butch longs for a relationship with someone who believes in romance, togetherness, and fidelity. Joining a gym, Ernie feels like a kid in a candy store. So many beautiful men working out, so much hard muscle to ogle. Ernie is disappointed when Butch is assigned as his personal trainer. Despite the man’s name, the other trainers have bigger and buffer bodies. Soon, however, Ernie begins to appreciate Butch’s sexy, compact body and what’s more, the man genuinely seems to care for and about Ernie. Much to both men’s surprise, a tentative relationship begins to blossom, but then into the gym strolls Butch’s former college roommate. Bill is a serious bodybuilder and Ernie is immediately captivated by the man’s huge muscles and confident swagger. Can Butch stand idly by and watch Ernie make the same mistakes he has? Or will Ernie wise up in time and realize true relationships are about more than muscle?

More Than Muscle

He had plenty of money, so getting himself a place to live and leaving home would be the easy part. Well, not easy, as he’d have to face his mother’s reaction. She would play the guilt card about being left alone to rattle around in this big old house with all the memories of his dearly-departed father haunting her.


Ernie had paid Dr. Jonas enough over the years to at least reap some of the benefits of those hours spent on the man’s burgundy leather couch spilling his guts, while at the same time fantasizing about having sex with the handsome psychologist. He’d learned from therapy that to make decisions based on guilt was an invitation to stress and anger. So, he’d just have to buck up and face her ploy like the mature man of that he was—or hoped he was.


Chapter 3