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

“I know it’s really quick,” Butch said, pulling up his shorts and grabbing his tee. “but I really like the guy and —”


“And what?” Quinn asked, appearing at the end of the aisle. He walked down the row of lockers to where Tino and Butch were talking.


“Butch wants to ask Ernie to move in with him,” Tino said.


“You out of your mind?” Quinn responded, tossing his gym bag on the bench. Peeling off his shirt, he said, “At least wait a month or two and see if he can turn some of that flab into muscle before you walk him down to the altar.”


Butch looked at Quinn. What he said summed it all up. For Quinn, like so many others, relationships were based on what was on the surface. With Ernie, Butch hoped he was moving beyond that.


“I wouldn’t care if he never lifted another barbell. I like him for what he is now.”


“I don’t understand,” Quinn said. “He’s got no tone, no definition, no…”


“Maybe someday you will, Quinn,” Butch interrupted, not wanting to continue the conversation.


Chapter 28