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

Nonetheless, even as the rational side of him warned against butting in, he rehearsed what he would say if he called Bill. The imaginary conversation played itself out as Butch lathered up his body under the shower’s warm needle spray and later as he ran the clippers over his beard to create the five-o’clock stubble look.


“Hey, Bill. Say, you ever get any action last night? You did? Hey, that’s great! Anyone I know? Shit, this is pathetic!” Butch glared at his reflection in the mirror.


He splashed water on his face, dried it, and went into the bedroom, resolving once more to butt out of Ernie’s life. But he knew it wouldn’t be that easy.


“Damn, admit it,” Butch said as he pulled on his socks. “You care about the guy!”


Chapter 34