–Georgia: Stepbrother. And this is so I can tell you whether he’s worth keeping or not.
I sigh.Georgia.
–Me: No and no.
–Georgia: Okay. So why do you need to change anything? Men can’t get hard if they aren’t attracted to the body they’re seeing.
And they certainly won’t go down on you all weekend if they find you unappealing. You threw your cookie away for nothing!says a baleful voice in my head.
On the other hand, Iamin one of the best-equipped gyms in the state, which I can use for free… And what Dana said keeps playing in my head in an infinite loop.
I sigh again and head out of the office to the gym floor. Dana and her friends are on the elliptical machines, their taut bodies bobbing at a steady pace. One of them says something, and they all burst out laughing.
Bitterness, envy and insecurity wind through me. I’m never going to look like them. And I hate how Dana has picked on meagain—even now that we’re done with high school—and I loathe how she was able to skewer me so easily. But just because I’m older now doesn’t mean the old self-doubts are gone.
Jerking my eyes away, I go to the shop inside the gym and buy some exercise clothes and shoes. Employees get forty percent off, so it isn’t that expensive to grab them all.
I hand the items I picked out to Petra to scan at the cash register. “Good choice. These are really stretchy and breathable,” she says with a smile.
“Thanks.”
A voice comes from behind me. “Those for you?”
Jack. What’s he doing here? Isn’t he supposed to be touching—er, spotting—his female clients? I paste on a smile. “Well, you know. Figured I’d take advantage of the free membership.”
“Good for you.” He turns to Petra. “You know what? Comp those. My treat.”
No. Totally not necessary. He’s going to want to get paid by a long, uninterrupted viewing of my boobs, and I’m not that desperate for free stuff.
Petra looks at him. “I already scanned them and rang them up.”
Jack goes around the counter and inputs a code into the system. “There.”
His smarmy smile makes my skin crawl. But just because he’s a creep doesn’t mean I should be rude when he’s done something nice, even if it’s something I never asked for. “Thanks,” I say tightly.
“You know what? I have some free time around four, so why don’t I show you some basic stuff?”
“Oh no, it’s fine. You’ve already done enough with the free clothes and shoes.”
“Ah, it won’t be any trouble. And there’s no sense spending time at a gym spinning your wheels. Results are what count!”
“I really can’t afford personal training.”
His laughter booms. “You’re hilarious. I’d never charge you for something like that. Besides, you know your father got you some personal sessions.”
Oh crap.I totally forgot about that!
“I should check how many, but I don’t mind throwing in a couple freebies to help you meet your fitness goals.”
Petra cocks an eyebrow at Jack. I want to bang my head against the counter. I should’ve gone to another gym—a Curves or something that only accepts women.
“I’m not done with work until five,” I say. “And I really don’t want to mess up your schedule. I’m sure it’s full with—”
“It’s fine. I’m free today, and I can wait until five.” He smiles at my breasts.
So he’s going to exercise patience in order to grope me. Gross.
I return to my office. Now I wish I could find a reasonnotto exercise, but at the same time, giving up before starting feels like letting Jack and Dana win. I’ll just do some cardio. He can’t really do much if I’m on a treadmill and trying to run, can he?
