****
After a sweaty, deflated-looking Misty left the gym, Spencer returned to the back offices to go over her assessment.They were definitely going to have to rebuild her upper body strength and get her lifting a lot more before she sent the video.Her lower body strength was impressive, but it couldn’t hurt to hone that to its sharpest point.Not to mention the challenge of making her more muscular, but not at the expense of the speed that was probably her greatest asset at this point.
A tap on the side of his cubicle got his attention.Kurt had swapped out his gym shorts for khaki shorts and was standing there.“Got any more clients tonight?”
Spencer glanced at his calendar.“Nope.What’s up?”
“Some of us were going to grab a drink.”
“I’m in.Just give me a sec.”
An hour later, the guys were in street clothes and at a bar down the block from the fitness center.The server had dropped off their beers, and they were swapping stories about their clients.
“Alan’s doing a lot better,” Spencer finished.“And then I had a fitness evaluation for the girl who’s trying out for the bobsled team.”
Kurt frowned.“Isthat a real thing?I couldn’t believe it when she said that was why she needed a trainer.”
“It’s a new thing,” Spencer corrected him.“I did some research and saw that people have been trying to make four-woman teams happen for a while, but it’s taken this long.They tried to fob them off by making women’s monobob an event, but that’s not the same and doesn’t let as many athletes participate.”
“Cool, but I mean, are you really doing this?Don’t get me wrong, she’s hot and all, but—”
“But she’s a client, and off-limits.”Barry had made it through years as a drill sergeant unscathed, but a bad bout with COVID had left its mark on his vocal cords.It resulted in a medical discharge and led to him running the gym with military precision.While he physically couldn’t speak at the volume of a civilian anymore, his raspy voice and commanding tone still captured everyone’s attention.
Barry closed his eyes as he took a sip of his drink, and Kurt took advantage of the moment to mouth, “As long as you don’t get caught.”
The comment put an end to that part of the discussion, but couldn’t put it out of Spencer’s mind.He couldn’t deny that if he’d come across Misty anywhere else but at work, he would have made a move.For one thing, he’d always been partial to redheads.For another, he hadn’t seen much of her smile today, but that only made the memory of it all the more vivid.Not to mention being so close in height would make a lot of things easier.
Spencer’s phone lit up with a call from his dad, but he ignored it.He never felt like listening to a lecture on the difference between his dad’s life and his own, and that would kill the buzz that was just beginning.
Barry set his glass down and studied the group.“Kurt’s right, this is an unusual situation.But I’ve got to tell you, Spencer — if you can do this, you can do anything, and there’ll be no reason we can’t bump you up a tier.”
That had Spencer’s full attention.The gym had various tiers of personal trainers.People who didn’t want to spend too much or didn’t have overly lofty goals could hire someone at the bronze level, while those training for elite athletic events (rather like the World Winter Games) could pay more for silver, gold, or platinum-tier training.Not only did higher tiers command higher hourly rates, but the gym offered more generous benefits like dental and vision on top of regular healthcare, unlimited vacation days, three months more parental leave than usual, tuition reimbursement, and even a small student loan repayment for those who needed it.
“Shall we drink to that?”Spencer asked, lifting his glass.
Barry clinked his to it.“Let’s.”
