Perfect Curves Read online

  Me: Where are you? It's 8:55!

  I waited a minute for her response before walking into the lobby. Reed was standing behind the counter speaking with a petite blonde. He must have heard the door jingle because he looked up and right at me. A gorgeous smile split his face. I think my heart stopped for a brief moment.

  I offered him a small wave as he cut off his conversation with the blonde and made his way around the counter toward me.

  "You made it," he said.

  "Yep, I'm here. I just hope I make it out alive."

  This got a chuckle from him. "You will be fine, I promise."

  He was only about a few feet away from me. I could smell his clean scent. It smelled like he himself had rolled fresh out of a washing machine.

  "I'm waiting on Noel. I tried to call her, but she isn't answering my calls or text."

  "We could start stretching if you want while we wait."

  I hesitated. I didn't know if I wanted to be alone with him. Logically I knew there were other people in the gym, but I wasn't typically the conversationalist. Noel was, and she was not there. I also knew that his time was valuable, and I didn't want to be rude and waste it.

  "Okay, that would be fine."

  He led me over to an area with mats.

  "Have a seat." he instructed.

  I set on the mat and he sat across from me. I mimicked the poses he did as he explained each one.

  "So Penelope, what made you want to get into fitness?"

  "I don't know if 'want' is the word I would use, more like need. I have a family history of diabetes and heart disease. I want to try to prevent those things. Plus the obvious, my size."

  He looked at me with raised eyebrows.

  "I don't see anything wrong with you. You look good to me."

  What the... did he just say I looked good? Surely he didn't mean what I wished he meant.

  "I can stand to lose a few pounds, tighten up a bit. I don't want to be skinny, per se, just healthy."

  "Hm," was his only response as his eyes did a perusal of my body.

  'How does your boyfriend feel about all of this?"

  "I don't have a boyfriend. Even if I did, I don't need anyone's approval."

  That earned me another one of his panty dropping smiles. He looked up at the clock.

  "It looks like we are going to be doing a one-on-one today."

  I followed his eyes to the clock. It was already nine-twenty. It was safe to say Noel was a no show. That girl was going to get an ear full as soon as I left.

  "So, I thought we could start out with some weight machines first and then we can move to cardio."

  "You're the boss, lead the way."

  He took me around two different machines showing me how to use them and then having me do several sets on each. I was surprised to find that I didn’t hate it as much as I expected. He made small talk but kept it mostly to the exercises. I was relieved.

  I was on a machine that was supposed to be working my back according to the little picture on it. Reed moved behind me and my arms faltered.

  "Relax," he said close enough that I could feel his breath on my ear. "You want to do these slow. Make sure you are really squeezing the back muscles when you pull toward your body."

  He placed his hands over mine. It felt like fire was radiating off of his skin. My concentration was shot. He guided my arms back with his. When we released the move back to the starting position, his back was flush against mine.

  "You're doing great," he said.

  His mouth was only a few inches from my ear. My body shivered at the feel of his breath on my neck.

  "You cold?"

  "On the contrary." My voice was shaky.

  "I think we've done enough weights for the day. Let's move on to the elliptical."

  I felt relieved to be moving from the weights. My body and mind couldn't take any more of his close proximity. I couldn't think straight with him touching me.

  Reed set my elliptical at a moderate pace before hopping on the one next to me.

  "So, how are you feeling about today's workout?"

  Aside from his being all up in my personal space?

  "It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Weight lifting is kind of fun."

  "I'm glad to hear you liked it. The best thing will be to find something you like. It's easier to stick to then."

  "I could see that."

  "What do you think about keeping the personal training up? I would be glad to be your trainer."

  Was he insane? I couldn't train with him every week. I would burst into flames from the heat wave that passed through his body to mine.

  "I'm not sure about that."

  "Give it some thought. I can probably even come up with a deal for you."

  " I'll think about it."

  I wasn't thinking about a thing, but he didn't need to know that.

  We finished up on the elliptical and did a quick cool down stretch.

  "Follow me to the front and I’ll give you my card. You can call me directly to set up your sessions."

  He reached behind the desk and pulled a card out jotting something down on the back.

  "The front is the number to the gym. I wrote my cell on the back. You can call or text, either one."

  "Okay, thanks for this and thanks for today."

  “It was my pleasure.”

  Feeling bashful and not sure what else to say I turned toward the door to leave. I was just about to push it open when Reed appeared at my side.

  "Hey Penelope, you wouldn't want to go get coffee would you?"

  My head tilted to the side. This was out of left field.

  "Now?"

  He lifted his hand and absently kneaded his shoulder.

  "Yeah, I have an hour and a half until my next client. I thought maybe we could talk,"

  "Oh, I should probably get home. I'm all sweaty. I need to shower," my words trailed off.

  "Of course, maybe next time."

  The smile on his face faltered, but he tried to paste it back on. It wasn't convincing.

  I got ready to push the door open when my conversation with Noel popped into my head. I hated to admit that she was right. I would never find my prince charming if I didn't put myself out there. Maybe he wasn't it, but he could be practice.

  "You know what, on second thought, I could go for a cup."

  Coffee Break

  The smile that broke out on his face was real and devastatingly gorgeous. I couldn't help but return his with one of my own. I really didn't want to encourage him, but his smile was contagious.

  "Great, if you hold on just a second I'll go grab my wallet."

  I nodded, not trusting myself to speak actual words. He disappeared through the door behind the desk. A few minutes later he reappeared making his way toward me. He used his hand to guide me to the door. When we reached it he stepped in front of me and held it open.

  "There's a coffee shop about two blocks from here. We could walk over if that's ok."

  "That would be fine.'

  We walked the short distance to the coffee shop in silence. It was a beautiful day for a walk. The sun was rising high in the sky. The leaves on the trees were starting to bloom after several months of the cold winter. The streets were still pretty quiet. Most people were likely still lazing around before they started their weekend.

  Inside the shop I was hit with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods. Since I just had a personal training session I felt like it would be best to try something that wasn't full of sugar. I usually went for the good stuff with mocha and caramel.

  By the time we got to the front of the line I had decided on some skinny something or other. Reed ordered a flat white. When the barista gave our total, I tried to swipe my card, but before I could Reed gently grabbed my hand and moved it away. With his other hand, he slid his card.

  "I could have paid for my own," I grumbled.

  "I don't doubt that, but I don't invite beautiful women to coffee and expect t
hem to pay."

  His green eyes stared straight into mine. I've never been good at taking compliments, and I squirmed under his intense gaze. I decided the best thing would be a subject change.

  "So, where do you want to sit?"

  His eyes never left mine.

  "How about outside on their patio? It's gorgeous outside. Let's enjoy it."

  "Okay," was all I could manage.

  My mind was having trouble forming thoughts.

  "How about you go find us a table and I'll bring out our drinks when they're ready?"

  "Okay."

  My extensive vocabulary strikes again.

  I found a table that was a bit further away from any other customers and settled into a chair. The beat of my heart was erratic. Thoughts were racing through my mind. How should I act? What would we talk about? What were we even doing here?

  It had been a long time since I’d done anything alone with a man. I wouldn't refer to this as a date. I was his client, sort of. Either way, this was the closest thing I’d had to a date in a long time.

  A chair scraping against concrete shook me from my thoughts. Reed sat my drink down in front of me before settling into his chair.

  "Thank you for joining me today."

  His whole body looked relaxed. I, on the other hand, felt anything but relaxed.

  "Oh, thank you for asking me."

  "What did you think about the session today?"

  "I thought it was challenging, but not quite as dreadful as some other things I've tried."

  "Good, the thing about fitness is that you have to find your thing. Once you do, it doesn't even seem like something you have to do anymore. It becomes something you enjoy and want to do."

  I let out a long breath. "I don't know if I'll ever get there, but I'm trying."

  "I hope you will consider my offer. I would love to be your trainer."

  "No promises, but I'll think about it."

  "Enough about that, I want to know about you. Tell me about yourself, Penelope."

  My name coming from his lips was possibly the sexiest thing I had ever heard.

  "There isn't much to tell. What do you want to know?"

  "Anything. Everything, but I guess start with the basics. What do you do for a living, favorite movies, types of music?"

  "Well, I'm a web developer. The movie question is hard. I like all kinds of stuff. I love romance, 80's classics, and comedies. I love pretty much anything with Adam Sandler. Music I'm pretty open as well. The playlists on my phone have anything from rap, R&B, country, to boy bands."

  Reed took a sip of his coffee while he mulled over what I said.

  "Seems like you are a well-rounded lady. I have one very important question."

  What the heck could he need to ask of importance after that? I nodded my head urging him to go on.

  "What is your favorite Adam Sandler movie?"

  I let out the breath I was holding and laughed.

  "The Wedding Singer, no question about it!"

  "Yes, I knew I liked you, Penelope! You have great taste."

  "I take it you are a fan as well?"

  "You better believe it."

  "What about you? I know what you do for a living, but what about music and other movies?"

  "Music I'm kind of like you. I like rap & R&B, mostly. I like comedies and action movies. I like a little scary every once in a while."

  I stuck my tongue out at the mention of scary movies.

  "What? You don't like scary movies?"

  "Nope, I'm not a fan of being scared."

  "I could hold you and keep you safe."

  I almost spit the sip of coffee I’d just taken across the table. By luck or divine intervention I was able to choke it down, but not without a coughing fit.

  "You okay?"

  Reed's face was full of concern. If I wasn't mistaken, there was a shadow of a smirk. The big stinker knew what he was doing. Goodness knows I wouldn't have been opposed to having his strong arms wrapped around me. No woman in her right mind would turn that down.

  "I'm fine," I replied after I was able to collect myself.

  We continued talking about anything and everything. We had more in common than I would have expected. He was easy to talk to. I thought I would feel awkward with him being so good looking, but he was surprisingly easy going and down to earth. I was happy I changed my mind and decided to join him.

  I looked at my phone to check the time. An hour had passed.

  "Oh hey, it's been an hour. What time did you need to be back?

  "I still have a half an hour until my next client, but guess I should head back and help out."

  "Yeah, I should probably go home and shower."

  And call Noel to tell her about herself. I didn't say that part out loud.

  Back at the gym Reed walked me to my car.

  "I enjoyed getting to know you better, Penelope."

  He was standing mere inches from me and I tipped my head back to smile up at him.

  "I had a nice time too."

  He grabbed my hand.

  "Penelope, I was hoping that I could have your phone number."

  I was not expecting that. I knew he was a bit of a flirt, but I figured that that was just how he was.

  "Sure, I guess so."

  He let go of my hand and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. I rattled off the numbers.

  "Awesome, thank you. I hope to see you again soon."

  "You're welcome. I'm sure you’ll see me at the gym. There’s no way Noel is going to let me give it up."

  I climbed into my car and with one last wave, I was off. When I got home, I pulled out my phone to call Noel. There was an unopened text. I slid my finger over the screen to open it.

  Reed: Thank you for having coffee with me. I couldn't think of a better way to start my weekend.

  Sunday Dinner

  Jee- Louise, my heart could not deal. Guys like Reed did not take girls like me to coffee and send sweet text messages two seconds after. I sat in my car rereading the message over and over again.

  Should I text back? My experience with flirting was minimal. Should I try for something witty or just keep it simple? Where was Noel when I needed her? Scratch that, she'd have me sending cleavage shots.

  Me: Thank you for inviting me. I had a nice time.

  When I hit send, I felt like a total loser. I wished I’d paid more attention to Noel when she flirted with guys. I shoved my phone in my purse and made my way up to my apartment. I dropped my purse on the couch and headed straight to my on suite bathroom. I needed a shower STAT.

  I lathered up with my favorite body wash. My mind drifted to Reed. He’d been so sweet all day holding doors open and buying my coffee. His parting text message was the icing on the cake. My thoughts drifted to his body and handsome face. My hands wandered my body seeking a much-needed release.

  ***

  Wrapped in my hot pink bathrobe I made my way to the couch. I had settled on an old episode of Jersey Shore, don't judge me, it's a guilty pleasure, when my phone started buzzing in my purse. I fished it out and when I saw the name on the caller ID, I almost sent it to voicemail.

  "Who is this?" I answered knowing full well who it was.

  “I'm sorry Penn.”

  "Don't Penn me. This could not be my best friend. No, my best friend was supposed to meet me today at nine am for a torture session."

  "Penn, I'm sorry. I went home with James last night. We had a long night... and morning."

  "Good grief Noel, you don't even know the guy."

  "I know that he knows how to please a woman. That's all I need to know."

  My eyes rolled.

  "So did you go through with the session? If not maybe we can reschedule."

  "Yes, I went through with the stupid session. I didn't want to be rude and waste his time."

  "How'd it go?"

  "It went ok. We did some weights and then the elliptical."

  I debated telling her about the coffee after the stu
nt she pulled, but I needed someone to talk to about everything.

  "He asked me to coffee after we were done."

  “He what?”

  "Eardrums, loud mouth."

  "Sorry, but this is exciting. Are you going to go? You have to. He is super sexy."

  "I did go."

  "Eeeek! You went on a date with him? Tell me everything."

  "There isn't much to tell. We had coffee then he asked for my number."

  "Oh my gosh, he totally has a thing for you! Girl, you better get it!"

  Noel’s voice was hitting high notes I didn’t know she was capable of.

  "He is not into me. He just wants to get me to sign on as a client."

  "Nope, men don't ask you to coffee or for your number if they aren't interested."

  "Whatever, I have to go."

  "Fine, but this conversation is far from over. I checked and there is Zumba class Monday night at seven. Be there. Love you."

  "Love you too even if you stood me up."

  I slept in on Sunday morning. Sundays were bittersweet. Not because it was the beginning of the end of the weekend, but because it was Sunday dinner at my parent's house. I tried my best to get out of it as often as possible, but this week I hadn't managed my escape.

  At two-thirty I dragged myself out the front door and to my car. I knew if I wasn't there at three p.m. sharp that I would never hear the end of it. My mom liked to have an early dinner on Sunday and she didn't tolerate anyone being late.

  I arrived at my parent's house at two-fifty-five. Just in the nick of time although I knew my mom would still be mad I cut it so close. I didn't bother knocking. My brother Cameron was sitting in the living room with my dad watching something on ESPN.

  "Hey dad."

  I leaned over the back of my dad's favorite recliner to hug him and place a kiss on his cheek.

  "Hey, Henny Penny. How's my girl doing?"

  "I'm doing good. Busy with work as usual."

  "What's up, Cam?"

  "Nothing much, here for a free home cooked meal."

  No surprise there. My brother was a self-proclaimed lifetime bachelor. I would never tell him, but I knew he would fall one day. When he did, it would be hard and fast.