Chapter 2
Tyler
The music pumped in the background as I walked the length of the gym. I had just finished with the latest model wannabe. Someone let it leak on the staff that I was a semi-successful model as well as a trainer, and suddenly I was stuck training guys who wanted a body like mine.
Nick, one of the other trainers, slowed down to walk next to me.
“Working at Twist this week?” he asked.
I moonlighted as a bouncer at the hottest bar in town. The best and most-sought-after all went there.
“A few days,” I replied with a shrug.
“Think you can get me in?” he asked hopefully.
“Come talk to me when you’re twenty-one.” I smirked.
I shook my head as he went over to a girl waving to him on a treadmill. I caught sight of myself in the mirror as walked over to the desk. From a professional standpoint, I looked pretty good, but then, I’d started young.
Working with my uncles in construction through high school started me in the fitness lifestyle. Then again, I also didn’t spend time after work drinking and partying. Those guys were the ones that gave gyms a bad name. You want the body, you put in the time, the effort to get ahead. No one ever said Tyler Becker didn’t go the extra mile.
I walked over to the desk to check out how many more clients I had before I headed to my agent that afternoon. At twenty-seven, I was nearing the end of my range and was considered an old man for the modeling I did. But it worked well while I planned my next step.
The thought tugged at me again. What’s the next step? I was six foot two and built like a tank, so I’d had jobs in security. I could always do something physical, but my uncles’ bodies started breaking down in their thirties and by the time they were in the forties, if they weren’t wearing the white helmets, they were on disability. That wasn’t the life for me.
I caught a black and lavender vision in my peripherals. I looked up into the most gorgeous blue eyes I had ever seen. She smiled slightly at me as she headed for the ellipticals. I checked out her ass because that’s what you are working on if you’re using those machines. Hers did not disappoint. I watched her as she saw the “out of order” sign, looked down at her feet and headed to the showers. I always did appreciate good looking women.
Up until four months before, my roommate, Shane, and I had been playing the field, finding hookups on a constant basis. If it didn’t interfere with his teaching, he was as good to go as he had been in college. Then, he met Becky. It was like the world came off its axis for him. They were seldom apart. It had thrown me for a loop when he’d proposed to her a month before. They had only known each other for such a short time. We’d shared our apartment for the past six years and been lucky to find it when we did. Now, it was in a nice up-and-coming area.
My parents had suffered the same fate. They’d met each other at one of those midway carnivals. They were inseparable. I shook my head. I still couldn’t get my head around some of those issues, so I pushed it aside. Someday I would think about it. My boss at Twist, Steve, said that I should become a therapist. I smiled at that. I had always been able to pull that spark out of people to get them to perform their best, whether as a trainer or to talk down those asses who after a six-pack thought they could take on the world.
I had thought about it. My major was kinesiology in college with a minor in psychology, bankrolled by my uncles so I could do my parents proud. Shane always said I limited myself by going into training after what happened with my family and not getting out there. So says the teacher from a family of teachers.
I checked my coffee cup and it was empty. I threw the paper cup away and walked around the gym checking to see if anyone had questions. Satisfied, I walked over to the coffee shop.
I walked in as the beauty in lavender from before, walked out. She glanced down at her phone and ran right into me, spilling coffee everywhere, all over both of us.
I grabbed napkins off one of the bistro tables and start brushing the coffee off her. Once I looked into her eyes, I had no idea what I said before she grabbed the napkins from me and left. As I watched her tight ass walk away, my groin tightened. I shifted, not uncomfortably. I hadn’t seen her here before and hoped I hadn’t scared her away. I didn’t even catch her name.
As I walked back to the desk, I got a call from Steve.
“Steve, what do I owe the pleasure.”
“You’re not going to like it,” he replied with a chuckle.
“It’s nine in the morning. When do I ever like to hear from you this early?”
“True that. Timothy got canned last night,” he said. “Caught him dealing.”
“Fuck, really? Man, I’m sorry. Thought he was a good kid.”
“So, did I. Now the reason for the call…”
I groaned. I knew what was coming.
“Need you to work tonight. Nine to close,” he said, matter-of-factly.
“I’m meeting with my agent this afternoon. I don’t think I have anything coming up, but if I do, I’ll call you,” I replied.
“Sounds good. See you tonight.”
Fuck. I didn’t want a shift tonight, but Steve was a good boss and I hated seeing him in that position. It was a good thing Steve caught Timothy, and not the cops. That would have closed Twist. Not that the up-and-comers were teetotalers by any means, but more discreet would be a better description.
After I handled one more guy who couldn’t find the pin for the weights, I had two regulars, Stephanie and Barbara. Stephanie was trying to get over her eating disorder. She had come a long way in the past few months, had put on muscle, and seemed a lot happier. The last one of the day was Barbara. She had written a couple of bestsellers and liked to talk about her books and her cats. A stereotype, but that was her life. I thought it was sad that loneliness was so rampant in New York and she came to the gym to have some company.
I took a shower and headed over to my agent’s. I’d been with him for a few years and he’d gotten me some incredible gigs. My latest billboard had gone up that morning, though I hadn’t gotten over to see it yet.
Jason greeted me at the door. “Tyler, have a seat.” It was the more the way he said it than what he said. It didn’t sound good.
Jason stared at me for a moment, not saying anything, then began to crack a smile. “I have a gig for you tomorrow,” he said leaning forward. “I had you there for a moment, didn’t I?” He chuckled, thinking his game playing was funny.
I gave a sigh of relief as I shifted in my seat, imagining that he had just put my up for some amazing job.
I came back to the conversation when I heard Jason say the word “cologne”—the death knell.
“Jason, did you just say cologne?”
“I know it’s not what you want to hear, but the fashion plates are calling for younger and younger these days.”
Doing cologne ads was one step closer to leaving modeling and going into acting. Reluctantly, I agreed to the job, knowing I needed the extra cash..
My future seemed really hazy.
The rest of the day was uneventful. I picked up a cute little master’s degree student at Twist after work and headed back to the apartment. She seemed like a sweet girl and I thought her name was Allie. She didn’t seem like a girl who wanted any strings attached, which was great for me.
I hadn’t really dated anyone seriously in years. It was more fun playing the field, picking up woman from the bar and just living life.
I started getting hard as I opened the door right into Shane.
Him being up at two in the morning was unusual. He taught in the morning. Oh, crap.
“Um, Shane. What gives? This is Allie.” Shane nodded and didn’t say a word.
Allie looked at Shane and stammered, “Listen, I’m not into threesomes.”
Shane gave her a look.
She continued, “Well, maybe you guys have something to talk about. It’s late. Tyler, you have my number.”
She gave me quick peck on the cheek and left, closing the door behind her.
Becky walked down the hallway in Shane’s shirt, showing off a set of beautiful legs. She took Shane’s hand and kissed him. It was sweet, but I had a feeling I knew what was coming. It had been that kind of a day.
Shane cleared his throat. “Tyler, Becky and I have talked. We…damn, this is hard.”
I looked at Becky. She shuffled back and forth and leaned into Shane for support. Not being an ass, I figured I would talk first and get this over with.
“Let me help. You two are beginning your lives together and three’s a crowd. Am I close?”
They both nodded in unison.
“How soon do you need me out?” I asked.
“As soon as possible. It’s just the rotating women, late hours, we’re not in college anymore, Tyler.” He pointed to Becky and himself. “We’re both teachers and it’s hard.”
I looked away. He was right.
“No, I understand. I’ll be out of your hair in three days,” I replied. “It doesn’t have to be that soon, dude.”
“It’s a goal,” I said. “I want you guys to have your own place, and your wedding is right around the corner.” I headed back to my bedroom and glanced around. Most of the stuff could stay. I preferred to live light, so there really wasn’t anything but clothes and handful of keepsakes.
Shane came down the hall to stand in my doorway. “Tyler, you’re still the best man, right?”
I glanced up from sorting through my shirts to see Shane standing in the doorway. “Of course, Shane. I’ll be there for you. You guys need to start off your new life. I don’t get it after just meeting her four months ago, but you’ve always had good judgement. You’ve saved me from more than one mistake.”
Shane smiled that Sutton smile, honest and sincere. “It will work out for you, too, Tyler. You’ll see.”
People in love always seemed to imagine their friends finding someone as well. It was cute in a way, and a little unnerving. Maybe I wasn’t meant to find someone, though. Because if I were, shouldn’t I have found them already?
I nodded. “I have some early clients tomorrow so I better hit the hay.”
“Sure. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Let’s see how the search for an apartment goes.”
He nodded and padded down the hall to his and Becky’s room.
I closed my door and shut off the lights. Fuck.