Chapter Five
“That’s it, Gloria. Just three more.” Landon clapped his hands, encouraging her through the last set of inner thigh presses.
Gloria gritted her teeth from exertion, her hands clenched tightly on the grips as she squeezed the workout equipment between her knees. “This is torture,” she groaned.
“I know your muscles probably feel like giving out, but this is when you have to dig deep. Make these last three count. Come on. I’m not going to let you quit.”
“This is worse than Chinese water torture.” She pushed the apparatus together with her thighs.
“That’s it! Make sure you breathe, though. Give me two more and no cheating.”
She shook her head. “Ugh, I can’t.”
“Can’t is not an acceptable word. Yes, you can.”
Gloria glared, giving him another rep. “You’re a monster.”
He grinned, admiring her spunk. “If that’s what you think, then I guess I’m doing my job. Now on this last one, I want you to hold it for five seconds and really feel the burn.”
Her mouth fell open and she shot him an ‘are-you-out-of-your-mind’ look. “I feel it now.”
So do I, he wanted to say. Landon had trained dozens of clients on every single piece of equipment in the gym, but nothing was more erotic than the sight of Gloria squeezing her legs shut and then opening them wide again. Watching her exercise, made him sweat just as hard as her. Several times during the workout, he’d found excuses to touch her. Although at times it was necessary for him to do just that, Landon made more contact with her than he normally did with his clients. He couldn’t resist the temptation of running his fingers along her soft brown skin. He knew it was a little unprofessional but he was getting a bit frustrated that she couldn’t read the clear signals he was sending. Or, maybe she was just ignoring them which in that case, he’d just have to put it all out on the line.
They’d been working out for a month now and it was getting harder for him to pretend his feelings were just that of a trainer for his client. His lust for her grew stronger every day. It didn’t help matters that she kept him at an emotional distance. He racked his brain trying to think of a way to penetrate the wall she’d erected between them.
He’d have to make his move soon. Gloria consumed his thoughts. He longed to caress every inch of her voluptuous frame and kiss her soft-looking lips until all she could say was his name.
She grunted, finishing the last thigh press. “Whew! You’re sadistic.” She wiped the sweat from her forehead with a laugh. “What did I do to deserve this?” The pretty pout she now wore made his cock stir. More than anything, Landon wanted to take her into his arms, capture that full bottom lip between his teeth and nibble and suck, making her beg for mercy.
He didn’t realize he was staring until she waved her hand in his face. “Earth to Landon…?”
“Huh?” Heat surfaced in his face and he was sure it was bright red. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“I said, “When I go home, I’m going to need a long hot soak in my tub, with lots of bubbles.’ My muscles will be screaming later on.”
Landon clenched his fists, willing his dick to stay down, but the thought of Gloria naked in a bathtub covered in bubbles had his prick jumping to attention. He quickly knelt, pretending to tie his shoe and hoping to God she hadn’t noticed his hard-on.
Sheesh, what was it about this woman that made him react this way? It was almost as if he were in high school all over again. “That sounds relaxing,” he murmured, finally finding his voice.
“Are you okay, Landon?”
He took several deep breaths to make sure his body was under control before he stood up. “I’m fine. Well, it looks like our hour is up. You did a great job tonight. I’m really proud of how hard you’re working.”
She beamed, her dark eyes twinkling. “Thank you. Exercise isn’t my favorite activity, but you make it fun. I doubt I’ll ever be a size two. Hell, I may not even get to ten, but at least you’ve helped me start down the path of healthy living. And for that, I’ll be eternally grateful to you.”
“And that’s the key. A misconception many people have is that skinny equals healthy. There are plenty of thin people with health issues due to a lack of proper nutrition and exercise. Body types are determined by genetics, it’s what we do with them that counts.”
She smiled, lightly touching his arm. “You’re such a sweetheart. You have a way of not making me feel like such a cow.”
He hated to hear Gloria talk about herself in such a derogatory way. Things he’d gleaned from a few conversations they’d had over the past month indicated her ex-husband was most likely the cause of her low self-esteem. If their paths were ever to cross, Landon would like nothing more than to introduce Gloria’s ex to his fist. It was true she was a plus-sized woman, but Gloria was gorgeous—inside and out. If only he could make her see it, too.
“You’re not a cow and I wish you’d stop saying things like that. I think you’re a beautiful woman.” And a desirable one at that, he wanted to say, but didn’t think it would be a good idea to say that just yet. He’d have to be careful in declaring his intentions to Gloria. Considering what she’d experienced in her marriage, she was like a frightened deer when it came to relationships.
Her eyes widened and her lips parted. She was obviously taken aback by his statement and it tore at his insides to know she wasn’t used to hearing this about herself. “Landon—”
“Just say thank you, Gloria. I don’t give empty compliments and I don’t say things I don’t mean.”
Her lips tilted into a wide grin, revealing deep dimples. ‘Thank you, Landon. That means a lot, coming from a young, good-looking man. You make me wish I was ten years younger.”
He raised a brow. “Why? You’re only 39 and I’m 29. That’s not much of an age difference.”
“It isn’t if our ages were reversed. No one would bat an eye for a younger woman to be with an older man, but older women dating younger men are considered cradle robbers.”
A smile tugged the corners of his lips. “You can rob this cradle any time you’d like, Gloria.” Though he’d said the comment lightly, to put her at ease, he meant every word of it. One of these days, he was going to make her see just how much he wanted her.
For a moment, bewilderment entered her eyes and then she shook her head with a laugh. “Landon, if I didn’t know any better, I would think you were hitting on me.” She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture before collecting her towel and water bottle off the floor.
He exhaled. This was the perfect opening to share his feelings with her. He wasn’t blind to the way she sneaked peeks at him beneath her lashes or the way she’d stare at his body a bit longer than was decent. Not that he minded, he enjoyed her looking at him because it told Landon she was attracted to him, too. He only hoped she wouldn’t allow something as trivial as age or race to deter her from taking a chance on him. “And what if I am—hitting on you, I mean? Would you be averse to my advances?”
She laughed—a rich, throaty sound.
Landon furrowed his brows together in his frustration. He’d braced himself for any number of reactions, but laughter hadn’t been one of them. “What’s so funny? I wasn’t joking.”
Gloria halted in mid-guffaw. Both brows shot up. “You’re serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
Her mouth formed a perfect “O”, and if there weren’t people working out around them, he’d show her just how serious he was.
“Landon—”
She didn’t get the chance to finish her statement because they were interrupted by a high-pitched greeting. “Landon, sweetie!” Before he could prepare himself, a tall redhead catapulted herself into his arms, nearly knocking him over. She kissed him square on the lips.
Landon looked in Gloria’s direction to see her staring at something on the ground as if it were the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen. An uneasy expression crossed her face. Damn. This wasn’t how he’d pictured things would go when he asked her out.
“Sharon. How are you?” Detangling himself from her strong hold, he tried to inject as much formality into his voice as possible. Landon wanted there to be no doubt in either woman’s mind exactly where he stood.
Sharon poked out her bottom lip into a pout. On Gloria it had looked sexy, but on Sharon it reminded him of a petulant child. “You haven’t called in ages. I should be very angry with you, but I’ll forgive you if you take me out to dinner tonight. Then, you can have dessert at my place.” She ran her tongue over glossy lips and gave him a wink. He wanted no part of the dessert she had to offer.
“Uh, Landon, I think I should be heading out now. I’ll see you the same time on Thursday?” Gloria’s gaze was already on the exit but she wasn’t about to get away from him so easily, not when he’d finally built up the courage to tell her how he felt.
Landon walked over and took Gloria’s hand. “You can’t go yet. I’m not letting you wiggle out of our date tonight.”
“Date!” Both women exclaimed at the same time. Gloria’s jaw dropped and Sharon stared at Landon with utter disbelief.
“Landon, is this your idea of a joke?” the redhead demanded. Sharon’s reaction underlined one of the very reasons he’d lost interest. She had such a high opinion of herself, it didn’t occur to her that everyone didn’t worship at the altar of Sharon.
He lifted his shoulder into a shrug of nonchalance. “I’m not laughing, so I guess not.”
Sharon’s normally attractive face contorted into an ugly scowl as she surveyed Gloria from head to toe. “Since when are you into fat black chicks?”
Landon considered himself an even-tempered guy, but nothing made him angrier than unnecessary cruelty. He’d been on the receiving end of it too many times when he was younger to tolerate it now. “Apologize to Gloria now!” He spoke through clenched teeth. His fists were clenched tightly by his sides because he didn’t trust himself not to throttle the bitch.
Sharon’s nostrils flared, her face turning bright red. “I’ll do no such thing. Just because you’ve lowered your standards, doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Flipping her red locks over her shoulders, she lifted her chin defiantly. “And why should I apologize? She is fat.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her exactly where to go, but Gloria placed her hand on his shoulder. “Landon, it’s okay if she doesn’t want to apologize when it’s plain to see she was never taught manners. People like her should be pitied.”
Sharon turned a deeper shade of red as she turned her angry blue gaze in Gloria’s direction. “Who the hell do you think you’re talking to, Fatty?”
Gloria’s hand tightened on Landon’s shoulder, holding him back. “I may be a fatty but I’m the one Landon’s taking out tonight. Besides, I could always lose weight but you’ll always be a hateful bitch. So, run along little girl and leave us adults alone.”
Sharon’s mouth gaped open, giving her the appearance of a fish on a hook. She obviously expected Gloria to back down—classic bully syndrome, but when she didn’t get the expected reaction, Sharon hissed, “Bitch!” before turning to Landon. “When you get tired of slumming, give me a call.”
Landon shook his head. “Don’t count on it.”