Core Training is Now Available
I have just been informed that Core Training is now live and available for download at Dreamspinner Press.
Chapter 1
“Happy birthday,” the little blonde girl said perkily from behind the counter after scanning his membership card.
“Thanks,” Hugh responded, with absolutely no enthusiasm whatsoever. He gave her the best smile he could muster and moped his way toward the locker room, the noise, the banging, the grunting, the damn bouncy music that drove them all crazy, all of it adding to his sour mood. “Excuse you!” Hugh growled as a man hurried out of the locker room, nearly bumping into him.
“Sorry,” the man responded, looking Hugh over from head to toe like he was deciding if he was going to give him shit. He must have decided that at six-four and big as hell, Hugh wasn’t someone the musclehead wanted to mess with. Lumbering into the locker room, Hugh plopped his bag on one of the benches and began tearing open lockers, trying to find an empty one.
“What crawled up your butt?” Dan opened the locker behind him, and of course it was empty.
“Nothing,” Hugh huffed, and he willed his mood to lighten. His friends didn’t need to pay just because it happened to be his birthday… alone yet again. Granted, it was his own fault. He’d spent his entire life going from man to man. “It’s fucked getting old.”
“Quit your whining,” Dan scolded lightly as he pulled off his shirt, “I’m older than you are. And it’s all a state of mind, anyway.”
Hugh half watched as Dan lowered his pants. “Then I’m eighty.”
“Hey, Birdgazers!” Lonnie called as he walked in, taking the locker next to Hugh. “You look like shit, man.”
“It’s his birthday,” Dan teased with a little too much glee.
Lonnie smacked Dan’s bare ass, the slap resounding through the room. “You were moaning like a cheap whore about your birthday a few months ago.”
Dan glared at Lonnie as he rubbed his butt, pulling on his underwear and shorts. “You’ll pay for that.”
Lonnie shot him an “ooh, I’m so scared” grin and finished changing. “You gonna work out with us or be a pussy all your life?”
Hugh looked at Lonnie, trying to see if he was serious. He was about to respond when a kid walked into their bay of lockers and undid his lock, and Hugh found his gaze pulled to a blond-headed wisp of a man who looked like a stiff breeze would blow him away.
“Hey, you listening to me or looking at dick?” Lonnie would say anything, and Hugh almost retorted, but it would only draw more attention to the fact that he was indeed looking at the young bit of eye candy instead of paying attention to what was being said.
Hugh forced his eyes away from the smooth back that appeared when the little man slipped off his shirt. God, he was young—cute as hell, but way too young for him. “I don’t think I’m going to be very good company.”
“Okay, we’ll see you out there.” Lonnie ignored him and shut his locker, waited for Dan, and the two left.
With the room quiet, Hugh found his attention drawn to the small man, who was tugging on a fresh T-shirt. Pulling his attention to where it should be, Hugh closed his locker and followed the small man out to the weight floor, enjoying the bouncing globes in front of him the entire time.
Hugh walked as far as the stairs to the mezzanine and stopped. He really didn’t feel like lifting, and he didn’t feel like cardio. After a few seconds, a blur passed in front of him and up the stairs. Focusing his eyes, he saw that tiny, tight butt and followed it upstairs. What the fuck, at least he could enjoy the scenery.
Ascending the stairs, he found an elliptical machine, climbed on, and started moving, his mind going on autopilot, his attention turning inward. Hugh was always like this—he’d start his cardio workout and let his thoughts take over, the noise fade, and the time fly.
“Your friend is a real ass.” A soft voice cut through his thoughts, and the sounds of the gym assaulted him again. Looking at the machine next to him, he saw the man from the locker room looking back at him.
“That’s just Lonnie; he has a mouth on him like no one else.” Hugh got a good look at the man’s face for the first time. “Don’t I know you?” Then it hit him; he did know him, if he could only remember the kid’s name. “Max.”
The blond man smiled. “Yes, Max Pierce. You come into The Grill a few nights a week, but I don’t know your name.” Max looked a little embarrassed, but there was no need to be. It wasn’t as though they’d been formally introduced.
“I’m Hugh Douglas.” He returned the man’s smile. “I haven’t seen you here before.”
“This is my first day.” He indicated the woman working out next to him, and she smiled at Hugh briefly before stopping her machine. “Lila dragged me here.”
“I’m going downstairs, Max. I’ll see you tomorrow at work.” She touched his shoulder before leaving.
“Are you going to join?” Hugh asked, making conversation.
He seemed to be thinking about it. “Will that mean I’ll be able to look like you?” Max’s smile was huge, and Hugh wasn’t sure, but he thought the kid was flirting with him. “Because if it does,” Max went on, “I’ll join up today.”
Yup, the kid was definitely flirting. “I don’t know about that, but you already look just fine to me.” Hell, the kid looked more than fine, and he imagined how good it would feel to bury himself in that tight little body. And fuck a duck, if the kid could flirt, why couldn’t he? Besides if he’d been a girl, the little thing would be batting his eyelashes and swaying his hips. As it was, Max’s smile was enough to get him going, let alone the rest of the small, hot package.
“I am not,” Max argued, but Hugh could tell he was being playful. “I’m skinny and small, not all strong and, if you won’t punch me out for saying so, freakin’ huge like you.” Max’s eyes went appropriately wide just before those eyes raked over every inch of him. Hugh could almost feel them before they zeroed in on his crotch, which had definitely taken up a now somewhat visible interest. He saw Max lean in a little closer. “And you’re big all over.” That smile turned wry, and Hugh tugged involuntarily at the collar of his shirt. Was it getting hot in here or what?
It had been a long time since anyone had looked at him like he was laid out on the buffet of an all-you-can-eat. Well, happy fucking birthday to me. Maybe the day wasn’t going to turn out so bad after all. “You could get somewhat bigger if you lifted weights.”
“I don’t think everything could get bigger.” Max looked down again, and Hugh felt his dick jump and throb. “Not that some things need it.” Max’s voice seemed to wrap right around his dick and grab a good, tight hold. Taking a look at the man again, Hugh took a deep breath and reminded himself that the kid was probably half his age. And while he wouldn’t turn down a good old-fashioned fuck, Hugh had to ask himself what this kid could possibly see in him except the size of the bulge in his shorts.
Hugh heard beeps as buttons were pushed. Max’s machine came to a stop, and the man stepped off. Thank God—Max had had his fun getting him all riled up, and now that he was done, Hugh could try to get his dick under control and finish his workout. Closing his eyes, he tried to get back in the zone. He had to tell his body that there was no way the sexy little man was really interested in him anyway; Max had probably just been having a bit of fun with the old guy.
“Hugh.”
He opened his eyes and saw Max standing right in front of him, leaning on the machine, face just above the display. “You wanna go back to your place so I can ride you into next week?”
Hugh’s feet stumbled, and he nearly fell backward before regaining his balance and bringing the machine to a stop. “You serious?”
Max inclined his head once as he stepped off to the side, glaring straight at Hugh’s crotch. There was no mistaking what that meant. “You’re damn right.” Max stepped close enough that Hugh could smell his breath. “So let’s shower and get out of here. The sooner we’re at your place, the sooner I can ride you like the stallion you are.” With that final invitation, Max turned and walked down the stairs, looking over his shoulder, giving Hugh one last smoldering look before disappearing around the bend in the staircase.
He didn’t have to be asked twice. Grabbing a paper towel from the dispenser, he wiped down the machine before hurrying down the stairs and into the locker room. Racing to his locker, he carefully stripped down—it wasn’t seemly to be seen sporting wood—wrapped a towel tightly around his waist to hold everything in place, and made a beeline for the showers.
After what had to be one of the fastest showers in history, Hugh returned to the locker room, where Max was already dressing. He knew he was being watched, and since no one was around, he dropped the towel, giving Max a bit of a show before pulling on his briefs, adjusting himself properly, and then putting on his pants and shirt. He knew he saw Max swallow as Max watched him, and Hugh smiled to himself as he finished dressing.
In five minutes flat, he was dressed, packed up, and heading out toward the front door, where Max was waiting for him.
“Do you live close?”
“Just a few blocks,” Hugh answered, as he watched Max lick his lips invitingly.
