The Shrink, Chapter 3 (Patreon)

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Chapter 3

Over the weekend, James did his best to go about his business without focusing too hard on the dramatic life alterations that were looming before him. With this hupostolephasia diagnosis, and the inherent uncertainty of having such a poorly-understood disease, all James could do was live out the positive, proactive habits that were associated with a better prognosis. He made sure to get a good night’s sleep; he ate a caloric and protein surplus every day; he went on walks that got his heart rate up. He even (though feeling slightly ridiculous) followed through on a suggestion in an academic paper he had read, performing hanging grips on a horizontal metal bar in his garage, three sets of 45 seconds each afternoon. This exercise actually hurt his hands, and was very difficult, but there was some indication in the paper that habitually stretching out the spine and the body’s tendons correlated with a more positive prognosis…aka, less shrinking. But being 5’6 initially – already on the shorter side for men – James knew that, whatever he did, it was likely that his prognosis wasn’t what he’d like it to be. He was well aware that it was a real possibility that he would shrink down at least 1 foot…2 feet…and possibly even more. By the end of the weekend, he had already dwindled down to 5’0 even, and had lost some more muscle tone as well. He knew that he had every right to feel angry, depressed, and discouraged about what he now faced down the road.

And yet, strangely, James couldn’t even pretend to feel sorry for himself. The truth was that he didn’t actually feel bad at all – yes, his shrinking was an inconvenient annoyance when it came to reaching things, adjusting his car seat, finding new clothes, and trying to predict how far in advance to buy smaller sizes. Doors were heavier…everything was heavier. He had to take more steps going around the block, and walking to his car. He had to take more trips with the grocery bags. But aside from these minor aggravations, James was feeling…almost giddy. The sun seemed to be shining brighter, and everywhere he looked, whether it was at random people shopping, the grass, or the trees swaying in the breeze, the world itself seemed more colorful, richer…gladder.

James was under no illusions why he was feeling this way. It was all because of one person: Brooke. Ever since their most recent meeting in his office, James was having a difficult time thinking of anyone, or anything…but her. He had decided that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever met – ever seen! And not just that, but she had the absolute best figure, the best body, that he had ever encountered. Before laying eyes on her, he hadn’t even thought it was possible for a woman to look that sexy. The fact that she was nearly 6’5 was only the beginning. Those legs…the way they moved when she walked…it was like the perfect combination of sheer size, strength, and feminine flesh. One of her thighs easily had to be nearly the size of his waist at this point...maybe even bigger. Her hips were gargantuan and thick, the perfectly-sculpted shape to support her monumental figure. Her ass…oh my god…James couldn’t even think of it without getting hard. To think of all that squeezed into those tight volleyball shorts!? How on earth was anyone supposed to pay attention to anything else!? To say nothing of those massive breasts…good grief. It was almost absurd to think of how perfect her body was.

But James couldn’t even claim that Brooke’s body was her main selling point. The best thing about her was…well, just…her. She was amazing! Surpassingly intelligent without the toxic ego, hardworking, self-deprecatingly humorous, fun-loving, lighthearted, and…caring. He couldn’t get that look on her face out of his head, when he had told her about his diagnosis, and how he planned to meet the disease head-on with a good attitude. Those big, blue eyes of hers had almost gotten misty…he still wasn’t sure if she had been about to cry or not…but what he did know, without a doubt, was that she cared about him. Even beyond the question of physical attraction (which he knew they shared mutually, just from the feel of the eye contact in his office), James found himself fixated on how much this big, tall, gorgeous young woman cared about him. It was quite disarming and discombobulating. As a well-adjusted adult who worked in a professional, respected occupation, he wasn’t at all accustomed to feeling so staggered by one person, especially one of his college-age clients. But Brooke Hinson was different, in every way.

There wasn’t any question about it at this point: James knew that Brooke was attracted to him. After all, she had straight-up told him that she was aroused by shorter guys, and that she was literally waiting for one to come her way who wasn’t intimidated by her size. And then – the real kicker – right before she had left, she had told James exactly when and where she worked out, clearly with the intention of encouraging him to “run into” her out in the world. That was what had really done it, in his mind. Whenever James tried to convince himself that Brooke wasn’t really into him, and didn’t really want him to pursue her, he would think back to that moment, in his office, when she stood there looming over him, her massive hand enveloping his, as she bent down and stared straight into him, smiling and winking at him as her golden hair spilled over her shoulders. And the way she had purposefully turned to give him that view of her ass…!

‘Yeah,’ James thought, ‘There’s no doubt…the attraction’s mutual.’

The longer the weekend dragged on, the more James thought about her. It got to the point when, Sunday night, he fell asleep and dreamed all night about Brooke…he was in a field that lay in the shadow of a huge mountain range with snow-capped peaks, and the field was covered in the most beautiful expanse of red poppies. James had been picking the flowers, snipping them in the middle of their stems and fashioning them into a gigantic bouquet. There was a strange, shadowy breeze that swirled against his face, which sometimes blew thick clouds over the sun, threatening rain. But each time he began to grow afraid, a ringing, rumbling female laugh would echo out across the sky, from somewhere beyond the mountains, where James couldn’t see. He knew it was Brooke…and every time she laughed, the dark clouds instantly dispersed, melting away at the sound of her voice, and revealing the shining sun behind them. James was beginning to sweat as he picked more and more poppies, swelling the bouquet to absurd proportions – as big as him…bigger than him! He wanted to make sure it was enough. But then…

THUD…THUD…THUD

The earth beneath him began to shake. He knew that she was coming. But he wasn’t ready for her yet! He didn’t have anywhere near as many poppies as he wanted for her! But there didn’t seem to be anything he could do.

BOOM…BOOM…BOOM

The heavy footfalls grew closer, resounding out in booming roars, and the earth shook even more, knocking James off his feet as he fell on his back in the poppy field. And then, from his supine position, he saw the golden blond crown of Brooke’s head appear over the top of the tallest snow-capped peak…and then her blue eyes, squinting down at him affectionately, and then her long, elegant, elegant, alabaster neck, and then those gigantic breasts. The booming footsteps stopped, but that sound was soon replaced by another, even louder sound – Brooke was leaning slightly forward between the two tallest peaks, their summits even with her chin, as she put her gigantic hands down on both mountains and gripped them eagerly. The mountain tops crumbled like dust under the strength of her fingers, sending avalanches down either side.

“For MEEEE!?” Brooke asked ecstatically, and James knew that she was talking about the 6-foot-diameter bouquet that was smaller than a grain of sand to her.

“All for you!” James cried up to her, standing up and spreading his arms wide. His world darkened as Brooke reached down into the valley towards the bouquet, her cheeks visibly blushing with delight high up in the sky. But James suddenly grew afraid again…it was too dark…her hand was too big…the avalanches were getting closer…the earth was rumbling again. Was it raining!? Brooke was laughing, and he was caught up in a whirlwind of flowers, warm flesh, and jagged ice.

James shuddered awake, lying there staring up at his bedroom ceiling in the dark. For several minutes James just lay there, breathing hard, trying to sort out exactly what the dream had meant.

‘It didn’t mean anything,’ he told himself, trying to calm down. ‘Just that…she’s been on your mind.’ After half an hour or so he managed to curl back up and go to sleep again. At this point, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that he would be going to the gym to seek Brooke out.

But when Monday came, there was still something holding him back from going to the gym. As someone with professional integrity, James didn’t feel entirely right trying to meet up with Brooke in the real world. There was something unethical about it. As her therapist, he occupied a position of power over her, and pursuing any kind of a romantic relationship from that high position was a breach of –

‘Oh please,’ he thought to himself, shaking his head as he sat in his office chair. ‘Quit kidding yourself. I’m not in a position of power over her!’ Yes, he had helped her through some difficulties, and yes, he had offered her some useful advice, but there was no way he could pretend like he had any power over this young woman. If anything, she was the one who had taken the reins and openly hit on him during that last session. Still, though, as long as he was seeing her in his professional capacity, he didn’t feel exactly comfortable chasing this bombshell genius student-athlete.

James glanced at his clock – it was 2:30 pm, 30 minutes before Brooke would be at the gym. He had purposefully seen all his Monday clients earlier in the day, and he had the rest of the afternoon free. Looking down in his lap, James was reminded that he was wearing gym clothes – just in case, he had dressed like this before coming in today. The short warm-ups and t-shirt fit him perfectly, as he had bought them only yesterday to fit his newly-shrunken frame.

‘Oh come on,’ he thought to himself. ‘You’re dressed for it…you’ve planned your day around it…just go do it!’

It was hard, though! He was afraid – afraid of shooting his shot and missing, afraid that Brooke was going to think he was ridiculous, afraid that she was going to see him going out on a limb and draw back. Sometimes earnestness could be perceived as unattractive, after all.

But James couldn’t sit there for long. After five more minutes of agonizing, he stood up, sent his secretary home early, locked up his office, and headed straight for the gym. Since it was relatively close to his office, he got there at 2:50. James had never been to the college gym before, and so he was a bit confused, swiping his ID card to get through the turnstiles. But after a couple of failed attempts, the screen glowed green and he was beeped inside. There were already a good number of people inside, lifting weights, doing the rowing machines, bouncing medicine balls, and running on the ellipticals. James felt slightly intimidated, especially since the majority of these people were college-age men…the majority of them clearly athletes who probably played college sports. But, looking around, he saw that there were also plenty of young women too. It was probably a 65-35 breakdown between the genders.

‘Geez,’ thought James. ‘Everyone looks good here.’

There was no sign of Brooke, though. James didn’t need to look around for long to decide that she wasn’t there yet. She had a way of sticking out, so to speak. Even the tallest, biggest guy there was probably “only” 6’3, 240 or 250. Brooke probably weighed at least 250…and maybe more. She was so strong and thick…

‘Okay, quit standing here like an idiot,’ thought James. He was here to see Brooke, yes, but of course he should be working out too, right? It was good for his prognosis. But he hadn’t lifted weights in a while, and felt a bit scared to start cold like this. He had to warm up, anyway – and so he got on one of the treadmills and turned it on to a light jogging pace. After a couple minutes, he started to warm to his task, and actually began to enjoy the fact that he was working out again for the first time in forever. The only thing was that the treadmills faced away from the gym entrance, and so he had no way of knowing when Brooke came in. A couple times, he looked over his shoulder to see if she was there yet, but each time he didn’t see her. An idea suddenly struck him:

‘She might be looking for me when she comes in,’ he thought. ‘And if she sees me and wants to talk, she’ll come up to me. So…now that I’m here…the ball’s kind of in her court.’

His anxiety was slightly assuaged by this thought, but it was still hard to jog in place with his back turned to the entrance. His heart was beginning to beat faster, and not just from his warm-up. Any minute now, she would be walking in. Brooke was the type to be on time, especially when she had told him exactly what time she’d be there.

‘But she’s not meeting me here,’ thought James to himself as his eyes focused in on the treadmill animation, which was rather close to his face since he was now only 5’0. ‘We didn’t actually agree to meet up…she just told me what time she’d be here, that’s all. Maybe she’s gonna be running a little late. Or maybe she’s already seen me and is regretting telling me about her –’

But James’s thoughts suddenly vanished like smoke when he saw, out of the corner of his right eye, a huge, sleek thigh step onto the treadmill next to his. A giant thigh, in tight black spandex, almost even with his chest…his eyes traveled upward instantly, and he turned his head.

“Hey, hey there!” Brooke beamed down at him. Her brilliant blue eyes looked even brighter outside his stuffy office, and the wavy spills of her blond hair seemed to throw the sunlight off itself in sparkles. James was smiling stupidly from ear to ear, taking in the fact that his eyes were now just below Brooke’s huge breasts, which pressed out from her big chest into a black spandex sports bra. That was it – that was all she was wearing: a sports bra that barely contained her giant breasts, a pair of spandex that was stretched to the limits by her ass, hips, and thighs, and a pair of spiffy workout shoes that gave her an extra 1.5 inches. She was almost 6’7, and the sight of her incredible body was too much to take in all at once – James focused on her face.

“Hi!” he practically squeaked out, or so he thought. He had no idea how he sounded; it was impossible not to feel small next to her. She had already started her own treadmill, and was walking at a slow, steady pace, slower than James’s light jog.

“I wasn’t sure if I was too upfront in your office,” Brooke smiled, her huge ass, hips, and thighs all jiggling insanely as she slow-walked on the treadmill. “But obviously I wasn’t!”

“N-No! Haha, uh…no you weren’t,” stammered James. He hadn’t been breathless a minute before, jogging casually on the treadmill, but now he certainly was. Being this close to Brooke out in the world was enough to take his breath away. But…her outfit…James couldn’t even wrap his mind around her body. His eyes were scanning over her exposed stomach now, and with a weakening, syrupy-sweet jolt, he realized that she had abs…a whole six-pack…that was somehow perfectly etched into her fleshy, voluptuous midsection. Something glinted at him from her belly button…a silver piercing…good grief. She was still slow-walking, grinning down at him, and for several moments James was incapable of saying anything more. He knew that he was making his astonishment – and attraction – blatantly obvious, but he simply could not disguise how blown away he was.

“Well I’m sorry if I seem a little chipper,” Brooke said brightly, her huge, manicured hands gently holding onto the treadmill rails, “But I really wasn’t expecting to see you here, and when I glanced over in the corner…” – she tilted her head downward and flashed those beautiful blue eyes knowingly down at him – “I just had to come over and join you.”

“Yeah, ahaha…yes,” nodded James, having no idea what to say as he continued struggling to take her in. But the words came soon enough. “I mean, it was…I was thinking about it over the weekend…what you said about how exercise, uhh…”

“Correlates with a better prognosis?” offered Brooke graciously. It was clear that she knew exactly what was going on, and was enjoying it. But it was also clear that she didn’t want to lord herself over him too hard.

“Exactly,” said James thankfully. Strangely, even though he felt like he was absurdly outmatched and outclassed by Brooke, the more he talked with her, and the more eye contact they shared, the warmer he felt, and the more he felt his courage grow. Even though Brooke unquestionably radiated power and confidence, whenever she was talking to him, he didn’t feel the intensity of her aura directed at him. Rather, it seemed to envelope him…to caress him, to pull him closer.

“So what’d ya plan on working out today?” asked Brooke cheerily, filling in the silence that James had left.

“Oh! Ha, I…you know I hadn’t actually thought that far ahead,” laughed James, reddening slightly with embarrassment. He knew that he was basically admitting that the main reason he was there was to see Brooke…but, of course, she knew that already, didn’t she?

“Thought you’d just wing it when you got here, huh?” quipped Brooke, sticking her tongue into the side of her cheek as she reached out, beeped her screen twice, and started to jog on her treadmill. James knew that she was being gracious, not wanting to embarrass him by pointing out how obvious it was that he had come to the gym just for her. But he was again having trouble formulating coherent thoughts now that Brooke’s voluptuous, feminine bulk was now shaking and jiggling with extra urgency, now that she was actually jogging.

“Yeah I don’t really have any idea what to do here,” chuckled James, “Now that you mention it.” He noticed that his setting was “3/20,” and that, despite the ease of his pace, he was already beginning to tire. Glancing over to Brooke’s screen, he saw that hers was already set at 7/20. She had only beeped twice…which meant that, at her easy walking pace, her treadmill had been set at 5/20. Faster than he was going now…and yet she had just been leisurely walking, like it was nothing. James suddenly became aware that he was very aroused, even though, in the back of his mind, that had been a given as soon as Brooke had joined him. But he was actually aware of it now.

“Oh don’t you worry about that,” Brooke declared happily. “I’ll be your trainer!” She cleared her throat, affecting a serious tone of voice, even though the twitches at the corners of her mouth gave away her self-mockery. “My credentials are: I’ve been working out seriously for 5 years, I’m a Division I athlete, and I was the Junior female state champion in the squat and deadlift.”

“W-Wow…!” was all James could manage to say through his laughter. He knew Brooke was being silly, but he was also impressed with her accomplishments. He also had a sneaking suspicion that Brooke had ulterior motives in divulging this information. She wasn’t one to brag, and that wasn’t the tone she had – no, she was telling him these things because she knew it would excite him, that it would turn him on. And she was right. “Well then I know I’m in good hands.”

“It’s only fair, isn’t it?” Brooke observed. Her screen now said her speed was 10/20, but to James she looked like she was still barely even jogging. “You helped me get my mental health straightened out, and I help you work out! Makes total sense.”

“Total sense,” nodded James. Brooke had now increased her speed to 15/20, and for the first time he got a good look at her actually…in action. She was truly running now. The voluminous, meaty flesh of her body jiggled and bounced around, crazier than ever, and yet, at the same time, she looked totally streamlined and purposeful, running with perfect form, pumping her strong arms back and forth as her long, huge legs worked like a machine beneath her, never skipping a beat. James had to turn off his own treadmill, since he was already out of breath, and for the next minute or so he just watched Brooke running there, reminding himself not to gape. She was just so impressive, so competent, so in charge of herself. He had the vague understanding that a lot of other guys in the gym were staring at Brooke…and then staring at him too…a few of them with something like disapproval in their eyes. James understood – to them, he was this 5’0, slight, skinny man, new to the gym, who was just unabashedly staring at the bombshell D-I amazon who came to the gym all the time. From their perspective, it was bad manners, or…something else. James really didn’t know. The thing was, though, that he simply didn’t care. He knew Brooke wanted him to watch her.

“There we go!” breathed Brooke after another minute or so, slowing down her pace. Her face was now the slightest bit flushed and rosy…if it was even possible, she looked even better. “Just a little warm-up before we do our squats!”

“Squats?” asked James, blinking.

Oh yeah,” Brooke grinned down at him, stepping down off her treadmill and putting her hands on her hips, facing him. “Squats.”

James was still standing on his treadmill, which gave him an extra 4 inches, but he was still staring straight into Brooke’s nipples. They were clearly erect, pressing through her tight sports bra. He blinked again and looked up at her; their eyes met. They both could tell how aroused the other was…and they both reacted by smiling stupidly, nearly breaking out into laughter.

“Haha I can barely even tell I’m standing on something,” James chuckled, gesturing to the treadmill before looking back up into her face. “I…uh y-you have a way of making me, uhm…”

“Feel small?” smirked Brooke, arching her eyebrow. She beckoned with her big hands, and the next thing James knew, she had wrapped them around both of his upper arms, easily going all the way around with room to spare, as she gently pulled him off the treadmill. “Here,” she said softly, “Let’s see how you measure up to…oh…”

Now that they were both standing on the floor, on even ground, the truth was clear: James was staring straight forward into the upper part of Brooke’s exposed stomach. He saw her abs ripple and flex as she took a series of deep breaths, her huge breasts inflating above his head. He felt her giant hands slowly, lovingly caress his upper arms, remaining there for long moments…far longer than any normal, flirtatious touch. She was going straight in for him; and he was here for it. In this moment, James thanked his stars that his workout pants were baggy.

“How…how tall are you now?” asked Brooke throatily, finally letting his arms go with a final, sensual caress. James took a step back so he could see her face above her breasts. Her cheeks were even more flushed now…not from her warm-up, James knew.

“I’m 5’0 even,” he replied, his own voice sounding almost alien out loud. It was ridiculous how aroused he was right now…how aroused they both were. Brooke’s mouth twitched up into a smile, and she blinked rapidly a few times. There was a sort of caring sadness in her eyes, but at the same time, something exciting to James – she looked almost…hungry. And far from frightening him or making him feel uneasy, it fuelled his own fire that was burning in his loins. If there hadn’t been anyone else in the gym, he was sure that they would have started making out.

“5’0…” Brooke murmured, nodding slowly. She brought her massive hand down gently on top of James’s head, palming it completely, and softly threading her big fingers through his hair. “Yeah…I knew you looked shorter.”

But this treatment only lasted a few seconds. Brooke was sighing out and taking her hand away from his head just when James began to close his eyes and enjoy it.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” she laughed, wringing her hands out in front of him. “I just…I can’t keep my hands off you, James. You are…the cutest, most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.”

“And you’re, uhmm…” James began to answer immediately, but the words caught in his throat. What on earth was he supposed to say!? Especially after Brooke was this up-front with him.

‘Just be honest,’ he thought to himself suddenly. ‘If you’re honest with her, nothing can go wrong.’

“And you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen,” he heard himself say.

Brooke blinked, and her mouth opened in surprise as she put her hand up against her chest, above her huge breasts. She looked genuinely touched.

“Awww, Jamessss!” she exclaimed, her eyebrows creasing upwards as she bent down towards him. “You make me feel so good. And you are…precious.” She extended out a long, manicured finger and touched him on the nose. He wrinkled it up, feeling almost like a child, and they both laughed as she straightened back up.

“Okay! So!” Brooke announced, changing gears and taking charge as she rubbed her hands together. “Squats!”

For the next fifteen minutes or so, Brooke helped James with his form, since the last time he had squatted was in a high school PE class. She made sure he warmed up well, starting with the bar only, then with two 25-lb plates on each side. For reps, she had added two more 10’s on each side, so that he was squatting 115. James knew this was very light, especially compared to all the weight the big male athletes were squatting around them. One particular guy, with straw-blond hair, who looked quite tall and ripped (and who had looked over at Brooke more than a few times) was squatting with four 45-lb plates…on each side of the bar! But James reminded himself that none of this was important – the only thing that mattered was him and Brooke and their weight rack. What had he told all those clients he had before, who were struggling to adopt a workout routine? The gym is a place for internal encouragement, not external discouragement…or something cheesy like that. But it was true, though.

“Goooood!” clapped Brooke, after James had finished his third set of 115, repped 5 times each. “You were barely even straining there at the end! And you kept your knees from bending inward – nice work!”

“Thanks,” breathed James, his heart hammering away like a drum in his chest as he stepped away from the racked bar. “But I think that’s it for me today. I can already feel like I’m gonna be feeling this tomorrow.”

“Oh you definitely will,” chuckled Brooke, leaning on the weight rack. “We’ll have to make sure to get plenty of fluids into you. Oh, and a good night’s sleep too!”

“Definitely,” panted James. “So, uh…aren’t you…uh…aren’t you gonna lift too?”

“Sure am,” Brooke grinned. “But first, I’ve gotta ask, James…just out of curiosity, what’s your weight now?”

“Right now?” he asked.

“Not to make you self-conscious!” Brooke said quickly, holding up her hand. “I was just…you know, curious.”

“No, no, haha, it’s fine,” he said. “And, uh…let’s see, I weighed myself this morning. You know, doctor’s orders, keeping a journal of my size and all…I was…117, actually.”

“Wow, 117!” Brooke said, impressed. “So you just basically repped your body weight for 3 sets, and you haven’t squatted in years! That’s great, James!”

“Y-yeah, well…” he chuckled, still panting a bit. He saw that Brooke was taking the smaller weights off both ends of the bar, and dropped the plates down beside the rack, like she was going to use them again. Then, quite effortlessly, she grabbed a 45-lb plate and slid it onto one end, and then did the same to the other end…135 pounds.

“Wait,” James said, “Aren’t you…I mean, gonna warm up too?”

Brooke had been expecting the question, and her grin was telling.

“This is my warm-up, James.”

She busted out 10 reps like there wasn’t any weight on her back at all. When she racked the bar, she wasn’t even breathing heavily.

“Just slowly working my way up,” she said, winking down at him, before sliding two more 45’s onto the bar. 10 more reps like she was simply standing up and going back down, without any hint of strain or effort…and then she slid on two more 45’s.

“315!?” James gaped.

“Just gonna rest a minute before this next set,” Brooke smiled at him. “I think I’ll do one set of 6 with this, and then take it on up to 405 for 3 sets of 7.” She was speaking casually, but she had her eyes carefully trained on James’s face. After a few seconds, her full lips were smirking down at him.

“You like hearing that, don’t you?”

James thought that he would have grown somewhat accustomed to Brooke’s up-front flirtation, but she had caught him off-guard again.

“I…y-yeah,” he stuttered, smiling up at her sheepishly. “I do.”

“Mmm I like saying it to you,” Brooke hummed. “Watching your reaction.” She smacked her thighs playfully, sending them shivering and jiggling, despite the deep, meaty thudding sound they made. James privately wondered how much a single one of her legs weighed. Maybe even close to his own bodyweight. How much did SHE weigh!? He wanted to ask her, but couldn’t quite work up the courage at this point. He knew she wouldn’t mind, and would probably enjoy it, but he…he was still developing his own cadence around her. He didn’t want to rush anything. He wiped his brow, which was already slick with sweat.

“Remember, hydration is important!” Brooke said. Realizing that James hadn’t brought a water bottle, she pointed over toward the bathrooms. “There’s a water fountain right over there – go get yourself a niiiice deep drink.”

“Okay, yeah!” nodded James, “Thanks for reminding me!”

“Of course,” smiled Brooke, squinting her eyes down at him. “Cutie.”

James felt like he was in a daze as he walked to the water fountain. Again, he perceived other people watching him, maybe even whispering about him, no doubt because he was “the guy” with Brooke, but once more, he hardly even cared about any of that. So Brooke was coming onto him. Hard. There was no question about that now. And he was one hundred percent receptive. The only question now was how he was going to ask her out to lunch, or dinner, or…whatever it was going to be. Asking Brooke Hinson out on a date….a week ago, he would have looked upon this situation with professional disapproval. Dating a client!? No way. But a lot had changed since then. And, in any case, hadn’t Brooke used the past tense when describing how he had helped her? If she didn’t come to any more appointments, then she wasn’t his client anymore.

All these thoughts were swirling around in his head as he got a deep drink of water, just like Brooke had told him to, and as he walked back to their weight rack. But then, he nearly stopped dead. That tall, muscled guy with the straw-blond hair…was talking to Brooke. He was standing there by her weight rack…their weight rack…leaning against it, with his arm held up, obviously showing off his big bicep. This guy was good-looking…very good-looking, and huge – he looked almost as tall as Brooke, maybe exactly as tall, and even though her legs, hips, and ass were a LOT bigger than his, he had the slight edge over even her upper body. James swallowed a painful lump down his throat. This dude just oozed “alpha energy,” and all of a sudden, those happy plans in his head of asking out Brooke were vanishing in the air like smoke. He didn’t have a chance against a guy like this. There was just no way…

But James brushed all this aside. He wasn’t just going to stand there staring at them speaking to each other. If anything, Brooke was a friend who he was working out with. He had to at least act normal. But as he approached, the guy’s confident, masculine voice jarred his ears:

“...know that it’s hard finding people who can keep up with you, haha! Trust me, I understand. How about you come out with me to dinner tonight? We’ll turn a bunch of heads, you and me.”

“Haha I’m sure we would,” laughed Brooke good-naturedly, showing absolutely zero discomfort. “But I’m already going out to dinner tonight…” – she pointed straight to James – “With this man.”