Mike's Hard Lemonade (Patreon)

Cheeks looked over her shoulder, aiming her eyes for a cautious glance back at her self-proclaimed chaperone. She was sure Mike was strong enough to protect her should anything go awry, so she couldn’t imagine why Chrysante had insisted on tagging along for something as common as catching up.

He may have thought Mike was a lunk-headed brute, but she knew better. The Brass Knuckles Fitness Center was plenty public at this time of day, anyway. Fellow trainers, gym staff, and the patrons were all shuffling around going about their dailies… and Mike seemed as excited to see her as he was to see him. She was sure nothing could possibly go wrong.

Even if it did, what could Chrys realistically do? Even she was stronger than he was.

Chalking it up to Chryssie's need to be nosy, she shrugged her shoulders and returned to the focal point of the moment--setting her purple gaze on the mountain of a man before her. Rock hard, the powerful Doberman resembled a chiseled statue as he lazily sipped on his lemonade, and the more she watched him in action, the more enraptured she got. He was at the absolute peak of physical fitness.

She forced a quiet stutter past her bucked teeth.  By the way she spoke, it was as if hiding from Chrysante's watchful eye was some kind of crime.

“I-um… I appreciate you meeting me... I mean…”

She swallowed the lump in her throat, occupying her paws by fiddling with the cap of her water bottle. She suddenly felt so thirsty.

“I know you were probably busy but…I just couldn't wait.”

She felt her lips quiver, uncertain if it was more awkward to keep prattling on, or if the silence would be worse. She would have assumed he hadn’t heard her at all since he hadn't acknowledged her yet, but the cocking of one of his pointed ears quickly corrected her. Cheeks shimmied a bit in her seat, finally having screwed the cap off.

“Aaaaaahhhh”

Mike smacked his lips and licked them before paying the hamster any mind. He’d been working up a sweat in the weight room for most of the day, and enjoyed the cooldown by the pool enough to want to savor it before getting to business-- though he hardly considered this business.

He finally turned to his miniature companion, allowing a toothy grin to split his muzzle.

“You watchin me hasn't gone unnoticed ya kno…"

Cheeks felt her face grow warm and heard the subtle squeak of her own surprise. She had been watching him from afar, but she hardly expected him to notice her when he was so focused on his lifts. No one ever really noticed her.

“I don’t mind one bit. I’m used to people checkin’ me out.” He wrapped his lips around his straw again and playfully flexed his bicep at her, clearly enjoying the attention.

“Go on. Touch it.”

Cheeks struggled against the immediate urge to act. She imagined herself climbing his arm like a monkey, prodding, punching, and inspecting every muscle of his massive limb for research purposes. He was a phenomenal case of self-improvement, and she found herself wondering how small he may have been before--given he seemed so proud of his current size.

She passed her bottle from her right hand to her left as she reached for him, and as if magnetized, she slapped his skin and let her hand linger there before stroking up the length of his arm.

“Ohhh…. That’s big.”

“Mhm.” He nodded at her rather confidently. “You had questions for me, right Coach? Or did you just come here wantin’ to warm-up again?”

Cheeks snatched her hand away in that instant, suddenly hyper-aware of her fawning and her implied authority around here. She brought it back to nest between her thighs, keeping her sticky fingers to herself for now and resisting the urge to stare.

“I do. See, I have this new client, and well….we were talking about you. He's pretty envious and I figured you might have some tips for an aspiring admirer, a-and her trainee.”

Mike scratched at the back of his head, running his short claws through the orange brush. He looked down at her, a little confused by her request since he'd figured this meeting might have been for something more fun. Things were usually more fun with a coach.

“So this ain't a?... ah… alright yeah. Sure.”

The shorter woman's cheeks lit up and she fluttered her lashes at him. “Maybe later. But I'm on the clock for another hour after my break. After my shift we can swim some laps together though. Promise!”

“But yeah” she continued. “He's a smaller gentleman. Wants to get bigger before the summer. Do you do anything special in your routine? Any diets, or anything?”

Mike had begun to nurse his pouting with another sip of lemonade.

“Nope. I do what the pamphlet at the front desk says to do.” He says with a shrug. “ I don't drink soda or energy drinks either. I eat regular.”

Cheeks took a sip of her water while she listened. If he'd sculpted himself from those beginner's manuals, he was certainly something special. She scoots a little closer to his stool to lean deeper into his words.

“I was expecting something so much more… intense. It's impressive that you've gotten so far with just the basics… but I guess I don't have too much more to ask if that's all you're doin’. Maybe you should be a trainer?”

“Nah.” He blurted. His tone was dismissive now. “I already got a job. All you gotta do is just not be lazy. Put in as much work for your body as you expect from your body.”

“...and how much work would you say you put into your body?” Cheeks followed up with a question that sounded a bit more personal than she'd meant it to. Watching his expression shift to one of intrigue, she barely noticed him wind his arm around where she sat. She certainly hadn't noticed how close he'd gotten to her stool, either.

“...probably not as much as you put in yours. I saw you over there in the pool. Coach Cakes oughta be showing the ladies how it's done. Tch. You don't even need a bikini to turn heads.”

He chuckled playfully at her, noticing how her pink face seemed to get a little pinker whenever he offered a compliment. Now it was almost as pink as the suit she so snugly fit into, and if he kept going, perhaps he could make her match it by the time her little chaperone got tired of being a third wheel..…