Anne
Anne was exhausted from the travel, but she knew she needed some exercise if she wanted to sleep well. So she changed quickly and made her way to the gym. It was mostly deserted on a Saturday night. Only one other soul, and he was busy with the free weights. She knew most people in the building had something to do and someone to be with on Saturday nights. But she was glad to have a chance to clear her mind.
She set the treadmill for forty minutes and started her run. Soon she was in her zone, concentrating on the smooth repetitive motion propelling her feet forward on the belt, consciously minimizing extra movement, relaxing her shoulders. She felt the initial burn in her leg muscles and pushed through it until she no longer felt any discomfort, just warmth. Her mind relaxed along with her body, and she let her thoughts wander.
She was certainly overthinking the problem with Steven Gherring. She was not some young hormonal girl who couldn’t control herself. She was a strong, determined woman. She’d already proven herself in her education, her marriage, her motherhood, and now in this new job adventure. She was smart enough to handle any challenge put before her, and she wouldn’t let something like a little physical or emotional attraction to Steven Gherring cause her to make a misstep. She’d raised two children by herself for fifteen years. During that entire time she hadn’t let herself even look at another man. She was disciplined before, and she could be disciplined now.
Anne finished her forty-minute run and cool down. Feeling much more positive and relaxed, she picked up her bag and stopped by the water cooler for a drink. She realized she even enjoyed the feeling of being drenched in sweat with her hair plastered to her head. It was a feeling of accomplishment. She opened the door and slammed her sweaty body into someone entering the gym.
Steven Gherring had arrived at the gym with his shirt off, and now she’d smeared his chest and abdomen with sweat.
“Yikes! I’m so sorry,” said Anne.
“That’s okay. I’m gonna be sweaty in a minute anyway. You’re leaving already?”
“Yeah… but what are you doing here?” She tried to keep her eyes on his, but her gaze kept drifting downward.
“I live here. I own the building. I can use the gym, can’t I?”
“But you have equipment upstairs in your apartment. Why are you using this gym?” she asked, as once again she felt her eyes fall toward his bare chest.
“Maybe I just wanted a change of scenery or a little company.”
Anne glanced back into the gym. “It’s dark outside and there’s no one else in here.” She couldn’t stop herself from gazing at his muscled abdomen. She felt her heart racing. “And why don’t you ever wear a shirt?” Without waiting for an answer, she turned and stomped down the hall.
The next day, Anne met Ellen for lunch.
“Catch me up,” demanded Ellen after May seated them, promising to return after the rush.
“There’s not much to tell. After the girls went home, I worked like crazy, ended up going to Switzerland, rode on Mr. Gherring’s private jet, toured around Switzerland on trains, rode back in the private jet, and got a promotion—kind of.”
“Are you kidding me? That makes my life sound downright dull, and I was feeling pretty good about it.” Ellen leaned in close. “Details, I want details. What was it like to ride on Steven Gherring’s private jet?”
“It was amazing. But you know, if you were to meet Mr. Gherring and y’all hit it off, you could find out for yourself.”
Ellen choked on her water. “Are you still on that kick? And tell me again why you don’t want to date him? What’s the secret? What’s wrong with Steven Gherring? Does he have some hidden deformity? There must be something wrong with him, or you’d be going after him yourself.”
“There’s nothing wrong with him, I promise.”
“Then why has he never gotten married before? Or maybe he has been married before?”
“No, he’s never been married. He was engaged before, but they broke it off.”
“But in the magazines and newspapers, he’s always got some girl hanging on him. Every time, it’s a different girl.”
“That’s just it. He doesn’t really date. It’s like he thinks every girl out there is only after his money, so he doesn’t give them a chance.”
Ellen laughed. “Only half of them are after his money—the other half are after his body. Have you ever seen pictures of him without a shirt?”
Anne felt her face heating up. “Yes, I’ve seen him.”
“Aha! You’re red. You’ve seen him up close and personal without a shirt. When was this? On the private jet? Just how private was this jet?”
Anne scrambled to cover her blunder. “No. When we went climbing, remember? Didn’t I tell you Mr. Gherring went climbing with me and the girls the morning before we came to meet you at the bookstore?”
“Maybe… I don’t remember that. But anyway, what’s wrong with him? Why don’t you want to date him?”
Anne sighed. “It’s not like I wouldn’t date him if he asked me. But he’s known me for two months, and he hasn’t asked me out. So I don’t think that would ever happen.”