“Consult this.” He flipped Luke the bird. “If I can survive running three miles a day, every damn day, I can fuck my wife standing up. The heart doc gave me the okay months ago. The only thing I have to worry about is baby number five, which is going to happen sooner rather than later if we don’t watch it.”
“There are plenty of reliable ways of avoiding surprises, you know.”
“Not when you marry a good Catholic girl. Just
gotta watch the calendar and plan accordingly.”
“Good luck with that.” Because he noticed the news had transitioned to an ad for a pregnancy test, he took the remote from the holder on the treadmill and punched up the volume.
“Ha. Good to see your raging case of blue balls hasn’t affected your smart ass. Find me some sports or something. I don’t mind putting in two more miles, but I’d rather not be there for them, if you know what I mean.”
Obliging, Luke flipped through the channels.
“Wait. Back one.”
He tuned the TV to the channel Dale requested, and adjusted the volume. “All Access? Seriously?”
Dale shrugged as best he could midstride. “My wife loves this show. She got me hooked. Besides, where else am I going to see something like that, without ending up in divorce court?”
Luke froze. The camera was doing a slow pan up long, lean legs clad in tight, black leather. The shot continued up toned thighs, slender, curving hips, a narrow waist, high, round, painfully familiar breasts cupped faithfully by supple leather, and cleavage displayed to perfection thanks to a zipper that hadn’t found its way north of her navel.
His gut clenched, even before the camera continued its slow journey to her face. Then his heart tripped, because Quinn Sheridan stood there, framed in the lens. Her blond hair was now a disorienting, inky black, which made her look exotic and dangerous, but her lips curved into the daredevil smile still haunting his dreams.
“She is fuckhot,” Dale whispered, almost reverently.
Luke ignored that, and punched up the volume because one of the “reporters” on the show—an avid-eyed brunette with over-styled hair and a big, shark-like smile—stepped up with a microphone and asked Quinn a question.
“Thanks, Nancy,” she said, apparently responding to a comment from the reporter. Her voice sounded almost the same. Almost as smooth and nuanced as in real life. She ran a hand over her hip. “I worked really hard to get into shape for this bad boy.” Then she gave her ass a smack.
“You’ve definitely succeeded,” the interviewer gushed.
“I didn’t do it alone,” Quinn added. “Or gracefully, to be honest. I was coming off an injury, I hadn’t worked out in months, and I was feeling a little panicked at the prospect of slipping into this costume in a few weeks. So I went to this beautiful resort called Paradise Bay, and worked with a guy named Luke McLean who was amazing. Just amazing.”
“Holy shit,” Dale murmured. “You’ve met her. You’ve touched her. You’re single. She’s single. Please tell me you—”
“I’m not telling you anything, other than to shut up so I can listen.” He bumped the volume another notch.
“…designed a safe, healthy plan for turning me from a couch potato to badass Lena Xavier in less than six weeks,” Quinn said. “He cleaned up my diet, revved my metabolism, reacquainted me with the strong, resilient body I’d taken for granted too long, and maybe most importantly, he called me out on some bad habits I’d developed that undermined my goals.”
“You look amazing,” Nancy replied with over-the-top enthusiasm. “Sounds like more than just a six-week boot camp in preparation for a role.”
“So much more.” Quinn looked straight at the camera. “He didn’t just change my body. He changed me. I didn’t properly appreciate everything he did—and how completely in my corner he was—until recently. I definitely owe him…so much.”
Was there a message in there, or was he hearing what he wanted to hear?
“I’ve seen the ‘Before’ pictures someone leaked—”
Quinn rolled her eyes and let out a little laugh. “Nancy, I feel like the entire world has seen the ‘Before’ pictures. I never dreamed there would be such an audience for shots of me standing around in my underwear. Now that I know, I’m bummed I had to leave before I could take the ‘After’ pictures. I want someone to leak those!”
“I understand the studio executives were concerned, to say the least, when those ‘Before’ shots surfaced. They considered going with another actress.”
“I honestly don’t know if they considered other actresses for the role. I can only say I’m excited to be their final choice and…” She struck a hip-jutting, laser-eyed pose at the camera. “What do you think, people? Am I ready for my ‘After’ pictures?”
The reporter laughed. “I think our Twitter feed is about to explode. I vote yes.”
Quinn looked into the camera again, her expression utterly serious. “Hey, Luke, if you’re watching, come get your ‘After’ shots. Anytime. I’m prepared to bare it all to you.”
Nancy aimed a conspiratorial look at the screen. “This time All Access gets the exclusive first peek.”