by Cassie Cole
Talk about mixed signals.
Despite that, his invitation helped me relax about our relationship. He was thinking about the future. We were making plans together. That was better than feeling like things were stagnating.
And if we still had the problem of him leaving Denver in the fall… Well, we could ignore it for a little while longer.
March was a flurry of activity as I prepared for the Vinyl High counter-sale. I spent one weekend going through our inventory with a fine-toothed comb, and then ordering three times as many records as normal. I wanted to make sure that we didn’t run out of inventory if our sale went well.
That raised the issue of where to store it all. My back office had a storage closet where we kept extra boxes, but when the delivery truck showed up two weeks later with ten pallets worth of vinyl, Paul and I were awestruck.
Finn happened to be walking by around that time. “Need some help?”
“We won’t turn it down,” I said. When Paul turned his back, Finn gave me a quick kiss on the lips.
“What are you doing? What if someone sees us?” I whispered.
Finn grinned. “I’m not afraid to be around you. And I don’t want to live my life afraid of getting caught.”
Without another word, he bent down and picked up three boxes with ease. I smiled as he carried them into the store. There was nothing sexier than a strong man doing strong things.
“Is he your boyfriend?” Paul asked.
“What? No. He’s my personal trainer.”
“Oh.” Paul blinked. “You two are cute together.”
“You think so?”
“Totally, boss-lady.”
To make room for the boxes, we moved my office desk into the corner and stacked the boxes throughout the rest of the room. When everything was unpacked, the only free space in the office was a narrow walkway to get to and from my desk, and enough space to open and close the door.
When Paul left for lunch, I switched the sign on the door to “closed.” Then Finn fucked me on top of the boxes of albums in the back room. We broke five copies of Bruno Mars’ latest album in the process, but it was worth it.
I hired a graphics designer to come up with new marketing graphics for the store. We had those printed on a dozen posters, and would use them for any advertisements we ran. I had two thousand dollars earmarked for Facebook ads, but was prepared to double that if we got a good click-rate on the ads.
The store wasn’t the only thing occupying my time. I was exercising more and more each week. Hell, I practically lived at the gym. I drank smoothies for lunch and bought pre-made salads at the Nutrition Bar for dinner, which saved me time on grocery shopping and meal-planning at home. At the beginning of March, I was exercising four hours a day. Near the end of the month, it was closer to five. Even if I was just walking on a treadmill, I was always doing something active.
“You know, it occurred to me that I haven’t seen much of your place,” Max said to me one night while we biked together in the spinning room.
“You saw most of it the first time you came over,” I said. “It’s a one-bedroom apartment.”
“The bed is what interests me,” he said casually. “I’m quite interested in your bed. How sturdy it is.”
I grinned. “I think it’s strong enough. It’s never been put to the test.”
“Might need to change that tonight.”
“Maybe so,” I agreed.
After we finished exercising and showering, we walked back to my place together, arm-in-arm. Just like when Finn had kissed me outside my store, I felt a tingle of naughtiness at showing affection in public. Max could get in trouble if he got caught, but he didn’t care.
He would rather be with me.
As soon as we entered my apartment, he said, “I have a surprise for you.”
“I like surprises. What is it?”
“It’s better if I show you.”
We kissed our way into the bedroom, then fell sideways onto the bed. We bounced softly on the mattress.
“See? Sturdy,” I said.
“I haven’t begun to test it yet.” Max unslung his backpack and pulled out several handkerchiefs. I sucked in my breath and wondered what he was going to do with them.
His emerald eyes glistened in the darkness. “If I go to far, let me know.”
I bit my lip and nodded.
He grabbed me roughly and tossed me forward on the bed, on my belly. Then he pulled one of my hands toward the left bedpost, and used the handkerchief to tie it in place. Then he did the same with my right hand.
My body felt electric. I’d never done anything like this before, and I was thrilled to see what would happen next.
Max took his time removing my pants, then panties. His hands moved deliberately as he pulled my legs apart, then tied my ankles to each of the other bed posts. Spread-eagle on the bed, I could feel the cool air on the wetness of my pussy. I was totally under his control.
He began rubbing my pussy from behind. Slapping it gently with his palm, which sent shockwaves of pleasure through me. Then he knelt behind me and slid his cock inside, forcefully taking me as his. I moaned and trembled as he fucked me slowly, like he was in no hurry. All the while his hands ran up and down my back, exploring every muscle and bone in my body as if feeling me for the first time.
Then he slowed down, and I heard him rustling inside his backpack.
“What are you doing?”
He chuckled deeply. “You’ll see.”
I tried to twist my head, but I couldn’t see what he was doing. It sounded like he was putting the cap on something. A vibrator? The thought of him using a vibrator on me made me quiver with excitement.
Then he leaned over me and placed a bottle on the bedside table. A bottle of lubrication.
What would he need lubrication for if—
I felt something press against my ass, then slide easily inside. I let out a surprised noise.
“You’ll tell me if it’s too much?” he crooned behind me.
Spread-eagle on the bed and tied down, I nodded. “Uh huh.”
I had never had anal sex, or even tried any butt stuff before. It just didn’t excite me. Why would a guy want to fuck a girl’s ass when she had a perfectly good vagina?
But as Max slid a well-lubricated object—a butt plug?—into my ass, I began to see what all the fuss was about. The object pressed inside me, pushing against the walls of my pussy from the other side. Combined with Max’s thick cock inside me, it was a duet of sensation that mixed perfectly and left me feeling weak.
“Oh my God,” I moaned. “That feels so good…”
Max pushed the object deeper into my ass. The pressure on my inner walls increased. “You’re taking it like a champ.”
“More,” I whispered. “I can take more, give me more…”
He pushed and pushed the object until it completely filled my ass. It must have been a butt plug, because the end tapered down and then I felt a flat end remain outside of me. Max let go of it and lowered himself so that his chest was flat on my back, smothering me like a blanket.
He kissed the back of my neck and began fucking me harder. Like I was his plaything to do with as he pleased. The pressure inside my body was intense, more intense than anything I had ever felt, but it was right on the border of what I could take. Soon I was moaning loudly, and then Max sped up and fucked me harder and harder, like he had been holding back prior to that. With the object deep inside my ass, we both came together in a frenzy of spasms and cries.
Max planted kisses all over my body and cuddled with me after, then began untying the handkerchiefs. “You’ll want to be careful as you remove that,” he explained. “Do it slowly.”
“Oh really?” I said dryly. “I thought I could just grab it and rip it out.”
I felt like a duck waddling around with this thing in my ass as I excused myself to the bathroom. I explored it with my fingers, then gently pulled it out. It came out easily once I relaxed, and then I held it
up for inspection. It was about the size of a pickle, made of hard, black rubber in the shape of a cone. Small at the tip and wider near the base, like a Christmas tree.
I doubt Santa would approve of this kind of Christmas tree, I thought with a giggle.
I cleaned up and then returned to the bedroom. Max was a beautiful sight, completely comfortable in his nudity and stretched out across the bed like he was being painted.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I’ve never done that before!” I said excitedly.
“I could tell. Thoughts?”
I curled up against his warm body. “It was intense. But… surprisingly good. I was kind of surprised how easily it went in. Isn’t it supposed to hurt?”
Max chuckled. “That’s what lube is for. Plus, going slow. That’s the smallest one I have.”
“You have more of those?”
“Oh yeah. The biggest one is the size of a mason jar.”
“A mason jar!”
“You’re not ready for anything like that,” he said simply.
“Of course I’m not!”
“But maybe next time we’ll try something real. Like my cock.”
I tingled at the thought of that. “We’ll need lots of lube,” I said.
“We have an entire bottle left.”
“But I’d be willing to try it,” I said. “As long as you’re gentle, and go slow.”
He kissed my hair. “I can be gentle if I need to be.”
I giggled. “But I like it when you’re rough, too.”
Max made a noise deep in his throat. “I can tell. Hey, can I ask you something?”
He waited for me to nod.
“Want to come with me to California for my triathlon?”
I sat up in bed. “The one in San Francisco? Escape from Alcatraz?”
“I know it’s only three weeks away,” he added. “And that’s kind of a big step for two people who have sort of been fooling around. But I’d love it if you were there to cheer me on. It would… mean a lot to me.”
The way he was opening up to me, being vulnerable by asking me to come to his race, made my heart swell with happiness. Of course I wanted to go with him.
But I was already going to the race for another reason…
“Things will be crazy because of the store,” I told him. “That race is the weekend before our big sale, and Pacifica’s grand opening.”
The way he winced broke my heart. “I figured it would be a good distraction from all of that. But I totally understand. I shouldn’t have asked.”
I leaned in and kissed him tenderly on the lips. “I’m glad you invited me. Let me think about it?”
“Sure. Just let me know,” he said. “Hey, I hate to be a broken record about food… But do you mind if I order a pizza? I biked fifty miles today. It feels like my stomach is trying to chew its way out of my body.”
“Today’s my cheat day,” I told him. “Pizza sounds great.”
“I’ve already filled two of your holes,” he grinned. “It’s only fair that I fill the third.”
I smacked him on the ass as he got up to order pizza.
29
Katherine
The final week of March started off with a bang. Brody came down with a stomach bug and had to miss two days at the gym. I took full advantage of his setback and finally gained some ground, coming within a few hours of activity of his score.
25-29 AGE GROUP
BRODY F:_____19,828
KATHERINE D: 19,804
I didn’t even pay attention to the rest of the people in our age group. They were too far behind to catch us. Heading into the finish line of the quarterly contest, it was a two-person race.
Brody returned to the gym with a vengeance. Even though I was spending five or six hours a day at RMF, he managed to keep his lead. Every morning when I arrived at the gym, he was barely ahead of me. Trying to catch him felt like a Sisyphean task. As soon as I pushed the boulder to the top of the hill, it rolled back down and I had to start over again.
Outside, the weather was improving. I would have loved to go for a run outside where the air was fresh. But as long as the contest was going on, I didn’t dare waste any exercise in a manner that didn’t earn me points. I could start running outside after I won the contest and my name was on the wall.
It was a good thing the quarter was ending, because I didn’t think I could keep up this pace. Especially while spending the rest of my free time at the store, preparing to counter Pacifica’s grand opening.
I hopped out of bed on the last day of March like it was Christmas morning. I packed my gym bag with three pairs of workout clothes—I had a closet full of them by now. I ate a breakfast of oatmeal and scrambled eggs, then made sure my water bottle was clean. It was going to get a lot of use today. Paul was covering the store all day, so I could focus on the contest. I was going to stay at RMF all day if I had to.
When I arrived at the gym, Finn was waiting for me. “Finn? Since when do you come in at four in the morning?”
He grinned. “We have a special announcement. Come on—Brody is already waiting.”
“Brody is here?” I groaned. “I was hoping to get a head-start on him today.”
“He had the same plan.”
Finn led me into the main cardio room where a small cluster of people were chatting. Brody saw me and glared playfully. I stuck my tongue out at him in return. Neither of us was getting a one-up on the other today.
A tall man in the center of the group waved when he saw me.
“Good, you’re here, Katherine. Now I won’t have to make this announcement twice.” He raised his voice. “Good morning, everyone! You are all of our age group leaders for the quarterly contest. Some of you have insurmountable leads going into the final day, but there are some close races, too. I’m sure it’s going to be an exciting day.
“First, I wanted to announce the grand prize: the winner of each age group will receive a free year of platinum membership to Rocky Mountain Fitness! For those of you who are already platinum members, this year will be tacked onto your existing membership. And if you aren’t already a platinum member, then your membership will be immediately upgraded. Hopefully this gives you some extra motivation to crush it today!”
Finn elbowed me in the ribs. “Here comes the important part.”
“The other thing I wanted to announce,” the manager said, “was that for today only, all points are doubled. So get out there any crush it, you guys!”
Everyone began dispersing to their preferred machines. “Double points?” I said.
Finn nodded. “Sure, that may help Brody as much as it helps you, but it makes it easier for you to close the distance on him today. How do you feel?’
I bounced lightly from one foot to the other. “Like I’m ready to get in a boxing ring and beat someone up.”
“That’s the spirit!” Finn stuck out his hand and gave me a high-five so hard that my palm actually stung after.
Brody came over to me and stuck out his hand. “May the best platinum member win.”
I shook it. “In other words, I should start practicing my victory speech.”
“If that distracts you from exercise, then by all means. See you later tonight.”
He jogged off.
Finn put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “I’ll be here all day if you need anything. Massages, nutrition, cryo boots. Just let me know.”
I narrowed my eyes. “The last thing I need is one of your massages.”
“I meant a normal massage! Today is all business. We can celebrate tomorrow.” He pumped a fist. “You’ve come farther in the past three months than anyone I’ve ever seen. Go get him, Kat. I believe in you.”
I went to the locker room feeling eager and confident.
The first thing I had planned was swimming. Thanks to Max’s help, my freestyle form had improved to the point that I glided through the water like a dolphin. I still wasn’t fast by any stretch of the imagination, but I was
a lot more efficient. And efficiency meant I could swim longer.
To my dismay, I found Brody already in the pool swimming laps. On the wall, his score was steadily increasing.
“Son of a bitch,” I said.
As if he had heard me, Brody paused when he reached the side of the pool closest to me. “Ha ha!” he teased, before pushing off again.
It took all of my willpower not to jump in the pool and immediately start swimming. I forced myself to stretch first, spinning my arms in a circle and then swinging each leg back and forth in a long arc.
When I started swimming, I told myself not to look at the points on the wall. It would only discourage me. But every time I paused to get a drink of water, my eyes drifted up automatically.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint, I told myself.
I swam sixteen hundred meters of freestyle, then switched to breaststroke. With the easy frog-kicks it felt like I could swim breast all day long. But the points weren’t worth as much as a tougher stroke, like freestyle or butterfly.
I started fantasizing about ways to distract Brody. Most of them weren’t realistic, especially since an older woman had walked into the pool room and was now soaking in the hot tub. But there was one trick that stuck out as plausible, especially thanks to the old woman’s presence. So, when Brody stopped at the end of the pool to take a drink, I ducked under the water and glided toward him. His lower half was visible in the warm water, including his tight little Speedo. He was facing away from me, and his cute little butt was perfectly on display. But as sexy as he looked, I had other plans in mind.
Before he could react, I yanked down his Speedo. He began kicking, which allowed me to slip them off his feet and then swim away.
“Hey!” he shouted when I came up for air. “What are you doing!”
I balled up his Speedo and tossed it toward the door. It landed wetly on the tile. “Gaining an advantage.”
I giggled to myself and resumed swimming. Out of the corner of my eye I watched Brody walk to the edge of the pool and try to reach out to grab his Speedo without leaving the safe confines of the pool.
