by Megan Flint
Whatever dislike she felt towards Vanessa was between them. Hearing her exclaim “THAT was Trixie?!” meant she was privy to more than just business conversation with Erik. Had she picked up the broken pieces of post-Trixie Erik when he was researching her orgasm? Had Vanessa counseled him to move on, presumably into her arms? All conjecture pointed to yes.
What stuck in her craw was that Vanessa had clearly formed an opinion about her before they ever met. Sure, it was one thing to choose the side of your friend, but Vanessa seemed to pointedly look down at her, like she wasn’t worthy of a man like Erik, regardless of whether she actually wanted him or not.
Trixie unclenched her fists, not even realizing that she had been making them in the first place. Was she getting carried away with herself? She was making some pretty big assumptions, but they felt accurate.
It didn’t help that the only other women she interacted with from Bare All Fitness had made a crack about her being a porn star. Their opinions didn’t bother her in the least, but they did offer a larger glimpse into the kind of women who surrounded Erik. A class that Vanessa also taught. He deserved more than that. Whether Erik deserved what she had to offer was still unknown, but Trixie felt like she needed to see it through, even it that meant battling uber-camel toe Vanessa to see who had the higher threshold for pain.
The Bare All Boot Camp turned out to be an even bigger deal than Trixie first thought. They advertised as a weekend retreat, but in the city. You showed up Friday night, checked in to a five star hotel, three floors of which were completely closed off, and everybody exercised in a convention room, which was similarly protected behind lock and key. There was a three hour regimen early Saturday morning, followed by controlled meals and unlimited spa treatments. The evenings were your own and check out was Sunday morning.
Mortified at the way Vanessa behaved, Erik made the entire weekend complementary to Trixie. She offered to pay, but he refused to take her money, waving every cost if she decided to attend. They had interacted across e-mail and instant messaging all week, during which he dispelled all of her playful concerns that she was joining a cult.
The unisex philosophy applied to the retreat as well. You always had the privacy of your own room, but the idea Erik and Vanessa encouraged was that nobody should feel ashamed of their body. If you ended up stripping down to nothing during the workouts, that was your prerogative and nobody would bat an eyelash.
The retreat was an invite only affair. The boot camp was run irregularly, whenever enough people passed their screening process, so that they never made compromises by simply accepting whoever could pay. They only wanted people who were serious about fitness and weren’t there to gawk.
It couldn’t be that selective a process, Trixie thought, when she spotted the two fitness bitches wandering the hallways together. She decided not to judge everybody based on their behavior alone. To that end, she suspected that Erik muscled her invitation into the retreat, although Vanessa had said that she was looking forward to her attendance, but doubted she would come. Surprise. Trixie rarely backed down when challenged.
Erik and Vanessa received her graciously when everybody checked in Friday night. He did his best to be professional, but she could feel his eyes looking through her clothes. His stares were not unwelcome. Vanessa had either completely switched personalities or was extremely good at hiding her distain. She was dressed much more modesty than their first meeting, but still wore sheer clothing that accentuated every muscle in her implacably hard body.
Vanessa acknowledged their last meeting, hoped they could put it behind them, and start fresh. Trixie played along for now, but didn’t completely lower her guard. It could simply be a show for Erik and the other students. All that mattered was how she behaved when they were alone.
That opportunity came sooner than she expected. Trixie was just beginning to settle in when there was a knock at her door. Looking through the spy hole, she could see Vanessa standing outside.
Trixie swung the door open to find her much as they first met, now changed into her sports bra and tight pants. Her whole body rippled with muscle. Vanessa didn’t have the physique of a body-builder, but she did have broad shoulders and strong arms. Her face remained feminine, even pretty, but her breasts were smaller than Trixie’s, and bulged with muscle, no doubt reduced to that size by exercise. And of course, there was the camel-toe, displayed proudly for all to see. She may as well have shown up naked. As it was, Vanessa was dressed for battle.
Trixie decided to play it cool and let her break the silence. She had come knocking after all.
“Am I catching you at a bad time?” Vanessa finally asked.
“Not at all. Do you need my help with anything?”
Trixie knew very well that she didn’t want her help in any capacity, but Vanessa bit her tongue instead of saying so. She was on good behavior for some reason, but it wasn’t coming naturally.
“No, thank you, but could we have a moment, in private?”
Trixie stood back and held her arm out to the suite, inviting Vanessa inside. She was curious to see where this would go. Trixie closed the door once Vanessa stepped inside, who started talking directly.
“I was hoping we could talk about Erik.”
“If you like. Would you like to sit down?” Trixie said, gesturing to a pair of chairs and a coffee table.
“No, this won’t take long. Erik means a lot to me. He’s my business partner, but I care about him too. He’s also a friend. A close friend. I was there for him when he went through a rough patch… after dating you.”
Trixie bet she had. Generally speaking, guys were easy pickings, but a recently shot down guy who was low hanging fruit. Whether they realized it or not, their egos need a pick me up. Nothing accomplishes that more than a willing twist in which to forget about their past sorrows. Women weren’t much different in her opinion.
“Erik and I got to know each really well during that time. I feel like we formed a bond that brought us closer as people, if not a couple. I’ve invested a lot of myself into that relationship. I hope you can understand that.”
Trixie nodded. There was no harm in being understanding.
“I know Erik invited you to be here,” Vanessa continued, “and he insisted that I make you feel welcome, so I am. At least, that’s my intention, which is why this is hard for me say…”
Vanessa was double talking, and not by choice. Erik must have really given her a piece of his mind. Any respect she was affording her now wasn’t genuine and all this beating around the bush was contrived to the point of grating. Trixie decided to let her off the hook.
“Just say what you mean Vanessa. It’s only us here. I won’t tell on you.”
Vanessa’s eyes flared a little. The venom that Trixie correctly guessed hadn’t gone far returned.
“Back off Erik.”
That was more like it. She would much rather deal with Vanessa on the surface, without the veneer of politeness.
“I can’t promise that,” Trixie said, standing her ground.
“You had your chance with Erik. You threw him away,” she said, actually pointing at her with an accusing finger.
“And you had your chance picking up the pieces. But after all that time, you still can’t even call him your boyfriend, can you?”
“I make him happy,” Vanessa said defensively.
“He seemed pretty happy with me last weekend in the shower.”
Vanessa stood up straight. She was at least one-half a foot taller than Trixie.
“I’m more his size,” Vanessa said proudly.
Trixie raised a ginger eyebrow up at the woman. What was this, high school? Would they compare bra sizes next? If they did, Vanessa would lose. Instead, Trixie decided to bait the woman.
“You’re more his size? Really? Length and width?” she said, pointing at Vanessa’s all too visible loins.
Her mouth dropped open.
“How dare you!”
“Oh come on Vanessa, the
way you parade that shaved squirrel around constantly I could describe every one of your folds to a sketch artist. It’s like a black hole for my eyes.”
“I… I can take Erik… just fine,” Vanessa stuttered.
That answered both of Trixie’s questions.
“You’ve been Erik’s friend with benefits, at best. That’s after almost a year of trying for more. If anything was going to happen between you and him, besides the occasional hook up, it would have already. So no Vanessa, I will not back off Erik simply because you command it,” she said calmly.
Trixie crossed her arms and stared up at Vanessa. She hadn’t decided whether or not she would revisit Erik during this retreat, but that was her business. It would not to be dictated to her by a body-obsessed peroxide-blonde used to getting her way.
“He fell apart after you dumped him,” Vanessa countered, “I put him back together. He’s mine now. And I have more in common with Erik than you do. We don’t just share a business together, we think the same way. We have the same uncompromising discipline. All you can offer him that I can’t is a spacious cunt. I can already guess at how it got that way!”
Okay, she deserved that. Still, Vanessa could throw all the stones she liked. Trixie was immune to them, but she wouldn’t be kind now. She menaced towards Vanessa, who reflexively stepped back.
“You’d be surprised how much that means to a man like Erik. Do you have any idea what he really needs? He walks on eggshells around a woman’s body. I’m guessing that’s your fault. He wasn’t like that when I knew him. He could cut loose and really enjoy himself. I managed to undo all of your damage in one afternoon, and I did it all with my spacious cunt.”
“He… cuts loose with me,” Vanessa said, not really knowing what she was talking about. Trixie put the lie to her statement.
”If you weren’t so obsessed with having such a tight snatch, you’d be surprised what a little juice means to a man like him.”
Trixie was a Harridan, and more than just in family name, especially when provoked. Vanessa was stunned. Trixie went in for the kill.
“Yes, I did discard Erik, but I’m also big enough to admit when I made a mistake, to his face. My apology was well received. Very well received in fact. A little softness can make a world of difference to a hard man like him. Let’s just say that he was most forthcoming. Does the discipline you and Erik share keep him warm at night? Does it help him relax when he’s tired? How about when you do spread that tight little package for him? Do you at least welcome his come on your body when he can’t fit inside you?”
She assumed that Vanessa was the kind of girl who didn’t celebrate sex, or the mess that it made. More often than not, discipline meant uptight. Vanessa was predictably stymied by her rhetorical questions.
Vanessa’s face turned red with anger. “I do all of that and more. And I can do it better than you can!”
Trixie was fed up with this woman. She needed to defuse the situation before Vanessa started swinging. Underneath it all, she seemed like the brawling type.
“Okay Vanessa, prove it, tomorrow, assuming you actually do the work with everybody else instead of just barking orders at them. Until then, I think you should leave.”
“Gladly.”
Trixie opened the door of her suite and found the two fitness bitches from class, standing there like deer in headlights, eavesdropping.
Trixie turned back to Vanessa. “Your entourage? Why am I not surprised.”
Vanessa stormed out of the suite. The women parted to make way for her exit, shot ineffectually dirty looks at Trixie, and then quickly followed behind their alpha female. Trixie couldn’t help but laugh before closing the door on them all. When would people realize that she wasn’t cowed by juvenile behavior in adult women? Maybe they had a clue now, but as Vanessa had said, she wasn’t getting her hopes up.
6. Ground Zero
Trixie went to bed early and got a good night’s rest. The boot camp started early and there would be a wake up call whether it was desired or not. She wanted to be ready before that knock came in case it was Vanessa again.
It wasn’t. Trixie opened the door to find a shirtless Erik standing there in all of his monumental splendor. If she invited him inside, he’d have to duck through the doorway, which was an instant turn on for Trixie. She wanted to pull him down on top of her and take their time with each other, but that wasn’t possible. He was the master of ceremonies so to speak.
“You look ready to go,” Erik said smiling.
“Just give me a second and I will be,” she
Trixie stooped to tie her shoelaces.
“Is everything alright?” he asked.
She looked up at him, a little perplexed. “Of course. Shouldn’t it be?”
“It’s just that you weren’t at dinner last night. You could have met everybody.”
“Oh, well thanks for noticing, but I wasn’t hungry.”
Erik cocked his head, a little doubtful of her reason. “I heard that Vanessa came by to talk. Did she say anything rude? If she did, I’ll speak to her about it.”
“Not at all. I just wanted to make sure my body was rested enough to handle anything you throw at me today.”
“Okay, if that’s all it was, " he said, only half-satified with her excuse. "Mind if I walk you there?”
“By all means.”
Erik could be so formal, but Trixie didn’t mind a little old fashioned in her men. He escorted them to a large convention room where everybody was already waiting. Exercise mats were provided, along with hand weights and electrolyte beverages, but the room was also filled with an arsenal of exercise equipment.
In addition to the usual fitness gear, like kettle bells, medicine balls, and skipping rope, there were sledge hammers, thick tossing ropes, and treaded tires the diameter of her height. That was just the small equipment. There were also larger standing pieces, like hand-over-hand bars, pull up bars, and parallel bars.
Trixie was familiar with all of the equipment, but couldn’t say she had used them all. Vanessa bounced over to where they were standing, chipper and smiling, continually hopping up and down in one place.
“Everybody’s ready when you are Erik.”
She handed him a microphone headset.
“Great, thanks Vanessa, I’ll be there in a moment.”
She continued bouncing in place while looking at Erik, then at Trixie, then back at Erik. He raised his eyebrows, twisted his mouth, and waited for her to get the point.
“Okay, I’ll make sure all the stations are ready.”
“Please,” he said.
Vanessa bounded away. Erik turned back to Trixie.
“We didn’t get a chance to talk yesterday, but I’m really glad you came.”
“I could hardly resist, especially after how my last class ended,” she said, flirting again.
Erik grinned in the transparent way she liked.
“I’m going to be all over the place for the next few hours, but wait for me afterwards, okay?”
“I’ll do that, but I don’t expect my body will want to move much after this.”
“I’m sure you’ll do great,” he smiled.
Vanessa chose that moment to start blaring music, boring a stare at Erik from across the room.
“I’ve been summoned. The taskmistress likes to be punctual.”
He turned on the microphone headset and ran off to stand in front of the class.
Trixie looked for an available spot, but there was only one, beside Vanessa in front of Erik. She had apparently saved a place.
“How thoughtful of you to hold me a spot for me,” she said, approaching Vanessa.
“I hope you got enough sleep last night.”
“Like a stone,” Trixie said.
“Good. I don’t want to hear any excuses when I beat you in front of Erik.”
“Oh, I don’t think there’s any danger of that. I’d be happy in your shoes if you can simply keep up with me,” she answered with a smile.
Hearing their exchange, Erik launched into the class immediately.
“I’m happy to see you all made it,” he said, his voice booming through amplified speakers. “None of you are strangers to my workout, but some of you are new to boot camp. The next three hours are going to push your limits, but then you wouldn’t be here if it didn’t.”
Erik started much as Trixie expected, with warm up exercises, but those quickly gave way to more intense cardiovascular workouts, emphasizing the arms, legs and core muscles. She wanted to pace herself, but that wasn’t going to be possible with Vanessa at her side. There would be a short rest before the next hour started, but not a meaningful one.
Vanessa frequently looked over at her technique. This was the first chance to size up her competition, but Trixie had spent the intervening week building stamina and strength both before and after work. Her form and posture were flawless.
Erik asked if he could come over twice during that time, but she politely rebuffed him on both occasions. Not because she didn’t relish the idea of his company, and what would inevitably follow, but rather to conserve her energy for training. Erik could either wait for her affections or turn to Vanessa if he liked.
Much as Trixie liked sex, she also didn’t like to lose. This contest had remained forefront on her mind all week. Vanessa had made the stakes all about Erik, but that was her mistake. Trixie wasn’t competing for his affections. She was competing to be the last girl standing.
Like everybody else in the class, Trixie got through the first hour without much difficulty. Her muscles ached, but she had conditioned them for this weekend. She was still well within her physical stamina. Vanessa emerged with ample energy to spare as well.
Trixie turned and scanned the convention room. The fitness bitches were already wheezing for air, and more than a few students had begun stripping down, presumably during the exercises.
