Sharp Curves Ahead

by Allison Hobbs

  Bailee picked the water fitness class. Working out in a pool seemed more pleasant than doing strenuous and complicated dance movements.

  Susan went through the entire daily schedule, which not only included intense workouts, but also lectures on nutrition, cooking demonstrations, and counseling sessions. The grueling day ended each night at eight and, at that time, the women were free to mingle on the patio or hang out in the media/game room.

  Bailee was certain she’d collapse in her bed every night at eight, too drained to socialize with the other women or sit around watching movies or TV.

  Susan looked at her watch and stood. “Lunch starts in ten minutes, so I’ll walk you to the dining hall. Since your day doesn’t officially begin until tomorrow, you can use the downtime to either relax on the beach or at poolside. I advise you to check out some of the activities that you didn’t select, just to get a feel of everything the program offers. Who knows, you might want to switch some things around.”

  The two women walked to the dining hall, and then Susan shook hands with Bailee and wished her well. Aside from the cooking staff, Bailee was alone in the brightly lit room. She took a seat and studied today’s menu, which was a meager meal consisting of a medium-sized salad with raw almonds and a tiny portion of dressing on the side. She was offered a tall glass of water with a lemon wedge floating on top, and also her choice of black coffee or green tea with no sweetener.

  Her stomach growled in protest. Desperately craving a buttery roll to go along with the healthy salad, it sank in that her stay at Gentle Breeze would not be pleasant or easy. It would require a great deal of sacrifice, inner and outer strength, and the ability to withstand starvation.

  After lunch, Bailee went to her room to lie down. Tomorrow would be the beginning of a grueling ordeal, and she figured it was a good idea to relax and luxuriate while she could. She watched a movie on her laptop and then took a leisurely nap. When she awakened, she freshened up and decided to familiarize herself with the facility.

  After checking out the women participating in a variety of classes, it was clear that the clientele at Gentle Breeze all tipped the scale at well over two hundred and fifty pounds. It was refreshing not to be the biggest girl on the premises as she was accustomed to being.

  At her former job at the bank, she’d been surrounded by the stick-figure, size-zero young waifs who held assistant positions. Even the more mature women in upper management didn’t dare carry any extra poundage, and they all appeared to be anorexic, as if they were unwilling to eat more than a few celery stalks per meal. Bailee always felt out of place with her female coworkers and colleagues, but she felt right at home at Gentle Breeze.

  As she continued sightseeing, she was surprised to see a male fitness instructor. She had assumed that the “exclusively female” resort also included the staff.

  Boy, was she wrong. Sitting at poolside, she observed an instructor that looked like the Middle Eastern version of Brad Pitt. He had blond-streaked dark hair, light-brown eyes, and succulent lips. He was too handsome for his own good, distracting the women with his perfectly sculpted body while they tried to concentrate on his command to grip the side of the pool and lift their left leg up and down.

  “You can lift your leg higher than that, Cindy,” he admonished a crimson-cheeked member of the class.

  “I’m trying, Brahim,” Cindy replied, frowning as she strained to get her hefty leg up higher.

  Brahim was a little gruff for Bailee’s taste, and she thought about switching tomorrow’s Aqua Fit class to Zumba. But she had a change of heart when she thought about the high-intensity workout that Zumba required.

  As Brahim barked out orders, he stood in the center of the pool. The sun beamed down and encircled him like he was a bronzed deity, and its rays seemed to highlight every detail of his magnificent physique.

  Deciding that the Florida sun was hot enough without Brahim emitting even more heat, Bailee left the pool area and went for a walk around the landscaped grounds where the shade of tall trees could cool her off.

  Walking along a smooth-paved path, she passed colorful flowerbeds and vibrant green shrubbery. Engulfed by a sense of inner peace, she inhaled the fragrant air and smiled. Coming to Florida was an important step in rebuilding her confidence. She’d given Giselle and Trent far too much headspace, and it was now time to put them out of her mind and reclaim her life.

  Lost in her thoughts as she explored, she’d walked much farther than she’d intended. The violet and tangerine hues of the setting sun glimmered through the lush foliage that lined the walkway on the grounds, reminding her that it would be dinnertime soon. She was already starving from the paltry lunch she’d been served.

  God forbid if she missed dinner and ended up having to go to bed hungry.

  Walking fast, she circled back, and was breathing heavily as she lumbered up a steep incline she hadn’t counted on. Somehow, she’d taken a wrong turn and had ended up at the back of the building instead of the front entrance. Afraid that the door would be locked, she sighed with relief when the handle turned easily.

  Finding herself in an unfamiliar corridor, she couldn’t figure out how to get back to the main lobby. When she heard voices emanating from a room that was a few feet ahead, she picked up her steps and stopped abruptly when she happened upon a shocking sight.

  Brahim, the instructor of the Aqua Fit class, was standing in the shadowy corridor. Brahim’s back was against the wall with his eyes closed blissfully while Cindy, the rosy-cheeked member of his class, was crouched in front of him, her head bobbing as her lips stretched around his colossal hard-on.

  What the hell? Bailee took off in the opposite direction, speed-walking as her mind swirled with questions. Should she report what she’d seen? Were they two consenting adults or was Brahim abusing his authority and taking advantage of Cindy?

  After giving it some thought, Bailee decided to stay out of it. Cindy was an adult and not a child that needed protection. If low self-esteem had caused Cindy to feast hungrily on her instructor’s dick in a darkened hallway, devouring it like it was a juicy piece of meat, then it would take a lot more than Bailee’s snitching for Cindy to discover her self-worth.

  After a couple of wrong turns, Bailee found herself in the familiar lobby area, and from there, she easily made her way to the dining hall.

  Munching as slowly as possible on turkey breast wrapped in Romaine lettuce leaves, Bailee’s thoughts wandered to the sex act she’d happened upon. Though unethical, it was probably pretty common for the staff and clientele to hook up.

  But Bailee was certain she wouldn’t fall victim to the lure of hooking up with a member of the staff, no matter how intense and spectacular forbidden sex could be.

  As she grew close to finishing the unfulfilling turkey wrap, her stomach still felt empty, and she concluded that it was entirely possible for her to be persuaded to suck a dick in exchange for a big, meaty, fried-oniony, dripping with oil, high-caloric Philly cheesesteak.

  * * *

  On the third day of intense workouts and having to subsist on rabbit food, Bailee was at her wit’s end and stormed into Susan’s office to complain.

  “I’m hungry all the time, I’m weak, my head hurts, and every muscle in my body is sore, as if I’ve been taking severe beatings. I feel like a torture victim at Guantanamo Bay instead of a valued client at an upscale resort. I don’t see one good reason why I should stay in this abusive environment.”

  Susan clasped her fingers and aimed a practiced smile on Bailee. “As you’re aware, the fee is not refundable,” Susan gently reminded her.

  “I don’t give a damn,” Bailee exploded, feeling dangerously close to coming across the desk and slapping the smile off the so-called health specialist’s face.

  Susan drew in a long, patient breath. “It’s perfectly normal for you to feel like bailing on the program. But that’s not the answer. Believe me, you’ll regret it and you’ll be terribly disappointed in yourself if you don’t c
omplete the program.”

  “How do you people expect anyone to get in an effective workout if they’re weak and lightheaded from hunger?” Bailee demanded.

  “You’re getting twelve hundred calories per day.”

  “That’s not enough!” Bailee snapped.

  The rational part of her realized she was behaving like a brat, but starvation and pain were causing her to become unhinged. She’d been having seductive dreams about barbecued spare ribs and she yearned to sink her teeth into a hearty meal.

  “Give it another day or two, and I promise you’ll start feeling fuller after your meals,” Susan assured her.

  Bailee responded by rolling her eyes like a petulant schoolgirl. On her way out of the office, it took all of her self-restraint not to do a clean sweep of everything on Susan’s desk.

  Concluding that she didn’t have the strength to attend Cardio Bootcamp, she went to her room and sulked. After an hour of feeling sorry for herself and debating packing her bags, she finally decided to stick it out. Imagining going home and accidentally bumping into the beautiful couple, Trent and Giselle, prompted her to stop the hysterics and pull herself together.

  Propelled by the desire to morph into the best version of herself that was humanly possible, Bailee rose from the bed and checked her schedule. She’d missed Cardio Bootcamp and was already five minutes late for Butt & Gut class. Maddie, the instructor of the class, didn’t tolerate tardiness. Grabbing her water bottle, Bailee rushed out of her room.

  It was her hope that she’d be able to enter the class as inconspicuously as possible, but when she arrived, she was thrown off by the sight of a carob-complexioned man who was instructing the class instead of Maddie.

  He looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t recall where she’d seen him before.

  Taken off guard by his sexiness, she sucked in a deep gasp that escalated into a bout of coughing. As she quickly guzzled down water, he glanced at her. It was a cursory glance at first, but then his dark gaze locked with hers, and in that moment, time stood still.

  He picked up a clipboard and perused it. “Bailee Evans?”

  When he said her name, her heart jumped so hard, it stole her breath. “Yes, I’m Bailee,” she said, her voice barely audible.

  She cleared her throat and spoke a little louder. “Uh, what happened to Maddie?”

  “She had a family crisis, so I’ll be taking her place for a while. My name’s Hayden Charles. Why don’t you grab a mat and join us, okay?” He pointed to the mats that were stacked against the wall.

  Hayden announced that his abdominal workout was crunch-free and that he’d developed a program that worked the entire core to tighten the tummy.

  Since Maddie had been a merciless, crunch-Nazi, Bailee was pleased to be finished with sit-ups and crunches.

  But it turned out that Hayden’s method of rapid leg lifts and squatting while doing side bends was not easy, either. While the rest of the class groaned in pain as they twisted their waists, touching right elbows down to their left knees, Bailee took a breather and drank in the glorious sight of Hayden.

  A closely-cropped dark beard accentuated a strong jawline. His Mohawk fade haircut featured kinky curls from his forehead down to the nape of his neck, and the diagonal shaved lines that decorated his temples gave him a tribal look that oozed masculinity. Muscles bulged everywhere. Biceps, shoulders, thighs, and she couldn’t help fantasizing about being grasped by his strong hands.

  His eyes flitted over to her. “No slacking off, Bailee,” he said, his silken voice freeing her from the trance she’d been in.

  He walked over to her and knelt down. It made her nervous when he clenched her waist to assist her with the torso twist. The intimacy made her feel awkward. Yet, at the same time, she felt a rush of heat moving through her, causing liquid warmth to moisten her crotch.

  She lowered her gaze, hoping to conceal the smoldering desire in her eyes.

  He resumed a standing position and looked down at her, making sure she was performing the movement correctly. “Good, good,” he praised and then moved on to another member of the class.

  Sweat poured off Bailee, and she wasn’t sure if she was sweating from overexertion or lust. What she did know was that she wouldn’t be leaving Gentle Breeze anytime soon. If she made any changes to her plan, it would be to extend her stay.

  Chapter 21

  Jayla was ready to trade Bailee in for a new best friend—Derek. Derek was a good listener, giving his opinion without sounding the least bit judgmental, and best of all, he’d turned out to be a much better shopping partner than Bailee had ever been.

  Two days before Jayla’s surgery, he’d willingly allowed her to drag him through the mall from one store to the next and didn’t utter a word of complaint when he discovered what she was actually shopping for.

  She’d given him the impression that she needed essential items, like a new robe, bedroom slippers, and nightgowns to wear during her convalescence, but when she meandered into Victoria’s Secret and began browsing through sexy lingerie that she couldn’t possibly fit, Derek was instantly supportive.

  He dove right in, helping to pick out pieces he thought would look good on her when she slimmed down.

  Like two best buds with similar taste, they mocked ugly lingerie that had no business being in the store and they gave each other high-fives whenever Jayla found something fabulous that was on sale.

  “The food court is calling me. Wanna get something to eat? My treat, of course,” she added, realizing that Derek’s funds were limited.

  “You don’t have to ask me twice about food,” Derek responded, relieving Jayla of all the bags she’d accumulated.

  “Are you gonna carry all the bags?” she asked, pleasantly surprised.

  “Of course; it’s the least I can do.”

  As they made their way toward the food court, Jayla noticed several different women giving Derek the eye, but he was oblivious to their attention.

  “The food court sure has changed in the last ten years. So many options,” he commented.

  “What are you in the mood for—Chinese, pizza, Subway, Chick-fil-A?” Jayla asked.

  “I’ll have whatever you’re getting.”

  “Since this is the last time I get to pig-out, I want a large pizza and Chinese food.”

  “I’ll have pizza. Thanks for treating me,” Derek said.

  “You’re welcome. To save time, why don’t you order our pizzas while I stand in line for my Chinese food?”

  “Um, uh, I can’t do it,” Derek stammered.

  “Why not?”

  “I feel self-conscious about ordering food.”

  “What?” Jayla gave him a puzzled look.

  “It’s stupid, but… The day I got out of prison, while I was on my way to your mom’s house, I stopped at Wawa to get something to eat. I told the dude behind the counter what I wanted and he looked at me like I was crazy. He told me I had to place my order on the touchscreen.” Derek shook his head woefully. “Man, I was so embarrassed and flustered, I just walked out the store.”

  “Why’d you walk out?”

  “I don’t know shit about a touchscreen, Jayla. I’ve been locked up for a long time.”

  “Oh, I get it. Okay, well, you don’t need a touchscreen here. Just ask for the pizzas.”

  “I’d rather not. I need you to order for me. Certain things about being out in public make me feel panicked. I don’t feel like I’m socialized yet.”

  “No problem, Derek,” Jayla said, patting his arm consolingly.

  Derek made two trips to their table, insisting upon carrying all the food and the drinks while Jayla sat at the table with the shopping bags.

  As Derek set the pizza boxes down, Jayla noticed female passersby, once again, checking him out.

  “You got these women losing their minds over your fine self,” she said as Derek fussed over her, placing napkins in front of her and putting a straw in her soda.

  As he sipped orange so
da, he glanced around at his admirers and shrugged indifferently.

  “Would you do me a favor?” Jayla asked.

  “Anything. Well, almost anything, as long as it doesn’t involve ordering food,” he replied, laughing.

  “Would you kiss me?” she asked with a pleading look in her eyes.

  He frowned in confusion. “Why?”

  “None of my so-called boyfriends ever treated me like I was special whenever we were out in public. To be honest, they never acted like we were together. I never experienced any public displays of affection. I want to know what it’s like.”

  “Never?”

  “Nope. No hand-holding, no arms around me, and no kissing in pubic. That’s the way it’s always been, and I accepted it,” she confessed solemnly.

  Derek’s features softened in understanding and he leaned across the small table and kissed Jayla on the lips, running his fingers through her hair for good measure.

  “Your next man is going to put you on a pedestal, and he’s going to shower you with plenty of PDA.”

  “I hope so.”

  “He better or I’ma whip his ass.”

  Jayla smiled.

  “I’m serious,” Derek said as he used the corner of a napkin to wipe pizza sauce off the corner of Jayla’s mouth.

  Jayla finished all her food, but Derek managed to eat only one slice of pizza before the large crowd of people sitting close by in the food court became too much for him.

  “Are you ready to leave?” Jayla inquired, noticing his anxiety.

  He nodded and began gathering the bags. Big and strong, Derek held the pizza box in his arm, clenched all the shopping bags in his hand and draped his free arm around Jayla, eliciting the envy of female shoppers as he and Jayla strolled like lovers through the mall.

  * * *

  Jayla drove Derek back to Lorraine’s house. She went inside to use the bathroom and discovered that Lorraine was at her church’s evening prayer service.

  Derek brought home his partially eaten box of pizza and immediately flipped the top open and resumed eating.

  Though Jayla wasn’t the least bit hungry, it was a force of habit to check the fridge and freezer. She discovered four containers of Ben & Jerry’s and smiled as she unsealed the plastic from her favorite flavor.