I glance behind me and see Nick and Roly each hand a five-dollar bill to Jean-Pierre Sehene, who smiles at me and winks. For context, I had to stop at the 7-11 to give myself a French bath before the interview because the shower where I’m living was clogged with… something… this morning. And now one of my basketball idols is winking at me. So, yeah. That happened.
Turning back to Morris, I open the door for him. “All right, old man. I need your address. Something tells me I owe you some mowed grass.”
Morris digs around in his sweater pocket and fishes out a card. “The cell phone on that is good. Call me—don’t text me like some unsocialized asshole who can’t hold a conversation—and we’ll set up a time. Good luck, kid.”
I turn to the three men, and Roly nods his head, impressed. “Pete, if you can be here tomorrow, I’d like to have you show him the ropes, along with the menu of exercises we recommend for the different injuries we see here. Sound good?”
Jean-Pierre-Fucking-Sehene, whose friends call him “Pete,” smiles and says, “Yeah, I can make that work. Scout and I were working on some ideas together. Mind if she tags along?”
Jean-Pierre-Fucking-Sehene and Roly look at me expectantly.
“You’re asking me?”
Roly answers, “Yeah, my cousin is super cool, and I think it’s good to get a woman’s perspective on fitness.”
“Wait, isn’t your last name Martinez?”
“Yeah.”
“So, you mean Scout as in Scout Martinez? Of the Stars? She’s your cousin?”
“Uh, yeah. And his sister,” he says, gesturing a thumb in Nick’s direction. “Mind if she tags along tomorrow?”
I feel like my brain is about to short out. “Do I mind if Jean-Pierre Sehene and Scout Martinez train me tomorrow? Yeah, no. I’m fine with that,” I say, putting my hands on my head. What is this life? Seriously. “So, this means I got the job?”
Roly laughs and holds out his hand. “Put her there, brother. Welcome to Wrecked.”
I laugh, too, and smile like the biggest jackass on the planet, stopping just shy of hugging the man. I can’t believe my luck is finally about to change.
The jerk with the stiffest posture in the west startles. “Roly-man… are you sure about this? Let’s not be hasty.”
Oh, come on, Keto Spice. Don’t be like that.
Roly’s eyes ping-pong between Nick and me, and then he says, “Nick, he’s perfect. He’s got a fitness background, so he’ll fit in great with the rest of the staff and volunteers, and he made Morris laugh. I didn’t even know that pendejo viejo could laugh.” Roly faces me and asks, “I’m assuming you can start tomorrow? Or do you need to give notice?”
I lean forward, completely serious. “I can start right now, if you want me to.”
“Excellent. Given your PT background, I think we can bump up your salary a couple extra dollars. I’m assuming that’s okay with you,” he says with a smile.
I shake his hand and just barely keep the tears out of my eyes. Jean-Pierre Sehene ruffles my hair with his enormous paw, and Nick is… statuesque. Whatever. I got the job, and Jean-Pierre Sehene is going to train me with his good buddy Scout Martinez, who I hope is nicer than her ass of a brother. Keto Spice can keep on sucking lemons for all I care.
Nick
Jesus, this kid is damaging my sense of calm. He’s too skinny, his eyes are too big, and what the hell was he wearing? What he wore made no sense, even though it did look nice on him. Who wears a blazer and busted-up kicks to an interview at a gym? Someone a decade younger than you, that’s who.
His light brown hair was unkempt, though I’m a little annoyed that it only upped the appeal. Either way, those brilliant ice-blue eyes against his pale, freckled skin could probably be used against me to give up state secrets, and that thin little body of his would fit right up against mine. He’s slightly malnourished, probably due to a Top Ramen budget, but we’ll fix that pretty quickly. I make a note to put some peanut butter snacks in the kitchen.
I’m still thinking about him as I make my way up to my apartment, accessible as a walk-up outside of the gym. I sit on my bed to unlock and remove my prosthetic, then roll down the silicone sleeve, prosthetic sock, and silicone liner that keep everything in place. Thank fuck it’s not summer anymore; keeping my skin happy is a full-time job in hundred-degree weather. Even though it’s a pain in the ass, I like that I can use the same sleeve setup with either a foot or a blade and can switch between the two with relative ease. Having a famous, multimillionaire sister means that I’m in a state-of-the-art device most servicemembers won’t ever have access to. So, I try not to complain too much as I rub a hand over the aching muscles and the skin reddened by the limb-suctioning device. I grab my shower brace, remove my sweaty clothes, and jump in the hot shower, letting the water pound down on me. I soap myself up, and as I go to clean my wedding tackle, I figure it’s the perfect opportunity to attend to some of the sexual frustration from earlier in the day. I sit on the cold tile bench built into my shower and take myself in hand. The first thing to fill my mind are Elijah’s beautiful pale blue eyes; those would be looking up right at me. Next, I think about that mouth of his. His lips are a pale rose, and just full enough that they’d be beautiful stretched around my cock as I come into his mouth.
Doesn’t take long for me to feel my balls tighten up, and the visual that sends me over the edge is the one of his adorable ass in the air, ready and begging for me. I pick up speed, twisting right under the head of my cock, using the soap bubbles as lube. I come on the thought of pushing past the ring of muscle, claiming him, watching my cum drip out of that tight little hole of his.
So yeah, not exactly thrilled he’s the one Roly chose, and I know it’s my guilt that’s letting him make that decision.
Chapter Three
Nick
To be honest, I’m a little relieved that the kid is late. I know I gave him a hard time yesterday, and while I don’t mind if Roly fucks around with a willing client or volunteer, employees are absolutely off-limits to both of us, and that kid would test me. I’d have to figure out how to maintain my blood pressure around that smart mouth of his, not to mention those piercing blue eyes, which hold a vulnerability that pings the protector instinct in me, a vulnerability I’d be honor-bound to ferret out and fix if I were to spend any more time with him. I’m not proud of the fact that I know exactly which weight bench is at the perfect height to bend him over and put that cute ass right where I want it.
So, yeah, firing him for being late on the first day is best for all involved.
Elijah
I smoked the weed I’d copped from my buddy Baby Paris, a trans sex worker with a side business as a meth dealer. She’s been a good friend these past few months, and I hope that soon I’ll never see her again. The weed was supposed to help me get some sleep, but it only kinda worked. At least I was up on time. I think Nick and Roly are equal owners of the shop, but Nick seems so particular (not to mentioned thrilled at the prospect of me working there), I figured I should just try and show up ten to fifteen minutes early so as not to piss him off.