By: Unknown Author & Ryan Michaels
I punched in my security access
code at the door to the company gym and pulled the handle as the buzzer
signaled the ok to enter.
The gym had been open for a year
now, and I started using it regularly about six months ago to try to reduce the
stress levels induced by a fast-paced Information Systems career. I had made it
a priority to get down there three days a week, and I was really feeling the
benefits of a good hard workout at the end of a long - and usually hectic -
day.
It was about 6:30 pm and I could
hear the music pounding from the big blaster in the corner of the room. I
looked around to see who else was there and saw one other guy already on the
Stairmaster working up a sweat.
He looked up and gave a nod hello
as I headed for a warm-up on the bike. I nodded back and set the timer on the
bike for five minutes. Josh Somebody-or-another was his name, I recalled. We
had chatted amicably on the few occasions where we had seen one another here in
the evening. Most of the employees who used the gym used it in the mornings
before work, but he, like me, seemed to prefer to use the stress of the day to
keep the ‘edge’ on his workout.
He had brought a great mixtape
with him, and I found myself enjoying the music as I relaxed into a rhythm on
the bike. The five minutes passed quickly, and I walked over in front of the
wall-to-wall mirrors for a nice languid stretch.
Josh had finished his time on the
Stairmaster and walked over to the mat area where I was now standing,
stretching my quads.
"Ethan, right?" he
commented pulling up beside me.
"Yup, and you’re Josh?"
I commented.
"Yes. Ready for a good
session?" he asked assuming a similar pose with his leg distended behind
him.
"Yeah, shitty day today,"
I lamented. "Lots of crap happening on the system."
"I know! I was bounced on
and off the network today for the whole morning," he laughed. "Geez,
you guys in I.S. sure make it hard for a guy to stay connected to the internet!
How the hell do you expect us guys in the plant to search for porn when you
keep bouncing us off?" he joked.
I chuckled at his comment and
looked out the corner of my eye as he bent over to touch his toes. "Hmm… nice
body. Nice arms. Nice pecs. Hard ass. Strong legs."
Where the hell did THAT come
from?
I thought. Oh well - I’ve always admired the human form and this guy was a good
sample of how I wanted to look by the end of the year.
"Hey! I’d like to use some
free weights today instead of the Universal. Seeing as how you’re here, would
you spot for me?" he asked as he headed for the rack.
"Sure. No problem."
We took turns spotting and
encouraging one another and bantered back and forth a little as we did our
thing. We increased the weights each round, and we had both worked up a decent
sweat within the half-hour. We then moved on to some dumbbell routines and
decided to finish up on the treadmill.
As we got the treadmills going,
he reached up and pulled his t-shirt up to wipe his very sweaty face. I couldn’t
help but notice a very nicely detailed set of abs, and a totally smooth chest. I
set the timer for twenty minutes and got into a good trot. Once again, we
chatted about the company, our offices, and careers - the usual idle chat that
you get into while you’re jogging on a mechanical device at the office gym.
The timer on the tortuous machine
dinged and I staggered off to the mats to stretch out once more before hitting
the showers and heading home. Josh pulled up beside me – sopping wet now - and
proceeded to do the same. We laughed about the sweat we were dripping all over
the mats.
"Wow, you’re a slave driver!
My wife is usually the only one who can get me this hot and wet." Then he
laughed as he looked over at the locked door and said, "With the two of us
in here panting and grunting and groaning, if anyone passed by the door, they'd
probably think we were getting it on in here."
The thought of what he was saying
had an immediate effect on my crotch, as I chuckled and said, "Yeah, it
certainly did sound like it," and then began concentrating my efforts on
trying to put my overactive imagination into check when I noticed in the mirror
that the front of his shorts had a bit of a tent there as well. I quickly stole
another glance, and when I looked up, he was also looking at my reflection in
the mirror. Our eyes met for an electric moment, and then we both glanced away.
"Well, I’m hitting the
showers," he said as he straightened up.
"Yeah, me too," I said, and followed him out the door to the shower area.