Gym Buddies with Benefits

Thank you to ftw752, jsragmanus, and LaRascasse for their generous help.

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CHAPTER 1: A LIFTING BUDDY

Slam! Carly lost her grip on the lat pull-down bar. The bar went flying up, causing the weights she was lifting to slam into the stack of weights below. The resulting clang reverberated throughout the gym, turning Carly's cheeks a becoming shade of crimson.

She had done yoga for years but had started weight training a couple weeks earlier when her doctor pointed out that, at 48, she was losing muscle mass and bone density. His words were one more reminder that she was approaching 50. Even though people told her she looked 15 years younger, she didn't want to feel 15 years younger; she wanted to be 15 years younger. And she didn't want to be the older woman married to a handsome, successful man who slept with another woman every week, when his job took him out of Denver. She wanted to be the single woman who could find a man smitten with her the way Michael used to be.

She didn't know what she was doing in the weight room. She had hired a trainer, but he was more focused on her ass than her muscles. After that, she was too embarrassed and stubborn to ask for help.

Seth had noticed Carly weeks earlier when she went to and from the yoga studio. She had the beautiful, toned body of a regular yoga practitioner and the pretty face of a woman who was content in her life. With long, dark, wavy hair and a casual way of dressing in yoga pants and tank tops that showed off her slim figure, she caught the eye of every guy in the gym. She also wore a wedding ring, a giant diamond that had "Taken" etched across it.

Like every other red-blooded man in the gym, he became preoccupied when she ventured into the weight room. It was clear she had no idea what she was doing, but no one wanted to be the asshole who tried to educate her. So they kept an eye on her to make sure she didn't hurt herself.

But the day the lat pull-down went flying out of her hands was excuse enough for Seth to approach her.

"Hi, I'm Seth."

Carly looked up to see the tall, handsome young man smiling down at her. Her face turned red with embarrassment. "I'm Carly."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you're on the short side."

Carly laughed. "Yeah, I'd call 4'11" short."

Wow, she was tiny. Seth had a thing for short women, and she was striking all the right chords. "This machine is built for taller people, but I know a trick you can use to adapt it to your body size."

"Really?"

Seth showed her how to make the machine work for her, and she was beaming. "Thanks so much. I feel like less of a bumbling fool on this now. Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve?"

"Sure, any particular body part you want to work?"

"My doctor says I need to work everything, especially my upper body."

"Why don't you train with me a couple times, and I'll show you some basic stuff? Since you're already doing back, today we'll do back and biceps. Tomorrow we'll do shoulders, chest, and triceps. And Friday we'll do legs."

"Are you sure? I don't want to interrupt your work out."

"Not at all. You'll do what I do, at a lighter weight and with a slight change for your size."

"This is sweet of you. Thank you." Carly wasn't blind to the way Seth looked at her. Seth reminded her of Michael 20 years ago, when he was interested in her and made her feel desirable.

Seth and Carly trained the rest of the week, with Carly getting more and more comfortable learning her way around the weight room. After their work out on Friday, Seth wished her a good weekend and said he'd see her on Monday.

"Don't you lift on the weekends?"

"I do, but back home. I'm in Denver for nine months as an IT consultant, so I fly home for the weekends."

Carly felt conflicted that that made her sad. "Oh, you're headed back home. Do you have a girlfriend?" How was this any of her business, she asked herself.

"Nope, no girlfriend."

"It's a funny coincidence that you go home for the weekends. My husband took a job in Seattle, so he's there Monday through Friday, then flies here for the weekends. It's quiet around my house during the week." Why did she add the last part?

"I know how that goes. It's quiet around my corporate apartment during the week."

"Michael complains about that too."

He gave her an inscrutable look. "Carly, I hope you have a good weekend. Enjoy having your husband in town."

***

On the way out the door, Carly bumped into Lan, one of her favorite yoga buddies. Lan was a beautiful, petite Vietnamese woman. People assumed she was shy and reserved because of her size and ethnicity, but Carly knew Lan was anything but.

"Carly, who was that yummy young man you were talking to?"

"Just a guy who's helping me with my new weight regimen."

"I bet he wants to help you with more than that."

Carly blushed. "No, he knows I'm married. Plus he's way too young for me. He's being a nice guy."

"Beefcakes like that are serious about weight training. They don't give up their lifting routines to be 'nice guys' for any woman. He wants in your pants."

Carly turned redder with every word Lan spoke. "Sorry, Lan, I don't think it's like that."

"Good, then you won't be uncomfortable if I invite you and him to have dinner with Mark and me one evening. What's his name?"

"Seth." It struck Carly that Lan had never invited Michael and her to dinner, even though he was her husband.

"Seth. Perfect. Consider this your invitation for any night in the next few weeks that Seth is free. We're busy next week, so we'll have to look at the weeks after that. I'll talk to Seth and get back to you."

"Why don't I ask him? I'm going to be weight training with him every day."

"Because I know how shy you can be. If I leave it up to you, it'll never happen."

Carly rolled her eyes. "OK, let me know what you figure out. See you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, beautiful," Lan said as she left Carly with a parting kiss on the cheek.

CHAPTER 2: YOGA

On Monday, Carly was more excited to see Seth than she should have been. Seth knew what he was doing in the weight room and was patient teaching Carly how to train. He was a big believer in learning from someone or hiring a personal trainer.

"You have to be careful. Some of these weights are heavy, and if you don't use proper form you can hurt yourself."

Carly couldn't agree more. "I can see that."

"And if you do it right you'll be sore the next day. That's your muscles growing."

"No kidding."

"Yeah. It's not like yoga, where you can walk in, do some stretches to some nice soothing music, then go about your day. You have to concentrate when you're weight training and put your body through the paces."

It took Seth a minute to realize that Carly had gone quiet. He had upset her. What had he said? Oh fuck, he insulted her favorite activity in the whole world. How was he going to dig himself out of this one?

"Carly, I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me."

"And ignorant."

"Yes, and ignorant."

"Have you ever done yoga?"

"No, I can't say I have."

"There's a class today at 6:00. It's the most popular class. Why don't you come, then you can say you've done yoga? And then you'll have a basis for your opinion." Carly didn't mention that it was also the hardest yoga class in the gym led by the toughest instructor. Seth was in for a treat.

***

Carly knew Seth wouldn't have his own yoga mat, so she brought him one. Even though she had a collection to choose from, she brought him the pink one with yellow hibiscus flowers. That should boost his masculinity.

While they were waiting for class to begin, Seth sat next to Carly and tried to copy her stretches. She straightened her legs in front of her and leaned all the way over, wrapping her hands around her feet and resting her forehead on her knees. Seth leaned over with his fingertips skimming his shins. Carly popped up into a downward-dog inverted V pose. Normally Seth would admire the shape of her ass pointing straight in the air, but he was too busy hunching over into a half-moon, which looked nothing like Carly's pose.

With every move he made, his joints cracked and popped, his muscles pulled and strained. He didn't realize Carly was doing the easy warm-up moves. The instructor bounded in and Seth got nervous. She had the lithe lines of a yoga professional combined with the strong muscles of a regular weight trainer. She was not for the faint of heart.

She immediately moved into sun salutations, which required multiple toe-touches, something that was challenging since Seth couldn't get lower than his shins. He was relieved when she moved into warrior poses, because those required significant leg and torso strength, but he lacked the balance to hold the poses.

Every time he looked at Carly, her face was serene, and her pose was a mirror image of the instructor's. She had a half-smile on her lips and her face glistened. Seth struggled to hide his grimaces, and he had sweat leaking out of every pore. His yoga mat was wet and slippery every time he moved on it. The instructor brought him a fresh mat—this one was lavender, a slight improvement. She also helped him with the floor stretches, but he wished she would leave him alone to die.

They ended the class with a meditation, which Seth ignored and took as a chance to catch his breath and towel off his sweaty face. When the instructor bid them Namaste, Carly, beaming, turned to Seth. "So, what did you think?"

"Not bad. Pretty good workout."

"Do you want to do it again?"

No, no way in hell did Seth ever want to go near another yoga room, yoga mat, or yoga instructor ever again. "Sure, why not?"

"Great! How about you start coming to this class with me? You'll improve fast."

I've got a better idea—how about I cut off my right arm? "That sounds great."

Carly smiled to herself. Seth and every muscle in his body were going to be miserable tomorrow. Now he'll stop trash-talking yoga.

Seth already was miserable. Oh fuck, what have I gotten myself into?

CHAPTER 3: SMOOTHIES

The week with Seth went by too fast. While Carly should have been enjoying her time with her husband, she spent the weekend thinking about Seth. She showered with her hands between her legs, thinking about Seth's strong upper body and chiseled arms. When Michael made love with her, she imagined the force of Seth's powerful body driving into her. Shocking her husband with her passion, she wrapped her legs around Michael and groaned to his thrusts, dragging her nails down his back. The thought of Seth inside her sent her over the edge, and she came with a passion she hadn't felt in years.

Michael couldn't help but notice. "Babe, that was quite an orgasm."

Hoping Michael couldn't sense the truth, Carly tried to distract him. "Weight training is bringing out a new power in me."

"I like. You should do more of those workouts," he said with a grin.

If only he knew.

***

Monday rolled around, and Carly felt like a schoolgirl looking for her crush. She didn't want to read into things, but it seemed Seth was happy to see her too.

As they were wrapping up biceps, Seth said, "Do you like smoothies?"

"Of course I like smoothies. You're not allowed to do yoga if you don't like smoothies."

He laughed. "I heard of a new smoothie shop downtown. It's gotten great reviews. Want to go check it out with me?"

"As long as they have something green, I'm in."

"If they don't have something green, we'll find a smoothie shop that does. C'mon, I'll drive."

Even though they touched each other in the gym, it felt more intimate to be in the car together. They had a hard time searching for words, aware of the closeness of their breath and their sweaty bodies.

Finally, Carly got her head together enough to ask, "How do you like Denver?" Inane question, she admonished herself.

Grateful she broke the silence, Seth pointed out, "It's gorgeous. I love the mountains and the seasons." Throwing a wink her way, he added, "And the people are pretty great too."

Carly laughed at him. "You can be a terrible flirt. We need to get you a girlfriend."

Seth turned serious. "No, I don't need a girlfriend."

"Oh, come on, a girlfriend would do you good."

"No, a girlfriend is not on my radar."

Carly sensed she touched a nerve. "I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"No problem. Hey, we're there."

***

Seth insisted on paying, and they agreed to swap drinks for a few sips.

Seth had a strawberry-based smoothie, which Carly tried to keep for herself. Seth took one sip of her green machine and gagged. "How do you drink that stuff? That must be why you have such a rockin' body."

"Ha! I wish that were true."

"Carly, are you kidding me? Any guy in our gym would, given half a chance..."

"Stop, I don't want to hear it!" She covered her ears.

"Present company included."

A hot flush crawled up her neck onto her cheeks. "Now I'm embarrassed."

"You shouldn't be. You've worked hard for it. When a guy says you're hot, you should accept it and say, 'thank you.' Because you are." He leaned over and put his arm around her, a touch that could be innocent, or a blatant come-on. It had been so long since Carly had experienced a come-on that she could see it only as innocent.

***

When they got back to the gym, Seth wouldn't leave the topic alone.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I say what's on my mind. And right now, you're on my mind."

Carly didn't know how to handle this.

Seth put his hand on her upper thigh and leaned over until his lips were inches from hers. "If you want me to stop, then you need to tell me now."

"I need you to stop. Seth, there are some big differences between us. I know you don't have a girlfriend, but I'm married. I don't know how old you are, but I'm sure it's a lot younger than me—I'm 48. And you don't even live here. Can we keep this friendship to the gym?"

"You're right. I don't have a girlfriend. And I am younger than you, but not by a lot; I'm 28, which puts me within two decades of you."

She laughed at his reasoning.

He went on. "Assuming we keep this friendship to the gym, which I oppose, does an occasional smoothie count as part of the gym?"

She laughed at his persistence. "Yes."

"How about a salad? Because I know about this great salad place."

"OK, fine, salad counts as gym time."

He put his hand on her arm. "How about sex at my place?"

Carly slapped his hand away and burst out laughing. "Now you're pushing it."

"Can't blame a guy for trying."

CHAPTER 4: SALADS

Carly was complaining that it was getting cold out.

Seth wasn't cold but understood that lots of people got cold after sweating during a work-out. "Why don't you go home, get changed, and I'll come pick you up?"

"You don't need to do that. I can meet you there."

"My mom didn't raise me like that. Give me your address, and I'll come get you."

"Jeez, you can be persistent. And you know what? My husband's the same way, and it was part of what made me fall in love with him. Now he annoys me."

"Uh-oh, I hope I don't annoy you."

"Not at all. I find it charming." She put her address in his phone. "See you at 7:00."

***

Seth's so-called salad restaurant turned out to be a romantic bistro that happened to sell salads, among other things. "How do you find out about these places?"

"I'm new in town. So I read things like the Westword to try to stay on top of what's going on in town—new restaurants, concerts, festivals, whatever. I need someone to do that stuff with me."

Carly got the hint and put her head down in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Carly, I didn't mean to embarrass you. I like hanging out with you. And we both have free time during the week, so why not kill some time together?"

"You understand I'm married?"

"Totally above board. Scout's honor."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Were you ever a boy scout?"

"No."

She laughed and tossed her napkin at him. "You trouble-maker."

***

On the way home, Seth told Carly about an upcoming gala next Saturday night. "The firm I'm doing consultancy work for is throwing a big gala. It's a fancy shindig, with a sit-down dinner, open bars, live entertainment, the works. It's black tie. I'm expected to be there, but I don't want to go alone. Is there any way I can convince you to come with me?"

"Did you forget I have a husband?"

"I thought you could make some excuse for that night."

Carly hesitated to tell Seth the truth, that Michael was gone more and more for a big project, which probably involved another woman. Lately he was home one weekend each month. He would be gone the weekend of the gala. Their world and the IT worlds did not intersect, so she was unlikely to bump into anyone she knew.

She was sick of being home alone, watching old movies and snacking on air-popped popcorn. A fancy event sounded like fun.

"I'll go. But Seth, no funny business. I'm going as your friend."

Seth grinned. "Got it, friend zone. I'll pick you up at 8:00 on Saturday."

Carly shut the door and kicked herself for telling Seth that they were just friends. The fact that she stated the obvious made it clear that she had something more in mind.

CHAPTER 5: THE GALA

When Carly opened the door, Seth took her breath away. He was a handsome man, if not too young for her. His broad shoulders filled out his tuxedo and tapered becomingly to his narrow waist. His chest and arms flexed when he moved, giving depth and dimension to the body within the suit. He had managed to tame his unruly dark hair, making him look more polished than he did in the gym. It was like going on a date with another version of Seth.

He let out a low whistle. Carly had gone with minimal makeup, sedate earrings, and left her hair long. This minimalism was to offset her floor-length emerald green gown with a low neckline that showed off her ample cleavage. It had a slit up the side that revealed her toned legs. She was stunning.

Seth's eyes slid down her body, then up again. He made no effort to hide his appreciation for her appearance. He leaned forward to hold her hand and place a kiss on her cheek, both of which lingered far too long. Carly wasn't wearing underwear, and she felt her hunger pool between her legs and slide down her thighs.

It had been too long since a man had looked at her like that. It had been too long since a man had held her hand the way he did, lingered over a kiss to her cheek the way he did. His affection made her think of all the times he touched her in the gym, always gentle and respectful, but always sending a zing of desire straight between her legs. Seth made her crave things she hadn't craved in years. It was going to be a long night.

The ride to the party was quiet. His knuckles on the steering wheel were white. At one red light, he turned to her and broke the silence. "I know we're in the friend zone, and I respect that, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want you right now."

Carly looked down at her lap. Seth would have been embarrassed of his statement, but the rise and fall of her breast gave her feelings away. She wanted him as much as he wanted her.

Seth reached over and took her hand. "I'm sorry. You're my guest, and I didn't intend to make you uncomfortable."

Carly tried to defuse the situation. "It's OK. We're going to have fun."

***

Carly spent the first half hour looking around, making sure she didn't recognize anyone at the event. Heaven forbid Michael should find out that she had attended an event with another man. Her concern changed once she started drinking.

Carly was petite and unaccustomed to drinking. But she was also nervous, and poured back the champagne. She pushed dinner around on her plate and stuck with the booze. Seth tried to keep her from getting drunk, but she insisted on drinking glass after glass of champagne. She kept her hand on his thigh during dinner and patted his chest when he said something funny. Seth felt a very drunk and handsy Carly coming on, and she thwarted his efforts to keep her sober.