The Athletic Club

Linda counted the reps in her head. Eight, nine, ten. The muscles in her thighs ached as she forced her legs apart one last time. Of all the machines in the athletic club, this was the one she hated the most. It wasn’t just the pain. She also felt a little self-conscious from the gazes of the passing men as she spread her legs against the weighted force of the leg machine.

She brought her legs together and felt the pain subside. She would do one more set of ten before moving to another piece of equipment, she promised herself.

Linda was a 34-year-old mother of one. She didn’t exercise because she HAD to. At 5’6” and 130 pounds, she was far from overweight. Linda just wanted to lose 5 pounds and get in better shape. The second looks she got from many of the guys at the club assured her she hadn’t yet completely lost her figure.

Plus, it got her out of the house. Her husband could spend one hour of “quality” time with their 8-year-old son. Between her job and her family, Linda could get pretty stressed. Some leg and abdominal exercises in combination with half an hour on the life cycle usually helped.

Linda wiped her face with a small towel. When she lifted it off her face, she noticed a woman climbing onto the leg curl machine next to her.

“That’s a hard one, isn’t it?” the woman said.

“Yeah. I’m getting too old for this,” Linda replied.

The other woman laughed. “Hardly. Anyway, you’re as old as you feel. If you keep yourself in shape, you’ll never get old.” With that, the woman smiled and began lifting a significant amount of weight with her right leg in steady, powerful motions.

Linda took the woman to be maybe 30 or 31. They were about the same height, but this woman had the body definition Linda was seeking. The shoulders and arms were muscular, but not masculine. Her breasts pressed firm against the sports bra. Her stomach and hips and legs were sculptured, but soft at the same time.

“Well, I do plan on getting older,” Linda sighed. “Just not flabbier.”

She started counting again. One, two, three…

Linda didn’t notice the woman watching her complete the last two reps. She buried her head in the towel once more and took a deep breath.

“Good job,” the woman said.

Linda thanked her. She caught herself looking at the woman’s facial features this time--the bright blue eyes, small nose and broad smile. Blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

“That’s enough of that. I’m getting on a bike,” Linda said. She slowly lifted her legs and slid off the machine. “See ya.”

“Bye,” the woman said, before returning to her leg lifts.

Linda sat on the exercise bike, alternating her glance from the TV monitor to the athletic blonde who had moved to the knee lift device. The woman’s legs, locked tightly together, lifted with ease from one side to the other. Her loose shorts rose high up her legs with each lift. Linda looked with envy at the woman’s firm thighs.

Linda looked away. “God. C’mon, Linda. I can’t believe you would actually think like that,” she said to herself. She watched the closed-captioning scroll across the bottom of the TV monitor. When she looked back down, the woman was gone.

Linda completed her half hour on the bike and headed for the shower. Afterwards, she wrapped a towel around her and headed back to her locker. At the end of the same row was the blonde, pulling off her shorts. Linda watched the woman’s bare breasts hang seductively and her round ass point toward the lockers. She felt embarrassed when the woman finally noticed Linda just a few feet away, looking intently at the near perfect naked body.

“Oh, hi,” the woman said. “All done for today?”

“Yeah. Time to go home and crash,” Linda said. She unwrapped the towel nervously and hastily reached for her sweatshirt.

The woman grabbed her own towel and starting walking toward Linda, scanning her with her eyes. Linda pulled the sweatshirt over her head and let it fall to her hips.

“I’ll see you later in the week, maybe,” the woman said.

“Sure.”

Linda watched her head for the showers, her bare ass swaying gracefully.

“I hope so,” Linda said to herself.

Two nights later, Linda was back on the bike, her mind occupied by a sitcom re-run on the TV. She had scanned the exercise area several times, looking for the blonde. But, without success. This was probably good, she told herself. She had thought too much about the woman’s face and body the last two days.

“May I?”

Linda jerked her head around in surprise. The missing blonde was mounting the bike next to her.

“Of course. Hi.” Linda wondered if she sounded as flustered as she felt.

The woman was programming the bike’s computer. Linda envied the expensive looking, matching tank top and shorts outfit the woman wore. Not to mention the way she filled it out.

When she was done, the woman looked across at Linda. “I don’t think I introduced myself before. I’m Beth.”

“Hi, Beth. I’m Linda.”

They exchanged smiles and glanced back up at the TV. “Good thing I don’t come in here for entertainment,” Beth said.

“I know,” Linda replied. “But it takes my mind off the boredom of this bike.”

“Absolutely. I like the individual machines better. They just don’t do the cardiovascular like this does.”

“You been doing this for a long time?” Linda asked.

“A couple years,” Beth said. “Closer I got to thirty the more scared I was that I’d lose it…whatever I had.”

Linda smiled back at her. In her mind, Linda was confirming that what Beth had was quite adequate. However, Beth was, in many ways, a very insecure woman. For the past ten years she alternated between dating men and women. When she got tired of the boorish, juvenile acts of men, she would go out with a female friend. When petty jealousy and small talk bored her, she’d date a man certain to mindlessly throw her on a bed and fuck her.

Two months ago she dated the ultimate boor.

“I don’t think you have to worry,” Linda was saying.

“Thanks. Plus, I have no life. This is my idea of going out sometimes.”

“You’re single?” Linda asked.

“Yes. Thank God.”

“Sometimes…,” Linda let the thought drop. She didn’t even know this woman. Why dump on her?

Beth looked across at Linda. The awkwardness was apparent in her expression. The large diamond and band on Linda’s finger had been evident from the first time Beth watched the other woman. Maybe a married woman would give her a new perspective.

They chatted more comfortably for another twenty minutes or so. At the end of her half hour, Linda thanked Beth for making the time go faster and headed for the locker room.

Once again, Beth was at a nearby locker when Linda emerged from the shower. Beth’s sweaty tank top clung tightly to her full chest, highlighting erect nipples.

“Can I ask you something?” Beth said sheepishly.

A confused look crossed Linda’s face. “Sure. What?”

“You don’t have to…I mean, if you can’t…Uh, would you like to come over some night and we can have a drink or something. When we’re not panting and sweating.”

Linda laughed. Then realized the seriousness with which Beth had asked the question.

“Uh, sure. Yes. I think I would.”

“Great.” Beth reached inside her locker and pulled out a small piece of paper. “Here’s my phone number. Call me whenever you want. If you don’t call, I’ll understand.”

Linda realized quickly that Beth had prepared for this in advance. She felt oddly flattered. “Oh, I’ll call. Thanks.”

By the time Beth was undressed and in the shower, Linda was on her way home. Maybe a new friendship would be a good thing. She wasn’t sure what she had in common with Beth, but she certainly was attractive and seemed to be fun to be around. Linda wondered to herself why the attractiveness of the cute blonde was always one of the first things she thought of. It was all a little scary.

It took three days for Linda to make the phone call. Arrangements were made for Linda to visit on a Friday night when her husband was taking their son to a movie. Beth promised to have pizza ready—veggie, of course—and Linda approved. Directions to Beth’s condo were given and both women said they were looking forward to it.

When she hung up, Linda exhaled as if she had been holding her breath for hours. “Did I sound anxious? Nervous?” Her mind was asking more questions than she could answer. She decided to just go, have a good time, and come home. No big deal.

Beth spent the next couple days working, exercising (without seeing Linda, unfortunately) and thinking about their “date.” She had friends over all the time. This should be no different. But it was. This was a relative stranger; married; with a kid; who almost certainly had never had a lesbian experience.

Could she be sure of that? Probably, Beth thought. She noticed how Linda scurried to get dressed in the locker room or wrapped the towel tightly around herself. There were no outward signs of physical attraction, except when she caught Linda looking at her in the locker room. Maybe that wasn’t what it seemed to be. Nevertheless, Beth thought often of Linda’s brown eyes, brunette hair and rounded features.

Friday finally arrived and Linda rushed home from work. After a fast meal and arguments with her son about clothes and face washing, she was alone. A quick shower left her standing naked in the bedroom, pulling on underwear and struggling with her own choice of wardrobes. She wasn’t sure why she fretted over what to wear to a friend’s condo for pizza, but she did. The obvious choice of jeans and a sweater won out.

Across town, Beth was having a much easier time. Her selection of “flirting” clothes was fairly limited. Tight jeans and a low cut, black pullover shirt would do just fine. Worked before, didn’t it? She smiled to herself in the mirror. Her blonde hair flowed over her ears and neck and lightly onto her shoulders. A couple inches of cleavage invited the eye down to bare nipples poking against the shirt.

Linda arrived fifteen minutes late, not wanting to appear all that overanxious. The two women made small talk while Beth showed her guest around the first floor of the condo. Ultimately, they ended up in the kitchen and Beth poured them glasses of wine. She had ordered a pizza just before Linda arrived and they went into the living room to sit and wait for it.

They discussed jobs, TV, music and men.

“Will you ever get married?” Linda asked.

Beth shrugged. “Who knows? I never lose any sleep over it.”

“Marriage is overrated, I think,” Linda said in a tone apparently designed to make Beth feel better. “Somebody must have the perfect marriage that you read about all the time. I don’t know anybody who does, though.”

“There’s too much pressure in marriage,” Beth said. “Sexual pressure. Financial pressure. Pressure about who your friends are.”

Linda nodded as she finished her drink.

“Did your husband question you about tonight?” Beth asked.

“Of course. But I can tell him the truth. That’s part of the trust. But he had to ask. He’s a man.”

“Sounds more like the nagging wife to me,” Beth said with a laugh.

“He’s OK.” Linda’s smile was genuine.

The doorbell indicated it was time to eat. They opened the pizza box on the floor and sat next to each other—eating, talking and drinking. More than once, Linda glanced in envy at the full breasts hanging loosely inside Beth’s shirt as she leaned over for more pizza.

Soon, they split the last two pieces. Beth placed her hands inside the bottom of her shirt and lifted it as she rubbed her stomach.

“That was great. But, I didn’t need it,” she said. Linda watched the hands slide over the woman’s smooth skin in a sensual display.

Beth lay back, letting the shirt rise even further. A shiny navel ring glistened in the soft light. Beth ran her forefinger over it a couple times, her eyes closed. Linda was mesmerized.

“I’ll put the box in the trash,” Linda said hastily. She had to do something besides stare at this woman’s sleek abdomen. She grabbed the empty pizza box and headed for the kitchen.

After finding the trash can and shoving the box inside, Linda started to turn. Instead, she felt two arms embrace her. She was startled at first, but a soft voice soon calmed her.

“Thanks for coming over Linda.” Beth’s hands met under Linda’s breasts, pressed firmly against her sweater.

“Thanks for inviting me,” Linda replied. How she mustered the air to speak, she didn’t know.

“When do you have to be home?” Beth asked quietly.

There was a pause. “I can’t stay too late.”

Beth’s hands inched their way down until reaching the bottom of the sweater. Slowly, they rose again until she felt the bare skin of Linda’s stomach. Linda’s heart raced, her throat constricted and her muscles tensed. Yet, the touch of the woman’s hands was magical.

Beth was silent. Her breath rushed past Linda’s ear, rustling the fine brown hair that hung over it.

“Can you come over again, some time?” Beth finally inquired.

The little fingers of both hands were inside the top of Linda’s jeans.

“I’d love to. I enjoyed it.” Linda’s head spun. She didn’t know whether to turn, remove Beth’s hands, or take off her jeans.

“Good. You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like.”

Linda turned. “Just a few more minutes, I guess. Then I really have to go.”

The two women stood inches apart. Tension was evident in their eyes. Sexual tension, drawing them closer still—until Linda moved forward and walked gingerly past her host.

They sat in the living room and talked for another half hour before Linda announced she had to go. Beth reluctantly said goodbye after they agreed once more to meet again soon.

Linda felt the adrenalin rush through her body on the drive home. She determined that, in fact, she really wanted to stay more than she was willing to admit. Beth made her feel welcome, and comfortable, and…something she couldn’t put a handle on. In bed that night she ran her fingers over her stomach, trying to duplicate the feel of Beth’s hands.

The two women met each other several times at the athletic club over the next week and a half. Beth had decided not to push Linda on the issue of their next meeting, so it was with great surprise and satisfaction that Linda asked one day if Beth would be free the following Saturday night.

“Sure. Do you want to go anywhere…a movie?” Beth asked.

“How about if we just stay at your place? I’ll bring the refreshments this time,” Linda volunteered.

“OK. If you want. That would be great.”

“I have this creamy dessert stuff that is awesome,” Linda said with a smile.

Beth said, “I’ve never turned down a dessert. I can’t wait.”

This time Linda chose to wear a more revealing, sleeveless blouse with a wide-open neckline. Without a bra on it was about the most erotic she ever felt. She tucked the blouse inside designer jeans and looked in the mirror. Her nipples pressed against the thin material. The tops of her breasts were barely visible alongside the top button.

“Well, here goes,” she said to herself. Linda wasn’t sure what she expected, but one of the things she liked about Beth was her spontaneity. Spontaneous sex wasn’t to be ruled out, she assumed.

Beth was brushing her hair one last time when the doorbell rang. She walked quickly to the door and welcomed in her guest.

“Wow. You look great in that blouse, Linda,” Beth said while taking the dish holding the dessert from Linda.

“Thanks. Can I help with anything?” They were walking toward the kitchen, with Linda watching Beth’s ass sway with each step. The tight jeans rode low on Beth’s hips and a simple white t-shirt was tucked inside.

“Nope. There’s really nothing to do,” Beth said. She smiled back at Linda. “What’s in here?”

Beth was pulling the lid off the plastic container. Inside was a layer of white cream with a half dozen strawberries lying on top.

“Oh, wow. What’s underneath?”

“A filling made with Jello and Cool Whip and more fruit,” Linda explained.

“Yummy,” Beth said. “Can we have some now?”

“Of course. That’s why I brought it,” Linda said with a smile.

Beth sliced big pieces of the scrumptious looking delight and placed them on dishes. With forks in hand, the women walked back into the living room.

They sat on the couch, talking and eating. There was more talking than eating as the women discussed new events in their lives since the previous meeting. As usual, the athletic club came up several times during the discussion, with appropriate laughter over the fact they were eating dessert at the same time.

Beth continually found herself sneaking a quick look at the opening in Linda’s blouse. It was apparent the woman wasn’t wearing a bra. Was this normal? One thing the two had not talked about much was clothing. Neither considered it a major part of their existence, it seemed. Whatever the case, Beth found it erotic and very tempting. Very tempting, indeed.

Linda watched Beth’s body language. She had become interested in the subject during a seminar her company recently made her attend. Sometimes, it worked in reverse. She found herself more self-conscious of her own body language than what she gathered from the other person’s.

For instance, she remembers thinking back about how she acted around Beth in the locker room. How nervous she must have seemed. How uncomfortable she must have appeared, despite her pleasure in watching Beth dress and undress.

Now she watched Beth curl her legs under herself on the couch, her head tilting to the side when she listened. Occasionally, fingers played with the ends of her blonde hair. All signs of placated reassurance.

Beth worked her way through the dessert, leaving a small amount on her dish. The time had come for her to test the level of Linda’s acceptance of her. The evening would either end abruptly or transcend to a new intensity.

Beth placed her plate next to Linda’s on the coffee table in front of the couch. In doing so, she shifted herself closer to Linda.

“This is marvelous dessert, Linda,” she said.

“Thanks. It’s real easy to make.”

Beth used her finger to scrape a small amount of the creamy topping off the plate. Leisurely, she brought the finger to her mouth and licked off the white topping. Then she put her mouth around the end of the finger and licked some more. Her eyes never left Linda. Linda’s eyes never left the finger.

Linda tried to swallow. Beth reached back to the plate and took another swipe of topping. She leaned forward and offered it to her guest. The finger entered Linda’s mouth and was immediately engulfed by the waiting lips. Linda’s tongue cleaned the sweet cream from the finger in quick strokes.

The women were staring at each other intently. No smiles. No blinking. The room was silent, yet teeming with emotion.

Beth pulled her finger out and reached for the plate one more time. Linda’s already overworked mind tried to predict what was coming next. Not in her wildest dreams could she have imagined.

Beth moved forward and, with her empty hand, unbuttoned the top button of Linda’s blouse. Linda did not react. Beth pushed open the blouse slightly and spread the cream on her right forefinger over the exposed breast. Without hesitation, Beth placed her mouth over the breast and began to lick off the cream.

She heard Linda take in a breath. The body moved back, then forward again. Then it was still.

When the last of the cream was licked clean, Beth proceeded down the breast, pushing the blouse farther open. One more button was opened. Finally, she reached the nipple. Lightly at first, she ran her tongue over it. Then her mouth closed around it.

This time Linda sighed audibly. Beth’s tongue flicked over the nipple and the surrounding skin. There was no reason for Linda to find this any different than when her husband did the same thing. But, it was.

Beth used both hands to unbutton the blouse while continuing to suck on Linda’s left breast. When she reached the top of Linda’s jeans, she tugged the blouse out and finished the job.