Becca nudged her shoulder when Angel didn’t answer right away. “Hello?”
Angel shrugged. “I don’t know that much. His girlfriend called in complaining that he was gone all the time and she wanted more. I told her to toughen up and get it or get out. He called in a week later to tell me his side of the story.” Angel shrugged as she picked up a seven pound dumbbell in each hand.
“Okay, 3 sets of 20 reps each arm, rest fifteen seconds in between.”
“Jesus, Becca. I got it. I know the drill. You only need to be here to irritate me, not tell me the basics, all right?” Angel tried to transition the conversation away from Alex. Alex, whatever-his-name is, she mused.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Becca asked and picked up a barbell to start lifting beside Angel.
Angel shrugged. “I really don’t know much about him, other than he’s rich, and he wants his relationships all business.”
“Mmmm, well if he fucks as good as he sounds, I’d want to get down to business and fast.”
“Becca! You’ve got a one-track mind.” Angel smirked in helpless response to the humor. “He was a caller. Nothing more.” She hesitated, wondering if it was wise to say the next words. “Even if I was curious about him, he’s my boss’ best friend.”
Becca was steadily pumping iron, her toned arms taking the weight easily. She stopped as her eyes widened. “Darian knows him?”
Turning, Angel walked back to the weight rack and replaced the dumbbell where she’d found them, took a deep breath, and answered. “Yes. But that’s all I know.”
“And you have no intention of finding out about this man? Are you dead?” Angel rolled her eyes while Becca helped place a barbell across her shoulders for the legwork.
“He sounds sexy, sure. So what? It means nothing. If he’s attractive, no doubt he’s a heartbreaker. Those types of men are a dime a dozen. I don’t need to turn into one of the desperate women who call the show. I’m not going down that road.”
Angel dropped down into a squat as Becca started counting them off with a frown settling on her face.
“Maybe it’s a trip you should take, Angel. At least, check out the travel brochure. What could it hurt? Your wheels have to be getting a little rusty, girlfriend.”
“Ugh! I told Darian last night that I wasn’t interested, so it’s really a moot point, Becca. Can we move on? I want to get this shit knocked out and go get my Jillybean.”
Becca’s features softened at the mention of her daughter’s name, but she wasn’t distracted from the subject at hand. “Is Darian trying to set you up?”
“Not exactly.” She grunted as she began another set of squats, the sweat starting to bead on her forehead and seep through her top on her back and under her breasts.
“Oh, for God’s sake! Will you just come out with it?”
“He called Darian’s phone and asked to speak with me after I cut him off. I said I wasn’t interested loud enough for him to hear me.” Angel rolled her eyes and kept up the squats without breaking her rhythm.
“He called. He fucking called.” It was more of a statement than a question. “You didn’t even talk to him? He’s obviously interested. Aren’t you even the slightest bit curious? If his dick is anything like his voice… I mean, shit!”
Angel burst out laughing. “Becca, take this, please. You’re incorrigible!”
“And you’re insane!” Becca removed the bar from Angel’s shoulders and set it along the mirrored wall. As usual, there were a number of men eyeing the two beautiful girls, one of them even moved closer, clearly interested in Angel. His eyes roamed over her small, well-toned frame in appreciation. Becca glanced his way and caught what he was about to do and waved a finger at him. He was tall, blonde, and muscular, but too meaty for Angel’s taste. “Oh, no, honey, this girl is a vegetarian. You’re wasting your time.”
The man got a perplexed look on his face. “What? Are you two dykes or what?”
Angel bit her lip, trying to keep the hysterical laughter at bay while Becca huffed in response, looking over the man in disgust, taking in the thickness of his legs, body, and especially the neck. Dude, we don’t like men whose neck circumference exceeds that of their skull, she thought and wished she could say it aloud.
“Uh… no!” Becca’s blue eyes flashed to Angel and then back again. “Apparently, she has a new aversion to meat. If she’s not up for filet mignon, she’s not interested in ground round.”
By now, Angel was shoving Becca back toward the cardio room again, both of them laughing uncontrollably.
“Shut up, Becca! Oh, my God!”
The man stood entranced, watching them move away from him. “Huh?”
Another fit of laugher shook Angel’s shoulders, and she wiped at the tears leaking from her eyes.
“Exactly!” Becca quipped to him over her shoulder as they disappeared through the locker room doors. “I know steroids shrink their balls, but I guess the brain goes, too.”
“Stop, Becca. My sides hurt!” Angel threw out, and it was Becca’s turn to laugh. “Is it just their balls?”
“No… you know teeny peens never were my fave! I mean, seriously, all that muscle except where it counts. Dumb asses.”
“How much, um, research have you done on the subject?”
“Enough! And Angel, you need to research that sexy voice.”
“Yeah, yeah, okay. Running or stair-stepper today?”
“Running. Three miles at intervals. Start with a jog.”
Angel pushed the start button on the machine and began a slow jog while Becca joined her on the treadmill next to hers. “You could use a good bone. Maybe Mr. Velvet Voice can throw you one. Just sayin’, Angel.”
Angel smiled again. “You’re the one who won’t let go of the bone. You’re like a rabid dog. Why don’t you concentrate on getting yourself a good man, and let me worry about me? Let’s run. Maybe if you’re out of breath, you can get off my ass about this guy. Do you want to meet him? I’ll ask Darian to set you up.”
“He called you. You can’t tell me that doesn’t make your panties at least a little bit damp. What are you afraid of?”
“I’m not afraid, but I’m not an idiot. Men like him are dangerous to women in general. I’m not looking for a relationship, but if I were, he’d be the last type of man I’d want. He’s too detached. You heard him. He needed sex and having a monogamous relationship was a convenient way to get it. Call me crazy, but if you’re only fucking for a fling, okay. But I already have someone for that. I don’t need to complicate my life with someone like him.”
“Oh, yes. How is Kenny?” Becca crinkled her nose in distaste, took a big swig from her water bottle, and then wiped the moisture from her mouth with the back of her hand. “He’s just so… bleh.”
Angel shook her head. “He’s a nice guy.”
Kenneth Gant was a lawyer that Angel met when she first starting working as guardian ad litem for the Cook County Circuit Court. He’d taken a strong interest in her from the first time they’d met. Angel dated him for a while, but now it was mainly a sexual relationship once or twice a month. Even that was getting too much. Her rule—sex with no strings for short-term only—was sorely stretched on this one. Funny though, he was the one with feelings, not her.
Angel sighed. When she thought about it, it was about scratching an occasional itch. Maybe it wasn’t so different from Alex’s situation, except he treated the girl like they were in a relationship, so the boundaries got blurred. With Ken, she was honest and told him, in no uncertain terms, that they had no future together. Kyle had hurt her badly when he cheated on her with one of the band’s groupies, and she wasn’t about to open her heart like that again. No man was going to control her, or her life, or her emotions ever again. It wasn’t worth it to her.