The Only Way is Up

Part Two

Chapter Two

Nicole knew she wasn't fit, but she had no idea she was THAT unfit. She had 'jogged' for about two minutes and now she was bright red and panting. Great. Mr Sullen Teenager would love that. This was playing into his judgemental hands. Kim had told her to bring water, but she'd not really listened. Until she'd walked into the god forsaken place she hadn't truly imagined that she was going to actually do this.

A glance to her left was non-productive, but to her right she spotted a water fountain, so she slowed her treadmill then on jelly legs made for the oasis in the corner, had she really only run for two minutes?

The boom of some thrash metal accompanied her every step, and then, rather awkwardly, she bent to the tap and consumed the ice cold water in a combination of pleasure and pain. She was grotesquely inflexible, and she didn't know when that became a reality, but the feel of icy fluid hitting her throat was heaven.

"You have warmed up enough?" The harsh accented voice spat out the words behind her, and for a moment she blushed, felt intimidated. But that wasn't why she was here. She took a deep breath then uncoiled herself from her position bent over the water fountain.

"I don't know how much warm up is 'enough'; I thought that was your job."

Turning she met his glare for a moment, then looked away unable to stand his scrutiny.

"You are here to get acquainted with the room...or to get fit?"

She shrugged, "if you'd taken the time to talk to me, instead of shouting at me, then you'd know."

He looked up to the ceiling for a moment and she could see he was taking deep breaths, hell even the column of his throat was beautifully elegant. Pity he was such an arse, arrogance and rudeness brought his looks down to the gutter.

"You do not visit the gym often?"

She shook her head, "never. I find them to be intimidating, full of arrogant people who look down their noses at someone like me."

"Someone like you?" he repeated, the anger in his voice eased slightly.

Nicole sighed, "look you can see I'm unfit, you can see I'm out of condition...do I have to spell this out for you? Give me a programme and I can go get on with it."

He studied her for a moment, and she felt herself flush again in his scrutiny.

"That isn't how this works...I am to train you, that means I spend each hour with you in this place. We work on a program and we modify it together."

She gulped, how the hell was she meant to spend three hours a week in this man's company?

"A warm up should be ten minutes; average heart beat of sixty percent of maximum. You have to gauge the level so that your heart rate is under control. Heart rate is dependent on age...how old are you?"

She stared at him, "you know NOTHING about me?"

He shook his head, "no, but apparently you are important to Mike." He spat that out in an almost aggressive manner. "Though why..." he shook his head in almost despair.

"Thirty four." She reluctantly snapped the words out.

"Roughly ninety bpm..." He pointed to the static bike, "come."

Max leaned against the wall and watched her leave; she'd done all he asked, he couldn't deny that, but he felt like a child, tasked with the perverse role of babysitting a woman who really needed a kick up the ass. She had snapped at him a few times when they were preparing to train, but as soon as they started he could sense her lack of confidence, her insecurity. If he did train people, it was usually athletes, top level, motivated, talented, challenging, and always as part of something more, something bigger. Unlike this, he felt like a fool. He couldn't do this three times a week.