A Whole New Man

“Kansas City society doesn’t interest me, and I’m taking the foreman’s job, not CEO’s. I’m a simple guy, Lizzie. I want to improve myself, but not that much. That’s not where I’m headed.” Besides, the idea of a gym was to help a person get fit. He was fit. He didn’t need any of those newfangled machines to keep him that way. Hard, physical labor was what kept a man in top condition. And he told her so.

“Not everyone has the opportunity to do that kind of work. Most successful businessmen spend the majority of their time behind a desk. I’m sure you’ll find that a visit to the center several times a week will be a big help.”

He considered it. True, his job wouldn’t be physical, like the work he had done for most of his life. He would spend most of his time behind a desk dealing with subcontractors and suppliers and only overseeing the work on the site. The lack of physical labor could have a bad effect on him. But just the thought of working out in a gym left him cold.

“Do you go to a gym?” he asked.

“Not this particular one. But, yes, I do visit a fitness center at least once a week. And I try to run or walk when I can.”

Hank shook his head and grinned. “All that and assisting me. Where will you find the time?”

She gave him a stern look. “I’ll find the time to work out. I like to stay in shape.”

He made himself comfortable and looked her up and down. “I’d say you’ve managed to do that. Very well. Now, about that gym…”

She leaned forward, her frown marring her pretty features. “You agreed to put yourself in my hands. You paid good money to hire me. Why don’t you let me do my job?”

He had a feeling he was going to be trying her patience to the extreme. But she was right. He had hired her to do a job. He might as well let her do it and get his money’s worth. “Tell you what. I’ll go to this gym on one condition.”

She leaned back in the seat again, hesitancy and a glimmer of distrust in her eyes. “And what might that be?”

He was ready to bounce the ball in her court to see how far she was willing to go to do her job. “I’ll climb on every last one of those machines, I’ll even have one of those massages if they give them there, but I want you right beside me. Is it a deal?”

“I…Hank, that isn’t fair. I’m not accustomed to some of the exercise equipment.”

“And I’ve never used any of it.” He let a slow smile spread over his face. “It’s the only way you’re going to get me in the door,” he challenged her.

She turned to gaze out the window, and he could almost hear the wheels in her mind churning. Just when he thought he’d won, she turned back, her eyes bright and her smile wicked. “I don’t have my exercise clothes with me.”

This time, his smile was sincere. “I don’t have any, either.”

“We’ll buy them—” Her mouth snapped shut.

Hank crossed his arms on his chest, leaned back against the plush leather of the interior of the limo and chuckled. Now that the notion to share the experience with her had struck, he liked the idea of seeing her in a set of exercise clothes. “I think my bank account can accommodate some for you, too.”

Lizzie instantly forgot about how uncomfortable she was in a leotard when she saw Hank in a T-shirt bearing the gym insignia and a pair of way-too-snug-for-her-sanity shorts.

She gasped, then swallowed and tried not to stare. Muscled men weren’t her style, but she would have had to have been blind not to react to the sight before her. And she was far from blind.

“Okay, Lizzie, what do you want to try first?”

She blinked.

“Lizzie?”

Two more blinks, and she snapped out of the fog to look him in the eye. “Huh?”

Hank’s dimples deepened to craters. “You know more about these contraptions than I do. Where do we start?”

Her knees grew rubbery and she gave herself a mental shake. Being attracted to this man would be hazardous. And very wrong. She’d already failed with men in the past, and although the first had left her with the best thing that had ever happened to her, she wouldn’t make that mistake again. Nor would she repeat the second one. She quickly reminded herself that Hank was a client and nothing more than a construction worker from New Mexico who was simply stepping up into a foreman’s position. He obviously wanted to better himself, but would he stick with it? Not exactly the kind of man she should be attracted to, if she had the inclination. She didn’t. And she didn’t have the time. She needed to keep that in perspective.

“Here comes Tony,” she said, spying one of the trainers. “He can show you how to use the equipment.”

After introducing the two men, she followed behind them while they made the rounds of the gym. It irked her that the sight of Tony’s extremely well-toned body didn’t bother her in the least, whereas just a peek at Hank’s sent her heart rate zipping.

Hank climbed off the gym’s latest mechanical acquisition and turned to her. “It’s your turn.”

She took a step back to avoid being too close to him. No reason to tempt her hormones. “Thanks, I’ll pass.”

Before she knew what was happening, he scooped her up in his arms. “Nope, can’t do that. We have an agreement,” he said, placing her on the padded bench.

And she’d thought her heart was racing just watching him! Her skin burned where he gripped her calf to move it into position and slip her foot into the stirrup. She meant to protest, but her voice had deserted her. All she could do was make certain she was still breathing. That wasn’t nearly as simple as it should have been.

“Hold these,” he said, pressing a pair of grips in her hand. “Now, pull and glide.”

Without thinking, she did as he instructed. The effort took all her concentration, and she forgot Hank was near. She’d never used the exercise equipment before. Her method of keeping her body toned consisted of a weekly aerobics class and walking whenever possible. But the machine wasn’t bad. In fact, she found it almost enjoyable.

A hand touched her shoulder.

“Unless you’re used to this, you’d better stop.”

She looked up into Hank’s eyes and lost her bearings. When his hand remained in place for a moment too long, she shifted her position. “You’re right. I’ll pay for this tomorrow.”

His shrug sent his muscles rippling beneath his shirt. “You’ll be fine.”

Lizzie could only nod. He reached out a hand to assist her, and she took it. Big mistake. Her gaze met his, and it was as if her soul were exposed to him in full view.

She reclaimed her hand as gently as possible. “Thanks,” she murmured.

Tony interrupted them to ask Hank a question, giving her a brief reprieve and the chance to pull herself together. She escaped to the fruit bar where she ordered a bottle of water, then turned and leaned back to watch Hank and Tony.

A small crowd had gathered around the machine where Hank worked out. Lizzie occasionally glimpsed him through the bodies blocking her view. Those brief peeks were more than enough for her, and she silently sent up thanks that she couldn’t see more.

Hank didn’t resemble Mr. Universe. His physique wasn’t that extreme. But the thought of professional bodybuilders still flashed through her mind while she watched. Sweat darkened the fabric of his T-shirt and glistened on his skin. Biceps bulged and strained. She could hear his slightly labored breathing and soft grunts of exertion. His dark hair, too long to suit her usual tastes, stuck to his neck in individual curls. And that was only the top half of him.

She dared to lower her gaze to his legs. Powerful thighs bunched and stretched as he raised and lowered himself. Men’s legs had always fascinated her. Hank’s mesmerized her.

The sound of counting reached her ears. “One hundred fifty-three, one hundred fifty-four, one hundred fifty…”

Holy cow! She tore her gaze away and slammed the water bottle on the bar. Enough. Without another look, she retreated to the dressing room and changed back into her suit, all the while berating herself for her weakness. She’d make sure to keep her distance and not put herself in a position like this again. Any attraction to the man would be disastrous, and she’d almost gone way beyond that. She had her business to think about. And Amanda. Her daughter had been hurt once because of an attraction to a man. She wouldn’t let that happen again.

Lizzie wanted so badly to give Amanda the best. She had done all she could, but so much of her money went to daycare for Amanda and the rest had gone to pay most of her mother’s medical bills. The stroke her mother had suffered had been severely debilitating, but her mother had worked hard for months in the rehab center to regain much of what she had lost.

Since her husband’s death, three years earlier, Lizzie’s mother had relied on family. Even more on Lizzie than she had on Lizzie’s sister, who was six years older. At thirty, Vicky had her own family and the perfect life, as she’d always had. With the added expense of their brother’s college fees, they’d struggled. But even more, Lizzie wanted to be a success, not a failure. Her parents had tried to curb her wild streak, but she hadn’t listened to them. She understood now that it was simply her way to gain attention. Her sister, Vicky, had just married the perfect man and was planning the perfect family and life. Lizzie had always been the younger and less perfect daughter. She had come home from college to announce that she was pregnant and the father had left her high and dry. She had broken her parents’ hearts and, even though their disappointment and disapproval had been evident, they had stood by her. She’d learned her lesson the hard way. Her father had died before she could prove to him that she had changed, but she could still show her mother that she was a responsible woman and mother.

“Giving up?”

Lizzie jerked her thoughts from the past and looked up to see Hank standing in front of her, a white towel draped around his neck. “It’s a little more than I’m used to,” she told him with a smile she didn’t feel.