AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Eight
Thump,thump, thump.Aaron’s feet pounded the treadmill. He notched up the speed and incline and the treadmill whirred and clunked. His legs matched the rhythm of the machine, sweat beading his brow. Outside the expansive windows of Fit-Bods gym, the city streets shone wet and the rain continued to dump great sheets out of big blousy clouds. It had been too wet and windy these past few days to take his normal loop around the river and back to his apartment, but he had to run to stop his thoughts from whizzing around inside his skull.
Thump, thump, thump.Faster and faster. Until finally he registered nothing except the gyrating bodies on the wall-mounted screens and the rhythm of the pounding music. But then… somehow, fragments of the week slithered into his mind. And within no time what started off as a trickle had turned into a flood.
He’d got his head around the computer system at Trojan’s relatively easily. But the amount of cases he was expected to take on was mind-blowing. Phone call after phone call to clients. Meeting after meeting after meeting. The names and issues merged. The billing—ha, well that had been the only light relief, trying to work out who to charge eating his sandwich to during his lunch break. Not that you could call it a break. He’d eaten at his desk. He’d never shied away from working his ass off—in fact, he’d realised at uni he needed the pump of adrenaline to keep focused. As well as his regular exercise routine… and sex.
Shit, where did that just come from? Angrily he notched the speed up another level, and then another. When had he last had sex? Not since he applied for the job at Trojan’s. He’d been too busy spending time with Alice going over interview strategies.
Fuck… there he went again.
Every night when his head hit the pillow chasing sleep, all he seemed to see when his eyelids closed were Alice’s huge brown eyes, as he imagined the softest pressure of her lips against his. He’d even caught himself touching that spot on the corner of his mouth and that’s when he’d deduced he was going out of his fucking mind.
Sweat dripped off his hair and along the bridge of his nose. A glance at the timer told him he’d been running for forty minutes. He’d make the hour, then pump weights until he was wrung out like a rag.
As he left the gym a while later, he felt like he’d been purged. He could think about Alice with her glasses on and her hair tied back and not really react at all. Tomorrow he would message her, get her to call him and do the “hi hon” thing in front of Trojan or Fink’s office. He was sweet with it. Totally cool.
He was almost smiling to himself as he swung his bag over his arm and walked through reception.
“Hey, Aaron. Didn’t know you were a member.”
His brows furrowed as he tried to place the guy. That’s right, Hamish Lender, one of Fink’s legal team. Nice guy. Eager beaver. He’d met him briefly at the drinks party. Hamish had been with Trojan a year already and had been more than happy to fill Aaron in about some dos and don’ts. Seeing him in his workout gear instead of a suit had thrown him for a moment.
“Hey, there.” Aaron drew to a halt. “How you going?”
“Good. Just doing my obligatory workout. Jacinta says I’m not worth living with if I don’t get Trojan shit out of my system before I come home.”
“Oh.” Aaron had hoped maybe Hamish, muscle-bound and good-looking, could be a partner in crime once this probation hell was over. He could imagine they’d have similar taste in women. “Jacinta?”
“My fiancée.” Hamish grinned.
“I didn’t see you with anyone at the drinks do.”
“She was on a girls’ trip to Bali. Good to have her home, though. Quite frankly I don’t think I’d have survived this last year as a Trojan lacky without her.”
That ruled out Hamish, judging by the rather soppy expression that had just spread over his previously rugged features.
Were there any real men left in the world? Aaron tried to smile away the irritation. Hamish’s face suddenly lit up as if with a brainwave. “Hey, why don’t you come to dinner? You and Alice. Jacinta’s always complaining we don’t have people around nearly enough. No time like the present. What are you doing Saturday night?”
“Urm. Saturday. I, er—” Aaron’s mind drew a blank. Maybe he had overdone his workout because he couldn’t think of anything he’d be doing Saturday night. “Oh, look, wouldn’t want to put your fiancée to the trouble, especially if she’s only just got back from overseas…” he trailed off lamely.
“No dude, seriously. I’ll text her now.” Hamish pulled out his phone and was madly thumbing at the keypad. “Cinta loves cooking. We’ve got another couple we have to invite—about to pop out a baby. It’ll be the last outing before they’re tied down with a little human ball and chain.”
Ball and chain. Very apt.
Finally, the accommodating Cinta having come back with an enthusiastic yes, Aaron said his farewells to Hamish and headed as fast as he could towards the door.
A couple of messages pinged on his phone. The first was from Oliver: “Hi bro, when are we going to catch up, just you and me?”
He flicked to the next one.
It was from Dan. Aaron frowned as he read it. “At Shamrock with Carts. Lucy’s shoved the knife in. Come join us.”
He let out an exasperated huff. He’d been meaning to go home, tidy up his apartment, fold his washing and make himself a huge bowl of pasta.
But Carts would be gutted at yet another kick in the balls from Lucy. With a shake of his head, Aaron rode the lift down to the underground carpark. He threw his kit bag in the boot, got in, then started the engine.
Guess it would be another late night.
