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“You all enjoy your session,” Frankie says. “I’m going to do some cardio.”
Michael doesn’t ask her to join us, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. Frankie would have made a good buffer. Not that I need a buffer. This is a training session, not a date. Why am I trying to make it into more than what it is?
“So, Mandy,” Michael says, “I thought we’d start with some cardio so I can find out your current physical fitness level.”
“Sounds good.”
He leads me to an elliptical and fiddles with the settings on the computer. “I want you to exercise on this for five minutes. The timer will go off when your time is up. Then I’ll be able to see what your fitness level is, and I’ll be able to figure out what exercises will work for you.”
I hop onto the elliptical without telling him how much I hate ellipticals. They’re supposed to be easier on your joints and everything, but I always feel weird on them—like my body isn’t aligned properly or something.
I can suffer through the five minutes, though. Then I’ll tell him how much I hate the elliptical, and if he wants me to do cardio, it will have to be on a treadmill or bike.
Surprisingly, I’m not terribly winded after the five minutes. Clearly he went easy on me.
“Okay, great job,” Michael says. “Let me just stick these numbers into my handy-dandy computer.”
His handy-dandy computer is his phone.
“Okay. You’re in pretty good shape, Mandy. Your resting heart rate is about seventy-two. Not bad, but we can do better.”
“Isn’t cardio for weight loss?”
“Exercise, as a rule, isn’t for weight loss. It’s for body strengthening. If you want to lose weight, you’ll have to cut calories.” He eyes me. “Frankly, I don’t think you need to lose weight. Your body looks great. A little toning and firming, and you’ll be ready for that wedding.”
Did I tell him about the wedding? I don’t remember. Frankie probably talked about it last night.
“And yes, you need cardio. Exercising the heart is the best way to keep it in shape and make sure you live a long and full life.”
I sigh. “If you say so.”
“We all hate cardio. I do mine first, because if I do my strength training first, I know I’ll be tired and I won’t bother to do my cardio.”
“You mean personal trainers aren’t all in love with cardio?”
“God, no. We’re trainers, not professional athletes.”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
Indeed, Michael has an amazing body. Today he’s wearing shorts and a tank top, so I’m getting a good look at his muscles. His calves look like he swallowed a couple of softballs.
Still…as attractive as I find him, I’m not feeling even a pinch of arousal.
Is he?
It’s hard to tell. Maybe Jackson’s right. Maybe Iaminnocent. I sure can’t read this guy.
“I’m going to put you back on the elliptical—”
“No,” I say adamantly. “No more elliptical. I took your test, but if you’re going to insist that I do cardio, I need a treadmill or bike. I really hate the elliptical.”
“I have to tell you that the elliptical is the most—”
“Yes, I know. I’ve heard it all before. I hate it. Stationary bike, treadmills, those I can handle.”
“Okay.” He chuckles and makes some notes on his phone. “Your choice, then. Which one?”
“Let’s try the bike.”
