“What are you interested in?”

Cindy paused. “My arms, I guess.”

“You guess?”

“My whole upper body maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“I don’t know really.”

“Well, you’d better figure out what you’re after, or you’ll never last.”

Cindy bit her lip, trying not to get sucked in by the dare. “Any girls around here?”

“Why? You a les?”

“No, I’m not a les. And even if I was, it would be none of your damn business.”

Eric smiled. “Hey, now you’re getting good!”

Cindy stared at him. “Good at what?”

“Getting mean. You’ve got to get mean, or you’ll never last.”

“I’m supposed to be mean?”

“Yep.”

“How mean?”

“As mean as you can. You’ve got to look at the weights as enemies to conquer and control. Without that attitude, you won’t last. Believe me, I’ve seen chicks come and go in this place. The kind of girls who bitch and moan every time they break a nail? We don’t put up with that kind of ’tude around here. That was the first thing I noticed about you. You have short nails. It tells you a lot about a person.”

Cindy sneaked a look at her hands. She had tried growing her nails, polishing them. It was fun but too much work. “Are you a teacher here?”

“Two days a week.”

“What does it cost to join?”

“Fifty a month to use the equipment. But the boss always gives newcomers a month free. If you last a month, you’ll probably last, period.”

“Are there any girls around here?” Cindy asked again.

“We’ve a few dedicated chicks.”

“No offense, but maybe I’d be more comfortable if there were some girls around.”

“No one will hit on you here, Cindy. We’re all friends, but that’s all. Friends in work. Guaranteed.”

“Still…when do they come around?”

Eric frowned at her. “We’ve got about six serious chicks. They pop in and out all during the day and night. We’re open twenty-four hours, in case you’ve got a bad case of insomnia.”

“That’s convenient.”

“Yes, it really is. Anyway, do you want a little help starting up? First lesson is on the house.”

“Right now?”

“Right now.”

Cindy stood. Why not? “Sure.”

Eric said, “First, I’ve got to take your measurements.”

“Why?”

“Because how are you going to know if you’re improving if you don’t have a baseline?”

“True.”

“Yeah, true.” Eric pulled out a tape measure and stretched it across her back. “Now lift up your arms.”

Cindy obeyed.

Slipping his arms around her body, Eric placed his hands over her breasts. Quickly, she spun around and stepped backward. “What the hell are you doing?”

Eric growled at her. “I was trying to measure you—”

“You were feeling me up!”

“I was feeling you, but not up—”

“That’s bullshit!”