“How should I know?” Cindy placed her hands on her hips and stared at the entrance. Just then a woman walked through the door. She was absolutely gorgeous—perfect skin, sleek black hair, and black eyes as luminous as obsidian. She was wearing a black lace body stocking, filling it out in all the right places. She turned to Eric and said, “Can you turn me into her?”

Eric let out a deep laugh. “Tandy’s certainly an example of everything that can go right.”

“Tandy?”

“That’s her name. She was over two-fifty when she first walked through the door.”

Cindy’s eyes widened. “What?”

“No lie. I’ll introduce you.”

Cindy watched Eric duck-waddle to Tandy. He threw his arm around her lithe shoulder, leading her over to Cindy. He said, “Hey, Roberts, come and meet the new kid on the block.”

Cindy suddenly felt her heart race. This was the whole reason she was here, and now that she was face-to-face with Tandy, she had no idea what to do. She looked up at Eric as if he had the answer. All he had was a goofy grin on his face. With deliberate motion, Tandy sidled up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. Her fingers were long and delicate, but the nails were clipped short. She didn’t just rest her hand on his muscle, she kneaded it. Then she offered her hand to Cindy.

“Tandy Roberts.”

“Cindy.” Her answer had an odd rhythm because she didn’t state her last name. Just in case Marge had given her Dad’s business card. She felt her face go hot.

“Your hands are sweaty,” Tandy said.

“I’m nervous.”

Tandy laughed. “Why?”

“I don’t know. Don’t you get nervous when you’re in a strange environment?”

“I used to….” Tandy’s dark eyes peered into Cindy’s. “But I don’t anymore.”

“It’s great to have that kind of self-confidence.”

“I owe it all to building. It’s given me control over my life.” Tandy turned to Eric. “Did you work out a routine for her yet?”

“I’ve just finished measuring her. She’s got potential. Lots of raw material.”

“Potential, huh?” Tandy’s smile was secretive as she walked over to the weight rack. “So let’s start with something a little bit more challenging.”

Lifting a fifteen-pound weight from the rack, Tandy sat on the bench. She supported her right arm by resting the elbow on top of her left hand. She extended her right arm downward until it was straight, then slowly brought the weight up to her shoulder by bending at the elbow. “That’s called a curl…an arm curl. See?”

Cindy nodded, watching Tandy’s bicep bunch as she curled the weight again.

“Do you want to try it?” Tandy asked.

“Sure.”

“Come sit. Remember to keep your feet planted firmly on the ground. Don’t use your back when you lift. And breathe normally.”