“Do not push yourself to do the burpees if you don’t think you can handle them,” she cautioned. “This isn’t a competition. Work at your own fitness and comfort level.” She gave them an encouraging smile and a thumbs-up. “Ready? Burpees in three, two, one!”

She was relieved to see the Glam-Ma had opted for the jump squats. She sensed that the older woman had set her sights on the class’s lone male participant.

“Keep going,” Taylor called out, repeating the burpees again and again and again. “Your heart will thank you for it, but your arms and thighs may not be so happy in the morning.”

“Mine aren’t happy now!” one woman called.

“Remember to pay attention to your body,” Taylor instructed. “Don’t push yourself past anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

The Glam-Ma inched closer into Mr. Hot and Fit’s personal space, “mistakenly” bumping into him as he returned to a standing position.

“Oh, I am so sorry,” the woman said in a breathless Scarlett O’Hara–style pant.

“Are you okay?” Mr. Hot and Fit asked, his tone exceedingly patient as he took her by the elbow.

“I am now.”

Did she wink at him? Taylor didn’t know if she should intervene on his behalf or high-five the Glam-Ma for shooting her shot with a man half her age.

“Let’s kick this up a notch,” Taylor said, accelerating her pace just to see if Mr. Hot and Fit would follow. He did.

“If you want to…elevate your cardio even more…add some height to your jump,” she called.

Of course, Mr. Hot and Fit went for the high jump. He probably thought he could impress her with his stamina.

You think so, boo? Let’s see you do this!

“This is only for the most advanced,” Taylor said. “If you think you can handle it…put one hand behind your back…and give me an alternating single-arm burpee.”

Surprise, surprise. Mr. Hot and Fit was the only one who attempted—and perfectly executed—the most difficult workout move in her arsenal.

Well, damn. What would it take to break this guy?

Sweat poured down his face. His sculpted chest pushed against that expensive high-performance workout tee with each labored breath, but he withstood every challenge she threw his way.

Taylor was about to add on a few four-way lunges when she remembered that this was not a competition between herself and Mr. Hot and Fit. She had other class participants to think about.

Instead, she did one last burpee before instructing, “And rest.”

She derived some satisfaction from the fact that the class show-off looked to be on the verge of collapsing. But so was she. She’d pushed herself close to her own limits.

Not that she would allow him to see that.