Mac lingered outside the front door of the gym, smoking a cigarette and trying to look less like he was about to step inside a brothel. To work there. Having sex with people. For money. It shouldn’t really be that hard to project, since he didn’t usually spend his time waiting outside a brothel to have sex with people for money, but somehow he still felt like he was wearing a big neon sign on his forehead. He almost jumped out of his skin when the door pushed open. “Hey there. You must be the new guy. I’m Jem.” Jem

Mac clocked out of the discount store for the last time a little after two o’clock. He had hours before the start of his first training shift on the floor, but he knew he’d get to The Gym early. He was way too keyed up not to. Plus, Jem was working a double today. Again. Mac detoured through Taco Bell and grabbed both of them lunch before heading over. It was a little frivolous to spend ahead of his paycheck, but the car had a full tank of gas and it seemed more important to find a way to thank

The first thing that surprised Mac about weeks three and four of his training at The Gym was that it wasn’t the clients he had to worry about. “Man, I’m fucking dying here,” he panted, fighting the very real urge to vomit. “Don’t be a tiny little baby, Mac. You can do one more, and then I’ll let you cool down.” “I would kick your sorry ass right now. If I could breathe. Or see.” Travis laughed. Weight training on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. He was supposed to be doing cardio on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but at this point he