Personal Trainer

Some celebrations are private. Kathy’s takes place in a darkened bedroom, with a glass of wine still warm in her chest and her husband none the wiser.

Personal Trainer Part 1: Kathy’s Corporate Cage, by Mia Sumner

So this is success, Kathy Williams thought to herself. The crystal award felt cold and impersonal in her hands, the weight of it a poor substitute for the warmth she found herself increasingly craving. Cradling it in her arm, she snagged a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, but the bubbles did little to lift the leaden feeling in her chest.

Recognition of her achievements from her colleagues should feel better than this, shouldn’t it? This was what she’d spend the last ten years working towards, and now it seemed… pointless. What did she have to show for it? This tacky looking trophy and a husband who didn’t seem to notice when she stayed late at the office.

Operating on automatic, Kathy circulated amongst the crowd of co-workers, a fake smile plastered on her lips and exchanging meaningless pleasantries as her mind wandered.

A hand slipped under her arm and Kathy broke out of her reverie as Melanie Thompson pulled her away from the latest conversation, a smile on her face…

Alex’s hands on her shoulders. The tape measure around her thigh. Kathy’s trying to remember the last time she felt this alive. This wanted. This wet.

Personal Trainer Part 2: The Trainer, by Mia Sumner

“Tough day babe?” Richard glanced up from his ever-present phone long enough to meet Kathy’s eyes across the dinner table. She gave him a small smile, feeling the tightness across her neck that lingered from work. Before she could even respond though, his eyes wandered back to the phone. Kathy waited for the follow-up question. There was always supposed to be one after “tough day,” some small proof that he wanted the answer. Richard’s thumb moved across the phone screen instead.

“I’ve got something for you.” He kept talking even as his fingers flicked across the glowing screen. “All this stress, you need something for yourself, and she’s excellent, I did my research. One of the partners at work swears by her. Executive clientele, private sessions, all very efficient.”

Kathy frowned, not entirely sure what Richard was talking about. She was about to ask, when Richard slid a card across the table towards her, his eyes still glued to his phone. Kathy reached for the card, her hand touch Richard’s briefly.

“Oh, thanks, that’s so thoughtful.” She said, recognizing the tone as the same one she used for difficult colleagues at work. She stared at the business card in her hand, it said: Alexandra Moore. Performance and Conditioning…

Alex’s hands on her body are always professional. Mostly. Kathy’s starting to lose track of where the workout ends and something else begins

Personal Trainer Part 3: Awakening Desires, by Mia Sumner

Kathy woke early, an instant awareness that didn’t allow for a return to the comfort of sleep. Next to her in the bed, Richard snored, comfortable and oblivious. She glanced at her phone as she sat up and swung out of bed. The appointment notification stared back at her almost in accusation. There was still time to cancel, she thought as she pulled her panties on, but no Richard had paid for these sessions and the exercise was exactly what she needed.

The world was gray in the predawn light as she arrived at the gym. The keypad blinked green as she pressed her 24/7 access card to it. Most of the lights in the building were off, this felt, almost wrong to Kathy, like she was sneaking into a forbidden place rather than a simple appointment. She brushed the thought aside. Richard might still be sleeping at home, but this was his present to her and Alex was a professional trainer.

There was no one behind the desk in the empty, sterile entrance hall, it was too early for that yet, the signs were easy to follow though. She walked straight through to the gym, itself also almost empty except for someone off in the far corner using a weight machine. Alex was there too, dressed in tight gym clothes, her posture upright, her gaze snapping to Kathy the moment she walked into the gym. Alex’s smile was brief and businesslike. Kathy smoothed a frown from her face at the odd sense of disappointment in her stomach. Had she been hoping for more?…

She told herself she could still turn around. Drive away. Stop this madness. Her panties were already damp when she rang the bell.

Personal Trainer Part 4: Double Life, by Mia Sumner

She woke early, eyes open, instantly awake. A glance to the side confirmed that in ten minutes her alarm would go off. She needed to be in Alex’s apartment in ninety minutes, dressed appropriately. That instruction had been weighing on her all week. Sliding out of bed, careful not to disturb the still sleeping Richard, she put her bare feet on the carpeted floor and walked over to the closet, wondering what exactly Alex wanted her to wear.

“Come back to bed babe.” Richard mumbled. Kathy glanced over her shoulder, but he hadn’t opened his eyes.

“I have an early appointment, go back to sleep honey.” It wasn’t entirely a lie, but it twisted her stomach anyway. Richard turned over, mumbling something she couldn’t make out. Guilt twisted into sadness at his disinterest.

She dressed quickly, pulling on fitted athletic leggings, darker and slimmer than her usual gym gear and just a cropped fitted top over her sports bra. It felt revealing. So fitted, nothing hidden underneath. Her office clothes went into a bag that she slung into the passenger seat. She was out of the house in under thirty minutes…

One text from Alex. Suddenly Kathy was breathless, restless, and very aware of what she wasn’t wearing.

Personal Trainer Part 5: Alex’s Ultimatum, by Mia Sumner

Kathy lay in bed, eyes open, staring at the ceiling as Richard snored obliviously next to her. A hint of gray light filtered around the thick bedroom curtains. She moved slightly, careful not to disturb or wake Richard. The sheets against her bare skin were a reminder, as they had been all night, of her lack of panties. Of Alex. Biting her bottom lip, keeping her movements small, controlling her breath, she inched her hand down to explore. Fingers moving in slow, tight circles, thinking of Alex’s touch.

Richard snorted and stirred. Kathy hurriedly pulled her hand away and sat up as though just waking, self-consciously pulling the collar the baggy t-shirt to conceal Alex’s mark on her. She turned to her husband and smiled at him, getting a brief smile in response before he clambered out of bed. She sat there for a moment, the emptiness returning, before swinging her legs out of bed and getting up too.

“I’ll just skip breakfast.” Richard called from the bathroom. “Since you forgot to pick up groceries yesterday.” It wasn’t a complaint exactly but there was just a hint of sulkiness to his tone that irritated Kathy.

“I’m sorry, the day just got away from me.” It wasn’t a lie exactly. She picked up her phone and checked for messages while he was distracted. Nothing from Alex yet. The sense of disappointment at that triggered was unsettling…