Read Online Body on the Stage by Bev Robitai - Free Book Online Page A

leave
me with Vincenzo but just write up a workout book for me yourself?
That way I’ll be doing the right exercise but still be able to keep
an eye on him.”
    “Perfect!” Cathy grinned.
“That’s an excellent idea. You’re not just a pretty face, are
you?”
    “Oh God, far from it!”
    “Stop that. You know very well
you’re a perfectly nice-looking guy, so don’t run yourself down. Go
on, finish your session, get out of here, go home and take some
anti-inflammatories to ease the last of that muscle pain. You
should be feeling much better by tomorrow and I’ll have your new
workout book ready for you when you come in.” She paused. “I’ll
also have a word with Vincenzo and find out why he felt it
necessary to overwork you like that. I’ll be very interested in his
reasons.”
    “Yeah, me too, now you mention
it. What has he got against me, I wonder?”
    She smiled sweetly. “Perhaps
he’s jealous of you.”
    It was a thought that brought a
disbelieving smile to his face all the way home. She must have been
joking. Surely.
     
    When he entered the gym the
following night he was surprised when Vincenzo rushed over to him
with a look of deep concern in his dark brown eyes.
    “Dennis my friend, I’m so sorry.
I made a terrible mistake and mixed up your workout book for
someone else with a similar name. I hope you are all right, yes?
Cathy told me you had bad soreness – I’m so very sorry. How can I
make it good for you?” He looked so worried and apologetic that
Dennis instantly forgave him any mistake he might have made. He
obviously felt terrible about it, and Cathy had probably told him
off quite strongly already.
    ‘Look, don’t worry about it – no
harm done. It’s all fine.”
    “But I must at least buy you a
drink sometime, eh? Make it right between us. Show you how I think
you’re such a good guy.”
    “No really, there’s no need for
that,” said Dennis, a little uncomfortably. “Let’s just get back to
working out, shall we? No hard feelings, I promise.”
    “Oh you are such a nice
person.”
    “It’s all right, please don’t
worry about it. I just want to do my workout, OK? Let’s just forget
it ever happened and start fresh.”
    Vincenzo nodded in acquiescence
and stuck out a slim brown hand for him to shake. “You are a good
man, Dennis. We start again, no problem, no fuss. Is all good,
yes?”
    Dennis shook it firmly. “All
good, sure.”
    Relieved to have that encounter
behind him, he sought out Cathy to see if she had a workout book
for him. She was working in her office behind reception, tapping
away at her keyboard looking worried. When Dennis knocked she
carried on typing without looking up.
    “Hi, I’ll be with you in a
moment. Have a seat if you like, I’ll only be a minute.”
    He quietly sat down and
waited.
    When she finally glanced up and
saw him, her face lit up as if the sun had come out from behind a
dark grey cloud. “Oh it’s you, hi! Nice to see you. How are the
legs?”
    “Good as gold, thanks. Your
magic fingers really did the trick. But if you’ve got a more
lenient workout written up for me today I’ll be grateful.”
    Cathy’s hand flew to her mouth.
“Oh lord, I forgot all about it. Hang on, give me just a sec and
I’ll get right onto it.” She shook her head, glaring at her
monitor. “There’s just so much going on at the moment. I can’t keep
up with all the things I really want to do because there’s all this
damned admin stuff to handle.” She grabbed her hair with both hands
and let out a restrained yell. “Aaaarrrgh! Bloody, bloody accounts!
I hate them!”
    “Don’t worry about me then,”
said Dennis soothingly, starting to back away. “I expect Vincenzo
will write up something that works, as long as he doesn’t mix me up
with somebody else this time.”
    “Is that what he said happened?
I wonder how…oh never mind.” She blew out a sigh. “All right, if
you don’t mind working with him, that’s fine. Sorry I’m