Challenging Carter

The door to the exercise room stood partly open, and the sound of conversation spilled out into the hallway. Double-checking her printout from the front desk, Dani walked inside.

The space was larger than she’d expected, with a gleaming wood floor and a row of floor-to-ceiling mirrors along the far wall. Women stood around in clusters of two and three, some stretching, some just talking with friends. Dani faltered in the doorway, suddenly wishing she were anywhere but here.

“You new?” A perky blonde bounced over, a big smile on her face. “Come on, I’ll help get you settled.” She started leading Dani toward the front of the room, her ponytail swinging with each step. “You need to meet Jana, our instructor. She’s the best.”

Dani trailed in the woman’s wake, glancing around as she crossed the room. Other class members looked over as she passed. Jana was fiddling with the stereo system as they approached.

“I’m Brenda, by the way.” The blonde tugged Dani forward by her elbow. “Hey, Jana, you’ve got a new victim.”

“Go away before you send her screaming from the room,” Jana deadpanned. Turning to Dani, she said, “It’s really not always a madhouse in here.”

“Yes it is,” stage-whispered Brenda, before scampering away with a laugh.

Dani handed Jana her paperwork. “I’m, uh, doing this for the OSE challenge.”

“Good for you! Love to see people trying new things.” Jana scanned the computer printout. “Looks pretty standard. Just bring your form with you each time and I’ll sign off at the end of class.”

“Thanks.” Dani looked around. “Do I need anything else or…”

Jana shook her head. “Nope, just make sure you wear something comfortable and easy to remove. This class is all about your comfort level, so only go as far as you want to. No pressure. And if you have any questions, just let me know.” She glanced up at the wall clock. “Oops, gotta start. Why don’t you find an open space and follow along. Don’t worry if you don’t get every move down right away. You’ll get there.” With a smile, she turned away.

As Jana clapped her hands for attention, Dani looked around the room. Brenda was in the left hand corner, waving.

I’ve got a spot, she mouthed, gesturing at the open space next to her.

Brenda was stretching her arms above her head as Dani approached. “We always start with some warm-ups,” she said. “You might not think of injuries in a class like this, but they do happen if you aren’t careful.”

“Mm-hmm.” Dani winced as she tried to touch her toes, her fingertips barely brushing the tops of her athletic shoes.

Jana had finally gotten the stereo system working, and a sensual, beat-driven song filled the room. Standing in front of the mirrored wall, she began rolling her head from side to side. “Stretch those muscles,” she called over the music. “You want to be enticing, not injured.”

Enticing?

Dani tilted her head down, then rolled it to the left, grimacing as her neck popped with the motion.

“Ooh, sounds tight,” Brenda said. She stretched an arm over her head, bending at the waist. “Don’t worry, you’ll limber up in no time.”

Dani nodded as she twisted and bent and stretched, trying to keep up. If she was this far behind during warm-ups, how was she ever going to manage the step routine?

“Everyone to the floor,” Jana called, and Dani joined the rest of the class in scrambling to find a spot on the polished wood boards. As she reached toward her toes, feeling the stretch throughout her body, she glanced around.

Where were the steps, anyway? It’s not like they’d need them during the warm-up, but except for a box of free weights in the back of the class, the space was empty of equipment.

Something didn’t add up.

It was a popular class, if the full room was any indication. The group was all female, from tight-bodied twentysomethings to one woman who looked old enough to be Dani’s grandmother.

“Okay, now, I want you to roll slowly back up, one vertebra at a time, until you are in a seated, upright position.” Jana, stretching forward between her widespread legs, demonstrated the slow position change. “And as you move, slide one hand up your leg, over your hip, across your torso, ending with it in your hair. Come on, be sexy, ladies!”

Dani blinked in surprise. Sexy? In an aerobics class? She glanced furtively around, startled to see her classmates following the instructions with enthusiasm.

“Now lean back on your elbows and bring your legs together. That’s it, perfect!” Jana stood and began to circulate around the room, helping the women get into position. “You guys are totally ready for a floor routine.”

She struck a pose, pulling her shoulders back. “Here, thrust your breasts out. You’re hot, you’re ready, you’re giving him the biggest boner of his life!”

Oh, my God. Dani, who had just managed to struggle into position, sat upright. She did not just hear that.

Did she?

A movement to her right caught her eye and she turned, jumping a little when she saw her instructor right next to her.

Jana crouched down, a patient smile on her lips. “Everything okay? I know it can be a bit overwhelming the first day.”

“I, uh…” Dani wished she didn’t blush quite so easily. “I guess it’s not quite what I expected.”

Jana nodded sympathetically. “Getting used to being sensual in front of other people can be a bit of a challenge.”

Sensual? What? “Well, I mean, I just thought it’d be more aerobic.”

“This is only the warm-up. It’ll be plenty aerobic once we get into the main routine.”

Dani bit her lip. “Is that when we get the steps out?”

“The steps?” Jana’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “We don’t use any steps.”

“Then why call it step aerobics?”

Jana tossed back her head and laughed. “Oh, honey, you poor thing! You thought you signed up for step aerobics?”

Dani nodded, her blush rapidly turning crimson.

“This isn’t step aerobics. It’s strip aerobics.” Jana patted Dani on the shoulder. “But I hope you’ll decide to stick around anyway.”