Read Every Night Forever for Free Online

woke up in, was no more.  She hadn’t been real in the first place.
     
    It was quiet, but she wasn’t sure what their weeknights normally were like.  She hadn’t been in a gym before; the whole workout thing never appealed to her.  She was a size ten and she’d always been that no matter what she did.  In high school, she’d tried in vain to diet, but nothing had ever worked for her, and eventually she stopped and accepted her body, curves and all.
     
    Mason said there were twenty trainers on their payroll, contractors who only came in when they had clients.  They made between one hundred and three hundred an hour, and a percentage went to the gym along with the clients’ monthly fees.  It sounded like a very good racket.  They had two trainers full-time to help people with machines, one for the morning shift and one for the evening shift.  In the evening, it was Denny, a man who looked like he was about thirty-five, with closely shaved hair and a bulky body.  Whoever the man was that Cairo was working out with, he was well-muscled but not in the incredibly defined way that Cairo was.  And that name!  Was there a sexier name on the planet?  Well, possibly Dante.  And Mason.
     
    Reminding herself that she was there for work and not play, she squeezed her tingly thighs together and turned away from the awesome spectacle of Cairo as he punched a heavy bag like he wanted to destroy it.
     
    Dante came out of his office and handed her a small stack of papers. “When you get a chance, fill out these for our files.”
     
    “Sure.”
     
    He turned away abruptly, shooting an almost hostile look at Mason, who was very close to her suddenly.  “You’d have to make files before those would do any good.”  He peeked over her shoulder, his chair almost touching hers.
     
    “Not much for filing?”
     
    He shook his head.  “I want to go paperless, because his office is like a black hole, but he’s a tactile guy.  It’s not real if he can’t hold it in his hands, you know?”
     
    She nodded, because she knew people like that.  Maybe if it was dead like this during her shift, she could help them get online.
     
    She filled out the paperwork while Mason told her about the gym, himself, and his brothers.  He was funny and sweet, and every time she looked into his dark brown eyes she had to remind herself that he was technically her boss, and she was – what? Oh yeah – not getting involved with anyone anytime soon.
     
    Cairo, glistening with sweat and looking too good to be true, walked by the desk and winked a dark brown eye at her before heading to the men’s locker room.  She wondered why he shaved his head, even though she liked it.  He also had a tattoo, but it was a military style — a bald eagle with spread wings and a flag tangled around it, on his left bicep.
     
    About nine, Mason straightened with a yawn.  “I’m ready to put a fork in the night.  How about you?”
     
    “Sure.”  She stood up, smoothing her skirt nervously.
     
    “Dante will stay until eleven, and then he’ll close up and turn on the security system.  So just don’t open any of the outer doors, and you’ll be fine.”  He asked for her phone and programmed in all of their cells and their home number, just in case she needed to call.
     
    After saying goodnight, she walked over to the office.  Dante looked up at her, a pen with the end chewed in his fingers.  “Mason’s leaving, so I’m going to head back to the, uh, room for the night, if that’s okay?”
     
    “Of course.  I didn’t expect you to stick around with him so long tonight.”
     
    “It was nice.  I didn’t exactly have anything to do anyway.”
     
    He stared at her silently.  She would have given just about anything to know what he was thinking.  The lack of conversation settled heavily on her shoulders and she finally broke the silence.
     
    “Good night, Dante.”
     
    “Good night, Alyssa.”
     
    She walked away before she