"Come on," Jess Adams said as soon as Major Kirk released the company for the evening. "Join me over at the gym. You clearly need it."
"You sure?" Linda asked. "We're nowhere near the same in strength levels."
"Yeah, I'm doing some acceleration work tonight, so the movements will be awkward for me," Jess assured her. "And what's speed work for me might be a good regular style lift for you. Come on, we can stop by the barracks for you to grab some gym gear. I'll give you a ride."
"What, my bike isn't cool enough?" Linda asked wryly,.
Jess rolled her eyes.
A few minutes later they were at the barracks, and Linda went inside to quickly change clothes, knowing that Jess had her things in her truck.
She didn't have too many 'civilian' gym clothes. She didn't need them. But after a minute she grabbed a plain black t-shirt and some yellow basketball shorts, tossing them in a backpack before joining Jess in her truck.
"So... static?" Jess asked as Linda closed the door. "Need backup?"
"No, not yet," Linda replied, grateful for Jess's discretion in her questions. "I mean, I texted Brutus to try and find out about this, but I haven't heard back yet. I'd like to talk with him first before I do anything else."
Jess nodded, inhaling through her nose.
"Obviously I didn't work with Superstar as much as you did. I think I talked with him twice the entire week he was here, and both of those conversations were about supplements and weight training. But he doesn't strike me as the type of guy to want problems like this. You know, for a superstar football player, he seemed to be a really private guy, more of a homebody than anything else."
"You know, he sort of is?" Linda admitted. "His house is luxurious, but most of his public persona is sort of just that. It's like there's Brutus the guy I'm dating, and Brutus the football superstar. I haven't seen much of that second side of him."
"It's not football season yet," Jess pointed out before laughing. "You know, my sister says I'm the same way? Sort of a bitch on duty, but I'm a total girly-girl when I'm in a relationship?"
Linda laughed. "Abs like yours, and your next girlfriend can wash her clothes on them instead of using her washing machine."
They got to the gym, and Linda had to admit that it was a total Jess Adams place. The building looked like a warehouse, with scuffed paint on the walls and a few scars on the wood paneling, but every single machine and bar was in perfect shape. Rust was afraid to live here. They went to the locker room, where they changed out of their uniforms.
Linda was surprised, as she often was, at just how different she and Jess Adams were built. The woman's back was thickly muscled, with clear definition on her traps, lats, and muscles she didn't even know the names of, to the point they made her look like she had a diamond between her shoulder blades.
"You're just wearing a bra top?" Linda asked as she pulled her shorts on. "Showing off?"
"Psssh, next to you, I have to do everything I can to show off," Jess said. "I'm going to be doing kettlebell swings next to a supermodel. Even if you're taken, be prepared for every dude in the gym to be feelin' really, really thirsty."
Linda laughed, but before she could say anything her phone rang. Checking the screen, her heart skipped a beat before speeding up as she saw it was Brutus.
"Gimmie a minute, Jess?"
"Sure. I'll go stretch, join me when you're ready." She grabbed her plastic cup full of her workout drink powder and left the women's locker room.
Alone, Linda picked up the call. "Brutus, thank you for calling back."
"Hey, I'm sorry I didn't call earlier," Brutus said.
His voice was muffled, and the connection sounded like he was in a tunnel or something it was so poor. Still, hearing his voice helped her feel better.
"I was caught up in business meetings with one of my big endorsement contract companies. So you saw the story?"
"I did. Had a little chat with Colonel Remsburg and Major Kirk about it."
"Fuck," Brutus hissed. "I found out this morning just before lunch myself in fact. Bunch of suits sprung the damn news on me as we sit down to talk about my contract."
"Brutus, I need to ask just because but... this wasn't something you did, right?"
"No!" Brutus assured her, sounding a little upset.
It made Linda cringe, but at the same time the heat of his denial soothed her soul all the more.
