*Note: Main character is the same Ray from two other stories "Bike Shorts" and "Dirty Patrol". But you don't have to read those to follow this story. Hope you all like this one.*
Ray pulled into the parking lot of his prospective hunting ground so early in the day that the sun was not yet out. He'd heard from sources that at times this particular gym enabled certain men to get a workout in the weight room AND in the showers. He wasn't able to get a hold of any of the management but that was fine. This mission was mostly reconnaissance and if an opportunity to dominate some sex-starved married guy came up, that was fine too. The higher-ups at the precinct where he worked knew that he was gay often sent him out to patrol areas known for cruising. They couldn't risk subjecting any of the poor, straight officers to the horrifying sight of two men having sex. At first Ray had been angered and offended at being pigeonholed this way. He wondered how his supervisor had found out about him and how the other officers would react. But then something changed. He realized that he could use this position to his advantage. He was able to fuck the men he found out cruising with no fear of getting caught since he was there to catch them and no other officer even wanted to think about it. It was a nice perk. Ray usually patrolled bike trails, restrooms, and dressing rooms at the mall. But today he was expanding his territory and hoped that this place would provide some new entertainment.
Strolling through the gym, Ray took note of the morning crowd. There were a couple of retirees, a few guys in fairly decent shape, and couple of serious fitness fanatics. He couldn't tell who had potential and who was just there for any early workout so he decided to get the most out of this while still scoping the place out. When he went into the locker room to put away his bag Ray did a scan and took note of the number of lockers in use. That was sometimes a good indicator of how busy the locker room could potentially get. There weren't very many. If he got lucky there shouldn't be enough traffic to interrupt.
"I can manage this," he whispered to himself.
Ray was definitely serious about fitness. He often thought about training to compete in bodybuilding competitions but it was hard to win those without steroids. He packed a lot of power on his 6-foot-1 inch frame but the commitment to getting competition ready was one he was not yet ready to make again. However, his workouts were still intense and his physique was a big part of the reason he was able to be so dominant with his patrol conquests. He also sported a bald head that made him seem more mature and authoritative than his 34 years and often had men several years his senior call him daddy.
After locking up his bag Ray walked out onto the floor and set about his workout. Most of the time Ray was singularly focused. Moving weight, working up a sweat, and pushing his body to the limit. Usually, nothing could break his focus when he was in this state...usually. During a rest period between sets, Ray noticed a powerful figure emerge from a side room dedicated to functional strength. The tall, muscular man strode confidently through the gym and seized all of Ray's attention. As this man came closer to the bench where Ray had been doing incline bench presses, he was able to get a better look. He was tall. Probably taller than Ray and muscular but not as bulky. He wore a sleeveless t-shirt soaked through with sweat that also glistened his red-brown hair. That shirt along with the tapered sweat pants showed the results of a rigorous workout regimen. His arms were nicely defined and he looked powerful. The way he moved reminded Ray of a boxer or one of his fellow former marines.
Ray sat up and without a thought raised his hand in a tentative wave. When the man stopped in his tracks and started to walk over Ray felt a jolt of something that had become foreign to him... He was nervous.
"You new here?" asked this man in a low, gravelly voice. Ray took the opportunity to get a better look at him. He looked rugged and tough. Not what anyone would ever call "pretty" or "beautiful". But damn was he sexy.
"Yeah," Ray replied. "It's my first time here."
"Well welcome. This is a great time to come in. In about two hours this place will start to get a little busy. It's nothing compared to the afternoon crowd, though."
"I'll bet," Ray agreed. "You must come here a lot."
The man smirked. "What makes you say that?"
Ray was surprised by the question and wondered if he had been caught checking this guy out. For a split second he thought about downplaying his comment. Making it seem as innocuous as possible. But then...
"It shows," Ray said nonchalantly, trying to the thread the needle between being complimentary and flirtatious. He had no idea what this guy was into and had immediately assumed that he was straight.
"Thanks, I'm Dylan."
"Ray."
Dylan fought to suppress a smile. Ray's small comment had actually made his day. "Well, you've definitely been hitting some other gym. Do you compete?"
It was Ray's turn to feel warm and fuzzy. "In bodybuilding building?" He asked, feeling happy that someone else had seen his potential to go into competition.