I was visiting Brisbane for a few days and staying near Fortitude Valley, the night-life filled part of town. I wasn't after the night-life, but I had found what looked like a really good gym there to work out in, as I was being very serious at the time.
The equipment really was good, but when I arrived to work out, it was very, very busy. This was a bit annoying, because it made it hard to get onto the equipment I needed in the right order. But I got into my routine, chest and back, and didn't pay attention to anything else until I had finished the chest section, when I suddenly realized that almost everyone else had left.
I went out to the desk to check I had the closing time right, which I had thought was 10 pm. "Yes, that's right. You have another hour and a half," the muscular, but lean blond guy on reception said. "Don't worry. It's the first State of Origin game tonight, so everyone's gone home early to watch the football."
"Great," I said happily, glad I had the gym to myselfβalmost. I wasn't that into Rugby myself, but I knew that the Queensland and New South Wales state sides, best-of-three games were an institution in the states of both New South Wales and Queensland, and I was in Queensland.
As I returned to the free weights area to start my bent-over rows, I saw him. He was bench-pressing with four 20-kg plates on the bar, about 180 pounds, and he made it look easy. He was a big white guy with lots of tattoos and a shaved head, of what was probably dark hair, that also had something tattooed on it.
I have to say I keep clear of guys who looked like him, and as I am serious when I am training, it was easy to forget he was there. Until I had to go for a piss.
I was going to finish my session with half an hour of running on the treadmill, but I had to go to the men's room first. And it was as I was tucking myself back in and turning to leave that I was confronted by him, the tattooed hulk from the bench press, blocking the doorway. He was filling it with his arms spread and his hands hanging on to the top of the frame and his legs parted while his big skull tilted to one side as he studied me.
"You new here?" he asked.
"Just visiting," I replied, tidying my shorts. "Nice gym."
I moved towards him, wanting to leave, but he just hung there in the doorway, looking me over. "Visiting," he said as if thinking about it.
"Yes, just visiting. I have some treadmill work to do now so . . ." I said, making it clear I wanted to get past him.
But he didn't move.
"Nice ass you've got there. Are you a taker? I reckon you are. Nice piece too, but I reckon you take it up the ass," he said. Then he dropped his arms and stood to one side of the doorway, leering at me. I still had to brush past him to get out, and I felt his hand pat my ass as I squeezed by, getting a lungful of his sweaty musky body odour.
I was shaking as I hurried past him. He was scaring me. But I was in a big gym, I reassured myself, and once I was out of the men's change rooms, I just wanted to finish my programme and get out. And there were still a few other people about. I hit the treadmill and tried to keep my mind on the TV up in front of me.
After a few minutes I had almost forgotten the guy, just noticing him coming out and moving onto the Smith machine for some incline work. Muscles bulged all over him as he pumped the loaded bar up and down. Then another guy, almost as big as him and with almost as many tatts, and also a shaved head, appeared to spot for him.
Pain in the asses, I thought, but only twenty minutes to go and I am out of here.
After that, though, I felt I was being watched, and I made sure I didn't look their way. I wasn't giving them any encouragement. But, unfortunately, they didn't need any, because a few minutes later the pair of them came over and stood, one on each side of me, as I jogged into nowhere. I didn't' know what to do and just kept jogging and looking at the TV as if they might go away if I ignored them.
But out of the corner of my eye I saw the first one's hand drop, and he reached into his shorts and pushing the waistband down freed an engorging rod that matched the size of all his other body parts. "How do you like the look of this?" he asked me, pulling the half-hard monster out. "I think he likes you."
I admit it, I couldn't not look. I took just a quick glance at that big piece of meat he was holding before I fixed my eyes back on the TV.
"I'm sorry. I am not interested, mate," I said, between pants, but looking about and discovering the gym was empty except for the three of us.