Hot Pickle - J.J. Knight Page 0,11

right up. You were flawless.”

“I owe you one for that. How should I pay her?”

Franklin picks up his bag. “She’s my sister. She can occasionally do something for me.”

I have a feeling Franklin already demands his sister do all his tans for free. But I don’t know anything about their arrangement, so I won’t cast shade.

“Do you know any of those guys who were called out with me?” I ask. “They looked experienced.” My competitive streak is kicking in. Maybe I do want to win.

“The one next to you in the yellow is a total asshole.” Franklin picks up my gym bag and hands it to me. “I got thrown out of a competition because of that guy.”

Franklin’s a hothead, but I can’t imagine what would get him kicked out of a meet. “What happened?”

“He wouldn’t stop hitting on my sister. He was pushy and needed to leave her the fuck alone. So, I punched him.”

“Damn, Frank.” We head down the hallway.

Franklin pushes his hand through his gelled hair, making it stand straight up. “My sister got her heart stomped about a year ago, to the point I didn’t think she’d recover,” he says. “And half the fitness junkies in this circuit are absolute shit. I don’t want them anywhere near my sister.”

“Well, hell. I hope I kick his ass.” I pull my bag closer to my side to avoid colliding with a woman in a red bikini hurrying down the corridor.

“Me, too.”

We push through the doors and into the sunshine. Franklin twirls his car keys around his finger. “I don’t want to think about all the assholes trying to get in my sister’s pants. I’d cut off all their fingers if I could. Should we take my truck?”

“Your truck is fine,” I say carefully, already imagining him shoving those keys into my eyes upon hearing how his sister got an eyeful of my cock.

If I’ve just learned anything, it’s that Camryn is absolutely off-limits.

She might be gorgeous and funny, and my body is on her side.

But Franklin’s a good training partner. With his help, I got a callout on my very first stage appearance. And, despite his flaws, we’ve been friends for a long time.

I don’t need an enemy.

So, I’ll forget about her, get a proper tan next time, and everything will be fine.

As long as Camryn doesn’t tell her brother about my boner.

6

Camryn

It’s been a long day, but I’m finally done and watching the evening show.

And holy pectorals. Max is on stage, and I’m feeling the heat.

Watching him pose to AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” has got me thinking about jumping right on that interstate and taking the ride.

Pun intended.

The seats are full for a competition this small. The auditorium smells of tanning oil. Women sit on either side of me, most likely girlfriends of competitors as they’ve shrieked their lungs out only once during all the categories, barely clapping for the others.

The red curtains are pulled aside, and the back of the stage is simple, a black banner with sponsor logos. This one isn’t much, but it’s a means to bigger and better things. Dahlia already won her category. It’s a good day.

But Max has got the crowd going. He’s pure charisma up there, rolling through the poses with a jaunty sass that is like honey to the bees.

I’m not immune.

Max strikes his final pose and the crowd goes nuts, which is unusual given it’s his first time.

I grip my seat handle. I’m glad I helped him. He has potential.

Max gives a wave at the end of his routine and joins the others to wait for callouts.

I let out a long breath of air to steady myself, and the woman next to me nods in understanding. “He’s a hot one. Several of them were good.”

She’s right. There are some clunkers in the lineup, but as the callouts begin, the top contenders are excellent. I have to tear my gaze away from Max.

Of course, he’s one of the callouts.

It’s clear the others are experienced, and the heavyweight category is one of the hardest to place in. It can take years for a bodybuilder to bulk up in that category, but Max’s genetics are on his side.

Next to him, in yellow trunks, is Brad, who showed interest in me last season until my brother cracked his jaw.

So that relationship was doomed before it started.

I went through a period of rethinking my career choices, seeing as it was putting me way too close to my overbearing brother.

But nothing in the off-season