"Aerobics? Seriously?" Harold asked disbelievingly, sipping on a tall glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice.
"C'mon, Harold, it's the new craze," Britt gushed with excitement. "And Aubrey's classes are...a little different. C'mon, it'll be fun."
Harold finished his O.J. and took one more bite of his blueberry muffin.
"Plus," Britt added. "It'll give me a chance to introduce you to Aubrey. Before we hit up one of her parties."
Brittany Flowers added a seductive wink, and Harold was on board.
***
Aubrey Chattersly lived in an eight-bedroom house, way back in the Malibu Canyon.
The gardens and backyard were breathtaking, and the house had a rec room the size of a small auditorium.
Her aerobics class had drawn in about 20 people in all - Harold counted 12 women and eight men. They lined up neatly in five rows, with plenty of space in between.
The men wore shorts and tank tops for the most part, the women dressed in leotards over brightly-colored tights. Some were even rocking leg warmers.
Aubrey, in a striped, lime green and white leotard, stood at the front of the class, facing her eager students.
"Well, coming to the class is half the battle, I assure you," she promised. "We're gonna have fun today!"
Many of the class members had been there before and knew what was in store. For Harold, this was all new.
"You know I always loved coming to these but I've just been so busy," Britt commented lightly into Harold's ear, her raspberry and silver leotard making its debut on this sun-sparkling Sunday afternoon.
The sunlight shined brightly, coming down through the glass ceiling of the majestic, spacious rec room.
Aubrey was thorough in taking the class through every routine. They danced and moved rhythmically to one song after another.
Harold recognized some of the songs from the FM radio station he would sometimes listen to if Tiger 101 went to commercial.
"She's a Man Eater" by Hall and Oates provided some enjoyment, and then "Let's Get Physical" by Olivia Newton John started to play, and Britt suddenly leaned in to her assistant.
"Harold? Any minute now, Aubrey is gonna ask if anyone in the class would like to get more comfortable," Britt calmly explained. "That's your cue to..."
She left the end of that sentence blank, as if Harold knew what she was implying.
But he did not.
"That's my cue to what?" he asked.
She gave him a wry grin, as if he should know.
"To...take everything off," she finished with authority.
Harold had a lump in his throat.
"What?" he asked, dumbfounded.
Britt leaned in closer.
"She expects the men to work out in the nude," Britt explained. "That's just the way it's always been at these classes."
Harold was shocked, stunned - aroused a bit, no question - but surprised nonetheless.
"Alright. Great start, everybody. Now if anyone in the class would like to get more comfortable?" Ms. Chattersly offered aloud.
Britt winked at Harold, as if to say, "see, I told you so."
Harold looked around for confirmation. Sure enough, all of the men - ranging in ages from 20-something to mid-50's - were soon completely nude.
Harold quickly joined in on the fun. He stood there naked, nervous but intrigued.