Aggressive grunting left Gale's lips. Holding a dumbbell in both hands, she performed reps simultaneously. An errant side-eye or two looked on from the noise she made. Most were intimidated to be around a world champion. Wearing a simple workout top and shorts, she struck a sexy figure, intimidating male and female alike.
On the wall of the gym, next to the trophy cabinet, she always displayed her workout for the day. It gave her a competitive thrill to see amateurs try and copy her regiment. Some succeeded, some failed. Amateur was not an insult, simply stating a fact that few in the gym tried going, or were, professionals. Most worked out to look good, stay in shape, or just get out of the house.
Finishing the set, she sat down on the bench, grabbing the bottle of water. Soon she'd need to start cutting back to get into competition shape. Looking around, she saw a few of the regulars inside lifting away. They helped pay the bills and keep the lights on. Gale didn't open the gym solely to be a successful business, but a front to cover the coming and goings for clan business.
Gale felt the phone in her pocket vibrate, calling her away from the workout. Pulling it out, she switched to Japanese while walking off to a quieter spot away from any onlookers.
"Yeah, well you tell them they get their ass here, or I will pike their heads on the front gate of the family office...I know that is murder. It is a figure of speech. Am I, or am I not the leader of the clan? Fuck it then, send the paperwork to me and I'll make sure it is signed by the man of the house if they are so hard for him. No, this is me being calm, sister. Me not being calm is taking a dumbbell and shoving it up their puckered assholes, the fat fucks they all are, getting rich while they do jackshit."
Now in her personal office, on a different floor of the gym and sequestered from any spying ears, Gale could start cutting loose.
"Who is that hardliner refusing to show at all? You put him on vacation. Give him his retirement papers so I can get some fresh blood into the company. If he does not want to work, he can go kick back and fish for all I care. I don't know his hobbies other than he'll be enjoying them a lot more. Get it done. I want it ready before the next company board meeting. Yes, I'll cool my jets...no, I won't just jump my husband to cut loose, but if I'm going to visit to get papers signed, I'm not wasting the trip on a hi and bye. Alright, keep me posted."
Gale hung up the cell, gripping it tightly within her hand. Heavy rests the head that wears the crown but she did not even wear the crown yet.
"Stupid fucks. Loyalty this and loyalty that and when I call upon their loyalty they are the first to back off because I don't have a set of balls swinging between my legs. The family is what matters, it is all that ever mattered. Musashi, I'm sorry those left behind in your wake are not even a tenth the men you and Ryuji were. With you gone I'm going to have to wipe clean some of the old ways or else we'll lose the family forever."
Tapping the large stack of folders left for her, Gale figured Keishu suspected this situation would occur and left an ample amount of reading material in preparation for her coronation.
"Time to hit the books and get working. What valuable insights did Keishu leave behind for me about those at the top of the family?"
X
Cammy lifted the heavy iron, staring at herself in the gym mirror. The cold steel lifted hard, heavy, eliciting a grunt from the cut, Iberian beauty. One rep with the left, then the right, back to the left and then the right again. She alternated repetitions to feel the proper pump in both biceps. Her primal grunts intimidated the lady sitting on a bench next to her. Flabby and out of shape, she looked nowhere near the physique Cammy presented, nowhere close. Taking a smaller weight, she snuck glances out of the corner of her eye, checking out the form to learn without seeming like a pervert.
Wearing a tight pair of sports shorts, an equally tight, sweaty t-shirt and a bandana her ponytail flopped over, Cammy looked like a blast from the past. Rep after rep she slung the iron, her biceps on fire from the perfect combination of weight and usage. Each swing humbled the superstar and pissed her off simultaneously. She wanted to win the big one against the best. Cammy owned Europe. Undefeated. Untouchable. No one came close to her hot, feminine, cut physique on the stage. The lights ate her up, fans cheered from the crowd, and men and women asked for her autograph and pictures during the conventions and shows.
Here though, she stepped into the den of her enemy, her biggest rival. Gale stood in her way from a world title. Cammy didn't care about the other shows they both attended, only the world title mattered. Some people choose to put a picture of their enemy in a mirror, a desk, the fridge, somewhere to stare the foe down for motivation and a reminder to get better. Cammy took it to the next level.
Why settle for a simple picture if driven enough to practice in the belly of the beast? Each moment spent in Gale's gym would be a humbling reminder of second place. Year after year, she could see the trophies in the cabinet on display in the gym. First, first, first, a better reminder than a casual picture taped to the mirror.
Seeing the trophies angered Cammy, got her blood pumping to push herself to do better. One more rep, one more pound, one more kilo, one more sprint, and one more lap to get that perfect physique. Gale would need to pull out all the stops to win this year.
Without knowing it, Gale gave Cammy another reason to get angry. The Iberian beauty saw him in the gym, saw him casually work out, but he looked perfect. Something about his walk, his gaze caught Cammy's attention. She could not place it but something felt off, felt good looking at the man. Why did he have to be married to Gale?
"Little miss perfect gets everything. This year I'm going to take that title, and I'm going to take your man too," Cammy thought to herself. "Slut like you can't be half as tight as me, dumb puta. I'm going to make myself so irresistible he'll break his vows to you."
Smirking to herself, and happy with the conflict she set up in her head to stoke the motivational flames, Cammy heaved the weight upwards a few more times before re-racking them for a short rest. Sitting on the bench, she took a long drink of cold water from her personally trademarked water bottle.
"Shit...still have cardio after this. This is going to be another long night," she sighed, taking another drink.
Cammy noticed the stares, the looks, side-eye glances from both male and female patrons. Gale's gym had a varied mix of members. Some were in excellent shape, some looked like they just started their fitness journey, and others had the makings of a future pro.
"One title, I just need one title to cement my reign at the top," she whispered to herself.
Red and orange colored headphones adorned her head as she listened to some intense motivational music. It kept her grounded, kept her muscles excited to lift the next weight, the higher weight, so she could feel the sweet, pump sensation. Standing back up, her rough fingers gripped ahold of the next higher dumbbell on the rack. Picking it up, she slung it upwards, alternating again.
The last event she lost out because of her arms so she focused her efforts there leading into the next event. In a couple weeks a moderately important event started. Gale never attended it but Cammy always did as a testing ground to see where she stood. As defending champion she needed to show and represent the crown. Keeping the title would mean smooth sailing into the next big pro event. Losing the title obviously declared a downward trajectory.
Sweat dripped off her brow, bleeding into the bandana. Hard muscles strained against the weight. Blue veins popped out of the tanned skin. The t-shirt arms were cut out, allowing for her toned physique to put on a show for the mirrors with every rep. She could see the bicep muscle engorge itself when flexing, then deflated when straightening out.
Too focused on what she saw in front of her, Cammy never noticed the pair of eyes that watched her for the entire workout from afar. On the other side of the gym, Suzy worked on her legs. Hooked into a leg extension machine, she lifted the heavy weight with all her might. Maybe not as heavy for a woman like Cammy but heavy for the scrawny, formally malnourished, high schooler. Food ranked number one on the perk list living at Gale's apartment. Suzy didn't think she could handle the basic workouts if not for getting five square meals a day.
Between sets she studied Cammy. The fierce, outward intensity drew Suzy's eyes towards the Iberian fitness star. The fluid motions and flawless form, she became a second woman to emulate in the gym. Gale showed her the basics when she could, and Suzy watched from afar when she couldn't, but no one else ranked in her guardian's league. Keishu didn't lift like Gale, only doing the bare basics to keep her figure and martial arts acumen intact. Functionality over physique.
Wiping down the machine, Suzy swallowed hard, gathering the courage to say hello. She wanted advice, more advice to improve faster. Despite the rough exterior and snappy attitude, Suzy did have brains, and gratitude as well. It didn't take long to realize Gale competed and could only devote so much time to a wayward teen before it affected her own career. Maybe this newcomer would show her a couple tricks?
Waiting for her to rack the weights, Suzy started walking over, ready to introduce herself. Suzy tapped Cammy on the shoulder. Looking up at the brave girl from the bench she sat on, Cammy took off her headset, curious at what the random girl wanted.
