"Well, hello again, Rammy!"
Ramona did a double-take when she walked in and saw Qiang, now wearing a black sleeveless turtleneck and skirt instead of the workout gear from yesterday.
What the fuck?! Why is
she
here?
"H-Hi! Didn't know you, uh, worked here!"
"And I didn't know you worked here, either," Qiang lied. "I mean, what are the odds? Out of all the pornography studios in this town, we both wind up at the same one?"
Are there really
that
many porn studios here?
"Yeah, it's crazy! So, what're you shooting today?"
"I believe it's a JOI video with a hands-free orgasm trigger. Not necessarily my thing, but it's a pretty reliable subgenre for us."
"That sounds cool!" Ramona had no idea what any of that meant, but she wanted to seem nice by feigning enthusiasm. "So who are you doing it with?"
"Oh, it's a solo shoot. The audience seems to prefer me when I'm giving them orders, not another actress." Qiang shrugged. "I mean, I'd
love
to play around with some of the other girls here, but I guess that's my niche."
"Can't say I blame you, everyone I've met so far has been pretty..." Ramona blushed. "Um, cute."
Qiang stepped closer to Ramona, towering over her. "You don't have to play coy. You work in a pornography studio, it's only natural you'd get a little..." She leaned down and whispered in Ramona's ear. "Worked up."
Ramona felt her cheeks burning. "I-I, um. Um."
"Oh, you're
adorable
when you're flustered," Qiang chuckled. She leaned closer and closer, and Ramona swore their lips would touch-
"Hey, Qiang! Get on the fukkin' set already!"
Qiang scowled and spun on her heels, glaring at Jess. "You don't have to shout."
Jess rolled her eyes and shut the door to the stage behind her.
Qiang sighed. "I'd love to stay and play, Rammy, but I'm afraid I'm needed on set."
"Oh... right." Ramona's heart sank. She walked over behind the desk as Qiang headed backstage.
Just before she closed the door, though, Qiang paused and looked over at Ramona. "Oh, almost forgot. The gym I go to gave me a free 30-day trial to give out for being a loyal customer." She pulled out a small black business card. "Honestly, though, I don't know anyone who might need it. Would you be interested?"
"Gym membership?" Ramona scratched the back of her head. "I dunno, I could probably stand to lose a few pounds."
Qiang set the card down on the desk and smiled. "Then it's all yours. I'm going to be heading there tonight. Maybe I'll see you there?"
Ramona's mind turned back to yesterday, when she first met Qiang in the mall.
God, she was so sexy in that sports bra... and those yoga pants... fuck, I'm so gay...
"Rammy!" Qiang snapped. "Are you going to be there tonight?"
"Um, y-yeah!" Ramona stammered, shaking the cobwebs out of her mind and wiping a bit of drool off her chin. "I'll see you tonight, right after my shift's done!"
Qiang grinned. "Good girl." As she slipped backstage and closed the door, she heard Ramona moan and chuckled to herself.
* * *
Ramona pulled out the business card and squinted at it. "Well, this is the place." She looked up at the imposing building in front of her, a sleek, modern structure of glass and stainless steel. "Way fancier than I expected... I probably won't be able to afford a membership once this trial's expired."
Maybe I can fuck Qiang for a discount... Wait, what? Where did
that
come from?
She shook her head and walked into the building. The interior wasn't quite as sleek as the exterior, but it still had the air of high class, and high cost. In front of her was a desk with someone sitting behind it; to her right, a large room full of exercise equipment; and to the left, a door with black-out curtains covering the window. She went over to the front counter and presented the business card.
The man behind the counter was tall, broad-shouldered, the exact kind of guy one would expect worked at a gym. He took the card from Ramona's hand and walked her through the registration process. After a few minutes, he handed her a membership card and pointed her in the direction of the locker rooms, down at the far right.
Ramona walked past rows and rows of treadmills, almost all of them used by a fit, attractive person that made her feel more than a little self-conscious. She wasn't fat, but she definitely wasn't as in-shape as she could be. She shrugged it off and made her way to the locker room. She set her old duffel bag down on a bench and opened up a locker, quickly getting undressed and slipping on her workout gear: an old pair of sweatpants and a slightly-too-big t-shirt.
Not the sexiest outfit in the world, but it'll work.
Once she was changed and her other clothes were safely stored in the locker, she went back out into the main room and found an open treadmill.
Oh, cool, this one's got pre-set workout things. Let's see... I think 30 minutes should be good?
She shrugged and punched in the time, and chose the preset marked "Calorie Burn." The treadmill started up, and Ramona tried to keep up with it.
The more she tried, though, the less she wanted to. Before long, she felt a sheen of sweat over her entire body, her legs turning to jelly, her lungs aching. She hit the pause button, certain that she must be nearing the end of her routine. She took a few moments to catch her breath, then checked the timer. "What?! Only eight minutes!" Ramona groaned and slumped over the side of the treadmill.
God, it's even worse than I thought... I'm so out of shape...
"Ah, I see you accepted my offer."
Ramona turned her head to the side and silently cursed herself.
Dammit... of
course
Qiang has to show up now, when I'm fucking winded and look like a dying fish.
She gave a weary smile and tried not to look embarrassed. "Hey... How're you doing?"
Qiang smiled back. She was in an outfit similar, but not identical, to the one she had on yesterday, and a pair of what looked like wireless earbuds on her head. "Oh, I'm fine," she said, wiping her brow with a towel. "Just doing a light 3-mile jog, then some deadlifts. You?"
"Light 3-mile jog?" Christ, this lady isn't human!
"Oh, y'know, just, uh... running. I guess."
The other woman peered over at the treadmill's display. "Oh, that looks intense. You feeling alright, Rammy?"
"Y-Yeah..." Ramona tried to stand, but her leg seized up and she fell on her ass, letting out a small yelp of pain. She buried her head in her hands. "...Totally fine."
Kill me now.
Ramona felt a strong arm hook around her torso and pull her up. "C'mon," Qiang said, "let's get outta here." Ramona wanted to fight, but she felt too tired to do anything. She saw the other patrons of the gym giving them dirty looks and blushed hard.
They walked past the front desk and over to the door with the curtains. Qiang swiped a card next to the handle and the door unlocked. Ramona thought she saw the guy at the desk nod to Qiang, but she wasn't sure.
The room beyond the door was dark, illuminated only by the indirect glow of a projector screen at the far end, showing a collection of nature shots. The image reflected off a small handful of treadmills and exercise bikes. "What's this?" Ramona asked.
"Private theater for platinum members. And guests." Qiang sat Ramona down on the floor, her legs stretched out in front of her, and handed Ramona a bottle. "Here, take this. You're probably dehydrated."
"Thanks." Ramona took the bottle and drank from it like a baby.
"Don't mention it," Qiang chuckled.
Ramona took a swig and noticed the eerie silence in the room. "Um, is the sound muted?"
"Hm?" Qiang looked over at the screen. "Oh, yes. You have to wear headphones to hear the video feed. Would you like to use mine?"
"Oh, I don't want to impose-"
"Nonsense!" Qiang handed Ramona her earbuds. "These are really cool, actually. They stimulate the cheekbones and send sound directly to the inner ear, so you can hear your music without drowning out everything around you."
"Huh?" Ramona raised an eyebrow. "Does that really work? Sounds like some sci-fi crap..." She took the earbuds and placed it around the back of her head. Sure enough, she could hear relaxing music, even though the speakers weren't on her ears. "Wow, that's cool."
"It is, isn't it?" Qiang smiled. "Oh, do you mind if I take your shoes off?"
Ramona raised an eyebrow. "Uh... why?"
"I'd like to give you a leg massage. Helps with circulation, and if nothing else it'll help with the soreness."
"Do you offer leg massages to everyone you meet at the gym?"
"Only the cute ones," Qiang grinned.
"Um!" Ramona blushed. "S-Sure!"
"Good girl." Ramona shivered. Qiang slipped off Ramona's tennis shoes and carefully placed them down on the floor. "Now, I'd like you to lay down for me, Rammy. Just lie on your back and try to get comfortable."
Ramona laid back and gave Qiang a thumbs-up. "Okay, go for it."
Qiang responded by holding Ramona's foot and gently kneading her sole with her thumbs, applying firm but never uncomfortable amounts of pressure.
Hm... this isn't that bad.
The two women stayed in silence for a moment.
...Well, this is awkward. I guess she isn't one for small talk, but...
"So, um... how'd you end up at Savanna's Delights?"
"Oh, that's a funny story." Qiang moved up to the ball of Ramona's foot. "See, before I worked for Savanna, I was a masseuse at this place in town. Really high-end, expensive. And I was good at it."