AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She held the book out to the man. ‘Sorry, I don’t read these books.’ She offered a brief apologetic smile, but he pushed the book back towards her and placed an extra one on top of it.
‘Then what better time to start than now, with two of our most popular titles.’
How did he do that?Gina glanced at the books that had somehow been put in her hand, the other one titled ‘Her After-Hours Boyfriend’; another medical-themed story.
‘I insist you give them a go, doctor’s orders.’ He winked.
Talk about putting on the charm! They must be desperate for sales and publicity.She tucked the books in her perfectly organised handbag, if only to satisfy the fake doctor so she could be on her way. ‘Well, thank you.’
‘My pleasure. I’ll be out and about for a few days, so if I’m lucky enough to cross paths with you again I’d love to hear what you think.’ He flashed his addictive smile again and Gina scooted off before he insisted on checking her pulse, which had probably increased a few notches.
Cool air refreshed Gina as she escaped the city streets and entered Gourmet Sushi, and her shoulders relaxed at the familiarity of her favourite eating place. She sometimes took her lunch to Hyde Park to enjoy the sunshine, but with today’s sweltering heat, she’d stay inside and do a spot of people watching.
‘One salmon sushi coming up!’ said the smiling man behind the counter. He served Gina regularly, but she didn’t know his name. It seemed like he owned the place, the way he spoke loudly and chatted constantly to the other staff, walking around with his chest puffed out and a smile ofvery irritatinghappiness. He always wore t-shirts with corny sayings on them, like: ‘I’m on a seafood diet – I see food and eat it’. That must have been one of his favourites; he’d worn it about two dozen times. Today’s t-shirt read: ‘The way to my heart’ with an arrow pointing to his stomach. At least, shethoughtit pointed to his stomach and hoped it didn’t refer to anything further south.
As T-Shirt Man transferred her meal to a plate foreating-in, Gina glanced around at the familiar interior. She always thought it odd that for a gourmet sushi bar with gorgeous Asian artwork and fancy table settings, the staff dressed like they were off to a lazy Sunday barbeque. Apart from the incongruence, the sushi was fresh and fantastic. Best in the city. She often ate seafood when out, Marvin didn’t like fish so she rarely cooked it at home. Despite Gina’s Italian heritage, she was more a fan of sushi and rice than fettuccine and lasagne.
Sliding elegantly into the corner booth where she felt most comfortable, able to see everything around her, she expertly picked up a piece of sushi with chopsticks and popped it into her mouth. She savoured the satisfaction of filling the empty void in her stomach. If only it was that easy to fill theotherempty void.
Gina was about to lean towards the magazine stand nearby for something to distract her from her thoughts, when she remembered the books in her handbag. Maybe she should take a quick look, if only to have a laugh.Who buys these books anyway?She unzipped her handbag, discreetly pulled out Her After-Hours Boyfriend, and scoffed at the back cover blurb.What a load of unrealistic garbage. They take advantage of naive women who live in hope of having their magical, one-in-a-million ‘happy ever after’, women who were unsatisfied, lonely, and a little desperate ...She gulped. Women like her.
She normally read suspense novels, they gave her a buzz of excitement and always had some sort of resolution –certainty– to end the chaos. But what had Liz said at the meeting? ‘Do something for yourself that you’ve never done before’. At first, Gina thought she’d meant something adventurous like skydiving or going out without her phone oremergency whistle. But, she’d also said something about reading a different kind of book. Gina wasn’t used to reading anything without murder victims, corrupt politicians, or undercover agents, but considering this was a free book, she could afford to take a risk. If it was a load of trash she could always put it in the recycling, hand it to a stranger like the fake doctor had done, or sell it on eBay and make a few bucks to pay for lunch.
She popped another piece of sushi into her mouth and tentatively turned the first page to begin her venture into the unknown...
‘Extra-long lunch break today, huh?’
Gina flinched and her head flipped up. T-Shirt Man stood at the booth next to hers, wiping down the table. She turned her wrist and checked the time.Oh no!
‘Oops, I must have lost track of time,’ she said, folding the corner of the page over and shoving the book in her handbag. And damn it, she was right at the good bit when Loretta and her after-hours boyfriend, Kane, were about to be sprung by Loretta’s controlling husband.
‘Must be a good book.’ T-Shirt Man smiled, his arm muscles pulsing as he wiped the table.
Gina shrugged as if it was just an average read to pass the time, but then wondered whether to fake food poisoning and go home early to finish the book before Marvin got home.Gina! What’s got into you?She’d hardly ever had a sick day in the whole six years she’d worked in the accounts department of M2M Marketing, apart from her occasional migraine attacks which left her in bed for a couple of days. Being passionate about looking after her health and making time for exercise meant she rarely had to make time for illness. Anyway, if she did fake food poisoning, her overbearingcolleague, Brianna, would probably deduce that it was caused by the sushi Gina ate for lunch and she’d get her lawyer husband to sue. Poor T-Shirt Man would be out of business, and she’d have to resort to the dodgy sushi over at City Central Plaza where she’d probablyreallyget food poisoning. Then the whole debacle would start again! There’d be plenty of time to read the book tonight, she’d go to bed early while Marvin watched the sports channel, so she could find out if Loretta and Kane get busted.
‘Harder!C’mon, harder! That’s it ... now faster! Faster!’ Gina’s personal trainer, Naomi, shouted in her ear, as Gina’s fists pounded the punching bag with brutal force. ‘Now, onto kicking. Remember, chamber your stance first then kick the bag hard, powering from the hip,’ Naomi instructed.
She did as she was told. Naomi was a hard task master, but her clients got results. She’d been training Gina for over three years now, and in that time they’d also become good friends.
‘C’mon Gina, your energy’s dropping, pick it up, pick it up, woman!’
Dampness spread under her top as she increased the intensity of her kicks, imagining the bag was her annoying boss, Mark Villotti, who never said hello and whose ability to speak appeared limited to words like ‘bloody hell’ or ‘bloody idiots’, often in the same sentence.
‘Awesome, Gina! Keep going, only sixty seconds left, don’t quit on me now!’
Her breath whooshed in and out fast as she gave it her all for the final minute, revelling in the euphoric natural high asendorphins coursed through her bloodstream. City Health and Fitness was like home to Gina. Here, she was Gina the fit, healthy, attractive woman, not Gina the unappreciated employee or taken-for-granted-wife. Here, she was in control. She was the one that other women looked at with envy, having just the right balance of muscle definition and womanly curves. The men also looked, but rarely spoke to her. The wedding ring, she assumed. She considered not wearing it to the gym, just to see what would happen and if anyone would ask her out. Not that she’d accept of course, she was just curious.
Gina wiped sweat off her forehead with a towel, then stood on the floor mat and stretched an arm across her chest. ‘Are you that bossy at home with Ben?’ she asked Naomi.
‘Absolutely not! I take off the personal trainer hat as soon as I finish work. Although, I might start getting bossy if he doesn’t get down on one knee soon.’ Naomi had been with Ben for nine years; they met on their first day at Fitness College and started dating the following week, then moved in together one year later. Beneath her tough exterior she was a sensitive woman waiting to be swept off her feet.
‘Maybeyoushould get down on one knee,’ suggested Gina.
‘Are you kidding?’ Naomi laughed.
‘Maybe he’s waiting for you to take initiative.’
‘I doubt it, Geens. Ben always goes after what he wants. If he wanted to marry me, he’d ask. I want him towantit, to realise it’s the next logical step in our relationship.’
