The Love Of Money - Episode 196
30-07-25 (11:29)
Introduction:
Marcus has his house party and things start to heat up.
Friday, 11:29 am
It was the first time I'd stepped foot in my gym. "Jesus,
this is a lot of space!" I said.
"It better be," Erin said. "It's one of the largest rooms in
the apartment."
"Yeah," Tara said, her hands on her hips as she spun in
a slow circle and took it all in. "Reckon it'll do nicely."
While she was distracted, I took the opportunity to
check her out and appreciated the fact that Erin had
done it again.
Tara Gellar was stunning. There wasn't another word
for it. She was Caucasian but had a soft, golden
complexion that suggested she'd recently had some
sun. Her almond-shaped eyes were a mesmerizing
multi-toned hazel a mixture of blues, greys, and browns
that reminded me of a rolling ocean. She had a perfect
Greek nose, with a slight uptum at the end, and her
cupid's bow- shaped lips were perfect - neither too big
nor too small, and a softly defined jawline set above a
slender neck.
Any of the ladies in my life could have walked the
runway, but this was different. At 5'8" and with her
classically beautiful, good looks and sleek build, Tara
could have been picked up as a Victoria's Secret model
or in makeup commercials. The luscious mane of brown
hair spilling down her back in gentle waves and gently
applied makeup made her seem more unattainable.
There was no way this girl was single. Jesus Christ...
Erin had better not have sent me another beautiful
woman who was already taken! Was she telling me
my dance card was getting a little full?
Tara wore tight jeans and a well-fitting T-shirt that said
'Running late is my cardio' across her chest. The hem
stopped just short of the waist of her jeans, displaying
two inches of tantalizing, sun- kissed skin. I suspected
her entire ensemble was ************ed to ensure I
knew how fit she was without being too obvious about
what she was doing.
I couldn't blame her. Erin had given me a brief
backstory of the woman. She was from Australia and
had moved to Los Angeles about two years ago after
networking with a veteran B-list actor working on a
project in the land down under. He convinced her to
move to LA and train with him, claiming he could
connect her with others belonging to the Hollywood
elite. She'd done well for herself, attracting a few other
clients, but had hit a wall in her progress. She was
pulling in roughly $150,000 a year, which was decent,
even in Los Angeles, but it didn't leave much wiggle
room for savings and business growth.
My personal trainer would start at $500,000 annually
with paid Insurance, a paid-for apartment in a high-end
residential space, and all utilities paid. Her commute
was almost non-existent. On top of that, Erin had
arranged to fly her out here on my dime - first class
and put her in a nice hotel while she was here. It was
a massive jump for someone like her, and I imagined
she was salivating the entire flight.
However, if she was desperate, she wasn't showing it.
From the moment we met, she seemed at ease. She
had an easy smile, and nothing in her posture gave me
the impression that she was nervous, which impressed
me. I would have been a wreck if I'd been in her
shoes.
"So, what's your first impression so far?" I asked.
"Would I be able to get some different equipment
here?" Tara said, turning to look at me. It seemed like
my heart skipped a beat every time she did that. It
didn't make things easier that her accent made her
seem even more sexy.
"Why? Does the equipment suck?" I asked.
"No," she said in that very Australian way, "there's just
a few pieces missing, is all."
"Oh. Yeah. You can purchase whatever you think we
need," I said.
We weren't the only ones in the gym. Chloe had been
on the treadmill when we entered and was currently
leaning against the wall, silently watching the
conversation. Her tight lycra pants and sports bra
showed off her toned stomach, and her arms were
crossed over her chest. The sheen of sweat covering
her light, freckled skin enhanced her tone.
Having arranged the entire thing, Erin was also present
and seemed to get along well with my potential trainer.
Then there was seemed to get along well with my
potential trainer. Then there was Bobbi, who had not
said a word over the last twenty minutes that Tara had
been here. I'd insisted that she hang around at least
long enough for introductions. Considering she would no
longer have a job, she would likely spend most of her
time around the apartment. Bobbi was in great shape,
and I wanted her to stay that way, so my personal
trainer would be spending just as much time with her
as with me.
Tara glanced at Erin, at Bobbi - especially the collar,
which was currently blank, and then back at me.
"Not gonna lie," she said, "I'm interested. It's a lot of
money and some really nice perks. I think we get on
well, too."
"Yeah," I said. "I agree. You come highly recommended,
and Erin says you check off all the boxes. Having seven
years in Muay Thal is a big plus. The job is yours if you
want it."
She smiled, not looking surprised but definitely pleased.
"Thanks. There's just a couple of issues. First, my visa's
coming up for renewal soon."
"You take the job," said, "and you won't have to worry
about that. I have a team of lawyers that can help you,
and I'll cover all the expenses."
"Well, that was easy enough."
"What's the other?"
She hesitated, glanced at Erin and Bobbi, then said,
"Can we talk? Just the two of us?"
"Sure. You guys mind?"
Erin and Bobbi moved to leave, but Chloe didn't move.
"I hope it's okay if my bodyguard stays behind," said as
Erin shut the door behind her.
"Eh... I guess so," Tara said. "So, I appreciate the
opportunity, but there's something you should know
before we close on this." She took a moment to
continue, and my imagination ran wild with possibilities.
Was she about to tell me how her relationship status
was 'It's Complicated? Was she secretly a man? My
long-lost sister? My life had become crazy enough that I
wasn't ready to take any possibility off the table.
take any possibility off the table.
"I know what's going on here." She gave Chloe an
apologetic look before continuing, "Erin... Bobbi... you're
sleeping with these women." She paused, giving me a
moment to respond. Her tone wasn't accusatory, and
her hesitance appeared more for Chloe's sake than
mine. Like Chloe, this woman was direct, but unlike my
bodyguard, she seemed to have a bit more of an
opinion on the nature of my relationship with the ladies.
When I didn't respond, she moved on. "That's not what
this is going to be."
Well, there went my dreams of having my hot personal
trainer scream at me while I finished my third set of
bench presses and then strip down for some hot,
sweaty, after-workout sex. To say I wasn't disappointed
would have been wrong. Being as hot as Tara should
be illegal, but it wasn't like was starving for female
companionship.
I decided it didn't matter. Even if sex wasn't on the
table, I still liked her and thought she would make an
excellent addition to the team. "That's fine," said.
She stared at me for a long moment, and I realized I
didn't feel nearly as awkward as I might have a few
weeks ago. Old Marcus might have felt shame at
essentially being called out for having sex with the
women he hired, but that was becoming a thing of the
past after having to explain myself to Emily. Being
confronted by a woman looking for a job was infinitely
less embarrassing than having to talk about the details
of my complicated sex life with my sister. Especially
after catching her fucking one of the women who was
part of my sex life.
"Just out of curiosity," I said, "and feel free not to
answer if you don't want to. Can I ask why?"
"I'm not interested in men," she said.
So, I probably wouldn't get lucky, but it looked like
there was hope for Erin. In fact, she might have
***********ed Tara for her own selfish reasons. I
wouldn't put it past her.
Friday 5:53 pm
I was in my study looking over an email from Chandler
when there was a soft knock on the door. Then it
opened, and Erin came in. "Hey." Don't forget to leave a Comment 
