Cassie stood up straight. She was startled, but knew after a moment who it was. Her face set and Alonzo felt his cousin's upper arms become like warm rocks under his fingers as she bent her arms 90 degrees. Her biceps continued to harden and peak until his finger were spread apart. Then with a quick grunt, Cassie's arms raised from her sides. Her bare shoulders flexed impressively and her back widened as she pulled her elbows up parallel with the floor. She quickly pulled her left arm loose and turned around.

"Merry Christmas, Zo", she greeted her cousin smiling broadly.

"Merry Christmas, Cassie. I thought I had you there."

She laughed and poked Alonzo in the middle of his stomach. "Na, you need to get back into the gym to contend with these." Cassie raised both her arms and bit her lip as she flexed them as hard as she could. Her biceps has been peaked before, but now there seemed to be that little bit extra. Cassie wasn't as lean as she would be in 3 months, but she she was lean enough for veins to pop to her skin and for her striations to show in the inner head of her biceps. She extended her arms a couple of times and then squeezed her fists tight again. Her already peaked biceps grew that extra little bit that separated nice biceps from great biceps.

Alonzo was amused as he looked at his cousin showing off. She was so happy and so full of life now. It had not always been that way. Not even two years ago, Cassie had been in trouble. Many teenagers act out, but with Cassie, that was dangerous. She had been on the verge of ending up in an institution, or a morgue. Cassie had used her abilities and her parent's contacts to skirt the edges of the law and morality. She had been a huge problem. In a desperate move, her parents had sent her to the Livingston Academy in Colorado. It was the best decision they had made. Jeremy, her father, didn't enjoy the $40,000 a year cost at first, but when his youngest child had come back home after that first year, he and his wife Hayfa had know that they had made the right choice. It showed all over Cassie's face. She was so healthy and so alive as she stood there flexing her arms.

"Okay, you can stop now", Alonzo began. "I'm the one that got you in the gym in the first place. You'd still be a little shrimp if it wasn't for me."

Cassie laughed. "Yeah, that's why I keep trying to get you back in the gym. Getting a little soft. That's all I'm sayin."

Alonzo dismissed her. "Where's your father? I didn't come here to mess with little girls anyway."

She grinned again showing her perfect teeth, her parents had paid for those too, and pointed over her shoulder to the kitchen. "He's breaking in a new cook."

Alonzo nodded and went towards the door. The kitchen area was always immaculate. Jeremy Redwine wouldn't have it any other way. He saw Alonzo as he came in. Jeremy started over towards him. Jeremy Redwine was a tall patrician looking man with sharp features and a hawkish gaze. He had regally balding brown hair and a gate that made him seem like nobility. Jeremy had been born in Liverpool, England, to a widowed mother. Her husband, his father, had died on D-day plus 3 and his uncle, her only brother, had died on D-day plus 4. Ophelia Redwine and her young son had moved to Chicago in 1946. She died of a fever in 1949 two days before Jeremy's 5th birthday. He had been raised by his great aunt and uncle on the South Side of Chicago two doors down from Gustavo Reyes who's parents had moved from Cuba. Jeremy and Gustavo became close friends, and they both shared a secrets that made them even closer friends. It was no accident that they both took their clothes to the same dry cleaners. A lot of teenaged boys took their clothes to the Cleanway Cleaners. Most of the young men didn't care how their clothes came out as long as they got a good look at Tunisian twins Hayfa and Hamida Moshen who worked at their family's business. Gustavo Reyes had married Hamida just after turning 20 and Jeremy Redwine had been his best man. Six months later Jeremy had married Hayfa. The two families were as close as two families could be, and they only became closer after Gustavo and Hamida Reyes were killed in a terrible accident less than a year ago. Alonzo was used to going to his uncle for advice before his parents' deaths and it was no different afterward. He looked up to his uncle.

"You look good, Zo. Has business picked up?", Jeremy asked. People expected him to speak with an English accent. He didn't, but he could fake one really well.

"I'm good, and its so so."

"I told you that you should look into advertising. It works for every business."

Alonzo frowned. "Who advertises a scrap metal yard? Come on down to South Side Metals! We have a pile of steel forty feet high!"

Jeremy laughed. "Trust me! You've seen our new ads. Business is up 14% over last year this time, and I think its because of those ads."

"He's right", Cassie said as she walked through the door. She was always butting in.

"Thanks, baby." Jeremy hugged his daughter around her shoulders with one arm. "See, even the youngsters understand. Go see the woman I told you about. She's a genius. You'll have to add employees instead of lay them off when she's finished with you. Trust me, Zo. It'll work." Just then a bang came from the other side of the room. "Hey, be careful!", Jeremy yelled. "I'll be back later. And go see that advertising lady. Just tell her I sent you." Jeremy hurried to the other side of the kitchen.

Alonzo thought about it and nodded. "I think I'll do that. I'm starting to feel better about this. Maybe it'll all work out." He said with a smile, but then his smile fell away and he stared at his cousin. "You or your dad aren't projecting are you? This good feeling came along kinda suddenly."

Cassie frowned and put her hand to her chest. "Me? No. And not Daddy either. He only projects when someone says they don't like the food, and me... I haven't projected in months. The last time I did was at the gym-"

"Cassie! You should be ashamed. You probably saw some cute guy and--"

Cassie shook her head. "No, it wasn't a guy. It was a girl, with the most perfectly shaped body. She was flexing alone in the mirror when I came in, but it wasn't what you think."

"I sure hope not, and I don't want to know any more." Alonzo smiled and shook his head at the same time.

"Speaking of perfectly shaped muscles", she paused and turned profile and straightened her left arm flexing her triceps and delts while rolling her right shoulder and flexing her always impressive young pecs. "You've missed my last two shows. Why don't you come to my next one in Boulder?"

"I can't"

"Why not? You don't know what you'll be doing in March."

Alonzo sighed. "The truth is, I can't get over seeing my little cousin parading on stage in her underwear with guys whooting and whistling at her. You know I think you're great, and you're going to be a pro before you know it, but I just can't do it." Cassie poked her lip out and looked up at him with her hazel eyes. He put his hands on her shoulders. "I'll always root for you, even if I can't step foot in the auditorium. Gotta go though, Cass. I'll see you later." He kissed her on the forehead and hurried out. He had an appointment to make.

Moira Kelly was breathing heavily as she pedaled the last mile on the exercise bike. She had been leaning over the handle bars, but she straightened up and kept pumping her legs. Guys and some girls looked Moira's way as her legs pumped furiously. Moira had turned heads since her days in high school. She stood six feet tall and had such perfect body proportions that it was hard to gauge her height without a reference. Her face reflected her strong Celtic roots with the sweep of her face, her cheekbones, and eyes that sparkled like the sky on the clearest day. Her long strawberry blond hair wasn't much to look at right now as she continued to furiously pump on the bike. Moira had a body that some people worked for years and never attained. Her body was covered in hard fairly lean muscles. She could have easily stepped on any figure contest stage in the world and done well, but Moira was less than half the size she had once been. Which was fine with her. It had taken a while to get used to her new/old look, but now she loved it. She had a body that made women come to her and ask what she had done to get it. She was always quick with a workout tip for anybody who came and asked. Even if she hadn't worked out with normal weights for going on 14 years. She came to the gym to get in cardio shape. She wanted to do more than that, but couldn't. Some of the people in the gym were regulars and had gotten used to seeing Moira come in to train with another gym regular, Lisa Sanchez.

Moira could see Lisa lying on a bench across the room doing dumbbell flies with 25 pound weights, and she got a little jealous. It wasn't a mean feeling, more a feeling of loss. Lisa pumped out rep after rep. Her toned, but not large, arms shook as she powered up the last rep and put the weights to the floor. Moira hadn't lifted a weight in almost ten months. There wasn't a weight anywhere in this gym that could make her strain in the least, unless she lifted an entire machine. Moira was strong enough to lift a car or even a bus on one occasion. They didn't make weights for people like her. The jealousy came because Lisa was stronger than she was. Lisa could lift pretty much whatever she wanted to lift. The harder Lisa tried, the stronger she became. The only limit to Lisa's strength, was her will. And since she was a disciplined, driven person, the limits of her will had yet to be reached.

She could tap into her super strength whenever she wanted, but most of the time she didn't use it. That meant that she could actually use regular weights and get tired, get pumped, get toned, and get an even better body than she had naturally been blessed with. Lisa was 5'9" with copper toned skin, long luscious dark hair, and light brown eyes that always seemed to sparkle. She had full lips and perfect cheekbones. Her face bordered on breathtaking and her body was gorgeous too. Lisa was half African-American and half Puerto Rican and she had taken the best from both groups. She had long shapely legs, a very nice backside and breasts that were perfect for her size and shape. She had a great curve to her hips and they swayed just so as she walked. Men almost had no choice but to follow her with their eyes as she walked by. Nature had certainly blessed Lisa more than most, but nowadays she put in the effort to maintain and even enhance her looks. Everybody seemed to like the results. She didn't work out to get bigger or to get cut, but she wanted her body to be firm. In her mind, there was no need to get any bigger than she normally was. She could make her body get bigger whenever she wanted.

Lisa wiped her face with a towel and walked over to Moira who was just finishing her circuit on the bike. Lisa looked at the clock. "You still planning to go upstairs to the yoga class?"

"Yeah, I guess so", Moira answered as she got off the bike and wiped her own face. Moira took a long look at the free weight section of the gym before jogging up the stairs. Lisa watched her go, but she felt sorry for her. She knew what Moira wanted. Moira had been lifting weights for half her life and that had been taken away from her. Lisa felt partly responsible for Moira's loss. Much more good had come out of Lisa destroying the commune where Moira had lived, but there was some bad too. Lisa leaned against the bike and had an idea. She knew exactly what she was going to do this weekend. All she had to do was rent a truck and some equipment.

Lisa had an extra bounce to her step when she went back to the free weight area, but she started frowning as soon as she came around a half wall. Big Tommy and his crew had come in. They usually didn't get to the gym until later, but here they were. Big Tommy was certainly that. He was at least 6'5" with more muscles than a couple of male bodybuilders put together. These muscles weren't for show either. Between he and his crew, they took every free weight in the area and left nothing for anybody else. The other people in the area were already clearing out. When Big Tommy and the boys came in, it was time to find something else to do. Tommy and the crew started getting themselves psyched. There was more chest bumping and thumping than a pro wrestling match. Then they changed the music. One of the guys slid in a speed metal cd. Lisa just shook her head. There was music and then there was noise. This was noise, and he had cranked it up. In a couple of minutes, the entire area was empty except for Tommy and his crew, and Lisa. She had a couple of more exercises she wanted to do, but it wasn't worth the trouble. Maybe she'd get in on the yoga class with Moira, but Tommy would change her mind.

"Hey, beautiful!" Lisa looked around and saw that she was the only other person left in the area. "Yeah, I'm talking to you", Beau, one of the crew shouted. "You ever wanted to get with a real man!" He went into a quick biceps flex. His muscles were most certainly huge. He wasn't as large as Tommy, but Beau was plenty big enough.

Lisa frowned as she looked at his flexing display. "Thanks, but no thanks."

He came a little closer. "What? Too much man for you?" He got close to her and did a crab flex before jumping back and cackling. The rest of the crew cackled along with him.

Lisa didn't remember frat guys being this immature. She just stood there in amazement. She had never seen anything like it. They thought they had the world by a string, but most people would laugh at them if they weren't afraid of getting squashed.

"Leave the little aerobics bitch alone and lets get this workout started", Tommy yelled.

Lisa's eye narrowed. She hated being called a bitch, especially by these idiots. She looked around the room again. There was nobody around. She could hear engines starting up in the parking lot as people cut their workouts short because of these guys. Lisa decided to have a little fun. She rolled up the sleeves of her tight green top. No need in ruining them.

She watched as Beau loaded up the bench press bar with 400 pounds. He laid down and started pumping out reps. This was just his warm up. The bar next to it was loaded with 600 pounds. Tommy's partner Kyle was under that bar pumping out rep after rep. After the set, the partners switched. They laughed, yelled, chanted, and cursed while they worked out. Some of them even spit on the floor. It always took the staff half an hour or more to get the free weight area ready again after Big Tommy left. Lisa watched the display. These guys obviously used a watered down version of the strength enhancer called the juice, that Moira and her commune used to manufacture. Ian had been hearing that there was a new supplier on the black market. These guys were probably taking double doses of the stuff.

After the warm-ups were over, the contests began. Some guys were benching while others were squatting and others were curling. The weight was really stacking up. Lisa leaned against the wall waiting for the right time. Once a few of the weaker members failed on the bench press, at 700 pounds, she knew it was time to join the fun. She started walking towards them.

"Hey, guys, I think I was wrong before. I just love these big muscles." She ran her hands over Beau's chest. "Can you guys teach me to work out so I can get strong like you all?", she asked. She even let out a little of her native drawl that she usually kept well hidden. She had to bite her tongue though to keep from laughing. She imagined that she was in drama class in college. That helped, but only a little.

All the guys turned and looked as Lisa walked between them. She made eye contact with each one of them. She swayed her hips as she walked even more than she did naturally. Some of the guys were more hard up than others since she could see the beginnings of miniature teepees in their shorts.

"Sure, b-b-baby", Beau stammered. He sat down on a bench they weren't using. He patted the padded seat next to him. "Come on over here and I'll show you all you need to know. We just need to see how strong you are starting off with. I'll determine that after I work on you, I mean work you out."

The gang laughed.

Lisa just smiled and batted her lashes. "I've heard that I'm pretty strong for my size. But you guys are so big." She watched as all their chests pumped up just a little bit more. She sat down on a bench holding a bar loaded with 750 pounds. She looked over her shoulder. "Like this right here. This is more weight than I've ever seen anybody lift", she lied. "I don't think I could even count this much weight." She lay down on the bench and pushed herself under the bar. "I bet I can't even get it to wiggle."

"Man get her out of there before she hurts herself", one of the guys called out.

The rest of the group just laughed. "She can't move it. How the hell can she hurt herself?" They laughed again and turned their heads to look at Lisa's crotch. She figured they would. That would keep their eyes off of her upper body. She took a deep breath and started to lift the bar.

Her body started to change. Her muscle fibers started firing faster and faster until her muscles became incredibly hard to the touch. It only took a few moments for her muscles to power up. Lisa had to decide if she really want to do this, or if she wanted to back out. It was now or never. She pulled her head up and looked down her body. Every eye was on her legs and crotch. She put her head back down. That settled it. These guys were going to have to be knocked down a peg or two. She took another breath and began to straighten her elbows.

The guys were broken from their trance when they heard the clanging of metal hitting metal. They looked on in shock as the bar loaded with 750 pounds started to rise from the rack. It came up smoothly and Lisa held it steady. She let the rest of her body get used to the weight.

"What the fuck!?! Hey, put that down before you kill yourself!"

Lisa ignored them and slowly brought the bar down to her chest. Her pecs were already hard and the weight didn't even dent the muscle. Lisa always touched the bar to her upper chest when she benched. It didn't matter how hard the muscles beneath were, there was no pain like bouncing a bar on her breasts. She let the bar touch her chest before she powered up. She feigned a struggle as the bar came up slowly. After a few seconds she had up again. She took a few more deep breaths and then lowered the bar again. Mouths hung open as this beautiful, but slim woman had just bench pressed 750 pounds TWICE!

After the second rep, Lisa racked the weight and sat up. She had a ditzy smile on her face. "Wow, that was great. You guys must be rubbing off on me already! Look!" She put a finger on the collar of her workout top and pulled it down exposing the top of her cleavage. Lisa flexed her pecs. They weren't huge, but they looked so hard. She pumped them a couple of times making them even harder.

"You shouldn't have been able to do that". Beau said. "You're just a chick!"

Lisa tilted her head. "Hmm. You're right. I said I was pretty strong for my size, or maybe you guys aren't as strong as you think. How much can you lift?"

"I'll show you! Get up!", Beau yelled and swept Lisa off the bench. He plopped down. "Add it!" The guys got to work shuffling weights around. They added a hundred pound plate on each side. Beau laid down on the bench and got ready. His face was red before he even started benching. Finally he lifted the 950 pounds off the rack and brought it down to his massive chest. He yelled as the weight started back up. Then he did it again, and again. After three reps his arms were shaking. He racked it himself without help from the spotter. Once it was down, he jumped up with a fire in his eyes, and slammed his fist into his chest hard enough to make King Kong proud. "Take that!", he yelled in Lisa's face.

"Wow. That was amazing. It really was. I think that first lift must have been luck or something. I don't want to hurt myself. I don't think I'll try again." She started to leave, but Big Tommy put his hand out to stop her.

"I don't think so. I don't know what trick you pulled the first time, but you've been challenged. You either get under the weight and lift it, or you get under the weight and it crushes you. Either way, you don't get to skip out on a challenge."

"Oh ok. I don't know how these things work. Can one of you big strong guys spot me though so I won't die?"

The guys were falling over themselves to get to look down her top while she laid down on the bench. Lisa put her hands on the bar and got a good grip. This was murder on her hands. She had left her lifting gloves on the other side of the room. Oh well. Lisa's triceps and pecs swelled as if they were being filled with air. Her top started out skin tight and now it was straining at the seams to contain her expanding chest. The bar rose slowly off the rack and she held it up.

"No fucking way!", one of the crew mouthed. "This ain't real."

Lisa lowed the weight to her chest and let the bar just touch her pecs before she brought it up. Veins ran up and across her arms as she straightened them. She took a couple of breaths before she lowed the bar again. She pressed the bar again. Her hard muscles were just starting to feel the pump. Lisa lowered the bar again. She did five reps at 950 before racking the bar. She sat up again, but this time the ditzy smile was gone.

"Must be something in the air around here. I didn't ever think I could lift it that many times. Can any of you guys lift it five times?" She looked straight at Beau he said nothing. His gaze dropped and he took a step back. That was one down Lisa thought to herself.

"Stand up!", Kyle yelled. This guy was almost as big as Tommy, but he was a couple of inches shorter. "I'll put you away once and for all. Load it up boys."

"Gladly" The crew went to work loading the 100 pound bar with nothing but 100 pound weights. Kyle was the second best bench presser of the crew. Only Tommy was stronger, but Tommy had yet to make a move.

This bar was maxed out at 1300 pounds, six 100 pound plates on each side plus the weight of the bar. The thick bar actually sagged as it sat on the rack. Kyle's chest was so thick it barely fit under the bar. He got a good grip and pushed. He grunted and swore, but the weight came off the rack. With a mighty yell he brought the weight down. He touched his chest and then powered up. He looked like he was trying to move a mountain as the weight went up. Once he had it up, he brought it down again. His arms were shaking and his face was turning purple. He bounced the weight off his chest and struggled to get it up once more, but he did.

"What do ya think of that!", he yelled after racking the weight. He jumped up and did a crab in Lisa's face. The neck of his muscle shirt tore as his muscles expanded.

Lisa smiled and patted his chest. "Not bad, but I think I can do better." She waved him aside and went down to the bench. She laid down and got a grip. The guys watched as she took several breaths. It was almost funny watching this woman being dwarfed by the massive bar, but she didn't look worried. Lisa laid down and put her hands on the bar. The crew stared as she got herself set on the bench. They felt like they were living a nightmare. They had all worked for years and years to build their bodies and their strength. They were the strongest. They spent thousands buying the special supplements that took their strength to the next level, and here they were being bested by some woman.

Lisa straightened her arms and the bar came off the rack. She grunted softly as the full weight of the bar spread down her arms, shoulders, and back. She waited for the ends of the bar to stop shaking before she the weight started down. She arched her back and the bar touched her skin every so slightly before she started powering up. Her pecs grew and thickened as the bar went up. They didn't need to. This weight wasn't all that great for her these days, but she wanted them to. Her arms thickened too. Her shoulders and traps as well. Lisa's body was gaining mass before their eyes. She held the weight at the top only for a beat before letting it down again.

"No, no no!", Kyle said over and over again.

Lisa just smiled as she lowed the bar to her chest. She let it sit there for a second just to add to the suspense and then she exhaled as the weight started up. The thick plates rattled against each other when Lisa straightened her elbows and stopped. The weight just hung there and then Lisa lowered the bar again. Once again she let it touch her chest before she started up.

Kyle's face was red and his eyes were wide. This could never happen. "No! You can't be that strong. I won't loose!", he yelled. He jumped forward and put his hands on the bar between Lisa's hands. He was straddling the bench and Lisa's body. He locked his ankles below the bench and pushed down as hard as he could.

Lisa frowned and she looked up in the crazed man's eyes. His sweat and probably other fluids fell down on her and around her. The already heavy bar was just made a lot heavier. It stopped going up. Kyle pushed down with all he had. Lisa didn't flinch. Her arms shook before she steadied them, and took another breath. Then the bar started rising again. Kyle's body was bent and twisted trying to hold her down, but he wasn't strong enough. Lisa almost had her elbows up when one of the crew yelled, "Help him!"

Six more guys ran forward and jumped on the bar. Some pushed down with their hands while others put their entire weight on it. The bar was bending quite a bit under the strain. Lisa almost lost control of the bar and it went down towards her chest. She stopped it before it touched.

"You guys want to cheat, huh?", Lisa said quickly. "Well, you still loose!" Lisa grunted and her muscles flexed harder than earlier. Those other weights hadn't been a challenge, but each of these guys weighed more than 400 pounds.

Lisa pecs surged with power. Deep striations spread out like a fan across both thick muscles. Her arms got thicker and harder, but her pecs were a sight to behold. More and more strength burst from Lisa's chest as more and more blood pumped in. Hundreds of small veins spread across her chest as the bar was rising. The men screamed as their feet started leaving the ground. The steel bar protested and bent in the middle. Lisa's arms kept moving. She was just too strong for them. They had no idea what real power was. All seven men hung in the air suspended from the bar being lifted by Lisa. Her body was rock steady and her arms were like pistons as the bar rose up and up. The men started bouncing their bodies up and down as she got closer to the top of the lift. Lisa didn't care. She was almost there, but bar couldn't take it. It snapped with a sharp crack. The men tumbled to the ground, and only Lisa's super strong grip prevented the sharp edges of the bar from hitting Kyle in the face.

Lisa let the two ends go and sat up. She wiped her forehead and looked around. The seven men lay in heaps to either side of her. They were clearly tired, but she wasn't. "That was fun. Don't you all think? It was kinda bad that the bar broke." She cocked her head to the side and frowned. "I guess we tied then since I never got a full lift that third time. Do you guys want to try another exercise since this bar broke?"

The looks on their faces said no, but their egos and pride made their mouths say yes. They walked over to the squat rack, but they weren't going to do squats. They were using the back of it as a curl stand. The regular curling stand couldn't begin to hold the weights these guys pumped.

Beau was up first. He had started this. He wanted to finish it. The bar already had 350 pounds on it. He went up to the weight and lifted it easily, and with a mighty roar, he started curling. Lisa took the chance to ease to the side of the room and get her lifting gloves. Bench pressing was hard enough on her hands, but curling was worse.

The bar slammed down after Beau had complete 10 reps at 350. He was breathing a little heavily, but he looked like he had more in him. He turned and looked at Lisa. She had her head cocked to one side and she was frowning just a bit. She ran her tongue long her teeth and then stood up straight. "Not bad, but I'm tired of messing around with you guys. I'm starting to think that just maybe we girls are stronger than you guys", she paused and slowly raised her right arm and flexed. Her bicep throbbed and pulsed as it grew thicker and more defined. She pumped it a couple of times and flexed again. The peak was so large and rounded, but then she squeezed her first and the peak grew again. Both heads of the muscle defined into impossible definition. Veins ran like a human road map across her upper arm. She flexed it just a little harder. The muscles throbbed again and grew harder and thicker.

"I mean 350 pounds is cute, but these muscles need more than that." She put her arm down. These muscles need a real challenge. Either put some real weight on the bar or I say you guys loose." She looked over the guys faces. All the bluster was gone. They lowered their gaze when Lisa's light brown eyes met theirs.

Tommy stepped forward then. He had the last 100 pound bar in his hands. "Put the weight on this. I see that I'm going to have to end this bullshit myself." Lisa was actually impressed when they added 800 pounds to the bar. Tommy stepped forward and took the weight. He looked straight ahead and started pumping out rep after rep. He hadn't even warmed up on curls. The crew stole looks at Lisa to see her reaction. She looked on as Big Tommy showed why he was the leader of the bunch. After fifteen relatively easy reps, it was Lisa's turn. The crew had a little spunk back. They were high fiving and shouting. Lisa stepped up the bar and lifted it off the rack. After a couple of reps the shouting stopped. They couldn't take their eyes off her arms. Her shoulders and biceps were so strong they were all entranced, except for Tommy. He was just getting angry. After fifteen reps, Lisa put the weight down. It was his turn and they added more weight.

Moira's yoga class ended, but her fellow classmates went down the back way to avoid Big Tommy and his crew. Moira looked around the second floor for Lisa, but she was nowhere to be found. Despite other women urging her not to, Moira went down the front steps. Nobody went with her. She walked down the stairs into the eerily empty main floor. She looked to her left and saw the stationary bike she had been on earlier then she looked to her right. She heard loud music and a woman's voice. She knew it was probably none of her business, but she wanted to know why everybody was so afraid of these guys.

Tommy had failed to curl 1100 pounds. Lisa had the bar in her hands. She bounced the weight a couple of times before she curled the weight to her chest. Her biceps spit and burst with power. Thick veins ran over and across her muscles as she squeezed at the top and held the weight. She lowered it to her waist. All the steam was gone now from them. Big Tommy and the crew hung their heads. "You know, I think that we girls are just stronger after all. I bet none of you ever thought that you would be out powered by a woman." Lisa looked at their faces. The anger was shock was gone. It was replaced with awe. They looked at her like the ancient Greeks looked at a statue of Athena or Hera. She felt sorry for them in a way. "You want to see what real power is. Hop on this bar and I'll give you guys a treat." They didn't hesitate. The men cursed and jockeyed for space on the long bar. Lisa closed her eyes and felt the weight increase. These poor guys she thought, as she started curling.

Her body was ramrod straight as her arms curled up. Her already blood engorged muscles pumped up even more and got harder. Her mighty biceps were so hard and so big that she couldn't even curl the bar to her chest anymore. Her muscles wouldn't dent at all. The striated muscles were just too hard. She lowered the bar slowly and steadily. Then she curled it again. This time when she came to the top she held it there. The guys looked at her. The lust and awe was plain on their faces. Even Tommy was lost in it. Lisa rotated her hands and spread her legs a little bit. Her face set and she started pressing the bar up. Higher and higher it went until her arms were straight. The men looked down at the ground and then down at the woman who had lifted them. Never again would they claim to be the strongest. They knew better. Lisa brought the bar back down and let the men get off the bar. Once they got off, many of them looked up and past Lisa.

Oh no, she thought. There must be someone behind her. With 1100 pounds of steel still in her hands, she turned around. She didn't know what she was going to see, but she figured that she would never be able to go to this gym again. Instead, she saw Moira standing right behind her. Lisa smiled and turned all the way around with the bar still in he hands.

"Hey, Moira, I was just showing these guys here that we ladies are just too strong for them, and that they need to show respect even to those weaker than them. Isn't that right?"

Moira had no idea what Lisa was talking about, but she would play along. "Yeah, that's right. From now on you boys better play nice."

"We will!"

"Good", Lisa began. She looked back at Tommy and his crew. Their eyes left her face and went to her arms and then down to the sagging bar in her hands. "Hey, Moira you want to rack this for me?", Lisa asked and tossed the 1100 pound bar in the air.

Moira brought her hands up and caught the bar in mid air. Her own muscles flexed and bunched up under her workout gear. "Gladly. You ready to go?", Moira asked as she put the weight softly down on the rack.

"Yeah. I'll shower at your house", Lisa said and started out. She stopped and turned. "Oh, and you boys clean this place up before you go, and make sure you buy them a new bar. You guys cheated to break it remember." With that she left. Lisa told Moira what had happened, and they laughed hysterically all the way to Lisa's car, and all the way back to Moira's house.

Big Tommy and the crew watched both gorgeous women's every step as they left. For a long time they couldn't bring themselves to move. A few of them had to change shorts too as visions and fantasies floated in their brains.

Lisa was feeling so great after her time in the gym that she almost didn't want to change back into her work attire. Her body had been so strong and so pumped. It had been a long time since she had used her strength. It actually felt good to use it like that every once in while. Lisa floated more than walked down the hall as she headed towards the front of the office to meet a potential client. Lisa could see that every one of her 12 employees was busy. Each of them were working hard to earn the end of the year bonus that Lisa had promised. They didn't know it, but they were all going to get a bonus. The number one person would get a little extra, but they had all worked so hard that Lisa was going to reward them. It took her hours just to read all the contracts they had finalized, and besides the money was rolling in. The defense industry contract had started her business, but it had been the contract with Redwine's Steakhouses that had sent her business into the stratosphere. Every big firm in New York and Chicago had been vying for that contract, but Lisa had won it. She worked hard for it though. She was working 14 or 15 hours almost every day, and so far she hadn't really earned a penny for herself. All the money went back into the business, but she had expected that. It was time to see if she could make a little more money.

Alonzo walked into the office and was impressed. The reception area was modern and cozy at the same time, which wasn't easy to pull off. The office was large, but not huge. It looked bigger though because all the walls were glass. It was possible to see from one office to the next all the way out the windows on the backside. It made the rooms seem light and airy. Alonzo pulled off his over coat and the receptionist took it from his hand and hung it up for him. He smiled. This place was pretty nice and there seemed to be a buzz of activity. No one seemed to be still or idle. It reminded him off the best days at his own business, except this one was much cleaner. Alonzo was about to sit down when he saw something from the corner of his eye. He turned and saw a woman walking down a crystal clear hallway. He couldn't see her face clearly, but he didn't have to. Her body was so beautiful he couldn't take it all in at once. He didn't know whether to look at her breasts, or her ass, or her legs, or just her overall shape. He knew he was staring, but he couldn't help it. He reached into his pocket to pull out a breath mint. He needed one for the meeting anyway, but he was going to get that little mama's phone number before he left. He poked out his chest and sucked in the small gut he had let grow over the last few months. He felt his courage rising. She turned a corner and was heading towards the reception area. He frowned as she got closer. Her face was as gorgeous as the rest of her, but he knew her from somewhere. He searched his mind as she got closer and closer. She strode up to him, her arms swinging and her long dark hair bouncing, throwing off so much confidence in herself and in her people. She looked like she could conquer the world.

"Hey, Miss Sanchez", the young receptionist greeted her boss. "This is Mr. Reyes, he's here to meet you."

"Yes, thanks, Brandi" Lisa extended her hand to Alonzo, who hesitated. Lisa frowned and looked closer at the man standing there. Her eyes went wide in her head and his squinted as the recollection hit them at nearly the same time.

"Oh my God its you!", they both said at the same time.

Brandi just looked confused.

"You were on the bridge", Alonzo began

"You're the tow truck guy?" Lisa knew it was true. He wasn't injured now, but that was him. He was about 6'1" with a good build, nice brown skin, and a face that was handsome and manly.

"I've been looking for you, to thank you", Alonzo stammered. "For what you did."

Lisa gathered herself. "Come back to my office, please. We'll continue this there." Brandi still looked confused as Lisa lead Alonzo back to her office. Once inside, she closed the door and lowered the blinds.

"How did you find me?", she demanded with anger in her voice.

"I didn't", Alonzo defended himself. "My uncle, Jeremy Redwine, is your client. He recommended you. I'll be honest, I searched for you for a month or so, but gave up." He took a step closer. "I just wanted to thank you for saving my life."

Lisa was still a little heated, but it was starting to go away. "You're welcome", she said as she she sat down behind her modernist desk. Alonzo took a seat in a modern looking but very comfortable chair.

"I just did what I thought was right." Lisa paused and her jaw muscles flexed a bit as she considered what had happened over the last two or three minutes. "If I remember correctly, there's a family in a van that could thank you too."

Alonzo got a little uncomfortable. "Yeah, I've got a little secret too."

Lisa had a Newton's cradle on her desk. She knew it was cheesy, but she liked it. Alonzo held out his hand and the balls started bouncing against each other. Then they stopped and all the balls separated from each other. The balls clanked against each other and then the cradle lifted off the desk and spun in a circle before going back down to the desk.

"Pretty impressive. You control metals."

"Just the magnetic ones. My sisters can do the same thing, but when we're together we can do a few more things."

"I see." Lisa nodded and sat back in her chair. "So, what do we do now?"

Alonzo quickly stood up and held out his hand. "Hello, I'm Alonzo Reyes, my uncle told me that you're the best in the advertising business."

Lisa smiled and stood up as well. "Lisa Sanchez, and your uncle is very kind to say so. What can I help you with, Mr. Reyes?"

"Well I have this metal recycling business", Alonzo began.

They talked business for nearly an hour. Lisa got a feel for his business and where he wanted it to go, while he came to understand that she knew how to market anything. By the time their meeting was over, they were talking like they had known each other for years. Alonzo stood up to leave.

"I'll be in touch with you, Alonzo", Lisa said as she walked him to the door. Brandi was there with his coat ready.

Zo's heart started racing, as he started to turn. He was ready to ask her out. All he had to do was ask. His palms were sweaty and his mouth was dry, but he was going to do it. When he looked at her face he froze. He couldn't do it. Her brown eyes sparkled as she smiled at him. His courage melted under her gaze. "I'll be waiting to hear from you", he said simply as he walked out the door. He looked over his shoulder. Her hair flew over her shoulder as she spun exposing the side of her neck. Alonzo's breathing halted, and he got weak in the knees. He cursed as the elevator door closed. He was such a weenie.

to be continued...

This is a chapter in the ongoing story "Coping with Power"!  Check out the earlier chapters here:

Chapter 1 -- Chapter 2 -- Chapter 3 -- Chapter 4 -- Chapter 5 -- Chapter 6 -- Chapter 7 -- Chapter  8 -- Chapter 9

More coming!! Be on the lookout!!!