Hawaiian Gods & Goddesses

[TyrFull]

Tyler was sitting at his desk, in his cubicle doing his lower management job. The afternoon was upon him and not much was going on. This gave him time to think about the past weekend at the bachelor party. His college roommate for the last 3 years of school was getting married this weekend. They are great friends, and he would have been the logical person to be the best man, but Craig gave that duty to his younger brother. Tyler was pleased with that. He had been a best man before, and with the bachelor party planning, being the go-between between the groom and some of the some of the staffs (DJ’s, Valets, etc.), not losing the rings and creating a “memorable” toast, he was just as happy being an usher.

Craig’s brother did a good job with the party. Nothing exceptional, but it was in a private room at a nice restaurant, some decent “entertainment” and a great meal with lots of beer and liquor; everyone in attendance had a good time. It was to be a large wedding, 250 plus people, maid of honor, 5 bride’s maids, best man, 5 ushers plus the bride and groom. He got along well with the other members of the bridal party, because he went to school with most of them. But that was 6 years ago, and most of them had gotten married and/or taken up new activities. All of the groom’s men were either avid golfers or played a lot of tennis (most of it was forced upon them by their company “policies”). All except him, that is. It was a nice evening, but he felt like Casper the Friendly Ghost among the tanned sports enthusiasts. He had been thinking most of the weekend of how weird the pictures would look with 1 paleface and the rest tanned.

It was Monday afternoon, and this coming weekend, the 4th of July weekend, was the wedding, just 5 days away. He had been flipping through the phone book rather absent mindedly, thinking what he should do. He had always felt that tanning salons gave such a fake tan, but the more he though about it, a least he would have some color by the weekend. He called a couple of places and they gave him rates, bed or booth choices and hours. None really promised results. He saw one though, that was between his home and office (if he went about 5 miles out of the way) and was open ‘till 10 each night. The rates were much higher than any of the others, but they guaranteed results. “4 sessions with us, and you will look like you have spent the summer on Maui.” That would be great (if they lived up to their promises). It was called Hawaiian Gods and Goddesses.

As he drove home that evening, he was thinking about the name. Very seldom did these places aim their market at men, but he did agree that Goddesses and Gods sounded odd. Maybe they were just trying to get more women in by the having them think more men would be there. He ran into his apartment, grabbed a quick bite to eat and threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He backed out of his parking place and drove back toward work, to the salon.

It was in a typical suburban, shopping center type strip mall. As he approached, he noticed the neon palm trees by the sign, but the sign was tasteful. When he opened the door, the first thing he noticed was the subtle sound of crashing surf and the fragrance of flowers. On the far wall was a beautiful full wall photograph of a beach, taken from the palm trees, looking over the sand to the water. The carpet was the same color as the sand and you had to look real close to see where the photo stopped and the carpet started. In the corner was a beach chair with a sun umbrella over it and an open paperback book laying on the chair. To his right was a grass-hut like desk, about bar height. Behind it was a very striking woman, in her mid-twenties with long straight hair that came half way down her back; a dark beautiful tan and wearing a low cut Hawaiian print dress.

She smiled at Tyler and said “Aloha. Welcome to The Hawaiian Gods & Goddesses Club. My name is Cindy. How may I help you?”

“I had called this afternoon about the tanning packages you have and the results you guarantee. I was wondering if you could show me around.”

“You must be Tyler. I talked with you earlier today. Certainly, follow me.” As she got up and turned, he noticed that the dress was as short as it was low cut. They walked down a hall and past a few doors. Each had the name of a Hawaiian Island on it. He heard the typical hum of cooling fans and saw the light emanating from around a couple of doors and over the walls as in any salon. Strangely thought, the light was green not blue. They stopped in front of the door named “Molokai” and she opened it.

She asked him to enter the room first. It was about 10-foot square, much larger than what he had been in, in the past. The carpet in this room was a deep grass green, matching the large full-wall photo of the Hawaiian rain forests. A nice white wicker table and chair sat to one side, but what stood in the corner floored him. There was a tall brushed, stainless steel cylinder about 5 feet in diameter and 9 feet tall. Cindy approached it, pulled on a tall handle and a quarter of the side opened. She invited him over to look in. Inside there was an inner liner of glass, not plastic. Between the glass and the polished stainless steel were the bulbs; packed so tight they almost touched each other. Evenly spaced around the cylinder were thin pipes running vertically, with nozzles aimed at the center. You had to step up 2 steps to the raised platform to stand in the booth. He thought there were bulbs in the base too. It looked like something out of an old Sci-Fi movie; this was where they kept the pod people.

During his high school senior year he, and his then girlfriend, went to the spring dance. She had talked him into going to a tanning salon near school for a couple of weeks so they could get some color for the dance and the photos. He remembered that you lay down in a coffin like bed, closed the lid and cooked for 15 minutes. That worked fine, but this looked as if he was going to be transported to another part of the galaxy! He was having second thoughts. The controls were simple enough: press the big green button to start the booth, press the big red button if it gets too hot and you want out.

Cindy ushered him to the front again and started to explain the pricing, the packages and the session times. Each session was $25, but if you bought a package of 10 sessions, it was only $15 per session. If you signed up for a package, you automatically got a free bottle of their special tanning lotion. The first 2 sessions would be 15 minutes each, and then, they would increase by 5 minutes each time, with a maximum time of ? an hour. Geez, this was expensive, but he was only going to do it for a short time. If he paid for 5 individual sessions, it would cost $125. If he bought the 10-session package it would only be $150, and the free lotion. He dropped his plastic on the counter and paid for the 10. Who knows, if he tans like she said, he might use the rest of the sessions before the end of the summer just to look like he went somewhere.

She gave him the lotion (it looked like the large economy size), gave him a pair of goggles (completely different than ones he had worn before), gave him a towel and they went back to the Molokai room. When she sets the timer, he has 8 minutes to undress and apply the lotion. “Don’t be skimpy with the lotion. Not only does it help you tan, it moisturizes and it prevents the muscles from cramping.” He looked at her, “What do you mean?” She said, “Since this is a booth, you will be standing for the entire session, and even though you can move around a little, the muscles occasionally cramp up from being standing in one place.” It seemed logical. “Oh, by the way. See those two “bare feet” decals on the other side of the booth, we suggest you put your feet there and place your hands on these handles on either side of the door. That way you will get a better overall tan, and if you start getting dizzy, you already have your hands on the handles.” That also made sense. “It gets very hot in there even though there is a fan, so every couple of minutes, a fine mist sprays out of those nozzles to help moisturize your skin and keep you cool. Don’t be startled when that happens. When I leave, I will go up front and set the timer for 15 minutes. That clock on the wall, there, will show 8 minutes and it will count down. That’s the time you have to get ready. If you don’t press the green button before that time is up, the booth will start automatically. Do you have any questions?” He shook his head no. “OK then, have a great tan!” She turned and walked out. That last statement was a little too sappy, though. Tyler closed the door behind her and locked it.

He kicked off his sandals, removed his t-shirt and shorts. It was then he realized he forgot to bring a bathing suit with him. The clock indicated 8. He was going to leave his boxers on. I don’t know yet if this lotion is greasy, and I don’t want to drive home in greasy boxers, he though. The timer indicated 7. Damn, if this is as hot as she says, they will be all sweaty too. Yuk! I doubt if I will get a burn in the first session anyway, even if parts of me have never seen the sun. He pulled off the boxers. The timer indicated 6. He poured some of the lotion in his hand, rubbed it between his hands and spread it on his arms. Geez, it’s green! Light green, but still green. It wasn’t when he poured it out. It wasn’t greasy and it had a slight fragrance to it, not overpowering like typical sun lotions. The timer indicated 4. As she said, he spread it thick, all over. It feels strange coating that with suntan lotion! He double-checked and he had a pretty even coat all over.
Tyler walked over to the booth and opened the door. Stepping up to the platform, he closed the door behind him. He thought it would be dark in there, but there was a small light bulb on so you could see around. He stood on the decals and put his hands on the railings. He was at an angle leaning forward with his legs spread apart. In that position, he felt as if he was in some sort of medieval torture chamber. The green button was by his right hand. He put on his goggles and pushed the button. The lamps started to flicker on and the fan started to blow. As more and more of the lights came on, it got brighter and brighter. There were lights in the floor and in the ceiling. There was a fan in the floor blowing straight up and another in the ceiling withdrawing air. It felt as if was in the prop wash of an airplane, and the heat was intense.

He was about to panic and push the red button, when a fine mist sprayed from the nozzles spread through the cylinder. They were probably only on for a few seconds, but the relief was wonderful. A small countdown clock was also inside the cylinder, near the buttons. He had his eyes closed, as the light was intense, but he peeked occasionally to see where he was in his timing. In certain places, and at times, the heat felt nice, but it was starting to get too hot again. The sprays came on again. I guess, he thought, the manufacturers of this unit knew just when to use the sprayers. It must be a timer somewhere. His hair must look horrible, as if he was in a convertible and driving at 100 mph. And there were lower parts of him that felt strange being blown in the breeze.

All of a sudden everything went dark. He cracked open his eyes and the inside clock showed 0. Had it been fifteen minutes already? Boy, that went quicker than he thought it would. He stood up straight, leaned back a moment and pressed open the door. The fans continued to blow, he guessed to help cool down the unit. He put his hand on the outside of the cylinder, and it was hot. Not unbearable, but he would not want to keep his hand there too much longer. He felt as if he had been micro waved! After being in the cylinder, the room seemed cool, so he grabbed the towel and dried himself off as best he could. He put his boxers on and they stuck to him like glue. The same happened with his shorts and shirt. He probably should have dried off better.

Tyler grabbed the towel and goggles and came out front. Cindy asked how it went and he said, “I should have turned over sooner. I don’t think my back’s done!” She smiled and acknowledged his remark, but she had heard that before. “Where do I put the towels and goggles?” She pointed to a wicker (of course) hamper in the corner by the coconut tree for the towels, and the goggles went into the poi bowl, filled with cleaning solution. “Don’t be startled with a little tingling. That is normal with these booths and the lotion.” He remembered that the lotion was green when it went on, but shortly thereafter, it disappeared. He snapped his fingers and said “Oh, I forgot the lotion.’ He turned and went back to get it. He picked up the bottle and Cindy was right behind him with a spray bottle and some towels. “We have to clean these when they are still hot. If we don’t, these are a son-of-a-gun to clean. Thanks again, Tyler. Will you be back to the Club tomorrow?”

“If I haven’t dried up and blown away, I’ll be here. There’s a wedding I’m in this weekend and I need some color on me for the pictures. That’s why I’m coming here.”

“Well” she said, “if you come here for the next 4 days, by Saturday, everyone will think you were in the tropics for a month.”

“I hope you’re right. If not, I’m spending a lot of money for nothing.”
“Don’t worry. You won’t even recognize yourself by the weekend. Trust me” she said, and winked at him as he left the room. I hope she’s right, he thought. He got in the car and pulled out of the parking lot. About 15 minutes after he left, his skin began to tingle and he became very light-headed and dizzy. Luckily he was at a traffic light, and by the time it turned green, the feelings had passed. I’m glad she told me about the tingling, but is the dizziness part of this too? He’ll ask her tomorrow night. He went up to his apartment, did some paperwork, paid a couple of bills and started to do a few odds and ends, then sat down to watch TV. A normal evening in Tyler’s world, and he went to bed about 11.

Tuesday dawned as any Tuesday does; no prospect of anything exciting, plus he had a meeting at 10 AM. The day didn’t disappoint him in any way. There were no repercussions from the tanning session last night. He thought there might be a little burning especially in “sun-virgin” areas, but there wasn’t. He wondered if he was doing the right thing, but what the heck, a wedding like this only comes on once in a long time. From what he has heard so far, it will be “the wedding of the season”! Knowing that the bride and her mother had everything to do it, it would be. If he had had to drive cross-country he would have, to be here for Craig, and he would bend over backwards to be help him in any way he could.

He left work a little late; he had to finish a report that had to be in first thing in the morning. He would rather stay a little longer than come in at 6 AM. He decided to go straight to Hawaiian G&G and not go home first. He took off his tie in the car and went in with his lotion. He had left it in the car during the day, and the bottle was warm. Damn, he forgot a bathing suit again. He’ll put one in the car tonight and have it for tomorrow. Make mental note; get bathing suit. He walked in and Cindy was behind the counter with another low cut Hawaiian dress. She said, “Good evening Tyler. Welcome back. I assume there were no problems with your first session and your back for more.”

“No, no problems and I did get the tingling you mentioned. By the way, about the same time as the tingling I became light-headed. Is that normal?”
“It’s not unusual. I’d say about a third of our customers get that. Our doctors believe it could be a touch of heat prostration. The booth does get hot, right? That is one of the reasons we suggest you drink some water before you get here, and of course after. I’m sorry if I didn’t mention that yesterday.” Make mental note; bring water with me. “All of the booths are taken right now, Tyler, so have a seat in the Coconut grove, and I’ll call you in a minute.” The “Coconut Grove” he thought? Oh Brother! In the opposite corner of the lobby was an area that had 4 high back wicker fan chairs under 2 large artificial coconut trees. On the wicker tables were travel magazines for, amazingly, Hawaii. These people thought of everything.

A couple of minutes later, a door behind the desk opened. It was titled The Big Kahuna (he assumed the manager’s office). A tall man came out wearing an orange and yellow Hawaiian shirt, unbuttoned about half way down, and khaki cargo shorts. He was quite impressive, about 6’ 2”, well built and had a great tan. He obviously used his product, a great endorsement of the salon, err, Club. I guess it sounded better to say Club than salon. “I’m going to the Club,” sounds nice. The manager talked with Cindy a few minutes, and then walked over to Tyler. “You must be Tyler. Let me introduce myself, I’m Greg Matthews, owner of this Club. Thank you for joining.” Tyler rose and shook his hand. “This is actually my 2nd Club. My first is in South Beach, outside of Miami and the 3rd is in Venice, CA. They’ve proved popular. I’m hoping to expand even more.” They talked for a few more minutes.

A young man, probably in his late teens, walked down the hallway and into the lobby, heading for the door. “Bye Cindy, I’ll see you tomorrow” he said. Cindy called back, “Bye Jack.” His dark tan was highlighted by his blond crew cut, and the hair on his forearms was just as bleached as his head. That wasn’t the only amazing part of Jack. He was only about 5’ 9”, but was built like he had been working out with intensity for years. He was so chiseled, his tank was so tight it was “painted” onto his large chest, and it immediately narrowed down to his waist. You knew the 6-pack was there and you could see the outline of his abs. His arms were hard and large, and even relaxed they showed their power to anyone around. His forearms were thick and veined. As he walked through the lobby, he walked like a stalking jaguar, slowly flexing as he moved. He knew he was putting on a show, maybe not for Cindy and Greg, but for the new guy. His jeans were low cut and also tight, revealing the size of his thighs. The lanyard for his keys dangled from his pocket, outlining the keys in his pocket. The lump of his keys was dwarfed by the bulge in his crotch. I guess their marketing to men was working.

Cindy went back to clean the booth for Tyler. She came out and said, “’Hanna’ is ready for you, Tyler.” He thanked Greg for his time, picked up his bottle of lotion and went back to be “nuked” again. This room’s photo wall was a large waterfall, looking like it was falling hundreds of feet down to the pool at the bottom. The carpet was a combination of the blue of the stream, as it meandered across the floor, and dark moss green, representing the thick foliage. They did do this place up right. He got undressed, applied the lotion and stepped up into the cylinder. He stood spread eagled again, and pushed the green button. The green lights came on and session 2 was underway with the same brilliant light and the periodic mistings. He still wasn’t used to the wind in between his legs, but he put up with it. The booth went dark, his 15 minutes was up and he left the “transporter.”
He toweled off and went to get dressed. His boxers were still tough to get on and his shirt seemed snug, but his pants were a tad bit loose. He thought that he was still damp with the boxers and shirt, but had dried off a little more by the time he put on his slacks. He thanked Cindy and waved to Greg through the door. Cindy said, “Tyler, I forgot to tell you. If you want to, you can bring a CD player or radio. There is a small shelf above the door where it can be placed. As the sessions get a little longer, it gives your mind something to do.” On the way home, he got the tingling and lightheaded feeling again, about 15 minutes into the trip.

He stopped to get some water, and since he was famished again, he got a steak and was planning on a big dinner. After he ate, he cleaned the kitchen, put his CD player by his briefcase, checked the mail and went to bed.
In the morning he showered and got dressed. He tried on 3 different shirts before he found one that fit him. Damn, he thought, I’ve got to start loosing weight. As he did his paperwork and got ready for the afternoon meeting, he had remembered his water and CD player but forgot the bathing suit again. Oh well, what the heck. He would have this tan with no tan lines, and who knows, that might be a turn on for his next evening with a pretty lady.
On the way to HG&G, he drank his water. When he got there, Greg was behind his desk in his office and said that Cindy had the day off, since she had to work this Saturday. He got up to sign Tyler in. When Greg walked through the door, the man that Tyler thought was impressive before, was amazing. He was wearing a light blue, skin-tight muscle shirt and white bike shorts. Not a thing was left to the imagination. Tyler had never been this close to someone so massive. His arms were mammoth and veined. He could even see the veins on his abs, even through the shirt. Yes, he had seen photos of guys like this in magazines and seen them on TV, but never had he been so close. He tried not to stare, but it was difficult. Greg saw that and smiled; he had seen that look before.

Greg set the timer in “Maui” for 20 minutes. Tyler went in and saw another great decorating job, this time a dark, damp grotto. He undressed, applied the lotion, put the CD player on the shelf above the door and pushed the green button. The time did go quicker and he left the booth to dry off. His boxers were looser today (the elastic is shot, he thought) but the shirt he had looked for in the morning was again snug. What is going on here?
As he walked down the hall to leave, Greg was talking to a very tall, beautiful woman. She had to be 6’ and was all legs. He could see that, as her shorts were extremely skimpy. Her blouse, if you wanted to call it that, was totally supported by her bust, hanging loosely and not covering any of her stomach. Her tan went on forever and there was not an ounce out of place. Greg really attracted the cream of the crop here. He felt like a fifth wheel here, totally out of place.

As he approached the counter, he noticed Greg from the side. He was just as impressive as he was from the front, and his back was severely testing the material of the shirt. “See you later, Greg. If I don’t see you before, have a great holiday on Monday.”

“Thanks Tyler, you too. I won’t be here the rest of the weekend, so have fun at the wedding Saturday. I’ll be back on Tuesday.”

He went out in the car and drank water, nearly draini9ng the 1 liter bottle. Boy, that booth does dry you out, he thought. About 20 minutes later, Tyler began to tingle again, but the light-headed feeling wasn’t as bad. The water must be helping. He stopped and rented a movie and went next door to order a pizza. Nah, make it two. He was famished again. This bingeing has to stop. If he didn’t finish the pizza, he’d put it in the fridge. He watched the movie, finished both pizzas and went to bed.

Thursday morning broke a little cloudy, but he woke refreshed. He was sleeping well recently. He shaved and showered and got dressed. Or at least he tried to get dressed. He tried every shirt he had on, and none of them fit. He was getting too heavy. He remembered that when his parents were here a couple of months ago, his dad had forgotten 2 shirts. Tyler was going to ship them back, but his dad said not to waste the postage; he would pick them up next time they were in town. He had had them dry-cleaned and hung them in the hall closet. His father was a bit bigger than him, so he tried one on and it fit. After this wedding, he has got to go on a diet. Maybe he will do some running. The weather was nice and warm and he should be able to get into that groove before it gets too cold.
At work, Tyler was doing paperwork and happened to look at the back of his hand. He had a tan! Even the hair on his hand and wrist was bleached. It looked good and he had 2 sessions to go before the wedding. His plan just might work.

At the Club that evening, Cindy was behind the counter again. This time she had a revealing blouse and a tight pair of white slacks. She looked good. She said, “Hey Tyler. You’re looking good. Your tan is coming along just fine. How do you think you will be for the wedding?” He said, “Thanks. So far this is working. I hope it continues.” They talked a couple of minutes as she set the timer for 25 minutes, and then said “Pearl” was available for him. He went down the hall, almost to the end and entered Pearl.

Here the decorator went a different direction. All four walls were a 360 degree photo of Pearl Harbor, with the Arizona Memorial just off to the right, behind the chair. The chair and table in this room were military issue and fit in well with the theme. The booth was painted to look as if it was the funnel on the ship. The carpet here was a dark blue/grey, to look like the murky water of the Harbor. It was very nicely done. Tyler wished he had the money Greg spent just on decorating! He undressed, lotioned up and went into the cylinder for another exciting session. Good thing Cindy recommended the CD player. He hadn’t used it for a while, and it was good to hear some of his old CDs again. 25 minutes went fast when you were listening to good music. His legs were a little stiff; as he was leaning forward all of that time.
He exited the booth and toweled off. His shorts went on fine, as did his slacks. But his shirt, his dad’s shirt was even snug now. I don’t get it, he thought. As he left, he asked Cindy if she had plans for the holiday. She and her boyfriend were going to visit his parents in the mountains for Sunday and Monday. She had agreed to work on Saturday for Greg, so she didn’t want to go too far with the holiday traffic. She asked what he was doing and he said he had the wedding on Saturday. He worked part time at a country club on the weekends, and had to give up the holiday weekend to go to the wedding. It seemed that whoever was filling in for him wasn’t going to screw up their holiday weekend to work just one day, so Tyler had to take Sunday off too. He hadn’t been to the beach for a long time, so thought he would go down on Sunday and relax for a change.

“You know, the lotion we use really keeps your skin from drying out, but has no sunscreen. Since you will have a good base tan, you don’t need a lot of protection. Our normal suggestion is, to mix a solution of half our lotion and half an SPF 30 sunscreen. This dilutes the sunscreen down to about a 12, and you still have a great moisturizer.” Sounded reasonable, he thought. He will mix up a batch this evening and put it with his beach stuff for Sunday. “Thanks Cindy. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll be in and out quick because I have to pick up the tux tomorrow night.” “Later, Tyler”, Cindy said.
Since they had been talking a few minutes, he hadn’t gotten to the car yet and wasn’t able to drink his post-tanning water supply. The tingling started as he approached the car and lasted a little longer than before. Plus, the dizziness came on; good thing the car was right there. He had to lean on it to keep from falling over. That passed and he went home, fixed some grilled chicken (5 large pieces), did his laundry, watched TV and went to bed. His life was so exciting.

Friday arrived and, since the company had started casual Friday some months ago, the normal attire was polo’s and khaki’s. Here we go again, he thought. He must have tried on 6 or 7 golf shirts before one fit him well enough to go to work. Mental note; loose weight!! Work was very quiet as many people left yesterday for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The holiday was one reason the bride had chosen this weekend for the wedding. It would allow her far-a-way guests time to get there and back and only have to take, maybe, 1 vacation day. Gee, how considerate she was! Like everyone else there today, he read the paper, surfed the Web and made a couple of personal calls. He was thinking of all he had to do after work. Maybe, he should skip the Club. No, the tan was coming along nicely and he wanted to be cool. He left a few minutes early and went straight to the Club, drinking his water on the way.

Cindy sent him back to the Hanna room and set the timer. He undressed, applied the lotion and prepared for the lights, fans and action! When he pushed to green button, the timer said 30 minutes. Geez, he forgot this was a ? hour session. He finished the session and hurriedly got dressed. In his rush to leave, he didn’t realize that he didn’t button the top button of his polo. It’s a good thing as he wouldn’t have been able to. As he rushed past her, Cindy said, “See you later Tyler. Hey, you’re looking good!” She knew what was happening. She had seen it many times before. “Bye Cindy”, as he ran out the door.

He went to the “formal wear” shop to pick up his tux. The man inside was alone and looked a little flustered. “I came to pick up my tux for Craig Newsom’s wedding”, he said. “My name is Tyler Anderson.” The man looked through a small file, pulled out a piece of paper and went to the back of the shop to get the tux. He came forward with it in a typical plastic bag and gave it to Tyler. “The dressing room is over there. Would you please try it on and see how it fits. If it needs attention, I would rather do it tonight than tomorrow right before the wedding.” Tyler put on the tux and came out of the room. The shirt could only be buttoned up half way, he was holding the pants up with his right hand as the jacket dangled from his left arm.
“I think I’ve gained a little weight since we took the measurements a couple of months ago.” The tailor came over and started mumbling. “That’s what I get for hiring kids around here. They think its neat to be around these tuxedos, and don’t do the measuring right. Then they take off at the last minute leaving me to do all the work and to fix their screw-ups! I’m sorry for the problems, Mr. Anderson. You are the last one to pick yours up and 2 others had to be re-fitted too. Let’s see what we can do to make it right.” He almost had to start over with the measurements. He replaced the jacket with a larger one, replaced the slacks with a smaller waist size, but longer inseam. He had to open a new, tapered shirt and steam it to take out all of the wrinkles, and gave him a new cummerbund and bow tie that fit better. Impressed by the quick work he had done and equally impressed at the fit man standing in front of him, “That’s much better,” he said. “I’m sorry for the delay, sir. I hope the wedding goes well.” Tyler was looking at his watch. He had to be at the church in 45 minutes for the rehearsal. He hardly had time to go home, shower and change, but he had to. “Thank you for your time with the tux. I hope you have a great holiday too,” he said as he literally ran out the door.

He didn’t remember how he got home so fast, but flew up the stairs to his apartment with the tux flapping in the breeze behind him. He threw his clothes on the bed, ran into the bathroom, shaved, showered, dressed and was out the door in 20 minutes. Did he remember to hang up the tux? He thought he did. Damn, this collar is tight. He pulled into the church parking lot on 2 wheels and ran to the doors. Everyone was there, but the minister. The bride’s mother was fuming, so no one noticed when Tyler came in. He casually sauntered up the side isle as if he had been in the bathroom.
The rehearsal always seemed anti-climatic, after all of the preparation for it. The minister arrived and seemed so bored, as if he had done this a hundred times before, which he had. They all trooped over to the groom’s father’s golf club for dinner and had a wonderful time. The groom’s men went out on the deck to have a few beers after the dinner. A couple of the guys came over to Tyler and said he looked good. He thanked them, and with the exception of his tan, he was embarrassed by his new weight. Only one more day, and mega-diet, he thought.

The big day was here and they all had to meet at Craig’s house to go over a couple of last things about 2 PM, and then to the church. Tyler had some time in the morning to himself. He went to the Club and got another session in, finishing off his tan. Cindy thanked him for his business and then said, “Have fun, you look great!” “Thanks!” he said. He went home, took a nice long shower and dressed in his tux. Craig’s dad had hired a limo just for the ushers and groom. They all felt a little special that day. As the pictures were taken, Tyler looked around at the other ushers and he actually had a better tan than some of them. The expense and aggravation was worth it. The wedding was beautiful, the reception was great and no one got too drunk.

He was looking forward to the wedding, but he seemed almost as excited to go to the beach on Sunday. It had been so long since he had been there; he really missed it. Going to the shore was a really big thing, something special, when he was a kid. He got up early and packed his things in the car. The holiday traffic had been heavy on Friday and today, he was ahead of the Sunday, day-at-the-beach traffic. He parked near the hotel they had always stayed at when he was a kid. The building was there, but it had had a face-lift and a new name. He walked around a little and looked for the changing room he had remembered. Yes, there it was, off of the normal flow of foot traffic. It was meant for hotel guests who arrived before check-in and wanted to stay after check-out, to get the most of their beach trip. He knew about it and so he had, in the past, used it to change clothes when he came down. No one said anything. There was a shower there, it was air-conditioned and they even supplied towels for after the shower. As long as it wasn’t abused, he guessed it was all right.

He went back to the car to get his gyn bag with his stuff to change. Being discrete, he walked into the changing room. No one was there at the moment. They had even given this place a face-lift; not bad. He took off his shirt and shorts and slid off his boxers. He grabbed his bathing suit from his bag and slid it on. When he went to tie the strings, it was so loose it nearly fell off! He tried again, cursed loudly, and in frustration looked in the mirror, and stopped. . . .

Who was the man staring back at him? He had never seen him before, but the face looked familiar. It was his face, but leaner and more angular. His neck was thick and curved down to his shoulders, which were broad and square; he looked as if he had pads on under the skin. Attached to his shoulders were 2 of the largest arms he had ever seen. The biceps were as large as small footballs and twitched with power, his forearms were thick and veined. He looked at his chest. It was broad and massive, with his pecs high in the air. A drastic taper lead from his delts to his waist, covered with hard, cobblestone abs. His thighs were the only things holding up his bathing suit, as the material was pushed to its limits containing the muscle. His calves were also veined and strong.

When had this happened? How come he had never seen it? On a whim, he pulled his arms up parallel to the floor and crunched his biceps. They grew in height and thickness. He tensed his chest and it also increased in size. He tensed his abs, and amazingly, they became even more defined. When he did that, his bathing suit slipped a little lower revealing his lower abs and his trail. Where did it happen? He lowered his arms and noticed the warm, overall tan he had. His hair was a couple of shades lighter, and the small amount of body hair he had, was bleached too. He looked at his waist and tugged down a little on his bathing suit. He laughed; no tan lines!
Tan lines! That’s it! It was the tanning Club! Everyone he had ever seen there was hard and fit. That kid that was perfectly ripped, Greg and his mass, even Cindy and that tall woman were all perfect. That lotion, the mist, the strange green light; all were part of it. His mother had always said he walked around with his head up and locked. She said he could wake up in the middle of the street, and the only way he would be sure if he had been hit by a truck, is if he saw the imprint of the license plate on his forehead! All of the things that have happened this week were signs; the clothes that didn’t fit, the constant hunger he had, the re-fitting of the tux. All of them are related, but no one thing jumped out and grabbed him. He looked again at himself and decided if he was going to stay for the day, he needed a new bathing suit. And he was going to stay. He got dressed again and went shopping on the boardwalk.

He went into almost every store that had men’s bathing suits. If he found one that fit over his thighs, it was too big for his waist. If it fit his waist, he couldn’t get it over his thighs. Finally, at a sporting goods store, he found a pair of nylon running shorts, with the side seam split up the side. They were small enough for his waist, and accepted his muscled thighs. As he walked to the register, he passed a rack of tanks suits. He flipped through them, and on a whim, grabbed one in his new size. He went to check out.

When he returned to the changing room, he was still alone. He undressed and grabbed the running shorts to put on. Hesitantly, he put them down and picked up the Speedo. He looked at it and wondered why he was going to do it. He reached down and slid it over his legs and thought he would have a problem. Once he got it over his thighs, it kind of snapped into place, high on the hips and low in the front. And speaking of front, look at the size of my package, he thought. That got bigger too, much bigger. I’ll have to check that out later, at home. There was a slight surge as he thought about that. He turned to the mirror and flexed again. His chest rose, his arms bellowed, his abs hardened, his thighs expanded. This was amazing. The minimal clothing made him look even bigger and stronger. The increased blood flow made his crotch swell some, showing him that it had more potential too. How could he have missed this? He then grabbed the running shorts and slid them over the Speedo. He had to take this one step at a time. He wasn’t ready to take the big leap yet.

Tyler had just put on his shorts when a father and son came in to change. Tyler was putting his pants and shoes into his bag, and had slipped on his sandals. He was in front of them when they entered. He had his shirt in his hand ready to put it on. The boy, about eight, just stood and stared at Tyler, his mouth open. The father was embarrassed by his son’s actions but impressed at the man standing in front of them. Tyler had turned slightly to get his car keys out of the bag and put his shirt on, when the boy spoke, “Wow dad, look at him! He must be the strongest man in the world!” The father, now trying to cover his own inadequencies, said “Yes, he is strong, Grant. As far as the strongest, there are others that are stronger. But look at him and see the dedication it took for him to get that big. Are you that dedicated to something other than your video games? You have to focus your thoughts and energies on one goal, and when you achieve that, you tackle another.” Now Tyler was embarrassed. The father made a good case, but if he knew how little he had worked for this, it would burst the bubble. He grabbed his things and left the room, glad to be out of that situation but excited to start this new day.

He stopped by the car and exchanged his gym bag for his backpack, picked up his beach chair and towel, and locked his keys and wallet in the trunk. He had keyless entry, so he could get in easily and would not have to worry about his wallet being stolen. He had a few bucks in cash with him if he needed something. Tyler went to the beach and found a spot near the water, away from the crowds. He spread out his beach blanket and set his chair along side.

He removed his shirt and felt the sun on his new broad back and shoulders. Embarrassed, he looked around and no one was looking at him, yet. He took out the lotion mix Cindy had suggested, and he made up on Thursday night, and applied it all over. The green tinge was hardly noticeable. He went for a walk along the water, and about a block away started to jog, then run. He was hardly breathing heavy when he realized he was blocks past the end of the boardwalk. Turning around, he joged backed to near his place, and walked back to his stuff to cool off.

Tyler sat down in the chair and put on his sunglasses and pulled out his book. As he started to read, he looked over the top of the book at his massive legs. Oh, what the hell. No one knows me here, he thought. He stood and slipped out of the running shorts, leaving only the low-cut tank suit covering him, exposing his tight abs. He sat again, laying his legs out in front of him. He read for about an hour, reapplied his lotion and promptly fell asleep in the warm sunlight.

Tyler awoke to the tingling and light-headedness he had had after the tanning sessions. He looked around and then at his chest. The beads of perspiration were running down his chest, like prisoners suddenly able to escape. They fell off the tall cliff of his pecs, only to be captured in the deep valleys of his abs. His thighs seemed to quiver with the tingling and he felt his heart race a little. Very self-consciously, he got up and walked to the water. When he was in the water about knee deep, he dove in. Tyler swam for about half an hour and returned to his blanket. As he walked up the beach to his things, he noticed people watching him. He could tell from their looks: the women wanted him and the men were envious of his build.
He reapplied the lotion and laid down on his stomach on the blanket to continue reading and proceeded to fall asleep again. He must have needed this day to relax more than he thought. When he awoke this time, 2 groups of people had set up their things near him. On one side were 2 women that definitely had their eye on him, and on the other were 3 young guys, who also had their eye on him. That made him uncomfortable. Without putting on too much of a show, he got up, took a brief swim and returned to his chair. He put on his sunglasses, applied more lotion and picked up his book. The tingling started again, but the dizziness wasn’t as bad.

As the afternoon went on, Tyler realized he had been out on the beach about 5 hours now. He didn’t want to get burned, even though he did have a good base. When the boys that had set up next to him were in the water, he stood up. The women next to him watched and he realized he was, all of a sudden, putting on a show. Slowly, he stretched and flexed a bit. Reaching down, he picked up his running shorts and slid them on slowly, leaving them low on his hips. He grabbed his t-shirt to put on, and it was too small. He tried to put it on again and it would have been so tight, so he decided not to. He picked up his things and proceeded to his car bare-chested. The women watched him go and the guys were disappointed when they returned.
He was going to shower and change before he went home. Noticing a group of people near the changing room, he thought it would be crowded, so he decided not to. Tyler put his stuff in the trunk, retrieved his keys and drove home. It felt strange walking across the parking lot at the apartment complex without a shirt, but he didn’t really mind. It did feel good though.

The next day was Monday, the Fourth of July. Why, he wasn’t sure but he got up early and went out for a jog. Seeing how easy it was for him to run the previous day at the beach, he thought it was a good idea. Again, his powerful legs moved him effortlessly along the path around the park. While running, he wondered if his strength had increased as much as his body had grown. When he returned, he walked some until he cooled down.

One of the reasons he had rented this apartment 2 years ago, was it had a decent exercise center. But with his work schedule he had only used it twice before. On the way across the complex toward the clubhouse, he noticed a car down the drive, listing to port with the trunk open. A woman was on her cell phone. As he went by, he heard her say on the phone that she had a flat tire. She was going to be late for work because AAA couldn’t get there for 2 hours due to the holiday. After she finished the call, she noticed this buff guy approaching her. He said, “Could I be of help?” Pointing at the car, “I do know how to change a tire.”

“I don’t want to bother you, but if you could, I would be very appreciative.” He said, “Sure, no problem. Besides, I have really nothing else to do right now, and I haven’t done my random act of kindness yet today.” She smiled at him. Smiling at her, he went to look at the tire. As he squatted down to look at the tire and wheel cover, his massive thighs bulged through the split in the side of his running shorts. He got up and went to the trunk to get the tire iron and jack. It was a big old Olds 98 with a full size spare tire. His Dad had one like this years ago, and he smiled thinking about all of the junk they fit in that cavernous trunk when they went on vacations. He grabbed the tire iron and quickly removed the wheel cover. With little effort, his arms broke the lock the lug nuts had on the wheel. When he went in to get the spare, he reached into the trunk with his right hand to position the spare to pick it up with both hands. His right arm curled the tire with no problem, lifting it over the fender.

She watched him work and looked at his broad back, which was trying to escape from his shirt, as were his arms. After he tightened the lug nuts on the wheel, he grabbed the wheel cover. With his fist, be banged the wheel cover tightly back in place. Tyler returned the jack and tire iron to their correct locations and placed the tire in the trunk. They had noticed a nail in the tread, so it wouldn’t be a problem to plug it. He closed the trunk lid and sent her on her way. “By the way,” she said as she got into the car, “I’m Sharon.” “A pleasure to meet you Sharon, my name is Tyler. If there is anything else I can do for you, let me know.” She went to shake his hand but it was all dirty and he withdrew it. “I hope I can repay you somehow.” “That won’t be necessary,” he said. As she drove off, she called back “Thanks so much Tyler!” The big 455 squealed the Olds’ tires as she peeled out of the apartment complex.

He went to the exercise room and washed his hands in the bathroom. He was alone in the gym. Probably because of the holiday, everyone was at a picnic, the beach or doing something other than working out. That was fine, as he didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of others. He had no idea of where to start, so he went to the bench press. During one semester at college, he had to take a Phys Ed course, and part of it was some weight training. The heaviest weight he benched then was 140 lbs. He thought he was stronger now than then, so he put 150 lbs on the bar. He pressed that so easily 20 times, he thought he had misread the weights. He added another 25 lbs and he did another 20 reps; another 25 lbs, another 20 reps. When he put on the 3rd set of 25 lbs, “This can’t be possible”, he thought. The 225 on the bar was pressed 20 times as though it was 150. He added another 25, and on the 15th rep he started to fail. The 250 lbs made it to 18 reps before he could go no farther. He was so pumped after almost 100 reps, his t-shirt was stretched to the limit.

He went to the dumbbell rack and did biceps curls; working up through 4 sets to 75 lbs on each arm. His arm curls were at 125 when he stopped, his squat was at 475, his leg curls were 400. He was there for over an hour, amazing himself at every change of exercise. When he left the gym 90 minutes after he arrived, he had exhausted himself, some of the limits of the machines and put a severe dent in the free weight collection. Tyler went back to his apartment and showered. He looked at himself in the mirror and was amazed at how ripped he had gotten. He was pumped! His muscles were hard! His definition was sharp! When he got dressed, he realized he had to get some new clothes, especially shirts. Luckily, today was the 4th of July and there were sales everywhere. Oh, this was going to be an expensive shopping trip!

On Tuesday, after work, he went to HG&G with something on his mind; What was going on? Cindy laughed as he walked in the door. The look in his eye was familiar, but it took him longer than most to see the changes. She turned and called into the office, “Oh Greg, Tyler’s here. I think he wants to talk to you.” Greg walked out of his office smiling, and greeted Tyler with “It’s about time, Tyler. Welcome to the Club!”

[Mdlftr]

Hawaiian Tropics, here I come!



Great, subtle muscle growth story!

Enjoyed the slow build up and the dawning realization!

Good job, Tyrfull!

Mdlftr

[TGilders]

Any plans for them to open a shop in Jersey? Where can I sign up?!

Man... if only it was that easy!

[13 of Spades]

Wow, your first post turns out to be amazing! Welcome to the Evolution Forum, Tyrfull.

I understand the logic behind keeping his weight "unnoticed" until he goes to change at the beach, but I wish you could have mentioned something to indicate if he was gaining fat or muscle. It's mildly ambiguous throughout the story until the end. Even though I say that, this story is definitely a winner!

[dan25]

Really great work---from beginning to end (?) that was an awesome story---Thanks!!

[njscalz]

Great story, and a sequel would definitely be good. Hope to see a continuation.

[TyrFull]

Thank you all for your comments. I have a few more scenerios for Tyler on my mind; things he will do and things that will happen to him. First I have to formulate them, then get the time to put it on "paper". Again, Thanks.