Page 52 of The Strike Zone

“Scout, you good if we set up here?” the skinny one asked. “Doctor Matthews, anything we need to avoid?”

“Yes. My screens. You can film Parker on the treadmill, and that’s all.”

“No problem,” he replied and placed it directly behind me.

Fine by me, my ass would look great on camera. It was almost unnecessary for Marnie to whisper, “I’ll make you look good, don’t worry.”

I already did look good. Even if I did have to wear an ugly as hell mask.

“Can you explain what we’re doing here today?” asked Scout, pointing the microphone at Marnie, though she wasn’t paying attention, seeing as her eyes darted to me every couple of seconds.

“Yes, we’re measuring the VO2 max levels in Parker, which is to say we’re looking to see how his body uses oxygen. The higher the level, the better his cardiovascular function, which is needed for sprinting around the bases.”

“Sounds good,” Scout replied, her eyes darting my way again. I wasn’t even sure she’d looked me in the eye yet, she’d just been staring at my chest the whole time. Chest, abs, arms, ass.

“Parker, hop up on the treadmill.”

I did as I was told.

The whole process was the same as it had been thirty minutes ago when I’d walked in fresh, Marnie fixing the monitor around my chest so she could track my heart, while I eased on the mask. I could hear the guys behind me, setting up their equipment.

“We do this in stages, we keep increasing the speed until Parker is working at his max effort.” Marnie reached over and checked the straps holding the mask in place. “You ready? We’ll begin at a quick jog.”

I nodded.

“Scout, are you ready?”

“Yes, ma’am,” she replied, from somewhere out of my eyeline. “We’re good.”

Marnie set the speed and incline on the treadmill.

Regret set in almost immediately.

I didn’t know what Marnie meant when she said she’d make me look good, but I definitely wouldn’t look good if I collapsed dead, which is exactly where I was headed if she increased this speed by even a little bit more. And that would be a shame because I kind of wanted to see this thing with Scout through, especially as it felt like I’d been getting somewhere over the last week.

Since we’d shared Twizzlers.

I had barely settled into my stride when Marnie turned up the speed again. My mask hid the scowl I shot her. There’s no way I was going this fast during my actual VO2 max test. I don’t think I’d ever gone this fast. The incline hadn’t been this steep either.

Definitely not.

My legs were pumping so quickly to stop me from falling off the end, they were about to dislodge from my body.

I was concentrating so hard I barely heard Scout talking.

“Why do you keep increasing the speed?” she asked.

“Because we have to build to stop his lungs plateauing. We can’t measure his capabilities until he’s at max effort.”

“And does everyone run at the same speed?”

Marnie shook her head. “No, it depends on their personal capabilities and how well their body works to convert oxygen. Parker is above average, so we always start him much harder. Due to his dense quad and glutes, he can handle a lot. Parker holds a lot of power in his thighs.”

I made a mental note to tell Marnie I loved her, especially when I caught Scout’s eyes dropping to my ass again. The euphoria only lasted a couple of seconds, however, before it gave way to panic that my lungs might explode.

My legs were definitely going to fall off.

Or I was going to fall off.

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