Sküllpt 1.02 - My First Visit

The next morning, I found myself on the road to Pomona, on a sunny day, and for once, with lighter traffic than usual.

I'd had a restless night.

The photos I'd seen the day before had invaded my dreams and the excitement I'd felt had returned, lingering. Again, I saw the bodies of theses men and women caressing each other. Again, I saw myself caressing and massaging their muscles and bodies, men and women, as they moaned with pleasure. I saw myself kissing them while admiring their muscles, the power and beauty of their bodies, as they caressed me before penetrating each other and making love until they climaxed.

The erotic intensity of my dream became so overwhelming that it eventually woke me up. I felt my breasts aroused by the friction of my nipples against the sheets. My sex was wet.

To relieve myself, I began sucking on the fingers of my left hand, while my right hand caressed my chest and then my nipples, before moving down along my stomach, between my legs, and finally back up toward my vagina.

With my eyes closed and still lost in the images of my dream, I began to stroke my sex softly, then my clitoris with slow, circular presses of my fingers. I was so aroused by what I was fantaszing that I didn't have time to penetrate myself the way I usually liked to. I had barely begun to moan when a sharp orgasm seized me and sent a delightful shiver through my entire body, from head to toe.

I felt exhausted. Sleep quickly overtook me, and I woke up earlier than usual to head over to Sküllpt's place.

I was approaching my destination, which was in the middle of nowhere.

I pulled my car into the parking lot, facing the building indicated at that address : a large, anonymous, not-so-new warehouse. No sign outside, no neon lights, no sign or any distinguishing features.

Was I even in the right place? A few cars and motorcycles parked around were the only thing indicating the place wasn't completely deserted.

I got out of the car, grabbed my bag, and headed towards the only large door I could see. No distinguishing marks. I rang the intercom, and a young woman's voice answered :

-- Hello. How can I help you?

-- Am I at Sküllpt? I'm Clare Petersen. I have an appointment with Autumn Cooper.

-- I'll let you in!

A buzz unlocked the door in front of me. I found myself in an entrance hall with, on one side, a sort of large lounge area, furnished with armchairs, a few sofas, tables, and a counter. A large skull-shaped sign, adorned with a solid wrought-iron SKÜLLPT, hung from a post.

To the side, I could make out a group of women chatting, seated on the sofas and armchairs. Some were dressed up, others in workout clothes.

I noticed that most of them looked athletic, regardless of their body type or age.

On the opposite side, closer to me and the entrance, there was a large counter and a desk. Behind the counter was another large wrought-iron sign that read SKÜLLPT, and beneath it stood a very young woman, more of a young teenager, petite, with her blond hair pulled back in a ponytail.

She had a cheerful, energetic face and wore a bright yellow, very tight-fitting, sleeveless T-shirt with a deep, round neckline. I noticed her slightly tanned skin, her bare arms and shoulders. But above all, I noticed her biceps and shoulders, incredibly well-developed for her small stature and age.

-- Hello, follow me, Clare, Autumn is waiting for you.

She opened the half-door to her reception desk. Next to the desk, a revolving door led to what appeared to be a vast room. Behind the reception desk were apparently some offices.

I followed my hostess. She was wearing white cotton shorts, as tight-fitting as her T-shirt. Her bare legs were just as impressive as her arms and shoulders. And her buttocks looked ready to burst out of her shorts with every step.

She was a walking, talking mass of muscle, as solid as it was dynamic.

Once she reached the door, she knocked three times.

-- Autumn, Clare's here.

-- Thanks, Jodi. Please show her in.

Jodi opened the door, and her smile beckoned me in.

A woman, seated at her desk, rose to greet me. It was indeed the same Autumn as in the photos. A few years older. She looked to be in her forties. She was tall, certainly over 6 feet, and, just like in the photos, she certainly made an impression.

Her stature accentuated a full figure and curves, very feminine yet powerful and athletic. She moved with lightness, confidence, and elegance.

A fitted white men's shirt, tied at her waist, left no doubt about the powerful, muscular physique she possessed. Her high chest drew the eye, its three undone buttons revealing her bare skin.

A short, dark green skirt, as fitted as her shirt, hung over her legs and hips that seemed to lack an ounce of excess fat. Large blue eyes illuminated a face framed by ash-blonde hair that fell below her shoulders.

As she approached me, I struggled to banish from my mind the images of her completely naked, engaging in a variety of erotic and sexual acts. A wave of unease washed over me, and I did my best to suppress it.

Autumn invited me into a meeting room adjoining her office. As I entered, I discovered very large, carefully framed photographic prints on the walls.

Each one depicted a different athlete, life-size. Most of them were completely nude. Each photo artistically highlighted their muscles, in competition poses or more overtly sensual poses.

One photo showed a brunette, her biceps bulging, lifting a heavy barbell. Another one had an Asian athlete stood in a squatting position, her gaze fixed on her thighs, each muscle clearly defined. A third showed a young Black athlete naked, caressing her deeply sculpted abs. Another pic' highlighted another Black beauty with a powerful, broad back above an ultra-slim waist and perfectly sculpted, granite-like buttocks.

All these photos seemed to scream, "Look at me, admire me, touch me, caress me." I was captivated and felt again the same unease I'd felt seeing Autumn's photos and the others, naked or making love.

Autumn snapped me out of my stupor :

-- So Clare, how are you? What can I do for you?

Her voice was firm yet gentle. The voice of a confident woman, used to making decisions.

-- Thank you for having me, Autumn. Actually, since I'm taking over Paul's work from scratch, I need you to explain a lot about yourself, about Sküllpt--what is it?

My article will be part of a special issue this summer on the new feminism of the 21st century. Perhaps that will help with what you're going to tell me?

-- Hmm... I see. Clare, what do you know about women's bodybuilding?

-- Well, not much more than what's generally seen and said. To be honest, not all of it positive. Some rather grotesque competitions, girls who are somewhere between beauty pageant contestants and freaks, masculine voices and jaws, stories about steroids.

I also recognize a kind of subculture there, a tribe obsessed with its own appearance, appropriately used to sell supplements, sportswear, and gym memberships that people usually go to for three months before giving up.

Which has already happened to me, by the way !  I added with a laugh. Excuse me if my words offend you, Autumn.

Autumn smiled.

-- No, don't worry, Clare, I've heard and dealt with much worse. I appreciate your frankness. And you're not entirely wrong on some points. That's precisely why I created Sküllpt.

-- Tell me?

-- First of all, I'm a former athlete and bodybuilding competitor myself. I even had a bit of a reputation. You can easily find that information online.

But a lot of things bothered me : the way female athletes were viewed and treated, the ridiculously low wages and contracts, the unscrupulous gurus of all kinds, the unacceptable behavior of so many men in and outside of this world.

Bodybuilding is a man's world, some of them are true gentlemen. But there are also many who hate you and consider you a freak. There are those who are stuck in poorly digested, childish fantasies of submission. There are those for whom women are nothing more than sex objects.

It's enough to make you laugh as much as cry, for women who want to embrace this sport and llifestyle.

I wanted to offer them something else.

-- So you created Sküllpt?

-- Exactly.

By talking with many women, and not just professional bodybuilders like myself, I realized that many of them were looking for something more in fitness or bodybuilding.

It can be a very powerful tool for regaining self-esteem. Many girls are actually seeking personal fulfillment.

-- What kind of fulfillment ?

-- You see, Clare, fulfillment through the body can be an incredible lever. Sküllpt is a lever for giving women a dedicated space, time and team, just for them. Sküllpt is run and managed by women and only accepts women. And it's not because we hate men. Not at all!

I was intrigued. I needed to understand a little better what Autumn was talking about.

-- But, gyms for women only already exist?! What's so special about Sküllpt ?

-- It's quite simple, Clare. Look at these.

Autumn took my hand and pulled me toward the life size photos on the wall.

-- Each one of them is or has been a student at Sküllpt.

Do you see the perfection of these bodies? Can you see the power and beauty in each of them? But that's not all.

Autumn stood behind me, pressing against my back. I could smell her perfume and feel the warmth of her body right next to mine. She took one of my wrists and placed it on the photo in front of me. This caused her chest to brush against my back,  , sending a shiver through me.

-- Look at it closely, Clare. Can you also sense the time, the efforts, the determination, and the tenacity this young woman has devoted to sculpting such a physique, day after day? Through these photos, can you feel the strength and pleasure she derives from it?

Autumn let go of my wrist and sat back down.

-- That's because at Sküllpt, we take a holistic approach to our discipline. We have a different but radical perspective on women--on what they can be.

-- What perspective?

-- The idea behind Sküllpt is to truly push women to the maximum of their physical potential. To unleash their full power and the core of their personality and emotions, of who they truly are and want to be.

It's a commitment for me, for the staff, and for them. And we want them to feel good about this commitment.

-- But how do you find students ?

-- We operate by word of mouth only. You have to be recommended by one of us. Our first clients were friends, athletes we knew. They brought others, and so on. That's how your colleague Paul must have heard about us. His wife was one of our students! We actually prefer that word to 'client'.

-- Really? I didn't know that. Paul never mentioned it to me.

-- For our peace of mind, we're very careful to remain as discreet as possible. No website or social media, no ads, no brochures, nothing... Actually, you're the first journalist here. But it was agreed that you would respect our confidentiality rules in your article.

-- Of course, Autumn, rest assured, I'll make sure of it. So, what happens when you join Sküllpt ?

-- Once you're sponsored, we sign a contract with each of our students."

-- A contract?

-- Yes. It's a two-step contract.

First, we put each candidate through a battery of physical, medical, and psychological tests to create a detailed program for them.

-- You've piqued my interest, Autumn. Why two steps ?

-- The first step, for each student, is to achieve the goal they've set for themselves : losing weight, regaining a more youthful figure, developing their strength, endurance, and so on.

-- I see.

-- And then, the second step. Remember Clare, Sküllpt's goal : to push the women who join us to reach their full potential. The first step is what the student wants. But our philosophy is to help them reach their maximum potential. But only if they want that too, of course.

-- That's the first time I've heard of anything like that.

-- Yes, we're not really a gym like any other, that's true.

What we offer is the opportunity to reach and master your full feminine power, to surpass your limits. It's not for everyone.

-- And does it work? How many reach that second stage ?

-- Not all of them go that far. That's normal and perfectly understandable. But since we opened, we never met a student shortage.

I was becoming increasingly intrigued.

-- What kind of women come to Sküllpt?

-- All kinds, Clare!

We have clients of all ages. From students to retirees. We have business executives, nurses, teachers, police officers, full time mothers, scientists, factory workers, bar and ballet dancers, bank employees... You'll see!

In fact, the best thing would be for you to go and meet them.

If you're okay with that, I'll ask Jodi to give you a tour of the gym. Take your time, we'll see you again when you've finished the tour. Okay?

-- Of course, Autumn, that's perfect, thank you for your time.