Текст книги "The Rub Down"
Автор книги: Gina Sheldon
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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 15 страниц)
Chapter Eight
Alexa
The night turned out to be perfect. I danced and laughed with my bestie, and then we ran into the man I couldn’t get out of my head. He looked so good in jeans and that shirt. Well, he was hot in scrubs, but those jeans hugged his tight ass right.
The ride home with Luke and Danny was unexpected. Addison and I lived a good ten-minute drive from the Ritz, so they were going out of their way to see us home. I somehow ended up snuggled into Luke’s side, his muscular arm wrapped around my shoulder, and his fingers lightly caressing my arm. It felt so nice. I wished I were as fashion conscious as those tramps not smart enough to wear a coat so I could feel his touch on my bare skin. He smelled so delicious, and I wanted to just keep breathing him in.
When I turned and thanked him for the massage, he looked down at me, and I swear his gaze dipped to my mouth. All I wanted was for him to lean in and capture my lips with his.
Instead, he replied, “No need to thank me. It’s what I do. I hope it helps, and your next run is pain free. Saves me time on Tuesday.”
Disappointed he didn’t kiss me, I faced the front so he wouldn’t see it written all over my face. The massage was out of duty, and here I wanted to believe he couldn’t keep his hands off me. As my hope evaporated, his lips brushed the top of my head. My breath caught, and I closed my eyes, absorbing the sweet moment.
When we arrived in front of our house, Danny and Luke asked the driver to wait, and got out of the car. Luke took my hand and helped me.
“Thank you, kind sir,” I said in the worst British accent possible.
“Of course, my lady.” Luke replied in an even worse southern accent.
God, he was adorable.
Once we got to our front door, I expected an awkward moment as we said goodbye, but Luke stepped in to give me a big hug. Our bodies aligned perfectly, and we touched from chests to toes.
He bent down to whisper in my ear. “I’m so glad we ran into you tonight. Thank you for being you. See you on Tuesday, Lex.” Then he kissed the top of my head again.
I looked up at him and gave him a huge smile. I had no words. He fucking thanked me for being me. Who does that besides heroes in romance novels or movies?
Danny gave me a small hug and said goodbye, while Luke did the same to Addison. They hopped into the taxi, and we watched until the glow of the brake lights disappeared.
Addison and I were silent as we walked up to our apartment, but as soon as we crossed the threshold and removed our shoes, we burst out talking at the same time, our words coming a mile a minute.
“You go first. Luke’s great. No wonder you have a thing for him.” Addison graciously let me take the first turn.
“Oh my god, I can’t believe he sat there massaging my feet. I seriously want his hands all over my body. All the time. And not at the spa. I want him in my bed. Naked,” I gushed. “Did you see him kiss my hair? It was so fucking sweet.” I bounced around, replaying moments from the night in my head. “What about you and Danny? What was going on with you two while I was in my Luke haze?”
“He’s so god damn hot. I definitely will be asking for him next time at the spa. I want him rubbing up on me. Do you think he would give me a happy ending?” Addison gave me a dirty grin.
I smacked her on the arm, laughing at her ridiculous mouth. “It’s not that type of establishment, Addie. But I’ll admit the same thought has crossed my mind more than once in the last week.” My cheeks burned pink at my admission, but I didn’t care. “Did you make any plans to see him again?” I asked.
“No, and that’s okay. I know our paths will cross again. I’ll see him at The Rub Down, or when we double date.” I gave her a look, letting her know she was out of her mind. “What, Alexa? That boy has it bad for you. He didn’t take his eyes off you once all night. He fucking rubbed your sweaty, nasty feet after hours of dancing, for goodness’ sake.”
Oh my gosh, I didn’t even take into consideration my feet probably smelled. Gross. I was completely horrified.
“On that embarrassing note, I’m going to get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.” I said.
“I’m right behind you. I’ll lock up,” she called as she headed to check the deadbolt. “Thank you so much for coming out tonight. Sweet dreams of Luke.”
“Love you, girl. I’ll see you in the morning. Smooches.” I headed to my room where I hoped I did have dreams of that sexy man.
*****
Luke
After we said our goodbyes to the women, Danny and I crawled into the cab. This time Danny joined me in the back seat. I dropped my head against the headrest and took a huge breath.
“FUCK!” I yelled.
“What the hell, asshole?” Danny responded.
The cab driver looked in the rearview mirror, warning me to keep it down.
“I want that girl so bad,” I answered. “Too bad.”
“I don’t see your problem, bud. She’s wicked hot, and from our brief interaction tonight, she seems like good people,” Danny said, and I knew it was the truth.
“We made the pact years ago to never sleep with a client. Neither of us has broken that promise, and I don’t plan on doing it now. It’s a slippery slope, brother.”
“The marathon is less than five weeks away. You can hang out with her that long without getting in her pants, right?” Danny said as we pulled up to the Ritz.
“Yeah, maybe,” I mumbled. He had given me something to think about.
After paying the driver, we got out, made plans to work out tomorrow once I was done at The Rub Down, and said our goodbyes.
The doormen weren’t on this late, so I buzzed the overnight concierge and went up to my place. If I was lucky, I would get a few hours of sleep before I headed in to work. That was if I could stop my brain from thinking of the hot blonde in tight leather leggings.
*****
I ordered my complicated coffee with extra shots of espresso from the barista. Turning to the waiting area, I spotted Alexa with a book in her hand, curled up in an oversized blue chair.
I walked over after I grabbed my drink. Bending down to give her a peck on the cheek, I whispered in her ear. “Hey gorgeous.”
“Hello, handsome. Whatcha doing here this early?” Her blue eyes, so full of life, sparkled up at me.
“This seat taken?”
“No, please sit.”
“Thanks. I’m just grabbing a coffee to wake me up after last night. I have to be at work. You?” I reached over and placed my hand on her thigh, needing contact with her.
“I couldn’t sleep. I kept having sexy dreams about you.”
Wait. What?
BEEP BEEP BEEP
My alarm sounded at the worst possible moment. Dreams of Alexa filled every minute of my three hours of sleep, and I wanted more. She had wormed her way into my brain, and I wasn’t sure I minded.
Since it was early, I decided to drive to work. I called for my car and got the standard, “Ten minutes.” Our valet service was just like every takeout restaurant in Chinatown; no matter how large the order, it took ten minutes.
Once I arrived at the spa, I put on music, and dove into payroll and other annoying paperwork. Concentrating on the bookkeeping was difficult when my mind kept recalling my dreams.
In one, a beautiful, white summer dress showed off Alexa’s flawless tanned skin, and her hair piled on top of her head exposed her neck. She knew this drove me crazy. We shared a gourmet picnic in the Boston Common, enjoying a balmy summer night. Laying on a blanket, staring up at the night sky, we talked about our hopes for the future. When I told her I wanted The Rub Down in major cities up and down the east coast, she beamed at me as if she was proud of me and my aspirations. She revealed her desire to have a few children to dote on while maintaining a small client base for Dress Me Up. Nowhere in my dream was I freaked out by the idea of having kids. In reality, the idea scared me, but only because I hadn’t found the right woman. Who knew if Alexa was that woman or not, but sometimes dreams came true.
After a few hours of working and daydreaming, a knock on the office door startled me back to now. Elle stopped in to let me know we had a problem. Tiffany showed up to work later and later each day, often reeking of alcohol, and Elle had told her to get lost. Now, we were down an esthetician. I assured her she did the right thing, and told her I would post an ad for the position this weekend.
“Sooooo… I heard you have a new client.” Elle’s tone was very suggestive.
“Yes, she’s one of Jeff’s trainees. She’s running in a few weeks.” I tried to keep my tone as neutral as possible, knowing she and Jessica talked.
“I also heard she’s super nice and drop dead gorgeous.”
“Elle, I love you. More than life some days, but you and Jess need to get your own social lives. Alexa’s great. I’m excited about her treatment since I haven’t worked with a marathoner in years,” I replied, hoping my tone conveyed the topic was not up for discussion. “But, that’s it.”
“OOOOkkkaaayyy, big brother, I’ll leave it be for now, but I’ll be watching her. She better be good enough for you.” Even though Elle was the baby, she was fiercely protective of me. Her personality was a product of Jess and me, a total mix of intelligence, niceness, and smart-ass, and viperous when provoked.
“She’s so far out of my league that you don’t have to worry about that, sweetie.” It was the truth. Alexa was the total package. “What is going on with you? Are you working too much? Do I need to hire someone to help you?” I asked, hoping to steer the conversation in another direction.
“No, big brother, it’s all good. You know I don’t have a life, so I have plenty of time to dedicate to The Rub Down.” Her voice held a tinge of sadness.
“Elle, when I was in Philly, you called me crying because you were so tired, and the linen guy was late.” Hearing my baby sister sob over linens broke my heart. “Bunny, you need a life. I want you to date again. I know you’ve been through a lot, but it has been a few years. Get back out there. I miss threatening to rip off a guy’s nuts if he treats you wrong.” I was more protective of my sisters than a momma bear, especially when it came to Elle.
She hung her head at my statement, driving me to do what was right.
“I’m hiring you an assistant. And don’t argue with me. You can have the final decision, but as soon as she’s hired, you’ll only work forty to fifty hours a week. Period.” I was in boss mode. “No arguments. Understood?” I would have to run the extra expense by Danny, but we were his family, and he loved my sisters as much as I did so I knew he wouldn’t have a problem with it.
“Thank you, big brother. I love you. I hope things work with Alexa.” Elle grinned, knowing her bringing up Alexa was going to get her kicked out of my office.
And she was right.
“Get out!”
Elle left, laughing her ass off at me.
By eleven, payroll was submitted to our accountant. If I kept this pace, I would be out of here in a few hours. Just as I was envisioning a long nap, the interoffice phone rang.
“Yes, Jessica?” I knew it would be her. By now, she and Elle had talked, and now she wanted to harass me.
“I thought you might like to know that a certain cute blonde that you may or may not have an interest in just slipped into Nikki’s yoga class,” Jess said, probably with the biggest shit-eating grin known to man on her face. “But, brother, keep it in your pants. Don’t screw up all your and Danny’s hard work over a piece of ass.”
“Did you really call just to tell me who’s taking yoga? Do I not give you enough real work?” I replied. This was another reason why I didn’t date anyone who came into the spa. “And Jess, I don’t need a lecture from you about how to run my business.” Alexa was more than a piece of ass to me, but explaining to Jessica would be pointless.
Her response was hearty laughter, so I slammed the phone down, hoping she heard the loud bang. Then I checked the yoga schedule to make sure I would be in the lobby at the precise time class dismissed.
Chapter Nine
Alexa
I woke up feeling like a piece of shit, hangover in full force, and the biggest smile on my face. The cotton ball fairy took a shit in my mouth, and no amount of water or toothpaste seemed to help, but the most delicious dreams of Luke whirled around in my head. In my favorite one, we were in a huge, luscious bed in a tropical paradise, waves lapping the beach outside our window, and him massaging my naked body.
“Lex, sweetie,” Luke whispered in my ear.
“Hmmmm.”
His hands moved up and down my spine, barely skimming my skin.
“I need you.” His raspy voice was full of desire.
“You have me, Luke. Forever.” I barely got the words out of my mouth before I was flipped over on my back, and his mouth fused to mine. His palms trailed down my stomach until they reached my aching core. Slipping a finger inside my warm, wet body, Luke groaned into my mouth. I drove my tongue into his mouth, needing more of him.
“Make love to me, Luke. Please. I want to feel your cock driving in and out of me.”
“Not yet. I need to taste you first.”
Just thinking about the dream made me want him even more.
When I rolled into the kitchen, Addison was in no better shape than I was, but she lacked the smile I couldn’t wipe off my face.
“Morning, bitch,” I said in greeting.
“Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh.” Addison responded without lifting her head from the table as she clutched her coffee mug. The plain white mug read Coffee makes me poop. Addison was notorious for running to the bathroom after her first cup every day. In college, everyone knew when to steer clear. I gave her that mug years ago, and it still made me laugh.
“Yeah, those shots really did a number on us. All the dancing and the late night eats should have helped. I feel like ass, and my mouth has that nasty taste like something died in there.” I reached into the fridge for more water.
“Fuck alcohol! I’m never drinking again.”
I laughed since those were Addison’s favorite words the morning after a big night. By later in the day, she would be ready to go again.
“I’m going to shower, and see if I can catch a yoga class. I think sweating this out is a good idea. Wanna come?” I asked.
Addison’s response was another groan. I took that as a no.
I powered up my laptop and searched Bikram yoga to see which studio I could attend. Almost all the classes were at the ass crack of dawn or late in the day. Of course, the only place with a class in the next hour was The Rub Down. As much as I wanted to see Luke again, I didn’t want to be a stage four clinger showing up everywhere he was. Maybe he didn’t work Saturdays or maybe he would be with a client, but either way, I’d sneak in and out, and he’d be none the wiser.
Just walking in the spa made me feel physically better.
“Morning, Jessica. Happy Saturday.” I smiled and hoped I didn’t look like a hot mess.
“What are you doing here today?” Jessica clicked a few buttons on her keyboard, ran her finger down the screen, and glanced up at me. “You don’t have an appointment, right?”
“No, I’m here for Bikram. I need to sweat out the booze I drank last night so I can feel a tad bit normal. I don’t see Luke till Tuesday, I think.” I felt a need to defend my appearance, so I added, “This was the only class in the area around this time. I swear I’m not stalking him.” I probably made it look worse.
“Oh, okay, sure.” She paused and tilted her head. “Do you remember where the yoga rooms are located?”
“Yes, thank you. Which room number is the class in?” I asked, not wanting to wander around and potentially be caught by Luke.
“Nikki’s class is in room one, the first door on your right when you step off the elevator on the Namaste floor,” Jessica answered, fiddling with the pen in her hand.
“Thank you, Jessica. See you on the way out,” I called over my shoulder as I headed to the elevator.
“Namaste, Alexa,” Jessica said as she reached for the ringing desk phone.
When I reached the yoga floor, I was thankful I didn’t need a damn locker. They were the bane of my existence, even if they housed those luscious, fluffy robes. I wanted to cuddle up in one and hang out in the Zen room instead of sweating my ass off in yoga, but I needed the workout.
The Namaste floor had the same feel as the rest of the spa. The earthy tones of ivory with small accents of light pink made the hallway feminine and calming. Music piped through the halls was nature sounds of waterfalls and birds chirping. Gorgeous framed photos displayed perfect yoga poses set at sunset on white sandy beaches. At that moment, I wished I were on a beach, and not on Newbury Street. The huge, wooden doors looked like antique farm gates that slid to the side. I loved how manly men like Luke and Danny owned such a girly spa. They knew their market, and catered to it in the right ways.
Only a few people were in the room when I walked in and placed my mat up close to where the teacher would instruct. I started to stretch as other people filed in. This was a great way to stay loose after a night of fun, and get my head in the game for my run with Jeff tomorrow.
The class was amazing. I loved the sweltering heat from Bikram. Nikki worked our asses off, and I felt like a million bucks. Sweating helped detox my body, and after last night, was exactly what I needed. Even though I was a hot, nasty mess, I felt like I could conquer the world. Well, at least until I got home, took another shower, crashed on the couch next to Addison, and passed out.
On my way out, I was grateful, yet disappointed I didn’t see Luke. I had no idea if he was there, and I didn’t ask. What was happening between us confused me, and our goodbye played over and over in my head. His sweet words, the brush of his lips on my forehead, these were dissected at least a dozen times in my head. Yes, I was attracted to him and wanted to explore my feelings for him. But, and it was a HUGE but, did he want to? Did he even date his clients? Or did he feel like it was crossing a line?
My head was spinning. The downward dog and tree poses did clear the cobwebs, but also created more room for questions. Maybe a good run tomorrow would help me find a way to get answers.
*****
Luke
Seeing Alexa after class was a bad idea. One reason was my sister. She would be watching my every move. Since I had no idea what I was going to do regarding Alexa, my feelings, and the growing connection between us, I didn’t need the added pressure from Jess.
My main reason for avoiding the lobby was I didn’t want to lead Alexa on or confuse her until I had some answers. So, like a coward, I hid in my office and stared at my computer screen, wishing the numbers made some sort of sense. All I saw, though, was Alexa’s body in the tiny shorts and the minuscule bra top all the women wore to hot yoga.
After I finished my admin work, I texted Danny to let him know I would meet him at the gym in an hour. I needed to work off the building tension, and clear my head.
Being attached to the building I lived in made the gym convenient, given my busy schedule, and the top-notch facility was one of the nicest in town. Danny and I worked out for an hour on various equipment without speaking. Danny usually liked to talk—more than any woman I ever met, so his silence was golden. But I knew it would only last so long.
After strength training, we headed to the sauna to sweat out the rest of our previous night. Once we settled in, the questions started. “So what are you going to do? Do you like her? Do you want to see where it could go?” Danny asked without a breath between each question, like he had been storing them up for the last hour.
“Yes to all of the above. But, how? Do I wait till the marathon is over, and she isn’t a client?” I asked.
“Why not have me or one of the other guys take over her treatment so you would be in the clear?” Danny asked, apparently playing a game where we replied in questions.
I ended it when my reply to the idiotic question was a growl, something I’d never done before.
“Wow, you really do like her if you are growling like a damn animal over her.” Danny howled in laughter, and then turned a serious look on me. “Are you holding back because of Craig?”
“Maybe. I keep remembering all the class lectures on sexual harassment. That lawyer and his case studies scared me shitless. Watch what you say. Watch what you do.” I jabbed a finger in the air. “And most of all, watch how you touch your clients.” Sweat beaded on my brow, and I swiped it away from my eye. “I just remember when the spa Craig worked for had to close its doors when those three women sued for sexual harassment.”
“Yeah, I get it. We’ve worked too hard to let some chick steal it away from us.” Danny closed his eyes and reclined against the wooden bench. “That’s when we decided we would never date a client. Protect our assets.”
“That owner still swears he did nothing wrong outside of dating those women. Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t, but the accusation alone shut his doors.” My shoulders tensed with frustration.
“Yeah, his dick just happened to somehow fall in them while they were on the table.” Danny opened one eye to leer at me. “Dude shoulda been more careful.”
“True, but we’ve never had to deal with a situation like that.” I poured water over the hot rocks and watched the steam billow. “Dating a client has never been a problem for us.”
The unspoken until now hung in the air between us.
“Well, then,” he said, “if it were me, which thank fuck it isn’t, I would just be friends with her. Hang out more, but keep it strictly platonic. Maybe she’s wicked annoying and clingy.” He smirked at me. “Not to sound like a damn chick, but friend zone her and see where the connection takes you.”
“I guess I could, but I’m done talking about this.” I opted to change the subject before I gave into the urge to hit him. “What did you think of Alexa’s friend, Addison?”
“She’s a cool chick. She had me laughing at the café while you were rubbin’ up on Alexa. By the way, what the hell was that?” Danny asked, wiggling his eyebrows at me. “You never take your work home with you?”
Fuck, my deflection backfired. I gave him a look that reinforced I was done with the Alexa topic, and he finally dropped it.
“Can we talk about the spa for a second? I need you to post an ad for a new esthetician tomorrow. Elle fired Tiffany today.” I told him about the issues with her drinking and being late. As I knew he would be, he was relieved Elle took care of the termination.
“We also need to hire an assistant for Elle. She’s at the spa sixty plus hours a week. Between her own clients and managing all the girls, she needs help. What do you think?” I hoped he was on board because I hated seeing her so tired when we spoke earlier. Asking her to give up her clients to just do admin wasn’t an option if I wasn’t willing to do it myself. “She called me multiple times while I was in Philly. She’s overwhelmed, and I hate seeing her like that.”
“Absolutely. But why didn’t she come to me? I’d do anything for her.” Danny looked hurt by the news of her calls, but quickly shook it off. “Do you want an esthetician student, looking for experience, who could work ten to fifteen hours a week with Elle?” Danny wanted to work with the schools to get the good estheticians before anyone else had a chance to scoop them up. “Then, if she’s a good fit, when she graduates, we can move her into a permanent esthetician position.”
“Perfect. Can you put an ad for that, too? I promised Elle she would have the final say in who we pick. That cool?”
“Of course. She should have the final say since she’s the one who’ll have to work with her. I’ll post first thing tomorrow, and hopefully, we’ll get some hits before I leave for the day. Maybe we can set up interviews this coming week,” Danny said, excited to get fresh blood in the spa. Switching gears, he asked, “What are you doing tonight?”
“I haven’t decided yet. I may just lay on my couch, be a lump, and get a good night’s sleep.” A yawn hit me, and I stretched my arms above my head. “I’m exhausted from last night. I’m getting fucking old, dude. You?”
“Not a clue, but I need to go out. I laid around all day, and cabin fever was starting to set in before I got your text to work out. Maybe I’ll call the guys and see if they want to grab a drink and watch the game.” Danny hated staying in on a weekend night, but I had no problem with it. My down time was essential to me, and I could use it after the last few weeks of travel and work.
“All right, I’m out of here. I’m starting to melt,” I said, dripping wet from the sauna. Danny agreed and we walked into the locker room to gather our stuff.
“Have a good night, man. Catch up with you tomorrow.” I couldn’t wait to lay low. A quiet night was what I needed.
