Bodywork

by Marie Harte

  “Kiss my ass, Jameson.” Shane swore good-naturedly and left Mac laughing in his office.

  After arriving home, Shane showered and ate a quick meal, then settled in for some mindless television. But while he watched, he couldn’t stop thinking about his single status and worrying about it. His mother still wanted grandkids, and most of the guys at the office were married. He’d come off a year long relationship, and though he’d been both hurt and somewhat surprised when it ended, a large part of him had also been relieved. Now, in retrospect, he should have seen he and Lisa wouldn’t suit. But the breakup had been brutal. He didn’t want to commit again, not yet. Though Mac’s idea of what could only loosely be called dating left little to be desired, some fun wasn’t totally outside the ballpark.

  His friends had always told him he was too serious and picky about women. So maybe a few casual flings could fulfill that need for the excitement he craved. A few nights with the woman from this morning would do him just fine, if his erection was anything to go by. Just the thought of her angry eyes and full lips got him full and aching in a heartbeat.

  Knowing he had nothing but his hand for company, he sighed and turned off the television. With nothing better to do than jerk off or go to sleep, he chose the less pathetic of his options and sought his bed.

  He deliberately set his alarm clock on the dresser across the room so he’d have to get up to turn it off in the morning. As he pulled back the sheets and settled on the bed, he stared at the ceiling and thought of the sensual massage he’d received earlier. An image of the amber-eyed Amazon came to mind, and without wanting to, he reached under his boxers and grabbed himself. Stroking up and down, with firm pressure and a heat that couldn’t come close to her mouth, he closed his eyes and pretended he’d run into her again. But this time, she held a glass of water that soaked her white shirt.

  Her nipples would show through, and they’d be hard, thick. Excitement spurred him to stroke faster, and he saw her in his mind’s eye, kneeling before him, apologizing for being so clumsy. She’d take the blame, and then she’d slip his cock free of his trousers and take him into her mouth. She’d suck him hard, play with his balls, and finger herself while she readied to swallow him down.

  He groaned as he climaxed over his hand, making a mess of himself. As he came down off his high, he reminded himself that Denise, not the Amazon, had engaged his interest. With every intent to call Denise in the morning, he moved to the bathroom to clean up then slipped back into bed. And if he dreamed of the Amazon, he’d consider it a form of therapy to rid his subconscious of her once and for all.

  Chapter Four

  Tuesday afternoon, Maggie sat at the table entertaining Shelby’s mother with tales of Friday morning’s run-in. In hindsight, telling her friend she’d met the same guy that night for a massage wasn’t well thought out.

  “So then she sees him face down on that table. Coincidence or fate, I ask you?” Maggie shrugged. Her perky factor had begun to wear on Shelby’s nerves.

  “Was he a looker or what?” Mimi Vanzant, Shelby’s mother, cut straight to the chase. Her fingers gleamed with turquoise, silver and onyx bands. At fifty-one, she looked ten years younger, with a thick head of dark red hair kept vibrant by a monthly visit to the hairdresser. Her blue eyes gleamed with merriment as she watched Shelby squirm.

  Shelby turned to glare at her best friend. Maggie smiled back, all innocence, her head haloed by the delicatessen sign behind her. Today especially, the small booth they occupied felt super tiny, the space taken up by Maggie’s big mouth and her mother’s loud personality.

  She groaned. “We’re wasting time talking about this. I only have a half hour until my next client. And besides, you’re missing the point.”

  “Well, what is the point?” Mimi threw up her hands in confusion. The bangles on her wrists clanged and shimmered, causing a few heads to turn in the direction of the noise and brightness sitting in the corner. Her mother’s turquoise and magenta tie-dye patterned jumpsuit should have looked outdated. Instead, the silk looked retro-60s and complemented her toned arms and legs. “You haven’t had a decent date in six months. Ron told me your sign is blocked.”

  “Mother, please.” Shelby pinched the bridge of her nose. “Would you keep your voice down?”

  Her mother should have gone into acting instead of interior design, because she sure as hell liked to be the center of attention. Shelby loved the woman, but just once she’d like to go out and not wish she blended into the walls to avoid the scrutiny of a crowd.

  She’d specifically avoided any mention of Shane Collins to her mother for this reason. Trust Maggie to blab the whole ordeal. Her mother had no doubt consulted her astrologer, channeler and God knew who else to see how Shelby’s nonexistent love life would pan out. Oh man, and she didn’t want to think about Ron. Ron Aandeg was her mother’s closest friend, confidant, and business partner. Their successful design business catered to the eclectic and unusual. They had similar tastes in everything, from clothes to designs to men. If Shelby hadn’t known better, she’d have thought her mother and Ron were twins. Ron had been a part of the family for over twenty years. Her surrogate father also had dreams that talked to him. With her luck he’d had a nightmare about her over this mess.

  Mimi pushed back her sleeves and clanked her bracelets. “Now Shelby, you’re a water sign. You need to flow. In order to do that, you have to let go of that anger and resentment over Rick’s betrayal.”

  Again with Rick. “I’m over it, Mom. Maggie.” She glared at her friend. “Just because I’m not into dating doesn’t meant I’m hurt over one asshole in a sea of swarming men.”

  “I think that would be schooling men. Like fish. They school,” Maggie offered.

  “Yes. I’d go with school too.” Mimi nodded, and Shelby thought they might finally talk about something else. “But don’t you see?” Mimi said excitedly, her voice rising. “Not only have you run into this man once, but twice. It’s fate throwing him into your arms. I’m going to talk to Ron again and see what he thinks.”

  Shelby swore under her breath and lowered her forehead to the tabletop.

  Maggie laughed, the little witch.

  Her mother placed a kiss on her hair and stood to leave. “I’ve got to get back to work. We’ve got a new client coming in today, and Ron told me she promises to be difficult. An aries. Stubborn and set in her ways.”

  Shelby raised her head. “Tell Ron I send my love, but nothing else. Please don’t mention any of this to him.”

  Her mother waved her concern away, and Shelby knew she was doomed. When Ron and her mother collaborated—and they loved nothing more than to dissect her love life—the shit always hit the fan. And like always, she’d be the one to clean up the mess.

  “No worries. He and I will talk, we’ll laugh, and we’ll forget you by morning.”

  I should only be so lucky. Shelby watched her mother leave.

  Maggie sipped at her water. “What a great lunch. Well, it’s time for me to head back to the gallery.”

  Shelby latched onto her sleeve. “Hold on, you little traitor. Why did you tell my mother about rude guy?”

  “I thought we were calling him Buns of Steel?”

  Shelby groaned, regretting she’d mentioned rude guy’s impressive physique. “Do you realize what you’ve done? Now Mimi Vanzant and Ron Aandeg are on the case. It’s like the Hardy Boys on crack.”

  “Wearing sixties digs. Where the hell does your mother get her clothes? Vintage. I mean, she looks terrific, but wow.”

  “Focus, blondie,” Shelby snarled. “Because of you, my mother will spend the next month making my life miserable. She’ll be sending me emails and texts full of astrological readings, planet alignments and spirit walks with Ron over the Ouija board.”

  “And all to find your soul mate. Very romantic, if you think about it. Your mother loves you enough to go to the other side for help.” Maggie’s chipper reasoning did nothing but put Shelby into a blacker mood. Mostl
y because she wished her mother had the power to actually find her happiness. But she didn’t. And no amount of woo-woo would make Shelby’s lack of a significant other easier to bear.

  Not that she had to be together with someone else, but damn it, lately she’d been so friggin’ lonely.

  Maggie shrugged and drew a circle in the water on the table left by her glass. “Come on. Even you have to admit it’s pretty weird that the gorgeous guy you spilled coffee all over just happened to be naked in your room Friday night.” She blinked. “When I say that out loud, it sounds dirty.”

  “Yeah, it does.” Unfortunately, Buns of Steel hadn’t called or said anything after she’d practically driven him from her shop. “So it was weird. Stranger things have happened. And let’s be real. He wasn’t naked in my bedroom.” Not entirely. More’s the pity. “He was covered with a sheet and getting a massage, for heaven’s sake.”

  “So tell me again what he looked like au naturel. Was he more muscular than he’d looked through his wet, white shirt?”

  Shelby sighed and chewed on some ice. She’s already dug her grave, might as well get comfortable. “He had a great body. Really muscular, but not overly so. He’s a runner.”

  “The thing that gets me about all this is you.”

  “Me?” Shelby frowned. “What did I do?”

  “It’s what you didn’t do. Why didn’t you set him straight about Denise?”

  “I didn’t want him to get all crabby with me.”

  “Uh huh. Or maybe you liked him after all, and you think he liked you. But you didn’t want to chance it. Better to love from afar than he know you had those magic hands all over his yummy buns. He might have felt taken advantage of.”

  A few men at a table nearby looked over at them.

  “Would you lower your voice?” Shelby hissed.

  “Fine.” Maggie whispered, “I think you should look him up and use him. Just for sex. Keep it simple.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Shelby stared with amazement. “Didn’t you learn anything with Yeats? And he seemed normal. This guy’s clearly obnoxious. He stared at my boobs,” she added, careful to keep her voice down.

  “I’m staring at them. They’re nice boobs.”

  The guys at the table near them looked more than interested. They were grinning ear to ear.

  When Maggie turned and asked them, “Well, aren’t they?” Shelby dragged her friend up and away from the table and out of the deli.

  Maggie yanked her arm free as they walked toward Shelby’s shop. “Come on, Shel. He’s perfect. He’s the type who probably won’t want a relationship. And you said it yourself that he’s got a killer body. Use him and lose him.”

  Shelby hated that she really liked the idea. “No way. I’m not that desperate.”

  “Not yet,” Maggie muttered. “Oh hell. Fine. Now neither of us has any prospects of a nice weekend. So what’s the plan for this Friday night? Funny, sexy or scary? Your call.”

  “Scary.” If Shelby had to watch one more romantic comedy that ended in a happily ever after, she might shoot her TV.

  * * *

  Wednesday afternoon, Shane entered Bodyworks, not sure how seeing Denise would affect him. He’d kept putting it off all weekend, and his workload had made it all too easy to ignore the impulse to call her. Determined to stop avoiding the situation, he’d decided to come down and talk to her in person.

  To his good fortune, Denise sat at the front desk with a large smile on her face. She was pretty, petite, and seemed nice enough. He drew closer, looking for that same spark he’d felt a few days ago. Her grin widened upon seeing him, and she finished talking on the phone.

  “Hi, Shane. How are you?”

  He’d planned to use the excuse that he’d left something behind on Friday, something that would lead him to return. Then he’d apologize for cutting his appointment short and ask her out. But before he could say anything Denise spoke again.

  “I’m so sorry I had to leave you Friday. If it wasn’t an emergency I would have stayed. But I left you in good hands with Shelby.”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t follow you.”

  Denise sighed. “A car hit my dog Friday night, which is the reason I had to leave you after I heard. Sounds silly, but he means the world to me.”

  “No, I get it. My mom’s dog is like part of the family. I swear he’s in the will and I’m not.”

  The shared a grin.

  Denise reached over the counter to touch his hand. He felt nothing. No spark, no heat. Just the comfort of another person. “Thanks for understanding. Shelby told me she finished you up with no problem. It felt good, right? The massage? Your calves aren’t still hurting, are they?” she asked with concern.

  “Shelby?” The only other woman in the place had been the angry Amazon, the one who’d tried to pretend she didn’t know him. The same woman he’d been jacking off to for the past three days.

  Denise stared at him in puzzlement. “Was there a problem?”

  “I thought her name was Shirley.” he said, thinking quickly, gratified when the worry left her face. “The tall woman with the light brown hair and eyes?” And killer hands.

  Denise nodded. “That’s her. She owns the place.” She handed him a brochure. “I meant to give this to you after the appointment. So it was all good, right? No problems?”

  Shane gripped the brochure tightly in his hand and forced a smile. “No problems.”

  “So what can I do for you?”

  “What?”

  She gave him an odd look. “Did you want to book an appointment?”

  “Oh. No.” He sucked at lying. “I think I left something in the back office. Sorry, it’s been a long week, and it’s only Wednesday.”

  She chuckled. “I know just how you feel. Go on back. There’s no one in there, but I have to tell you I didn’t see anything out of place. What exactly are you looking for?”

  “An important business card. Has a contact number I needed for work.” Sounded plausible to him. “And since I was in the neighborhood…”

  “No problem.” The phone rang, and Denise waved him toward the back before taking the call.

  He hurried into the back, entered the room where he’d had his massage, and closed the door behind him, not sure what to think.

  All his lusting after Miss Annoyed all weekend had been justified. The angry Amazon from the front desk, the woman he’d run into Friday morning, and the sexual dynamo who lit his body on fire were one and the same.

  He frowned. She’d acted like she hadn’t known who he was! She’d run her hot little hands over his body, gave him the hard-on from hell, and pretended not to know him?

  Though aggravated with her, at least he now knew he wasn’t losing his mind. Denise hadn’t done a thing for him, Shelby had. On some level his body knew her. How else to explain the connection he had every time he saw her?

  The realization both complicated and eased matters. He felt attraction for just one woman. No soul searching about dating one woman at a time or being fair and open about a sexual liaison with Denise when he secretly lusted after the Amazon—Shelby.

  But how to make Shelby respond to him with anything other than anger? He left the room and said goodbye to Denise while trying to think of a way to get into Shelby’s good graces.

  Later that night Shane sat in his living room and studied the brochure for Bodyworks. Shelby’s picture stared at him from the inside of the pamphlet, telling him about her experience and qualifications while not giving him the information he really needed. She’d graduated from massage therapy school and specialized in deep muscle work, Swedish and Shiatsu techniques. But what did she do for fun? Did she like to run, to read, to visit museums? Was she a road trip kind of girl? A partier or a homebody?

  His gaze continued to shift from her professional qualifications to linger on her physical features.

  In the photograph, her eyes smiled at the camera. She looked happy with a genuine smile, not one faked for a picture
. Her long hair settled over her shoulders, glints of gold mixed with brown. Her lips were full, her cheekbones and chin framing an intelligent face. She had character, one he’d like to know better.

  Hell. There he went again. His quest for sex and a no-strings attached hook up was lost in fantasies of dating. God forbid he told Mac he entertained ideas of getting to know the woman. And after nearly running her over, did he really think Shelby would be excited to sleep with him? The doorbell rang and shook him out of his reverie. He crossed to the backdoor, looked through the window, and seriously considered keeping it closed.

  “Come on, Shane. Lemme in.”

  With a groan, he opened the door and stared into familiar green eyes crinkled in amusement.

  “Hey, big brother.” George angled past him into the kitchen, turned and smiled. “So what’s this I hear about you having woman problems?”

  Chapter Five

  Shelby studied the book in front of her and tried to stop envisioning herself and Shane Collins as the sexy leads. She tossed the steamy novel to the table and resolved to give up reading for a while. Too bad this particular book revolved around a hero with muscles, dark hair and green eyes. She’d fallen for the hero when she’d first read about him, but now after meeting Shane, she couldn’t read about the warrior bent on conquest without envisioning Shane Collins in his place. She could too easily see him calling her a slave girl as he tied her to his bed…

  “Oh hell. I need to get laid.”

  Life was so unfair. Shelby had a real thing for muscles. And Mr. Tall, Rude and Clumsy had a captivating grin to go with his killer abs and rock hard thighs.

  She needed to forget how he’d felt under her hands. Thank God he hadn’t turned over and seen her ogling him from head to toe. With her luck, he’d have taken her pert nipples and wide eyes as an invitation. No way would she have said no, and she could have kissed her sterling reputation as a therapist good-bye. Sex and work didn’t mix, not in her particular field. But man, for a few moments during that massage, she’d wished she wasn’t so moral.