The Rub Down

by Gina Sheldon

  “I want to see you in a few days. How does Friday at four o’clock sound?” I had no idea if I was available at four on Friday, but I would rearrange whoever was in that spot. Well, Jessica would. She would yell at me and get all whiny, but I’d ignore her, leave a bottle of her favorite wine on her desk, and all would be forgiven. I kept a case of it for such occasions. “Have Jess put you down for then, and set up whatever works best for you for a schedule.”

  “Friday’s great. I’ll see you then.” With that, she walked into the women’s locker room.

  I headed to the office to dive into paperwork, in hopes of getting the image of Alexa out of my head.

  Chapter Three

  Luke

  The office was empty after Alexa’s appointment. Danny was with a client, so it gave me at least an hour of peace. What happened with Alexa surprised me, because never in my career had I felt so drawn to a client. And that was saying a lot, since gorgeous women gracing my table, was an ordinary, everyday thing for the last ten years.

  Something about her made me want more. And not just her incredible body. What did she do for a living that allowed her schedule to be flexible? Did she sleep on the right side of the bed or the left? I wanted to get inside her head and know every one of her thoughts. That alone scared the shit out of me.

  I had had many monogamous relationships over the years. I was not a one-night stand kind of guy. The uncomfortable scene in the morning was just not my thing. Living drama free was a goal of mine. In some relationships, it was more about pleasure than conversation. My desire bent toward getting in their pants, not their head. Some of those women, I would have loved to get to know and have a meaningful relationship. But like Jennie, their jealousy got the best of them, and we parted ways. I refused to change my career for a woman. I wasn’t a gigolo and didn’t have sex with my clients. There were no happy endings at The Rub Down.

  The phone rang, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Yes, Jessica?” I answered. I forced as much happiness as I could into my voice, since I knew exactly why she was calling.

  “You realize I need to move Angela’s Friday appointment for Alexa, right?” Jess bitched in my ear. “I will not call that woman and tell her. That raging bitch hates me. I’ve no idea what the hell I ever did to her, but she couldn’t get any ruder if she tried.”

  “Ask Elle if she’ll do it. Angela likes her, right? I mean, who doesn’t love her. She’s the nice one, after all,” I retorted, giving Jessica a hard time.

  Elle and Jessica were super close, but Elle was definitely the sweeter of the two. She was more of a kill them with kindness type, whereas Jess was a just kill them type.

  “Fine. I’ll ask Elle, but you still owe me,” Jessica said before slamming down the phone.

  “Why do I still owe you?” I replied to no one as I hung up the receiver.

  Jessica always thought I owed her just for being her brother. Didn’t I sign her paychecks? That should have counted for something.

  I joked about what a pain in the ass my sisters were, but honestly, I loved them to death. They were the most remarkable women I knew, and Danny and I were honored to have them work with us.

  A buzz came from the phone, letting me know it was time to make another client moan. I just wished it was Alexa again, and not Mrs. Wilson.

  *****

  Alexa

  I walked out of The Rub Down with the biggest smile on my face. Nothing could have gotten to me after my massage, not even the parking ticket on my car. The meter maids on Newbury Street were ruthless. If you missed by one minute, they nailed you with a bright orange envelope everyone could recognize from a block away.

  As I ripped the damn thing out from under my windshield wiper, I checked my phone for messages. The Rub Down policy was no cell phones, but I was sure they used a blocker, because once I walked past the lobby, my reception disappeared.

  Texts from Addison, my best friend and business partner, pinged through on my phone. She and I attended MassArt, Massachusetts College of Art and Design for Fashion Design, together. After graduating, we designed our own fashion line. Since that didn’t keep the lights on and food in our stomachs, we started Dress Me Up, a personal shopping company, and it took right off. Our clients were scattered all over the Boston Area. The wealthy women and men utilized our company for all their fashion needs. Several times, we were even flown out to Martha’s Vineyard to shop with clients visiting their vacation homes.

  Addison: so how was your massage?

  Addison: did you have a butchy woman rubbin’ you down?

  Addison: did you fart?

  I laughed out loud, startling several people walking down the street. What the hell was wrong with my best friend? Her weird sense of humor never ceased to amaze me.

  Me: massage was AMAZING. My therapist was hot as hell. No, I didn’t fart.

  Seconds later, my phone rang. It was Addison.

  “Hello, my dear.” I chuckled as I tried to back out of my parking spot. Thank heavens for my car’s built-in Bluetooth.

  “Hey, slut, tell me about your hot ass therapist and how a-may-zing he was.” Addison laughed as she exaggerated ‘amazing’.

  “Addison, you have to go to this spa. It was seriously heaven.” I moaned in delight. “Even the robes were incredible.”

  “Screw the robes, Alexa. Tell me about the therapist,” Addison said in a whiny, high-pitched voice over my skimping on the juicy details. She was still boy crazy, even at twenty-eight.

  “I met with the owner, Luke. He’s ridiculously hot. I swear I was close to coming right there on the table.” Shivers traveled down my spine, and I made a noise somewhere between a whimper and a laugh. “I sure as hell moaned more than was appropriate.” Just remembering Luke’s touch made me smile and feel lightheaded.

  “That good, huh? Maybe I should go see this Luke,” Addison responded with a little too much enthusiasm.

  Imagining Luke’s hands on Addison, I was silent for a second. The thought made me uneasy. “Yeah, you should book a massage there. I have an appointment at four o’clock on Friday. You should totally see if you can get one at the same time.” I wasn’t sure why the idea of Luke and Addison filled me with jealousy, but it did. Maybe it was because men loved Addison and fawned over her as though I didn’t exist. Luke was mine, and I didn’t want to share.

  And now I sound like a toddler not wanting to share my toys.

  “YAY! Spa day on Friday. I need to double check, but I’m pretty sure the schedule is clear since Mrs. Duffy switched to the morning.” Addison’s headset microphone rubbed against her shirt, letting me know she was dancing around the house. It always created the worst noises in my ear.

  “Call and book as soon as you can. I’ll see you in a few. I’m almost there, and I need to find a parking space.” I circled the block for the third time. “Can our next apartment have a designated spot? This hunting thing is way past getting wicked old,” I whined. Parallel parking was not my favorite thing, but it was all Boston offered unless someone paid over five hundred dollars a month for a garage spot. A car the size of a golf cart would make the task easier, but no way was I buying one.

  Addison and I shared an amazing two-bedroom apartment in the South End. We loved the young, hipster neighborhood with restaurants, bars, and cute shops all within seconds from our front door. Boston public transportation was easy and efficient, but when we needed to lug around shopping and garment bags, the T was not an option. A car was necessary to hit up the malls in the suburbs that had the staples—Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom. Thankfully, some of the other high-end department stores were located at the Copley Mall, smack dab in the heart of Boston.

  After twenty minutes of searching, a car pulled out, and I nabbed a spot only three blocks from our apartment. Where the ticket failed to interrupt my post massage bliss, driving around the block over and over irritated me.

  “Honey, I’m home!” Walking into our living room, I threw my purse and keys on the end table. I loved
the open concept with high ceilings, and the beautiful spiral staircase leading up to our bedrooms. Off the living room was our dining room, which also functioned as an office. Addison was sitting at the large table from Ikea, papers spread in front of her. Always the better designer of the two of us, she still sketched originals, where I kind of let that portion of my passion die.

  “Hey, sexpot, I’m working on some new stuff. I was feeling inspired. Oh, and bored.” She huffed. “How cool would it be if we were able to outfit our clients with original pieces?” Longing laced her voice.

  Addison was beyond talented and could have worked for any top designer in New York. I never asked her to stay in Boston, but she knew I had no desire to move to New York City. She chose to stay here with me, and now Dress Me Up was her dream. She hoped to style at least one of our clients with an original Addison design one day.

  “Those are gorgeous, Addison. Your designs are incredible.” I looked over her shoulder at her sketches. “I’m grabbing a drink. Do you need anything?” Our kitchen was tucked in the corner behind the staircase. It was small, but did the job for two single women. “I swear I’m going to drown from the inside out one of these days.”

  “No, I’m good. Tell me more about this Luke character.” She wiggled her brows and threw me a sly grin.

  I knew Addison wouldn’t let up, but there was nothing really to share. He was hot. I wanted him to touch my body, all day, every day. But other than that, I didn’t know anything. I shrugged off her question with the truth.

  “Not much to tell except he’s ridiculously hot and has unbelievable hands.” I sighed, remembering the feel of them on my bare skin, spreading warmth throughout my body. “I’m going to grab my mat, loosen up for a bit in my room, and then shower. Be down in a few.”

  This winter was a particularly cold and snowy one, and as I headed upstairs, I wished the weather would warm up. My favorite place to stretch, the large private deck overlooking the Back Bay neighborhood, was covered in snow. Today, more than anything, I needed fresh air to help clear my head.

  While I stretched in the middle of the floor, my mind drifted to how Luke was so down to earth and approachable, making it easy to talk to him. He didn’t act as if his shit didn’t stink because he was good looking. I hated men who felt like they were God’s gift to women, and we should be thankful they even spoke to us.

  Over the years, I thought I was in love with two serious boyfriends, but at the end of the day, they were more into themselves than me. And more than anything, I just wanted to be loved. The guys weren’t awful to me. They actually treated me very well, but what we had wasn’t epic love. It wasn’t the kind I dreamt of. When the relationships ended, I grabbed a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Half-Baked ice cream, and by the time the carton was empty, I was ready to move on to other things.

  Reaching for my toes, I wondered what kind of boyfriend Luke would be. The thought was silly, since Luke probably had girls lined up, but I couldn’t stop myself. I wanted to know the seemingly stupid shit about him. Did he like to watch television shows or movies? What kind of workout did he do to keep his body in such great shape? Did he prefer blondes or brunettes?

  I tortured myself with ridiculous questions until my phone rang. It was my mom. She was the perfect person to pull me out of my daydreaming.

  “Hey, mom. How are you? To what do I owe this pleasure?” I asked, greeting one of the best people I knew.

  “Can’t a mom call her child just to shoot the shit?” Out of my group of friends growing up, my mom was the cool one. She took my friends and me to see ‘N Sync and sang along with all the songs. She even drooled over Justin Timberlake with the rest of us.

  “You can always call me, mom. I love talking to you.” It was better than my thoughts at the moment. We chatted about my training and my newest clients. As I continued to half ass stretch, she told me how my father was driving her crazy by working too much. She was a remarkable woman, and I wanted to be her when I grew up. I also wanted the love she and my dad shared. Theirs was the epic kind. Married for almost thirty years, they still held hands and kissed every time one of them left the room.

  By the time I hung up, my stretches were complete, and my thoughts of Luke were behind me. I just needed to keep it that way. At least until I saw him again on Friday.

  Chapter Four

  Luke

  The rest of my week was business as usual at The Rub Down. One look at our increasing numbers proved Jess’s marketing degree from Boston University was coming in handy. Her ideas were killing it. Clients came and went, and a full schedule kept us busy every day until closing time.

  Friday was finally here, and I looked forward to the weekend. In the beginning, Danny and I worked seven days a week, giving everything we had to the spa. Now, we trusted our amazing staff and felt comfortable taking some time for ourselves. I spent Saturdays on paperwork and scheduling, and took off on Sundays. He did the opposite. He kept his Saturdays free, and whatever business stuff I didn’t finish, he completed on Sundays.

  After work, Danny and I planned to have drinks with a few other guys from the spa, but before then, I was seeing Alexa. More than a few times this week, I caught my mind drifting toward her. I needed to figure out why I was so drawn to her. If I could get through her session without making inappropriate moves toward her, then I would find some girls to flirt with tonight, and maybe get her completely out of my head.

  At four o’clock, I walked into the Zen room and found her oohing and aahing with another girl over something in a magazine. She didn’t strike me as a girl stuck on fashion, but what did I know? Not much more than she owned purple underwear, and the spa robe hung perfectly on her body.

  “Hey, Alexa, ready to get a rub down?” I asked in what turned out to be the cheesiest voice ever.

  Alexa’s friend whispered something in her ear, making the blush on her face visible even in the dim lights.

  “Yes, let’s go.”

  After she said goodbye to her friend, I handed her a cup of citrus water, and she followed me down the hall.

  “How did you feel the day after your massage?” I opened the heavy door to my treatment room. The ambiance was drastically different from the first time she was here. Instead of candles and the sultry tunes of Sade, I opted for dim lighting and nature sounds. The less sexy I made this, the better off I’d be.

  “When I ran, I was a little tight, but I think that was mostly my fault. I didn’t stretch as well as I should have, and a glass of wine probably doesn’t count toward my water consumption, huh?” she confessed, with a little twinkle of mischief in her smile.

  “No, wine doesn’t help, but I understand the need to unwind with a glass after a long day.” I drank plenty of wine with my sisters, so I knew a thing or two about it. However, Reyka Icelandic Vodka on the rocks was more my speed. “How have the runs gone?”

  “Training this week has been good. My calves are tight, and my lower back aches.” She placed her hand on the small of her lumbar region, pointing out exactly where I needed to work. “This is a new pain for me. I think running inside on Wednesday did me in. The weather needs to turn around so I can get out on the streets more, and off the damn treadmill.”

  Of course, her lower back needed work. Next, she was probably going to tell me her neck was aching, too. It wouldn’t have surprised me if Alexa hid Kryptonite in her robe. She seemed to know my weaknesses.

  “Why don’t we put some heat on it while I work on your legs? Go ahead and lay face down while I get what I need for that.” I walked out of the room and said a quick prayer that she’d grown a hairy mole in the last three days.

  *****

  Alexa

  Luke and his magical fingers were the first thoughts to enter my mind when I opened my eyes this morning. I tried to convince myself I was only interested in him making my aches and pains go away, but really, I just wanted to be around him, and get to know him better. Okay, I couldn’t wait to feel his hands all over my body again. />
  But surviving my morning was my top priority. First up was a quick run and meeting with Jeff. As I laced my sneakers, Addison and I went over our schedules.

  “What’s your day like?” Addison asked as she shoveled Fruit Loops in her mouth.

  “I’m running with Jeff for like an hour. Then back here to shower and get ready to meet up with Mrs. Duffy.” I rolled my eyes. If that woman didn’t pay us so handsomely, we would have kicked her pain in the ass to the curb a long time ago.

  “What does she need now? I took her out last week,” Addison mumbled around a mouthful.

  “A dress for something at the Museum of Fine Arts. Or she just wants to torture me on a Friday.”

  Addison laughed out loud, spraying cereal all over the counter.

  “What’s your deal today?” I slipped my key inside the mesh pocket, grabbed an energy gel, and filled my water bottle.

  “I’ve got to go pick up all the alterations for Ginny and Joe, then drive them out to their place.” The couple lived in a western suburb of Boston in a house big enough to hold four of our apartments. “Then I’ll be working on the books till we head to The Rub Down. I was able to get an appointment at the same time as you.”

  “Great, I’ll meet you here at three fifteen, and we’ll head over.” Heading to the door, I yelled over my shoulder. “Have a great day. Catch you on the flip side.”

  I met up with Jeff, and gave him the hug he deserved for sending me to Luke. His smirk told me he knew exactly why I was squeezing him. When he looked over my running journal, he praised my endurance and the miles I tacked on, but he encouraged me to work on my speed. I was running about a nine-minute mile, and he wanted me down to eight. Overall, with less than five weeks until the race, he was happy with my progress, and agreed to check with Luke on a regular basis to make sure I didn’t develop any issues.