The Rub Down

by Gina Sheldon

  Instead of hopping on the T, I decided to walk to the condo since it was mild out for March. Every year we got a few amazing days to trick us all into thinking spring was upon us. Today was one of those days, but a snowstorm was probably right around the corner.

  Despite my best efforts, my thoughts drifted to Alexa. Even after our session, I still didn’t know much about her. Something about her drew me in. My mom always said some people had a light in them others gravitated toward. Alexa was definitely one of those people. I liked being around her, and shit, I got to put my hands all over her amazing body. If this connection continued, I would have to transfer her to another therapist so I could pursue her outside of the spa. The problem was I didn’t want any of the other guys near her. Now would be the perfect time to have a female therapist on staff so Alexa could be under her care.

  Before I knew it, I’d passed the Ritz Carlton Hotel, located two doors down from my apartment entrance. I loved living at the Ritz Carlton Residences. The location, sandwiched between Downtown Crossing and Chinatown, was perfect for my life, with the theatre district a few blocks away, and amazing restaurants on every corner. Boston Common, a big park in the middle of the city, was at the end of my street.

  “Hello, Luke. How was your day?” Hennrick asked in a thick Haitian accent as he opened the door for me. “How are your beautiful sisters?” The doormen at the Ritz had ridiculous memories. They remembered everything about every resident. I was blown away every time we spoke.

  “They’re great, Hennrick. How are the kids?” I replied.

  After he told me they were getting too big, I headed inside. Next in line for greetings were the concierges on duty, Drew and Devin. They kicked ass. I gossiped with them from time to time, but after the day I’d had, I said a quick hello and headed up to my unit. I needed a cold shower and to hype myself up for a good night out.

  As I stuck my keys in my door, I received a text from Danny.

  Danny: Where the fuck did you go?

  Me: Sorry I needed out of there. Want to grab dinner before we head to the bar?

  Danny: Yeah man, meet you in your lobby at 7.

  After I found my place, Danny bought a unit in the North Tower across the street. We wanted to live close to each other, but living in the same building was pushing it. After all, we had been roommates for years. Now, we needed space from each other, especially after long days at the spa together.

  I loved walking into my apartment at dusk. Floor-to-ceiling windows in every room overlooked the Boston Common and the Charles River, and the natural light they let in created a welcoming glow. An oversized, black leather sectional sat closest to the living room windows so I could stare out over Boston. Years ago, my father purchased an antique telescope for my birthday that I loved using. And no, I didn’t use it to spy on any neighbors, but to watch sailboats floating up and down the river from spring to fall.

  As soon as I entered the kitchen, I poured two fingers of vodka, and the smooth liquid slid down my throat. My next stop was the bathroom. I stripped out of my black spa t-shirt and scrub pants, and stepped into the shower. The hot water on my tense neck and back reminded me I was in desperate need of a massage.

  Standing under the pulsing spray, I thought about the conversation with Alexa. She was undeniably beautiful, intelligent, and mixed in was a sense of humor. Her tales of cricket tennis cracked me up. What she was was a breath of fresh air. A lot of women who laid on my table were self-absorbed, pampered princesses who never laughed at themselves. Alexa looked like a person who knew how to let loose and have a good time.

  After I climbed out of my shower, I dried off and dressed in dark jeans, a tight black t-shirt I joked was a boy’s extra small, and a black and white striped button down. Adding a pair of black leather loafers and a few sprays of Polo #4 cologne and I was ready to head downstairs to meet Danny.

  When I stepped off the elevator, Danny’s voice echoed down the hall. He was always trying to get Devin to go out with him. Can’t say I blamed him, as Devin was about five foot five with a smoking hot body. Four-inch heels made her uniform look sexier than intended. I didn’t understand how she could stand in those things all day, but what did I know. She was a cool chick, but probably way more high maintenance than I could handle.

  “What’s up, dick?” Danny greeted as I came around the corner.

  “Real mature, asshole. You ready to get dinner?” I asked, patting him on the shoulder in a bro-hug.

  “Yeah, let’s go eat, so I’ll have a nice full stomach for all the booze I’m going to consume tonight. I even took a BluCetin.”

  Danny swore by those pills. He claimed they prevented a hangover even after the hardest bender. I never allowed myself to drink to that point anymore, but Danny still loved to party. He was a man-child.

  After saying our goodbyes to Devin, we headed out to dinner in Park Square, just a short walk through the Boston Common. Flemings Steakhouse was a favorite, and we usually just grabbed bar stools. The bartenders were chill, the steaks cooked to perfection, and they stocked my favorite bourbon. That was exactly what I needed after today. We were meeting the rest of the guys at ten o’clock, so we had time for a leisurely dinner.

  “So, what had you running out today?” Danny asked on our walk to the restaurant.

  I always worked later on Fridays to get a head start on Saturday’s paperwork, so my bolting after Alexa’s appointment raised a flag or two.

  “Nothing. I just needed to leave. I’m feeling a little burnt out from the travel, then all the makeup work I have when I got into town.” While it sounded like a good reason, it was a total lie.

  “So it had nothing to do with your last client, what’s her name?”

  “Alexa? No. Why would you even ask such a question?” Why did I think I could lie to my best friend?

  “Well, first of all, you acted the same way after her first appointment. Plus, Jessica mentioned she was gorgeous and super nice.” Danny turned around and walked backwards so he could read my face.

  “I don’t want to talk about it. I’m sorting it all out in my head right now.” Just thinking about it gave me a headache. “I just want to eat and drown out my thoughts with a few drinks. Maybe take a girl home and bang the shit out of her. You feel me?” I shot him a look to end the Alexa conversation. “Now turn around before I kick your ass.”

  “Who are you foolin’? You don’t bang random chicks. That’s what I do. But I feel you,” Danny said as we walked into the restaurant.

  Chapter Six

  Alexa

  There weren’t a lot of places in Boston for late twenty-some-things to go to drink and dance. After all, it was a college town with over twenty universities within the city limits. Tons of clubs were geared toward girls barely dressed and slutting it up on the dance floor for the horny guys. It killed me to see them walking around town with no coats on in the middle of winter so their hot outfits weren’t covered. When I got drunk, I wanted to yell at them about hypothermia, and scream that no one liked a cold whore. But I kept my mouth shut.

  The Library, however, was the perfect place to get our groove on. Since it was nestled in the North End, nowhere near where we were in the South End, after our dinner, Addison and I grabbed a cab across town. After passing the big, burly bouncer whose arms were bigger than my waist, we headed straight to the coat check, and then the bar. I drank tons of water at dinner, alongside the bottle of wine Addison ordered, so I was ready to keep going. We were feeling good, but not quite at the level I was aiming for. The bar wasn’t packed yet, so we walked right up to order our drinks.

  An incredibly sexy bartender came over to take our order. “Hello, gorgeous ladies. What can I get for you?” He stared at Addison’s chest as he spoke. Her assets were on display in her borrowed top. When we went out, she worked those girls, and I reaped the benefits since I was not as well-endowed as she was.

  “Do you have Sweet Tea Vodka behind there, big boy?”

  Ugh! She laid it on thic
k while batting her eyelashes. They had the vodka so Addison ordered us two Sweetinis. We got hooked on this drink last summer when we went on a girls’ weekend in Savannah. I couldn’t even taste the alcohol, so they went down nice and smooth and fast.

  “Can you get us two lemon drop shots, as well, please?” Addison whipped her head around when I made my request.

  “Damn girl, you’re on a mission. Aren’t you running tomorrow? Because I don’t think you’re going anywhere if we keep this up.” The smile on Addison’s face was priceless. As much as she supported me running the marathon, she rode me hard about being a stick in the mud, and going to bed early so I could train the next day.

  “No, Jeff texted and canceled while we were getting ready. I’m running on Sunday now. So let’s have fun!” I grabbed the shot the bartender put in front of me. “Bottoms up, baby!”

  We threw down our shots, accepted our free drinks courtesy of Addison’s breasts, and headed to claim a table. The deep red and black décor in The Library felt warm and exuded sexiness. Instead of hard, stale tables and chairs, they had what could only be described as living room furniture. Big high back, leather black chairs and red velvet couches spread out around the room. Slick black, high-top tables mixed in to provide great feng shui. We grabbed a small table with the high-back chairs close to the dance floor. I felt like a queen on her throne. And after my drinks, I reigned over the dance floor.

  The Library’s music was great. I was itching to dance, but I knew Addison needed to at least finish one more drink before she would join me. As we settled into our seats, the disc jockey played a popular song that I loved.

  “I still can’t get over my massage today.” Her eyes fluttered, and she sighed. “My body feels like a million bucks. I’m jealous you get to go a few times a week until after the marathon. I think I need to add it to my regular beauty regimen,” Addison said before lifting her full martini glass to her mouth.

  “Not all my massages will be rainbows and butterflies. Luke has to work my muscles hard. He barely even touched my back or shoulders today. It was all legs.” I wouldn’t admit this to her, but Luke’s touch anywhere on my body felt amazing. Just thinking of how close his fingers came to brushing my panties made me blush.

  “Please explain to me why you are blushing right now?” She raised her brows and narrowed her eyes at me. “Yes, I can see it, even in this dim lighting.”

  “Addie, really? Come on. Drop it, please.” I didn’t want to discuss this. My crush on Luke was surely very one-sided, and was part of the reason I wanted to drink away my thoughts.

  “Oh, come on. You haven’t shown interest in a man in like forever. Shit, you haven’t been on a date in three months.” While she, on the other hand, went on at least two dates with different guys every week. “I’ll drop it for now, but I reserve the right to bring Luke up at another time,” Addison answered with a wink, as if it made her teasing all better.

  “Thank you, and now, drink up, bitch! I need to shake my fine ass.” I needed to get out on the dance floor, move my body to the music, and block out thoughts of Luke.

  *****

  Luke

  The guys from the spa texted around nine, letting us know they were heading to The Alley, a place where all the college kids hung out since there were a few different clubs clustered together. One bar had a mechanical bull, while another hosted weekly wet t-shirt contests. The guys from The Rub Down were younger than I was, and probably wanted to check out the barely clothed co-eds. That was the last place I wanted to spend my night because it just wasn’t my scene anymore. I was thirty-two years old, and college girls were too young for me. Even though it wouldn’t have been my first choice, I went anyway. Maybe I would find a gem in the rough.

  They picked a club where we knew one of the bartenders. Mark asked him to reserve us a table, which was hard to come by on a Friday night. Since we were required to have bottle service, a bottle of Ketel One and Patron waited for us. Our waitress for the night wore the smallest, black leather, pleated skirt. Every time she bent over to pour a drink, we got an eye full of her ass. She had a banging body, but man she wasn’t the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree. The younger guys from the spa had their tongues hanging out of their mouths whenever she came over. They didn’t care about her IQ, just her cup size.

  Jeff arrived soon after we settled in. “What’s up, guys? What do we have here?”

  “We have a whole lot of debauchery about to get started. You ready?” Danny yelled over the loud club music.

  “I was born ready. I even cancelled my run with Alexa tomorrow so we can party hard tonight,” Jeff replied.

  I wasn’t happy he brushed Alexa aside for drinking, but it was his business to run, and I shouldn’t care.

  “Speaking of Alexa, she’s fucking hot shit, isn’t she, Luke?” Jeff asked.

  Crap, I needed to not think of her, and there he was throwing her in my face.

  “Yeah, she’s a hot ticket all right.” I stood and walked off. I needed to use the bathroom and get away from Jeff and his Alexa talk.

  As the night went on, I started to get bored sitting around the table. The bottles were close to empty, and I was borderline being done, too. I decided to hit the dance floor to see if anyone interesting could help distract me. I just wished every song didn’t sound the same.

  Out on the floor was a stunning blonde with long, flowing hair and a tight little ass. Black leggings, black shirt, and sky-high heels showcased her hot body. She appeared to be having a good time, laughing, singing, and dancing with her friend. The way her hips swayed to the music, beckoned me to her like a siren’s call. I puffed out my chest and started in her direction. When I approached her, I placed my hands on her waist, moved in right behind her, and rocked my hips in time with hers. Even though she had on stilettos, I was a good four inches taller than she was. Her friend gave her an approving nod and walked away.

  “What’s your name?” I shouted over the noise of the bar.

  She turned in my arms so we were face to face. “Wendy. What’s yours?”

  “Luke.”

  Introductions out of the way, we let our bodies do the talking. We danced through a few songs. LMFAO’s “Shots” came on, and the club went nuts. Wendy was a bold little thing. When the part of the song about sucking cocks played, she palmed my semi hard cock. With her other hand, she grabbed my neck, yanked me down to her, and attacked my mouth. It was sloppy, all tongue and teeth, like she was trying to eat my mouth. I pulled away, but she held onto my neck. Damn, she was strong.

  “Take me home and let me suck you off,” she cooed in my ear.

  Now, I liked a forward woman just as much as the next horny bastard, but she turned me off so damn fast with her unskilled tongue that the thought of that same mouth on my dick, made me want to turn and run the other way.

  “Yeah, sweetie. I’m good, but thanks.” I turned and hurried to our table.

  Danny and Jeff were laughing their asses off, since they obviously saw Wendy try to swallow my head. Couldn’t say I blamed them. I would have done the same thing if it was them. Wendy went from a fine piece of ass to shoe leather, in a matter of seconds.

  “Let’s get out of here. Anyone with me?” I asked Danny and Jeff, since the rest of the crew was off looking for either their next lay or more alcohol.

  “Where are you thinking?” Danny asked.

  “I want a cigar and a nice bourbon.” And gelato. “Let’s head to the North End. They have that cigar bar there. The IQ and average age will be slightly higher than twenty one.”

  Jeff decided to stay and try his hand with the young girls, but Danny was down for a cigar. We hopped in a cab and headed to Niccolo’s.

  Chapter Seven

  Alexa

  The amount of fun Addison and I had was off the charts. Our level of drunkenness was perfect. Neither of us was slurring or tripping over our own feet. We were in the zone, shaking it all night, only stepping off the floor to get another drink. I didn’
t realize how badly I needed a night out. Addison wore a huge smile on her face, and kept telling me how much she missed me since I started training. I made a mental note to make a better effort to balance training and fun.

  The DJ played all our favorite songs, so Addison and I danced together with only a few men trying to break up our duo. But we had the girls’ night vibe going on, so most men watched from afar and bought us drinks when we took a break.

  During one breather, a very tall, dark, and handsome guy approached me.

  “Hello there, beautiful, can I buy you a drink?” He looked edible.

  “Sure. What’s your name?” I craned my neck to stare into his chocolate brown orbs.

  “Dave. What’s yours?” His voice was husky and deep in my ear when he bent down so I could hear him.

  “Alexa.”

  “What’s your poison, pretty girl?” He snapped at the bartender to grab his attention and grew irritated when he didn’t rush to our end of the bar.

  Strike one.

  “I’d love a Sweetini. Thank you.” I smiled up at him. “Tell me about yourself.”

  “I’m a financial advisor for a Fortune 500 company.” His eyes narrowed as he searched behind the bar. “And I’m going to buy and sell this shit hole if the bartender doesn’t get his ass down here this second.” He slammed his hand down on the bar, rattling the empty glasses nearby.

  Strike two.

  “He’ll get here when he has a second. No need to get upset,” I said, hoping to calm him down.

  “I don’t wait for anyone. Want to get out of here, Lexie? I can make us drinks at my place quicker than this fool.”

  Strike three.

  “No, thank you. I think I’ve heard enough. Have a great night.” I walked away without a drink, but more importantly, I walked away from a pompous prick.