The Rub Down

by Gina Sheldon

  “You should hang out with us sometime. When Jessica and Elle get together outside of the spa, they’re hilarious.” I peeked from the corner of my eye to see if she reacted to me inviting her out. What I saw was Alexa turning her lickable lips up into a perfect smile.

  “I’d love that,” she replied. Her eyes flickered to mine, then straight back to the path.

  With the heavy conversation behind us, Alexa picked up our pace, leaving me laboring for breath.

  “Okay, I need to stop talking now. I think death is upon me for these last few miles. I need some hard rock blaring in my ears to push me through.” I reached up and wiped the sweat at the edge of my beanie.

  “You’re on your own with that hard rock shit. I’ll just blast Pitbull and get it done.”

  “Don’t let me slow you down. Go at your pace. I need to slow mine down, but I’ll meet you at the end, and then we can cool down and stretch together.” I hated that I wasn’t able to keep up, but I was shocked I made it as long as I had.

  About twenty minutes later, I arrived at the top of the hill, and in front of the State Building was Alexa. She was lightly stretching and watching me approach. When I reached her, I threw my arms up in the air, requesting a double high five. She obliged, and then I grabbed her around the waist and swung her around. She held on to my arms for dear life and let out a belly laugh that made me smile bigger than I thought possible.

  We walked to the Boston Common to stretch and cool down.

  Best. Run. Ever.

  Chapter Eleven

  Alexa

  That was the best fifteen miles I had ever run. Even though it was a first for Luke and me, we kept the same pace, better than Jeff and me, and we had been running together for several months.

  Spending time with Luke was so damn easy because we just really clicked. Warmup, tunes, and run… it was easy as that. When Luke dropped back a few times, I wondered if I was going too fast, but then I felt his stare burning a hole in my tights. Since he did it more than once, I figured he liked what he saw. Turnabout was fair play, so I slowed for a glimpse of his ass. Busted! He started shaking what his momma gave him, and did I ever want to thank that woman for giving him a fine ass. Every muscle in his strong legs worked hard, and it was quite a sight.

  After I ran ahead to finish the last few miles, my thoughts circled to when he asked me to hang out with him and his sisters. I hoped the invitation was sincere and meant he wanted to spend time with me outside the treatment room. Though I considered myself a modern woman, I still preferred he make the first move. His interest in me was evident, but something was stopping him. Whatever it was, I hoped he would move past it and ask me out soon.

  Once I reached the State House, I spent the first five minutes bent over, trying to catch my breath. That fucking hill sucks ass, and I honestly didn’t know if I was going to make it, but it was perfect practice. After all, Heartbreak Hill on the marathon route wasn’t called that for no reason. As my breath steadied, I looked down the hill and saw Luke. When he noticed me, he broke out in some crazy dance routine. By the time he reached me, and held up his hands for a high ten, I was laughing hysterically, and he was wearing the biggest smile. Then he picked me up and swung me around, making me dizzy. I loved how fun and carefree Luke always was. When he put me down, I wanted him to pull me in for a tight hug and a smoldering kiss, but instead, he stepped back, and we jogged to the Common in a stunned, awkward silence.

  Once we returned to the Frog Pond, we stretched.

  “How are your muscles feeling?” Luke balanced against the frog statue, reached behind to grab his left ankle in his left hand, and stretched his quad.

  “They feel great. My body’s still on its high.” I lunged forward to stretch my hip flexor. “I’ll feel a little tight later, but I’ll stretch again. No biggie.”

  “When’s your next appointment? Tuesday, right?”

  I was floored he knew when I would be back at The Rub Down. With dozens of responsibilities and clients, his memorizing the schedule made it seem that maybe he liked having me on his table as much as I liked being there.

  “Yeah, ten o’clock. I’ll go for a quick run first thing that morning. I’m taking tomorrow off.”

  “You going to come in and take another yoga class?” he asked. His eyes grew as wide as saucers.

  So, he knew I was at the spa yesterday. I had assumed he wasn’t there since I didn’t see him. A shy smile appeared on his face, displaying his rare dimples. They were deep enough to stick my pinkie in, but what I really wanted was to lick them as I inched my lips to his mouth.

  “Maybe. I need to check the schedule and see what appointments I have tomorrow. I did like Nikki’s class, though. She’s really great.” I replied, hoping I had a chance to see him tomorrow at the spa. “But since I did yoga yesterday, I think I need to hit the gym for some strength training.”

  “Did you walk here from the South End or did you drive?” Luke asked.

  We finished our cool down and stared at each other, neither of us wanting to end our time together.

  “I drove, and actually parked at the Ritz. One of my clients lives there and she loves me, so when she heads south for the winter, she leaves me her parking spot for whenever I need it.”

  We started to walk through the Common to the Ritz where I knew Luke lived.

  “That’s great. Parking in this town is nuts sometimes. My neighbor rents his spot for three hundred dollars a month since he doesn’t own a car.”

  Wow, I didn’t realize my client could get that kind of money for her spot, not that she needed more money. I made a mental note to send her a thank you present to her home in Naples.

  “I can’t wait to get home and drink another gallon of water and stuff my face full of food,” I said, dreaming of the pastries I planned to pick up before I got home.

  “Do you want to grab brunch with me?”

  His voice had a glimmer of hope that I didn’t think I could ever turn down.

  “We aren’t really dressed for a restaurant,” I answered, wishing I were presentable to the brunch world.

  “Who cares what we look like?” he replied with a cheeky grin.

  “You realize you’re wearing tights, right?”

  “Good point. We can run up to my place so I can throw on some jeans. Then we’ll head to brunch. What’s the name of the one who has pajama days?” he asked.

  We approached the south tower of the Ritz, which happened to be where my client, Mrs. Denton, lived as well. We greeted the doorman as he held the door open for us and gave us a friendly smile.

  “It’s in the South End. I’ll ask Addison the name.” I sent off a quick text before we stepped into the elevator. “She’s been before. I walk past it all the time, but I can’t remember. My brain hasn’t settled from your spinning me around.”

  The elevators in Luke’s building were like no other I’d experienced. When I first started visiting with Mrs. Denton, my ears would pop, and I swore I wouldn’t need gum during airplane takeoff anymore. Luke pressed thirty-five and away we went. Once the doors opened, I followed his lead and enjoyed the view. He took the key from his jacket pocket and let me into his condo.

  I already knew the units at the Ritz were spectacular, but Luke’s place was gorgeous. The floor to ceiling windows along the exterior walls provided the most amazing view of the city. Soft blue-gray paint covered the textured walls, accented with white trim. The furniture was large and decadent, and the black leather sofa with attached chaise appeared to be soft as butter. I could imagine wrapping up in Luke’s arms and sinking into the couch. Mounted on the wall in front of the couch was a large television, at least double the size on Addison and my little dinky one. The dining area held a dark ebony table with four matching chairs pushed in around it. Off to the side, two other chairs implied the table expanded for more guests.

  “Water?” Luke said, peeking around the corner of his kitchen, startling me. I hadn’t noticed he’d left the room I was so entranc
ed with his home.

  “Yes, thank you. You have an amazing space here.” I reached for the bottle proffered to me.

  “Glad you like it, but I can’t take all the credit. Jess and Elle did all this. They refused to allow this amazing place to look like a shit hole.” He laughed, and I could tell he was remembering their conversation.

  Just then, my cell sang a little ditty, alerting me that Addison texted me back.

  “The brunch place is called Cooper’s Place on Tremont.” I showed Luke the text.

  “Great. Let me just peel myself out of these tights and throw on something I can breathe in.” Luke took off down the long hallway to his master suite.

  I turned around in the living room to look at the pictures lining the walls. Some were of when Luke and his sisters were little, and some seemed to be more recent. One was in front of The Rub Down with Luke and Danny holding giant scissors and a red bow tied off in front of the doors.

  I had just noticed the art on the other wall when I saw Luke leaning against the hallway wall, staring at me.

  “What?” I gave him a playful attitude since he totally caught me gaping around the room. Thank goodness I hadn’t hit up the bathroom medicine cabinets yet.

  “Nothing. I was just watching you.” Luke answered with more honesty than I expected. My cheeks grew warm with embarrassment. “Did you call for your car yet? Can I ride over with you, and then I’ll call a cab home? I’m pretty sure my body is not up for the walk.”

  “Shit, I forgot to call while you were changing.” I was too busy staring at your pictures.

  “What’s the car tag number? I’ll call for it.” Luke pushed off the wall and walked to the kitchen house phone.

  “669.” I giggled like an adolescent boy when I had to say my car tag number. Luke just laughed at me laughing, shook his head, and placed the call to valet.

  “Okay, ten minutes. Let’s head down. Sometimes on Sundays they’re quicker.”

  We left his place and waited in the lobby for only a few minutes before my car arrived. The valet held my door open, but when I turned around to close it, Luke was there, and the valet was gone. He shut my door, ran around to the passenger side, and hopped in.

  Since Cooper’s wasn’t far from my apartment, I thought of asking if we could pop in for me to change too, but Luke beat me to it.

  “Hey, we’re near your place. Do you want out of your tights, too?”

  Only if you help me out of them.

  “Yes, you just read my mind. They’re sweaty, and I feel nasty.” Before I could berate myself for being so ladylike and sexy with my sweat talk, I spied a parking spot right in front of my place! “You’re good luck! This is the best spot. I didn’t think that car was going to ever move. It’s been parked there for like the last month. Now shh, so I can concentrate on parallel parking.” I threw the car in reverse and did my thing, but got nervous with him staring at me and had to start all over again.

  “Do you need me to get out and direct you? Or better yet, do it for you?”

  I wanted to either smack the shit-eating grin off his face for totally mocking me, or kiss it because he seriously was sexy as hell, no matter what he did.

  “No, jerk, I need you to not stare at me and make me nervous. I’m a freakin’ expert at this shit. I don’t have valets parking my car every night.” I gave as good as I got. He just turned his head, laughing. The second time was textbook perfect. “Take that, Luke!”

  We got out of the car and walked to my place. “We have to walk up a flight of stairs. You going to make it?” I wasn’t sure why, but I couldn’t stop teasing him.

  “Yes, wise ass. I’ll make it up a flight. After that, all bets are off and you may need to carry me.” He ran up behind me, gave my ass a playful ‘good game,’ and waited for me to unlock the door to my building. I loved that we played around and had fun together.

  “Please, forgive the state of my place right now. I have no idea what Addison has been up to, or if it’s even clean. Don’t judge,” I said once we got to the top of the stairs. I opened the door slowly, trying to get a peek at the place before Luke saw it. It wasn’t a total dump, but it sure as hell wasn’t the Ritz.

  “Welcome to my humble abode. Let me run upstairs and throw on some clothes, and then we can head over. I’m a starvin’ Marvin. Do you want anything before I go?”

  “No, I’m good. Just hurry. I’m going to start eating your couch in a second.”

  Once I was out of sight, I started shedding my clothes and loosening my braids. I grabbed an old pair of jeans that hugged my body in all the right places, and a comfy but flattering long sleeved t-shirt. Grabbing the baby powder, I doused my hair, trying to take out the grease. Following a quick brushing, it didn’t look half-bad, so I washed my face and swiped some mascara along my blonde eyelashes. After applying deodorant, I called it as good as it was going to get. I didn’t want to leave Luke alone long.

  Coming down the hall, I looked over the staircase and saw Luke chatting with Addison. Like he did with me, I stood and admired him. He was a good-looking man, and I could stare at him for hours without being bored. His muscles were not so big that they looked gross and veiny, but not so small that I wouldn’t feel safe wrapped up in them.

  Deciding I was hungrier for food than I was for him, I walked down the stairs. Addison shot me a surprised look when she caught my eye. Luke turned around and saw me approaching.

  His eyes raked over my body from head to toe. “Not fair, you made yourself look gorgeous, and I’m still looking like I just ran fifteen miles,” Luke said, causing my stomach to knot.

  He called me gorgeous!

  “You guys headed to Cooper’s?” Addison asked, a proud momma grin on her face. She knew I liked Luke, and that this morning was a big deal to me.

  “Yes, after fifteen miles, I could eat a horse,” I answered. What was my problem? With the way I was talking, it seemed as if I wanted him to friend-zone me. I looked up at Luke to see him laughing at my choice of words.

  “Then let’s go. I don’t know how many horses we can find in the South End, so you may have to settle for waffles.”

  “See ya, Addison. Want anything?” I asked.

  “No, thanks. Have fun!”

  Everything with Luke felt so natural, like we had been together for years. The whole day, so far, made me feel like we were a couple, but I knew we weren’t. There would be no making out on my doorstep at the end of this. We were friends at best. I would love to see what would happen if we gave an “us” a go, but I refused to be the aggressor. He needed to be the one to make the first move. I was a patient girl, and because I saw potential between us, I would wait him out.

  Chapter Twelve

  Alexa

  When we arrived at Cooper’s Place, the lobby was full of other wannabe diners. We gave our name to the hostess, and settled in a corner to wait our ten minutes, which I knew was going to be closer to twenty. It was after noon, prime brunch time in the city, so the café was packed.

  Luke and I sat in comfortable silence, soaking in the environment. The restaurant reminded me of my college dining hall on the weekends. Several tables of girls were still in their clubbing clothes, looking haggard after doing the walk of shame. A couple of girls looked like they woke up at eight in the morning to shower, blow dry, and flat iron or curl their hair to perfection. They wore their best outfit and pearls to sip mimosas and eat the fruit bowl, while looking over their shoulder and waiting for a hot guy two tables over to notice them. Thankfully, the rest of the people were in normal Sunday casual jeans and sweaters. I was happy I changed even if it meant brunch was delayed. Sadly, we didn’t see anyone in pajamas and would have definitely stood out in our running tights and caps.

  “Who is running the spa?”

  “Danny’s there today. We split the weekend. He takes off on Saturdays and I take Sundays.” Luke looked over at me. “He and I don’t take clients on the weekends, and only do admin shit. That’s how I knew you went to cl
ass yesterday. I was in the office.”

  “Addison and I don’t typically have clients on Sundays either. Well, we will if we can’t arrange another time, but Sundays are what we call ‘catch up on life’ days.”

  “And what does ‘life’ have in store for you the rest of the day?” Luke asked as the buzzer lit up and vibrated in my hand.

  The hostess sat us next to Brunch Barbies, and handed us our menus. Her stare lingered longer on Luke than necessary before she walked off, leaving us to make our culinary choices.

  “What are you going to have?” Since I was famished, everything sounded so good that I couldn’t make up my mind.

  “Either the Belgian Waffles with two eggs, bacon, and toast. Or I could go the healthier route, and order a vegetable omelet, bacon, and a side of fruit salad.”

  “That all sounds great. I think I’m going to do a combination of the two, and go for the veggie omelet with a side of fruit. But since I just ran fifteen miles, I’m going to add a side of bacon and toast.” Luke watched me as I spoke. It was unnerving. No one had ever hung on my every word, except my parents, around the dinner table.

  “Good point. I’m going with my option one then, since I’m not on a nutrimental plan like you are. I’m carb loading.” Luke closed his menu and laid it at the edge of the table, the international “I’m ready to order” sign. It worked every time, and our waitress appeared moments later.

  “You ready to order?” Our waitress directed the question solely to Luke, raping him with her eyes.

  “Yes, go ahead, Lex.”

  God, I loved how he called me Lex. Every time, it made me smile.

  “Okay, I would like the vegetable omelet with a side of fruit, bacon, and toast. Can I also get a tall glass of apple juice and water, please?” I handed our tootsie the menu.

  “And you, hun?” the server asked, staring at Luke like she was going to bend down and have a lick of him.

  “Yes, I would like the Belgian Waffles with the same fruit compote as the French Toast. I also would like two eggs over easy, bacon, and whole wheat toast.” Luke stopped ordering and looked to me. “Will you have some hash browns if I order some? I usually only want a forkful or four, and can never finish a whole order.”