A Beautiful New Life (3 page)

“Oh that’s not necessary. It was my fault.”

“Well we’re sorry for any inconvenience and hope you accept this gift.” She leaned in a little closer and whispered. “Definitely try all the wine
,
e
ach one is to die for.”

Louise’s stomach growled in encouragement so how could she refuse. “I will; thank you.”

She ate the variety of cheeses and crackers and sipped on the wine. The scent of the mountain laurels took her back to her past again and how she came to be where she was today. After leaving home, she headed west, working odd jobs in the many towns she stopped in along the way. She did not have a p
lan or a place she wanted to go,
she would know when she got there. Upon arriving in yet another small town, her car was on its last leg and she knew she would have to hang around for a while to save enough money to buy a good used one to replace it. She found a cheap motel, grabbed
a
paper from the machine and started the routine she had
grown accustomed to
when
in
a new town. She had plenty of experience but no education past high school. She found a
temp
agency that looked promising and submitted her application the next day. It was at the first
company
they placed her
with
that she met Arlin. They were married two years later and six years after that they had their family completed with the birth of their third son.

Katy walked over and tapped her on the arm. “Excuse me ma’am, we’re ready for you now.” She led her to a room and instructed her to lay face down on the massage table and to drape the towel over her.

“Your masseur will be in momentarily. Relax and enjoy”. Katy left the room as the masseur entered. He was more than what Louise was expecting and everything she
had to hope to have
.

“Hello, Mrs. Gilab, my name is Marco.” His voice was deep and sent shockwaves through her body. The accent was from South or Central America. His accent and name more than fit his look of black hair, dark complexion and a smile that would light up the world. She wondered
how on earth
she was to relax when just seeing and hearing him made her body shake with fever. She could not imagine him touching her.

Control yourself you
a
re a married woman.
She scolded herself and hoped he had not noticed her reaction to him. Though she was sure
,
if he had
,
he was used to it. She moaned as his hand touched her body and he began to massage her back and work his way down to her legs. He got a little too close to her inner thigh and she wished he would keep going and please her in a way she knew only he could.

Stop that. Think of Arlin. She thought to herself hoping that will put an end to the
lustful thoughts of
hers
.
The thought of Arlin only made her tense up even more and as Marco told her to
relax
she decided it might be best to not think at all. The wine helped with that. She had tried five of the se
ven varieties they had given
her and she was suddenly sleepy. She had not fallen asleep completely and as he finished, she sat up and thanked him for a wonderful experience. It had been wonderful and better than she had ever expected. She
put her robe back on and staggered out of the room, running
into Scott.

“You must have had Marco”, he said.

“I did”,
Louise
giggled. “That was the best massage I ever had.”

“Well we do aim to please.” His smile was so pleasant she could stand there and look at him all day. Louise wondered where these feelings were coming from
as they continued to walk
. She had a good life, husband and kids. Why was she suddenly lusting over everyone she met here
, wi
shing Scott would put is arms around her again.
Was she not as happy in her life
as she would like to believe;
pretend
ing
to everyone else
, including herself that she was.
Of course she was happy, her three boys were her life and she could
n
o
t imagine being without them.
She push
ed this thought out of her mind of being unhappy
and carried on small talk with Scott trying to get more information on the hidden tunnels but Scott quickly changed the subject to the solarium.

“So what were you thinking about? You seemed
pretty upset
. Nothing here I hope upset you.”
They stopped walking and he reached out to her tenderly.
She pulled back afraid of the feelings and thoughts his touch brought.

“No, no. One of the flowers had reminded me of someone who was very dear to me.”

“Was very dear to you?”

“Yes. He passed away many years ago. I’m sorry I don’t feel like talking about it.”

“I’m sorry I brought it up then.” 

“Thanks for your concern though.” She smiled at him
and as they continued to walk her thoughts went again
to how pleasantly different he was from everyone else in her life.
How she enjoyed his touch a little too much.

“So”,
he
attempted to lighten the mood, “Are you enjoying your stay here?”

“Absolutely I’m so glad I came even if it was alone. From what
I’ve
seen this is a very exquisite resort. But I haven’t seen many people.”

“We just like to try to meet each guest unique needs.” He stopped now and turned to look at her.

“And what would be my unique needs?” She was flirting with him now.
I
t had been a long time since she had allowed herself to be so open. It felt good even though deep down she knew how wrong it was.

“What would you like your needs to be?” His smile sent warm feelings through her body. She just stood there enjoying his smile maybe afraid if she opened her mouth what would come out. The wine from earlier sure made her adventurous and she did not want to have to make excuses later for her behavior. Had it been that long since her and Arlin shared feelings like this?

When she did
n
o
t respond Scott continued, “I’ve been meaning to ask. Since you’re here by yourself would mind if I escorted you to dinner tonight.”

She did not think she could do it. She had not dined with another man since meeting Arlin; but it felt good to
be made
to feel special; to be made to feel wanted.
Besides,
it was only dinner.
“I would love to have you escort me to dinner.”
She responded.

“Great.” They continued to walk again and much to Louise’s
disappointment,
they arrived at the salon for Louise’s next appointment. Scott wished her farewell and left.

The manicure and pedicure w
ere
long overdue but the girls did not seem to notice or even scold her that she should take better care of herself. They worked meticulously on her hands and feet
as
they brought her snacks and more wine of course and after having a few more of the samples, as they called them, she loosened up some more. The only thing that would have made the experience better was if they had brought in some god to feed her the grapes that they had laid out for her. 
She
thought that they had read her mind when he walked in
the room
.
No,
he did not walk in; he gli
ded, floated
.

He must have wings underneath that shirt because he surely
is
a piece of work sent straight down from heaven.
She thought. His muscles rippled under his form fitted dark blue t-shirt. He had an ass that was perfect and round and if she
had been allowed
a feel
,
she bet it was rock hard. In her
opinion,
the sexiest thing about him was his
bald head
. He was whispering to one of the girls
when
Louise moaned
,
in response to her body aching to be near him and the thought of what she would like to do with him
, causing him to look up
.

Her face turned forty shades of red as she realized why he had stopped talking. He politely smiled and then quickly lowered his eyes to the floor. He was bashful and that made her want him even more.
A
s she continued to watch him
,
she could not help but wonder what his story was. His
behavior
was shy and reserved but his body was rough and strong. He finished his
conversation with the girl and turned leaving the room but before doing
so,
he glanced back at her. The look he had was one of recognition and
sorrow that
intrigued her even more. What was he sorry for, but more importantly did she know him. He seemed to know her.

They finished
her
nails and sent her off to makeup and hair. She did not remember this being on her schedule but did not make a fuss. It might take her mind off the dark stranger that now filled her thoughts.
Besides,
she had always wanted to
be treated
like a movie star and she sure was here. The girls in this department were just as friendly and proficient at their tasks. She may have gained weight but she still had good facial features and ivory blemish free skin. She had not worn makeup in years; with the kids and
work,
she was just too busy to bother with it.
W
hen they
finished
with her
,
she was amazed at how well makeup really pulled out her best feature, her eyes.

She had cut her hair to just above her shoulders the previous week. She had been looking for an easy style but found she just did not know what to do with it. The stylist had cut a few more layers into it and highlighted the dull dishwater blonde it had been with some golden highlights. He dried it using a big round
brush that
added volume. He finished by touching it up with a flat iron. Her hair lay shorter than she
was used
to
,
but she loved it and it seemed so easy. They added some last minute touches, a spray here and a dab there, and sent her back to her room to get dressed. The makeover, along with the wine she drank,
made her feel
beautiful and flirtatious.

“Wow.” He whistled his appreciation. “Mr
s. Gilab. You look stunning.” Scott
was checking her out but with the sound of her
name,
she suddenly felt ashamed she had let so loose.

“Thank you, you’re too kind.” She smiled cordially at Scott. He sensed the change in attitude and realized his mistake.

“Hmm,
sorry I mean
Louise, you look great.” He g
rabbed her hand and held it as
he walked her ba
c
k to her room. “I’ll be back to pick you up at seven.”

“Thank you Scott, see you at seven.” She turned entering her room. Closing the
door,
she leaned against it. “I need to stop drinking that wine and I need to remember I’m married and have responsibilities back home.”

She went to the closet for her dress. It was not her choice but Arlin
bought it for her to take
.
She was surprised since he had never once
bought her any piece of clothing
,
in their ten years of marriage.
S
he did not want to disa
ppoint him so she brought it with her.
It was a sleeveless royal blue. If her eyes alone were not mesmerizing enough
,
the color of the dress made them more so and the
v-neck
enhanced her second best feature, her breast
s
. It had a tight fit just below the breast and then flowed out to just above the knee. She slipped on a pair of matching royal blue pumps. It really was not anything fancy but with her makeup and hair
done,
she even had to admit that she looked stunning. She wished more and more that Arlin had been here with her
.
H
e was missing out that was for sure. She stepped out into the hallway and Scott let out a sharp whistle.

“Stop that, you’re being silly.” She laughed letting herself feel like a
schoolgirl
again
,
appreciating the attention and forgetting about the scolding she gave herself earlier.
Why not enjoy the attention; it was because of the attention she was getting now that she knew things
would
need to change when she got home. She knew that change would not come easily and her mind wandered back to something John had said to her when she first arrived. Did he have a feeling about her or was this the expected result of a weekend at this secluded resort?