The Rub Down (7 page)

“Gross, Addison.” Alexa gasped, slapping her on the arm.

“There was one chick that wanted to lick Luke. It was hilarious. But no, if we licked any of those girls, our tongues would have to be cut off,” Danny joked.

I was going to kick him in the nuts if he kept talking about that Wendy chick. Alexa’s head whipped around, and she stared at me with laughter written all over her face. She opened her mouth a few times, as if wanting to ask more details, but in the end, closed it and shook her head while laughing at me.

“I wanted a gelato, but I also wanted to hit up Stanza dei Sigari for a cigar and bourbon. Mainly, I needed to get away from the children and have an adult conversation,” I answered.

“Sorry to interrupt your male bonding session,” Alexa said while trying to remove her feet from my lap.

I held tight to her ankles. “No need to apologize. Sitting here with you beautiful ladies is better than polluting our lungs.” I stared into Alexa’s eyes as I spoke. She really was captivating and stunning.

“Oh shit! You didn’t even eat your gelato, thanks to me and my stupid feet. It’s all melted. Let me go buy you another one.” Alexa moved too fast for me to catch her this time, and she had her shoes on and stood before I knew what was happening.

I managed to grab her arm, and pull her to me. I looked up at her and softly spoke. “Please, sit. I don’t need another one.”

“Are you sure? You were so busy massaging my feet that you only got in a bite or two.” A soft smile graced her face.

Danny and Addison were in their own little world. My finger itched to trace her plump lips. As we held each other’s eyes, my hand drifted up and down her arm. The moment was intense and intimate, almost as if we were having some sort of conversation without words. I didn’t want to think about what we were actually saying, but wanted to enjoy the moment with her.

“I’m sure,” I answered. The urge to pull her down in my lap and lick her luscious lips was strong, but the mood was broken when Alexa sat down again.

The four of us talked until the employees flipped the chairs upside down on the surrounding tables.

“I think they’re trying to tell us something,” I said, looking around the room. “Where do you ladies live? Do you want to share a taxi toward downtown?”

“We’re in the South End. You?” Alexa asked.

“The Ritz down by the Common. We can have the cabbie drop you off first. I want to make sure you ladies get home safely.” It seemed silly for Danny and me to go the extra blocks, but I wanted to be with her as long as possible. It didn’t look like Danny was all that interested in leaving Addison any time soon, either.

“Sounds great. The booze is leaving my body, and the massage has made me sleepy.”

Alexa and Addison stood and grabbed their jackets. Like the gentlemen we were raised to be, Danny and I helped them put them on.

We stepped out onto the sidewalk and signaled for a taxi. Alexa was still a little drunk and unstable in her sexy heels, so I wrapped my arm around her waist to steady her. Then the four of us were whisked away in a yellow cab.

Addison propped against the console to talk to Danny, who took one for the team and sat in the front seat.

Alexa snuggled into my side. Having her tucked in close to me seemed natural. Her body molded perfectly to mine, and felt so nice and warm. The smell of tangerines drifted from her hair, and I couldn’t stop myself from breathing it in.

“Thank you for the foot rub tonight. I’m sure it was the last thing you wanted to do, but my feet already feel better. Your fingers work wonders,” Alexa said, turning her head to look up at me.

She was so close, all I needed to do was lower my head an inch to claim her mouth. It was so tempting, but I controlled myself in an effort to keep it platonic and professional, when that was the last thing I really wanted.

“No need to thank me. It’s what I do. I hope it helps, and your next run is pain free. Saves me time on Tuesday,” I replied with a wink.

When she turned to face the front again, I bent down and kissed the top of her head. Alexa took in a jilted breath upon contact. Maybe she was feeling me as much as I was her.

The rest of the drive, Alexa and I were silent while Danny and Addison chatted quietly around us.

Alexa

The night turned out to be perfect. I danced and laughed with my bestie, and then we ran into the man I couldn’t get out of my head. He looked so good in jeans and that shirt. Well, he was hot in scrubs, but those jeans hugged his tight ass right.

The ride home with Luke and Danny was unexpected. Addison and I lived a good ten-minute drive from the Ritz, so they were going out of their way to see us home. I somehow ended up snuggled into Luke’s side, his muscular arm wrapped around my shoulder, and his fingers lightly caressing my arm. It felt so nice. I wished I were as fashion conscious as those tramps not smart enough to wear a coat so I could feel his touch on my bare skin. He smelled so delicious, and I wanted to just keep breathing him in.

When I turned and thanked him for the massage, he looked down at me, and I swear his gaze dipped to my mouth. All I wanted was for him to lean in and capture my lips with his.

Instead, he replied, “No need to thank me. It’s what I do. I hope it helps, and your next run is pain free. Saves me time on Tuesday.”

Disappointed he didn’t kiss me, I faced the front so he wouldn’t see it written all over my face. The massage was out of duty, and here I wanted to believe he couldn’t keep his hands off me. As my hope evaporated, his lips brushed the top of my head. My breath caught, and I closed my eyes, absorbing the sweet moment.

When we arrived in front of our house, Danny and Luke asked the driver to wait, and got out of the car. Luke took my hand and helped me.

“Thank you, kind sir,” I said in the worst British accent possible.

“Of course, my lady.” Luke replied in an even worse southern accent.

God, he was adorable
.

Once we got to our front door, I expected an awkward moment as we said goodbye, but Luke stepped in to give me a big hug. Our bodies aligned perfectly, and we touched from chests to toes.

He bent down to whisper in my ear. “I’m so glad we ran into you tonight. Thank you for being you. See you on Tuesday, Lex.” Then he kissed the top of my head again.

I looked up at him and gave him a huge smile. I had no words. He fucking thanked me for being me. Who does that besides heroes in romance novels or movies?

Danny gave me a small hug and said goodbye, while Luke did the same to Addison. They hopped into the taxi, and we watched until the glow of the brake lights disappeared.

Addison and I were silent as we walked up to our apartment, but as soon as we crossed the threshold and removed our shoes, we burst out talking at the same time, our words coming a mile a minute.

“You go first. Luke’s great. No wonder you have a thing for him.” Addison graciously let me take the first turn.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe he sat there massaging my feet. I seriously want his hands all over my body. All the time. And not at the spa. I want him in my bed. Naked,” I gushed. “Did you see him kiss my hair? It was so fucking sweet.” I bounced around, replaying moments from the night in my head. “What about you and Danny? What was going on with you two while I was in my Luke haze?”

“He’s so god damn hot. I definitely will be asking for him next time at the spa. I want him rubbing up on me. Do you think he would give me a happy ending?” Addison gave me a dirty grin.

I smacked her on the arm, laughing at her ridiculous mouth. “It’s not that type of establishment, Addie. But I’ll admit the same thought has crossed my mind more than once in the last week.” My cheeks burned pink at my admission, but I didn’t care. “Did you make any plans to see him again?” I asked.

“No, and that’s okay. I know our paths will cross again. I’ll see him at The Rub Down, or when we double date.” I gave her a look, letting her know she was out of her mind. “What, Alexa? That boy has it bad for you. He didn’t take his eyes off you once all night. He fucking rubbed your sweaty, nasty feet after hours of dancing, for goodness’ sake.”

Oh my gosh, I didn’t even take into consideration my feet probably smelled. Gross. I was completely horrified.

“On that embarrassing note, I’m going to get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.” I said.

“I’m right behind you. I’ll lock up,” she called as she headed to check the deadbolt. “Thank you so much for coming out tonight. Sweet dreams of Luke.”

“Love you, girl. I’ll see you in the morning. Smooches.” I headed to my room where I hoped I did have dreams of that sexy man.

*****

Luke

After we said our goodbyes to the women, Danny and I crawled into the cab. This time Danny joined me in the back seat. I dropped my head against the headrest and took a huge breath.

“FUCK!” I yelled.

“What the hell, asshole?” Danny responded.

The cab driver looked in the rearview mirror, warning me to keep it down.

“I want that girl so bad,” I answered. “Too bad.”

“I don’t see your problem, bud. She’s wicked hot, and from our brief interaction tonight, she seems like good people,” Danny said, and I knew it was the truth.

“We made the pact years ago to never sleep with a client. Neither of us has broken that promise, and I don’t plan on doing it now. It’s a slippery slope, brother.”

“The marathon is less than five weeks away. You can hang out with her that long without getting in her pants, right?” Danny said as we pulled up to the Ritz.

“Yeah, maybe,” I mumbled. He had given me something to think about.

After paying the driver, we got out, made plans to work out tomorrow once I was done at The Rub Down, and said our goodbyes.

The doormen weren’t on this late, so I buzzed the overnight concierge and went up to my place. If I was lucky, I would get a few hours of sleep before I headed in to work. That was if I could stop my brain from thinking of the hot blonde in tight leather leggings.

*****

I ordered my complicated coffee with extra shots of espresso from the barista. Turning to the waiting area, I spotted Alexa with a book in her hand, curled up in an oversized blue chair.

I walked over after I grabbed my drink. Bending down to give her a peck on the cheek, I whispered in her ear. “Hey gorgeous.”

“Hello, handsome. Whatcha doing here this early?” Her blue eyes, so full of life, sparkled up at me.

“This seat taken?”

“No, please sit.”

“Thanks. I’m just grabbing a coffee to wake me up after last night. I have to be at work. You?” I reached over and placed my hand on her thigh, needing contact with her.

“I couldn’t sleep. I kept having sexy dreams about you.”

Wait. What?

BEEP BEEP BEEP

My alarm sounded at the worst possible moment. Dreams of Alexa filled every minute of my three hours of sleep, and I wanted more. She had wormed her way into my brain, and I wasn’t sure I minded.

Since it was early, I decided to drive to work. I called for my car and got the standard, “Ten minutes.” Our valet service was just like every takeout restaurant in Chinatown; no matter how large the order, it took ten minutes.

Once I arrived at the spa, I put on music, and dove into payroll and other annoying paperwork. Concentrating on the bookkeeping was difficult when my mind kept recalling my dreams.

In one, a beautiful, white summer dress showed off Alexa’s flawless tanned skin, and her hair piled on top of her head exposed her neck. She knew this drove me crazy. We shared a gourmet picnic in the Boston Common, enjoying a balmy summer night. Laying on a blanket, staring up at the night sky, we talked about our hopes for the future. When I told her I wanted The Rub Down in major cities up and down the east coast, she beamed at me as if she was proud of me and my aspirations. She revealed her desire to have a few children to dote on while maintaining a small client base for Dress Me Up. Nowhere in my dream was I freaked out by the idea of having kids. In reality, the idea scared me, but only because I hadn’t found the right woman. Who knew if Alexa was that woman or not, but sometimes dreams came true.

After a few hours of working and daydreaming, a knock on the office door startled me back to now. Elle stopped in to let me know we had a problem. Tiffany showed up to work later and later each day, often reeking of alcohol, and Elle had told her to get lost. Now, we were down an esthetician. I assured her she did the right thing, and told her I would post an ad for the position this weekend.

“Sooooo… I heard you have a new client.” Elle’s tone was very suggestive.

“Yes, she’s one of Jeff’s trainees. She’s running in a few weeks.” I tried to keep my tone as neutral as possible, knowing she and Jessica talked.

“I also heard she’s super nice and drop dead gorgeous.”

“Elle, I love you. More than life some days, but you and Jess need to get your own social lives. Alexa’s great. I’m excited about her treatment since I haven’t worked with a marathoner in years,” I replied, hoping my tone conveyed the topic was not up for discussion. “But, that’s it.”

“OOOOkkkaaayyy, big brother, I’ll leave it be for now, but I’ll be watching her. She better be good enough for you.” Even though Elle was the baby, she was fiercely protective of me. Her personality was a product of Jess and me, a total mix of intelligence, niceness, and smart-ass, and viperous when provoked.

“She’s so far out of my league that you don’t have to worry about that, sweetie.” It was the truth. Alexa was the total package. “What is going on with you? Are you working too much? Do I need to hire someone to help you?” I asked, hoping to steer the conversation in another direction.

“No, big brother, it’s all good. You know I don’t have a life, so I have plenty of time to dedicate to The Rub Down.” Her voice held a tinge of sadness.

“Elle, when I was in Philly, you called me crying because you were so tired, and the linen guy was late.” Hearing my baby sister sob over linens broke my heart. “Bunny, you need a life. I want you to date again. I know you’ve been through a lot, but it has been a few years. Get back out there. I miss threatening to rip off a guy’s nuts if he treats you wrong.” I was more protective of my sisters than a momma bear, especially when it came to Elle.

She hung her head at my statement, driving me to do what was right.

“I’m hiring you an assistant. And don’t argue with me. You can have the final decision, but as soon as she’s hired, you’ll only work forty to fifty hours a week. Period.” I was in boss mode. “No arguments. Understood?” I would have to run the extra expense by Danny, but we were his family, and he loved my sisters as much as I did so I knew he wouldn’t have a problem with it.

“Thank you, big brother. I love you. I hope things work with Alexa.” Elle grinned, knowing her bringing up Alexa was going to get her kicked out of my office.

And she was right.

“Get out!”

Elle left, laughing her ass off at me.

By eleven, payroll was submitted to our accountant. If I kept this pace, I would be out of here in a few hours. Just as I was envisioning a long nap, the interoffice phone rang.

“Yes, Jessica?” I knew it would be her. By now, she and Elle had talked, and now she wanted to harass me.

“I thought you might like to know that a certain cute blonde that you may or may not have an interest in just slipped into Nikki’s yoga class,” Jess said, probably with the biggest shit-eating grin known to man on her face. “But, brother, keep it in your pants. Don’t screw up all your and Danny’s hard work over a piece of ass.”

“Did you really call just to tell me who’s taking yoga? Do I not give you enough real work?” I replied. This was another reason why I didn’t date anyone who came into the spa. “And Jess, I don’t need a lecture from you about how to run my business.” Alexa was more than a piece of ass to me, but explaining to Jessica would be pointless.

Her response was hearty laughter, so I slammed the phone down, hoping she heard the loud bang. Then I checked the yoga schedule to make sure I would be in the lobby at the precise time class dismissed.