The Rub Down (10 page)

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 class 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.”

“Of course, I feel the same way about them.” I looked up at our server. “Can we get those crispy? I like it when they’re crunchy on the top. Thanks.”

Our waitress rolled her eyes at me and turned to Luke. “And to drink?”

“Water and OJ please.”

And with that, she was off to put in our order.

“So, you never got to answer my question about the rest of your day?” Luke dropped his napkin on his lap after polishing his silverware a little bit.

Should I have polished mine, too?
I chose to ignore it and filed it away as a weird tic of his.

“I have laundry to do. Some cleaning. But the most important thing, besides sending invoices, is I have to lay on my couch and be a bum.”

“I have laundry to do, too, but the lazy part of me wants to just send it down to the hotel’s laundry room.” My expression must have been one of disgust. “I know, I know. It’s silly to spend that kind of money, but I hate folding all my stuff. Socks suck. Plus, it’s like the only service I use that the Ritz offers besides room service,” he said, throwing his arms up in defense.

“Well, I’m just jealous. It’s not my favorite past time, and if I had that luxury, I would use it, too.”

“When we first started the spa, Jessica did all the linens and towels to save us money. I used to throw some boxers in there when I ran too low.”

I laughed, shaking my head, because knowing what I knew about his sister, which was very little, she wouldn’t tolerate doing her big brother’s laundry.

“I had to start paying her in expensive wine after the first two times, or she was going to throw them all out,” Luke said, laughing pretty hard at himself, while I got a little hot thinking of him going commando. “The Ritz service is cheaper than Jessica.”

Luke was too much. At least he owned up to his aversion to laundry instead of pretending to be domestic. Just as I was about to ask if he had housekeepers, too, our server came with our food. Thank goodness, they placed us at a table for four, since the restaurant plates were huge, and we had enough food to feed a small village.

*****

Luke

Sitting there with Alexa felt like the most natural thing I had experienced in a long time. Eating out with Jennie was like pulling teeth. We would talk about her and her life, or she would text the whole time. She never wanted to talk about me, my life, or even mundane topics like laundry.

I liked that Alexa didn’t get upset when I busted her chops, and would bust my balls in return instead of huffing and pouting. This conversation with Jennie would have ended with her asking if the Ritz could do her laundry under my account, so that I could pay for it.
Why did I date her for so long?
I really didn’t like very much about her. It wasn’t like the sex was amazing. Average at best.

Brunch was great. We shared the same sense of humor and had so much in common that we sat for an hour after the server took our plates away. The fact that Alexa was drop dead gorgeous didn’t make the view suck either. The “Brunch Barbies,” as Alexa called them, wouldn’t stop staring at her. I overheard one ask another why I was there with someone not in my league, like they thought they were. I internally had a big laugh, since they were right. She wasn’t in my league. She was in a much higher one that I could only dream about reaching.

As I watched her mouth as she talked, I told myself we only have four weeks left until the marathon. I was pretty positive I was not going to last that long, and would end up breaking my promise to Danny and myself. I needed to spend time with her. She was just too funny, smart, and sexy to walk away from. But I was going to try to last as long as possible.

Since our server stopped coming to the table thirty minutes ago in an attempt to get us to leave, I paid the bill. Alexa made me arm-wrestle her for it. Just picture two grown adults, one big guy and one tiny woman, grappling in the middle of a nice restaurant. I laughed hard at her adorable mean faces to focus, and I actually won. All I wanted to do was pull her arm forward, crash our lips together, and taste the fruit she just ate.

I stood up from the table and held out my hand to help Alexa up from her chair. “Thank you for coming to brunch with me. The food was great, but the company was even better.”

“I had a great time, too. I really appreciate you running with me this morning. Jeff could have just texted me, and I would have gone by myself. But if you are ever up for another ass whooping, you can always run with me.” Her small hand in mine, she had a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face as she looked up and teased me.

Four more weeks. Four more weeks.

As if she heard my thoughts, she let go of my hand, creating more space between us.

“I actually liked you kickin’ my ass. It’s time for me to get off the hamster wheel at the gym, and outside again to run. So I think I may just take you up on that offer. But next time, we’ll listen to my playlist.”

Our walk to her place was nice. I loved the South End of Boston. The neighborhood had hit its prime a few years ago. Amazing restaurants and shops were around every corner. I would have moved to this part of Boston if there were concierge services. Since I worked so much, I needed my packages delivered, and service men let in when repairs were needed. Otherwise, I would need to hire an assistant, and I wasn’t that pretentious.

Once we arrived at her house, the air around us turned awkward. It reminded me of the end of a date where you are not sure if you should go for a hug or not. I knew a kiss was out of the question. As much as I craved it, we were still in the friend zone, so was a hug okay? And if I hugged her goodbye, would I hug her hello at her next appointment? I was overthinking this. If Danny heard my thoughts, he would take away my man card.

“Well, this is you.” What was I, a teenage boy on his first date?

“Yes, it is. Ah, do you want me to drive you home?”

I was glad to see she was as uncomfortable as I was.

“No, you got a prime parking spot. I’m good to grab a cab. I saw a bunch lined up at the taxi stand down the street. But thank you.” I couldn’t stand still. I shuffled back and forth, hoping my nervous energy would escape through my feet.

“Okay, if you’re sure. Thank you. I know that spot will be taken again before I even pull off the street.” She grinned up at me.

I loved that she had to look up at me. It made me feel big and masculine.

“Enjoy the rest of your day.” I wrapped my arms around her tight body. She felt so small in my arms, but also like she belonged there. She fit me perfectly. At that moment, all I wanted to do was walk up the stairs with her, cuddle up on her couch, and hold her while we watched a movie and did laundry.

I was so screwed.

Luke

After brunch with Alexa, I went home to relax and think about what I was going to do. With Dave Matthews crooning in the background, I laid on the couch and let my mind work. Every angle brought me back to the same place. Spending more time with her was where my thoughts began and ended, and waiting until the marathon was over was more than I could stand. I wanted to hold her hand, kiss her, and touch her whenever I desired. Resisting her was no longer possible.

Tuesday’s appointment with her was a form of torture. As soon as I saw her, I wanted to pull her into my arms and hold her close to me. Sadly, the Zen room was full with people waiting for their treatments. By the time we got to my room, a hug would have been awkward and out of place. With her beautiful soft skin on display, and me touching every exposed surface, the whole appointment was heaven in my hell. For every stroke of my hands, I wanted my lips to trail. I craved a taste of her, desired all of her, but I couldn’t take what I wanted. Not yet.

I did, however, ask if she and Addison wanted to come with my sisters, Danny, and me in two weeks for drinks. Inviting someone she was close to would help Alexa feel more comfortable. What I really wanted was Alexa all to myself, but I started small.

The crew and I made a habit out of going to the Black Rose, an Irish bar in Faneuil Hall, several times a month for the last few years. It was very rare that anyone outside our group was invited, so I was going to get a bit of shit thrown my way. Thankfully, Addison’s going would shut Danny up a little. Elle was always team Luke, but Jessica was on the fence about Alexa, so I hoped she’d behave.

*****

The days flew by with long hours at the spa, and longer nights wishing I could be with Alexa. Her sessions were great opportunities to get to know her better, and with each one, my desire for her only grew. Each appointment seemed to fly by, while our time apart felt like forever.

When Jeff’s mother developed complications, he bailed on Alexa again, and I took the opportunity to spend the time with her. The mileage was killer, but seeing her was worth it. Construction complications forced me into a four-day trip to the new spa in Philly. Not wanting to interrupt her treatments, I left after her morning appointment on Thursday, and didn’t return until late Sunday night.

Thursday finally arrived, and I was ready to grab drinks with Alexa and the gang. The idea of hanging out with her away from the spa made me wish the day would speed by. But it was by far the slowest day of all time. Four of my least favorite clients were on the schedule.

I started my day with an extra whiny Alaina Alder. Her list of complaints was a mile long. Ms. Alder didn’t like the new scented oil. The music was too loud. The table wasn’t soft. She even had the nerve to ask if the sheets were clean, as if we weren’t paying an obscene amount on rent for prime real estate, but rather were a spa in the middle of the slums. We were
the
premier spa in Boston. Of course, our sheets were clean. Shit, we replaced them every few months before they pilled and became uncomfortable to the bare skin.

Then Mrs. Bamburger came in. She was seriously older than Boston. Paul Revere was probably her brother. Her skin resembled a Chinese Shar-Pei. I had not had the pleasure of working on her before, but she was well known among the massage therapists, seeing as how she’d rotated through all the guys since coming here about six months ago. Apparently, I drew the short straw this month. My hands moving over her skin was like doing laundry on a washboard.

Next in was Mr. Johnson, a police officer in Cambridge. He was a great guy, but a rather large man at about six-foot-five-inches and two hundred fifty pounds. In order to have time to work his entire body, his sessions extended to an hour and a half. After every appointment, my arms ached with exhaustion. I never knew if he would spend his time on the table, snoring like a commuter train, or babbling nonstop with stories from his last shift. Thankfully, today was a day of sleep. As humorous as I found his tales, after my morning, the sound of the express train from Gloucester to North Station was welcomed.

Last, but certainly not least, was Theresa Morgan. Now this girl was a piece of work. Her goal was to get with every therapist here, and not in the same manner as Mrs. Bamburger. Since she had worked her way through the rest of the guys, earning her the reputation of the spa slut, her sights had been set on me for the past few weeks. She wore the equivalent of a pound of makeup caked on her face, and an entire can of Aqua Net in her hair. Even though she took great care of her figure, too much time in the tanning bed caused her skin to look older than her twenty-two years. The entire time she was on the table, she never shut up about how great she was, or when was I going to ask her out. Nothing was less appealing than a girl throwing herself at you. Overall, she was pretty, but not my style whatsoever.

Relieved she was my last appointment for the day, I finished making out next week’s schedule before heading home. I was ready to see Alexa and move forward with her.

*****

Walking into the bar area with Danny was nerve wracking. Never had I been so anxious to meet up with a woman.

“Dude, you need to chill the fuck out.” Danny clapped his hand over my shoulder and gave it a hard squeeze. “You’re strung so damn tight.”

Shit, what the hell was wrong with me? It was just Alexa. There was no reason for me to be a dumb ass. It wasn’t as if it was the first time we had hung out before.

After my mini pep talk, I peered through the crowd, and my gaze locked in on her laughing at something Jessica was saying. She looked more beautiful than I remembered. Tight jeans accented her long slender legs, and her caramel brown, leather heeled boots came up to her knees. My eyes traveled up to an ivory blouse that made her look soft and feminine. The teal scarf around her neck accented her blue eyes. Her hair was down with light curls framing her naturally attractive face, and light makeup heightened her features, making her the most gorgeous woman in the room. Naked, clothed, it didn’t really matter. She was breathtaking, regardless.

As I stared at her, Danny pushed me out of my Alexa haze and toward the girls. Jessica, Addison, and Alexa had already snagged a table near the bar, but away from some of the hustle and bustle. Alexa looked over and gave me the most heart-stopping smile when she saw us approaching. It reached her stunning eyes, making me think she was just as excited to see me, as I was to see her, further solidifying my decision to go for her. While I was in Philly, I decided I was through holding back. I would just not be intimate with her until after the race.

“How goes it, ladies? Thanks for grabbing a table.” I greeted my sister with a quick peck on the cheek, followed by hugs to Alexa and Addison. Danny followed my lead.

“No problem. We ran into each other heading upstairs just a few minutes ago,” Jessica said with a smirk on her face. She knew my asking Alexa to join our group was a big deal, but she promised me before we left the spa that she would behave tonight. Jess and I had a different definition of behaving, so I was sure some remarks would be made.

“Elle should be here soon. All the paperwork was done when I left, so she just needed to lock up after everyone clocked out,” Danny added.

I sat down between Jess and Alexa, signaling to the waitress to come take our order. I needed a drink after the day I had had.

“Luke, you had the cast of characters on your table today. Make yours a double,” Danny announced to the table, reading my mind.

“Yeah, I saw you had Theresa today. Did she ask for a happy ending?” Jessica asked with a huge, mischievous grin on her face. She knew how forward Theresa was and always hated booking her. “Alexa, you should see this chick. She’s all over the guys every time she comes in. Totally classy with a capital K.”

Alexa choked on her drink, turning her attention from Jessica to me, waiting for me to answer Jess’s original comment.

“No, she didn’t ask for a happy ending, as you so eloquently put it.” I rolled my eyes at Jess. “However, she did want to know when I was going to ask her out. She didn’t take my ‘I’m not’ very well.”

“I saw her leave in a huff.” A sly grin appeared on Jess’s face. “What did you finally say to get her to back off?”

“I explained to her that I don’t date my clients.” I sighed as soon as the words left my mouth.

Jess set me up, and I walked right into it. She knew our rule, and thought it one of the smartest things Danny and I ever came up with. Apparently, she didn’t approve of my move for Alexa as she had led me to believe.

After my confession, I couldn’t bear to look at Alexa to see if her reaction was similar to the disappointment I felt, or a blankness telling me she didn’t care.

After a dirty look at Jessica, I focused on Alexa. She stared at me for a second before turning away from me and starting a conversation with Addison. I knew, right then and there, I needed to backpedal and fix this. Right as I reached out to grab her attention, the waitress arrived with our drinks. When Elle showed up moments later, Alexa directed her attention to her. At the next break in conversation, when I could try to explain myself, the band started playing, making it near impossible to talk. A few songs into the set, the ladies jumped off their stools to go dance, leaving me with Danny and my thoughts.

“Fuck me, guy. Did you hear what went down?” I looked over at Danny, wondering if he heard our conversation. “Jess is on my shit list. She knew what she was doing. She set me up.”

“Yeah, I heard it. I also heard Alexa suck in a huge breath, and saw her lower her head. Her feelings for you were clear on her face.” His words hurt but excited me. “Do you want her?”

“Yes. God, yes. That’s why I invited her here. I need to spend time with her outside that treatment room. I want to get to know her.”

“Shit or get off the pot, buddy,” were his parting words before joining the girls on the dance floor.

He was right. I needed to get out of my own way, pull her somewhere quiet, and explain myself.

So that was what I did. I marched right up behind Alexa on the dance floor, wrapped my arm around her slender waist, and drew her to me. Her body stiffened, her hands dropped to her sides, and my insides cringed. I never wanted her to feel uneasy with my touch or me.

I whispered in her ear, practically begging. “Come talk to me, please. I need to explain some things.”

She gave me a slight nod, so I slowly moved my hand from her flat stomach, caressed a path to her curvy hip, and when I reached her soft delicate hand, I interlaced our fingers. Loving the way something so simple felt so right, I walked her toward the function room behind the bar area, which thankfully was not in use.

Once we crossed the threshold, she released my hand, and crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive stance. The loss of her touch was like a slap in the face.

“I need you to listen to me. What I said in there…”

“There’s nothing to explain, Luke. We’re all good. I’m just a client. No need to go into it.” Her stiff posture, shaky voice, and frown proved otherwise.

“Yes, there is. Theresa is… How do I put this nicely? A slut. And even if she wasn’t, I wouldn’t want to date her. Not because she’s a client, but because I’m interested in someone else.” I took a deep breath and continued. “I do have a rule about dating clients. Danny and I both do. We promised one another when we first opened The Rub Down that we would never do it.”

Alexa just stood there, speechless, watching me with her soul searching, blue eyes.

As the saying goes, go big or go home, I laid it all out there for her. “But, for the first time ever, I
want
to date a client. I want to spend time with YOU outside that treatment room. I want to be able to touch you anytime I want, even when you are clothed.” That seriously sounded so wrong, the complete opposite of what every guy in the world would say.

“You do?” The smallest, most adorable smile graced her blushing face.

“Yes, I do. But I won’t give up being your therapist either.” Enough time had passed without her touch, so I reached for her hand. “I can’t even think of some of the other guys touching your flawless body. I’d have to fire them all, and then where would The Rub Down be?” I ran my free hand over my head. “I trust Danny with you, but I just don’t think I could handle the images in my head for the hour.”

“I would love to spend more time with you, too. The times we’ve been together have been so much fun. Even the fifteen mile runs.”

Her words were music to my ears. I had hoped she felt the same way I did, but hearing the actual words made me happier than I had been in a long time.

“So where do we go from here? Do I stop coming in? Do we wait it out until the marathon is over?” Her questions were all valid, the same ones running through my head for weeks now.

“Like I said, you keep coming in. But we will just be discreet about our feelings.” I moved closer to her. “I have talked to Danny, and he understands how I feel about you. He just asks that we keep a low profile until after the race, and you won’t need treatments any longer. And if you do, we’ll figure it out then.” I took another step, my body being pulled toward her.

When we were within inches of each other, I felt her breath hitch as she looked up at my lips. I wanted to claim hers, needed to… so, I did. I captured her soft mouth with my own. She tasted like the Cosmo she’d sipped earlier. My tongue teased the seam of her mouth, begging for entrance. Thankfully, she obliged. Loving the feel of her body pressed against me, and her tongue dancing with mine, I let out a moan. With one hand sliding around to the back of her neck, and the other cupping her cheek, I deepened the kiss.