EIGHT
A knock drew me from my afternoon slumber. I climbed off my bed and opened the door finding myself face to face with a bouquet of prairie lilies. Behind it stood Jacques, my previous one night stand.
“Looks like you have an admirer.” Jacques smiled wickedly as he shoved the bouquet in my direction, and handed me an envelope. I took both from him, as he stood there awkwardly waiting.
“Oh, sorry, how much should I tip you?”
He laughed. “You don’t tip me, the sender does. So what are you up to tonight?” His one eye twitched like he was trying to wink.
Looking him over, I couldn’t help but compare him to Darian. Where Darian was dark and chiseled, Jacques was lean and furry. It wasn’t that I didn’t find Jacques attractive. But now that I had a piece of Darian…would anyone be able to compare? Jacques seemed like a boy, where Darian was a man.
I held the flowers between us, like a shield. “I’ve got plans.”
“Okay, then.” Jacques nodded. “Enjoy your flowers.” He turned and slinked away to the stairwell.
I turned back to my room and realized I wanted more information. “Wait,” I called out. “Who sent these?” But Jacques was long gone.
I closed the door and set the vase of flowers on the counter that sat between my kitchen and bedroom. Prairie lilies? I hadn’t seen these since I was back home. A feeling of nostalgia crept in.
Still holding the envelope in my hand, and glanced at my clock. Four pm? I had slept for three hours! The afternoon was nearly over; I couldn’t believe it. Sitting in my lone chair, I curled up and opened the envelope. My stomach fluttered. It was from Darian.
I hope these flowers give you a sense of home. Even though I have to return to mine tomorrow, it doesn’t mean I don’t want to see you again—and I don’t mean just one more night. Meet me in my room at five o’clock so I can talk about this with you in person.
The fluttering in my stomach turned to anxiety. How did Darian know I was from the prairies? I never shared that with clients, only my coworkers and friends around town knew. And how could he be serious about seeing me more? We barely knew each other, and we lived in two different places. I flipped the paper over and over again in my hands. If I wanted to go, I had an hour to get ready.
***
I stood in the lobby of Darian’s hotel, waiting for the elevator. It took a lot of talking to convince myself that it was okay to have one last night of fun before he left. Thankfully I had no roommates, or they might have thought I was losing it.
When the elevator doors opened, I stepped inside and hit the penthouse floor. As the doors closed, I glanced at my phone. 5:05. I was late. I tucked my phone back in my purse and rubbed my hands down the side of my dress. Why was I so nervous?
The doors slid open on the top floor and I stepped out into the long hallway, making my way down the bright patterned carpet to the door that stood alone at the end of the hall. I paused in front of the large double wooden doors. I knew Darian was on the other side, just a few feet away. Was I prepared for just a little fun? I reached up my hand and knocked.
The door was opened by a stranger. I searched his face trying to recall which of one of the guy’s in Darian’s crew this was, but none of them came to mind. Plus the man was dressed in a white linen yoga outfit. “Come in,” he said, motioned to the room.
I stared into the room and saw where last night there was a living room set, tonight it was replaced by two massage tables. Another man stood below, dressed in the same as the one who answered the door.
“What’s going on here?” I asked.
“Sorry, I’m Enrique, your masseuse for this evening. Mr. Hunter will be right back; he’s just delayed a moment.” Enrique leaned in uncomfortably close and smiled before whispering. “I think he was nervous you weren’t going to show up.”
I returned the smile and decided to cross the threshold. I was met by a waitress, holding out a glass of champagne. I politely took the glass and drank half of it in an attempt to calm my nerves.
Darian appeared from his bedroom, dressed in a cotton robe all casual like the two masseuses and suddenly I felt overdressed in my black cocktail dress. His eyes instantly widened when he saw me, and I did a little curtsy from across the room.
Before he could reach me, the waitress stepped between us. “A drink, Mr. Hunter?” I couldn’t help but notice how she batted her eyelashes at him when she said her name. A flash of jealousy fired up inside of me. But Darian barely nodded, not taking his eyes off of me as he grabbed a glass of champagne from her tray.
The waitress frowned. I couldn’t blame her. He was dead sexy in his robe, the top lying open with his chest on display. Underneath his legs peeked through when he walked, revealing a tease of nakedness that lay beneath. But tonight his nakedness was mine, not hers. I couldn’t stifle a smile that spread across my lips.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” I said as he reached me. He stopped so close I could feel the heat from his body. I wanted to embrace him. Kiss him. But I had to remind myself—this was just for fun. You can’t date a client. It’s just not feasible.
“I’m just glad you’re here now.”
“What if I didn’t come?” I laughed, staring at the two long beds and the soft romantic music playing in the background.
He broke out into a loud laugh. It was deep and made something inside of me twitch with desire. “Then I’d be paying a heck of a lot for one massage.”
I laughed back. It was nice. Things felt normal again between us. Even though he was leaving tomorrow, if I didn’t relax now then tonight wouldn’t be any fun.
“Shall we begin?” he put an arm around my back and motioned to the massage tables.
“Yes, please.”
I went into the bedroom and changed into a robe, leaving my clothes neatly folded on the couch. I noticed that Darian already had a fire going, the warm glow filling up the room. I also noticed that the Jacuzzi was softly bubbling. Was all this for me?
When I went out into the main room, Darian was waiting for me. I noticed that the waitress was gone. Good. I didn’t need her mulling over Darian while we were both being rubbed down, naked under a thin sheet.
He held out a hand to me, and pulled me close to his chest, while talking with the masseuses about who would massage whom. I listened to his authoritative voice barking orders, and realized that the last time he used it on me was when he told me to bend over in the shower. A shiver ran down my body.
“Are you cold?” he asked, looking down at me with concern. I shook my head, but he let go of me and turned on another fireplace. “That should help.”
We each dropped our robes next to the beds, and I instantly grabbed for a sheet to cover myself from the masseuse. But I noticed Darian glanced over, staring at my body as it was highlighted by the fire, so I slowly took my time, giving him a little show before covering up. His gaze met mine, and I could tell he would have taken me right there if the masseuses weren’t here.
Enrique began my massage, starting at my head and working his way down my body. In the beginning, I learned a lot—he and his partner Alfonse were not just coworkers but also lovers. Apparently, I had nothing to worry about flashing my naked body in front of either of them. They’d seen it all working at the hotel for the last ten years.
“Ten years?” I asked surprised. “How have you managed to stay together that long, especially somewhere like here?”
“It’s beautiful here,” Alfonse said.
“But it’s so transient.”
Enrique laughed. “You’re just hanging out with the wrong crowds. There are a bunch of us who’ve been working here forever.”
“I had no idea.”
Halfway through the massage, Enrique offered me a blindfold. “This is something special we do with couple massages,” he said. “It intensifies the feeling. Do you want to try?”
I glanced over to Darian, who was already tying his on. What would it hurt? This was probably the last romantic massage I’d have in a long time. I took the blindfold from Enrique and placed it over my eyes. He gently tied it behind my head, and I placed my face back down. Enrique finished massaging my lower back and down my legs.
“It’s time to roll over,” he said. “Here, let me help.”
After some awkward twisting with both my body and sheet, blinded by the dark fabric across my eyes, I managed to get onto my back. I giggled, hearing Darian struggle next to me.
Enrique’s hands massaged my shoulders, and then down my arms. “One moment, he said, pausing once he started my feet. I just need more oil.”
Footsteps shuffled away and then a door opened and closed, followed by footsteps returning. Enrique began massaging my feet again. I moaned with pleasure as he hit all the right points. It would have been sexually arousing if he was someone else. His hands moved up my calves, gently kneading my sore muscles, and then to my thighs. Slowly his fingers moved higher and higher until I wasn’t sure if he was going to stop.
“Umm—” I began.
“Shhh,” Darian’s voice came from right next to me.
Darian!