***
Devon would have been lying if he had said he wasn’t nervous about working on Melanie. Something about her made him all quivery inside like no other girl had ever done. She had an endearing personality. She was pretty as all hell, but clearly insecure. Normally, he’d find that a turn-off, but, well…she was so damn pretty. It was worth it to try and make her see that.
However, trying to convince her of the fact that she was attractive wasn’t an option while she was lying naked on his massage table. There were rules in these establishments, after all, and Devon didn’t want any lawsuits on his head. Hitting on a client your first day would probably be frowned upon.
“All set?” he asked, as he tossed his clipboard onto the counter.
“All set,” she replied, though her voice sounded a little choked.
Devon took a couple of deep breaths in an attempt to center himself and get in “the zone.” It was no easy task. The outline of Melanie’s body was silhouetted through the sheet. Such beautiful curves. He couldn’t see her skin yet, though. She had brought the sheet all the way up to her neck—quite a feat when one was on their stomach. But this was the moment. He had to pull the sheet all the way down. He hated how his stomach fluttered and his hands shook. What a wuss. He had been with a fair amount of good-looking women, and he’d been studying massage for more than a year now, working on his friends and colleagues. Why did this girl make him lose all sense?
He must have taken too long because Melanie’s head popped up suddenly. “Everything okay?” she asked.
“Oh, um…yeah, fine. Sorry. Just making sure I have all my ducks in a row, you know?” He hoped Melanie couldn’t hear the nerves in his laugh.
“Sure.” She dropped her head back down into the hole. “Take your time.”
He couldn’t take anymore time. He had another client as soon as he was done with Melanie. It was time to buck up.
He moved next to her and grabbed the top of the sheet, then pulled it down, revealing her back little by little until he reached the top of her very nicely rounded bottom. Oh, God. This hour was going to be torture.
Four
As expected, the hour with Melanie was probably the worst form of torture Devon had ever known. And he’d known torture on many occasions. Like having to sit through all those Shane movies with his dad, or the opera with his mom. It was no wonder they got divorced eventually—they were as different as night and day. Dad had always resented the time he’d had to spend doing what Mom wanted to do, and visa versa. Never mind that Devon never got a say in anything, which was why he spent as little time visiting his parents as possible. He loved them, but in small doses.
Melanie, however…well, he could spend all day with her and he was sure he would enjoy every blessed minute. They didn’t talk much during the session. Actually, she fell asleep quite a few times, if her light snore was any indication. But he definitely got to know her in an intimate way, and not just physically speaking. Sure, her skin felt like silk in his hands and she was tight in all the right spots and soft in the others. It was the way she gave in to him that he liked. The way her body responded so readily to his ministrations. Obviously she’d been nervous at the start, just as he had. He couldn’t blame her, though. Lying naked on a table and letting a stranger rub you down was always a little unnerving. But within minutes, her tension began to melt away. He even saw her give a little smile while he did her neck.
That long, slender neck—
“Did you enjoy your massage?” Sophie, the front desk girl, asked.
“Oh, yes! It was great,” Melanie replied.
Devon pretended to straighten up the product shelves while Melanie took care of things at the front desk. Of course the massage was already paid for, but they were making her sign something.
“How did you want to take care of the tip?” Sophie asked her.
“Oh, um…right.” Melanie’s brow creased and she turned a horrible shade of purple. “Well, the thing is…actually, can I come back with that? I—”
“Hey, Sophie,” Devon called, desperate to put Melanie out of her misery. “No tip necessary on this one.”
Melanie seemed torn between relief and mortification. “Oh, God. No, that’s not right. I have to tip you,” she said. “I just have to get some cash from my friends. It’s fine.”
Devon smiled at her. She was adorable. He wished he could tell her who he was, that money didn’t mean a thing to him and that the ten dollars or so wasn’t going to make or break him. But obviously he couldn’t.
“Honestly, it’s fine,” he said, trying to reassure her with a kind smile. “Now go have some fun.”
Her face twisted into something akin to gratitude before it turned into a sheepish smile. “Okay,” she finally said. “Thanks again. It was…really great.”
Melanie walked out the door and took Devon’s heart with her. He wanted to ask her out, take her to dinner, or even just for a walk on the lido deck.
“That was nice of you,” Sophie said, breaking into his thoughts.
Devon just shrugged, still trying to figure out how he could ask her out on a date without sending another note to her room.
“You didn’t try to sell her any product, though. You know Eugenia’s going to be pissed. That’s your main job.”
“My main job is to help people relax, Sophie,” he said, hoping she wasn’t going to grill him every time he failed to push product on his customers. “I’m not going to ruin their experience by turning into a used car salesman.”
“So you think you’re above the law, I see.”
Devon looked at her, expecting to see censure in her eyes, but instead he detected admiration. Great. Just what he needed. His co-worker mooning over him for the next three months.
Looking for an escape and a reason to chase Melanie down, he reached into his pocket and procured a hair clip. He had actually found it on the deck earlier that morning, but he didn’t want anyone to step on it, so he’d pocketed it. Now it would serve as his escape clause.
“Oh, man. That girl left her hair thingy,” he said, trying to sound believable. “I’ll be right back.”
He didn’t give Sophie a chance to stop him, he just barreled through the door to the outside and broke into a jog. She couldn’t have gotten far.