I’d never even been naked in front of Charles before, but thankfully he was a gentleman about the whole thing. He turned his back to me and promised not to look until I told him it was okay. Still, I tore off my clothes and yanked on that thick robe with record speed. The unfamiliar garment seemed to swallow me whole, but at least it was comfortable against my bare skin.
“You can turn around now,” I called sheepishly. In fact, I felt like a sheep, too, as I stood swaddled in that overly fluffy cotton robe.
And if I was a sheep, then Charles was definitely that cartoon wolf, sizing me up. He let out a low whistle and remarked, “You look extra cuddle-able right about now.” Closing the short distance between us, he then wrapped his arms around me and swayed to the meditation music in a ridiculously misguided romantic gesture.
“I’m naked under here,” I whispered, embarrassment setting in.
He just laughed and continued to dance with me until a soft knock sounded on the door.
“Come in,” Charles called as I clutched my robe even more tightly.
Stone had returned with the front desk attendant in tow. “This is my colleague, Harmony. We’ll be massaging you together. Please make yourselves comfortable.”
Charles widened his eyes playfully and rubbed his hands together, then made his way to the first of the leather massage tables, slowly lowering himself and lining his face up perfectly with the hole at the top.
“Now you, Angela,” Harmony coaxed. Her voice sounded different than it had upfront. Perhaps it was the different acoustics, or maybe she truly had a different voice for working the front desk versus working on a client. Whatever the case, it seemed mighty weird to me.
Apparently sensing my discomfort, Charles reached out and touched my arm as I passed. He was such a good boyfriend, and so much more cultured than me.
I took in a deep breath, vowing to give this whole experience a fair chance before deciding it wasn’t for me. After shooting quick smiles to Stone and Harmony, I at last positioned myself on the table—far less gracefully than Charles had, but at least the deed was done.
“Lavender for relaxation,” Harmony said, spraying something all around the room.
“Our own proprietary blend,” Stone added fondly.
The two took turns speaking to us in quiet, even-tempered voices. Their words blended together perfectly, and I imagined this whole opener had been rehearsed many times to get it just right.
When they had finished, Harmony placed a soft, warm hand on my neck and began to tug gently on my robe.
My heart sped to an uneven gallop. Weren’t massages supposed to be calming? Because my anxiety had officially been kicked into overdrive here. “Can I keep the robe on?” I mumbled, hoping it was loud enough for her to hear me.
“No,” she said in a voice that brooked no argument, lowering the robe farther and farther until at last she stopped at my hips.
“It’s okay, Ange,” Charles said from beside me. “It’s normal to be nervous the first time. Just keep talking until you relax.”
The first time? Had Charles done this before? Had he done it with his ex, Breanne? Yuck, I sure hoped not.
Still, by the time my masseuse had begun to rub oil into my upper back, I’d decided to take Charles’s advice. At least talking would make the time go by a bit faster.
“Nice place you’ve got here,” I mused. “Of course, I can only see the floor right now, but the stuff I saw when coming inside was nice, too. Haha.”
“Relax,” Harmony cooed, sweeping her hands gently along my spine. “Relax.”
That did not help me relax.
“So, you guys are new around here? Right? What made you decide to set up shop in Dewdrop Springs? And why is it called Serenity? And are your names really Harmony and Stone?”
“Relax,” Harmony said again, a sharp edge working its way into her previously calm voice. What would happen if I didn’t relax? Would they call the whole thing off? I didn’t want to do that to Charles, especially knowing how hard he worked as the only partner at Glendale’s most infamous law firm.
“Sorry, I’m just nervous.” I took several slow, shaky breaths, trying to match my breathing to Harmony’s, hoping that’s what would ultimately help me get into the right headspace for this experience.
“You’ll enjoy our work more if you let your tension go,” Stone suggested rather unhelpfully.
“This is her first time,” Charles explained. “Can we all just talk a little to help her ease in?”
“We won’t be going over the allotted appointment time,” Harmony warned. Each time she spoke, her voice lost some of that ethereal quality. I wouldn’t be surprised if she worked her way up to screaming at me before long.
“We don’t need to,” Charles was quick to respond. “But she’s not going to have a good experience if we don’t help her relax.”
“Fine,” Harmony spat while Stone just chuckled good-naturedly. Of course, I got the ice queen masseur, but I suppose it was better than having the unknown man’s hands all over me while I lay there exposed and helpless.
“We’re called Serenity because that’s the aura we try to create for all who pass through our doors,” Stone said.
“What about Trish?” I asked, unable to help myself as I thought back to the startling encounter with the lithe blonde. “She didn’t seem very serene when she ran out of here in a hurry.”
“We don’t discuss other clients,” Harmony said, giving me a little pinch as she did.
“Clients? Was she here to get a massage?” I asked innocently.
“Yes,” Stone answered definitively. “Yes, she was. And don’t worry about her. Her experience definitely wasn’t typical. She at least left us with less stress than she brought in with her.”
Harmony let out a frustrated groan but said nothing more.
“Why is she so stressed?” I asked.
Although I certainly hadn’t expected an answer, Stone provided one anyway. “Because the city cut funding to the animal shelter, and they’re having a rough time over there.”
“Stone,” Harmony hissed. “Remember our code of ethics, please!”
Everyone fell silent for a few minutes.
“Hey,” Stone said, forgetting to use his soothing meditation voice. Rather than sounding irritated though, he came across more like a friend. “You know what helps me when I’m feeling nervous? I like to list all the things I’m grateful for. Let’s all take turns as we focus on the positives in our life. I’ll go first. I’m grateful for being able to do what I love for a living.”
“Me, too,” Charles piped up.
“Me, too,” I said. “Well, sort of. I haven’t been doing much of it lately, but—”
“No explanations,” Harmony snapped. “Just state your thought, release it, and move on.”
“Fine,” I snapped back. “Then I guess I’m grateful for my cat.”
But was I grateful for this experience? Certainly not.
Maybe next time Charles would let me plan date night.
Chapter Ten
“Did you enjoy your massage?” Charles asked after Harmony and Stone left us to change out of our spa robes and back into our street clothes.
“Yes,” I said definitively, hoping that he would believe me. I appreciated the gesture but didn’t find the actual act of getting touched all over by a stranger very relaxing at all. I’d much rather pet Octo-Cat or Paisley until all my troubles melted away. Or get in a few snuggles with my boyfriend. Or go on a sugar binge with Nan.
Basically anything other than being poked and prodded by an angry person fake-named Harmony.
“You’re such a bad liar,” Charles said with a chuckle. “And even though I couldn’t see you, I could still tell your wheels were spinning that whole time. You were thinking about the shelter. Weren’t you?”
Okay, he knew me eerily well, but I guess that was just part of his charm. “Don’t you think it’s weird that city hall would cut the shelter’s funding when it’s already struggling?”