Nausea curled in my stomach. Not because I believed her, but because the look in her eyes was certifiable. I knew her brand of crazy. She was going to make trouble. Luke wouldn’t touch the skank with a ten-foot pole.
“Let go of me, please.” I yanked my arm from her grip, her nails leaving dents in my skin. “Luke and I are just friends. I’m running the marathon on Monday, and he was treating me during training.”
“That doesn’t explain his tongue down your throat. I just didn’t realize that I was one of many with him.” She turned and looked in the mirror, batting her eyelashes. “I knew the spa was full service, but I thought Luke was discreet about the extras he gave out.” The chick wore an evil grin plastered on her clown face.
“Did you have to pay extra for his mouth services? He gave me a discount since I’m a regular there.” She just kept talking in a hushed tone so no one else could hear her, trying to get a rise out of me. Sadly, the more she talked, the more uncertain I became. “And that tattoo? That flower is sexy as sin on him. He took off his shirt one day so that we were on fair playing ground.” Oh God, how the hell did she know about that? It wasn’t visible when he had a shirt on. “He let me oil up my hands and rub them all over his abs.”
Bile rose up my throat.
“Tiffany, an esthetician that works there, said Luke had this girlfriend recently who busted into his treatment room while Luke was all over a married woman under the sheets. She dumped his cheating ass.”
I just wanted her to shut the fuck up.
“You’re a liar who couldn’t stand that Luke rejected you. Get a life, and shut that nasty big mouth of yours.” I couldn’t let her continue. I hated the tiny bit of doubt she placed in my head. He said I was the first. But was I, really?
I picked up my clutch and left. She was vile, and I didn’t want her in my headspace. After my altercation with the lying tramp, I took a few minutes, gathered myself, and returned to where Luke was talking to a few friends, my head held high. I refused to bring Theresa up at the gala or start drama in the middle of an event and cause a scene. We would talk about it in the car or at home. Until then, my big girl panties were up, and a smile plastered on my face.
When I reached Luke, I slid my arm around his waist, snuggling right up to him. He looked down at me and brushed his lips across my forehead before returning his attention to his friends.
The rest of the night flowed with great conversation and more slow dances where he held me tight. Though I hated the conversation we would have later, I had to put my doubts to rest where they belonged. Luke also needed to know the trouble that girl could stir up for him and the spa.
*****
Luke
One great thing about being a massage therapist was having the ability to read someone else’s body language. For the first half of the evening, Alexa’s body was relaxed, and carried no stress or worries. She smiled easily and enjoyed herself…
Until she returned from the bathroom. After then, her shoulders were raised and tense, her smiles a bit more forced, and her laughter harder to come by. If I didn’t know her body as well as I did, I wouldn’t have picked up on these simple cues. But I knew every muscle, memorized them with each session. Something happened during that bathroom visit. The only thing I thought it could be was Theresa. That girl’s elevator didn’t go to the top floor. I knew it before, but I was more convinced after her behavior at the gala. She stared at me the entire evening, and when I caught her, she gave me a catty grin. Every time I stepped away from Alexa, Theresa was at my side, making mindless, stupid conversation, and touching me one time too many. Personal space was not a concept she understood. I lost my patience, but there were too many people around to be as direct as I wanted to be.
The night was winding down with guests trickling out of the ballroom. The early fundraising total was close to three million dollars. But not every cent was counted yet, so that number would be even higher in the end. The money would help those affected by the bombing.
“You ready to go? I’m ready to have you all to myself,” I said, looking down at her face, trying to read her mood.
“Yeah, tiger, I’m ready to get out of these shoes. My feet are killing me.” A little twinkle appeared in her eyes, which I took as a good sign.
“I’ll take care of those once we get to my place.”
“Oh, we’re going back to your place, are we?”
Her teasing eased some of my worries about her earlier mood change. If she was pissed at me, she wouldn’t tease me. She would be throwing attitude around now that no one was in earshot.
“How presumptuous of me. Alexa, I would really like to bring you to my house, strip you out of your sexy dress, slide one of my t-shirts over your beautiful body, and rub your feet until you cry out my name. Then I want to carry you to bed and tuck you in next to me so I can wake up to the most beautiful view in the whole city. What do you think?” I felt a shiver slide over her whole body at my words.
“I think that would work for me, but we do need to chat first.” She smiled at me as she grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze.
“Fair enough. I’ve been dying to know what’s been on your mind for the last few hours. Let’s get our car. We can cuddle up on my couch and talk.”
We walked out into the chilly night to wait for the car to reach us. The heaters above the doors were on, but I rested my coat, which dwarfed her small body, over her shoulders.
Our car finally arrived at the front after waiting in the limo line. We climbed in and quietly travelled the ten-minute drive home. Michael Bublé played softly in the background as I brought her body to mine, soaking in the feel of it. I hoped whatever we needed to talk about was easily fixed, and we would be able to move past it.
Chapter Twenty-four
Luke
My hopes of getting Alexa in less clothing as soon as we returned home were dashed when she curled up on the couch under my favorite blanket. Her shoes laid by the door where she shed them the second we crossed the threshold.
“Do you want anything before I sit down?” I asked, hoping to stall for more time.
“No, I’m good. Let’s have this out so we can carry on with your plans for the rest of our night.”
I sat on the opposite end of the couch from her, angled my body to face her, and placed her feet in my lap so I could rub them. Touching her was vital to me, and I knew she would never refuse a foot massage after four hours in heels.
“So, tell me what’s in that pretty head of yours. What happened in the bathroom?” I asked.
“That girl Theresa happened. She followed me to start shit. Unfortunately, she remembered me from the other day with you at the Zen room. I had smacked into her a few weeks ago when I was leaving, not knowing who she was. She was right behind me when I turned around after talking to Jess. She heard your sister ask me how my session with you went. So, when she saw us together tonight, she realized we were more than client and therapist.” Alexa took a deep breath, gearing herself to tell the rest of the story. “She said you always provide ‘happy endings’ to clients for a fee, and you don’t charge her as much since she is a regular at the spa.”
Fuck, this was worse than I thought. Danny was going to flip his lid.
“She wouldn’t shut up. She kept going on about how an ex-girlfriend of yours walked into the treatment room while you were being inappropriate with a married woman. Said I wasn’t the first client you’ve dated.”
Alexa’s voice started to quiver, and I began to freak out that she believed the lies.
“Lex, babe, you know she’s lying, don’t you? I would never touch her in a million years. I’ve never been with any of my clients, for that matter. I swear you are my first. You can ask anyone. They’ll tell you.” I paused to make sure I was being as clear as possible. Alexa needed to believe me. “As for my exes, they all had issues with my job. None of them could handle that I touched other women for a living, but I was never unfaithful to any of them. Never. And yes, my ex Jennie did interrupt a session with a client, but my hands were not under the sheets where they didn’t belong. And how the hell did she even know that piece of info?” I felt panic pulsing through my veins. I could not lose Alexa over this.