Chapter 2
2
A fter knocking on the door to verify my client was ready, I slipped back into the room as quietly—and professionally— as I could. I’d been working at Serenity for two years and had massaged hundreds of people in that time, so my processes were like a ritual at this stage. I placed the clipboard down on my little counter and washed my hands thoroughly, usually while making casual small talk to help my client feel comfortable.
This time, though, I needed to silently bully myself into speaking at all.
“So, uh, did you have any problem areas you wanted me to work on, Mr. Jones?” I switched to his surname in an effort to stop the urge to flirt.
He gave a rumbling laugh from the table. “Call me Heath, Ash. You don’t mind if I call you Ash, do you?”
Fuck me . His voice was going to haunt my dreams later, I just knew it. I had a thing for deep voices, which played into my audiobook obsession.
“Sure,” I murmured. “So…problem areas?” I prepped my oils as I spoke.
“Yeah, my left shoulder,” he replied in that sexy low voice. “Old rotator cuff injury that gets really stiff in this cold weather.”
I nodded to myself, making mental notes and assessing his muscular back with more critical eyes. “Okay, I can help with that. Anything else?”
“Just the usual. Stress tension mostly.”
I gave a short laugh without really meaning to do it out loud, then caught myself. Unprofessional, Ash.
“Uh, did you just laugh at me?” Heath asked, lifting his face from the table and squinting at me.
My cheeks instantly flamed. “Sorry. That was rude.”
He made a small grunt and dropped his face back into the table hole, allowing me to breathe again. “Let me guess, you’re wondering why a guy like me has anything to be stressed about?”
I turned to my oils and selected the lavender-heavy relax scent to coat my palms. Rather than responding and putting my foot further down my throat, I went through the motions of starting his treatment.
It always took me a few passes over someone’s back muscles to get the lay of the land, so to speak. It was painfully obvious how tense he was from those first strokes.
“Try to relax,” I murmured, frowning at how his body tightened further as if in deliberate defiance of my order. I stifled a frustrated sigh and resigned myself to simply trying my best. It sucked trying to massage someone who was tense and uncomfortable, but it could be done.
To my relief, though, within a few minutes, the tightness started to melt away and his breathing deepened with that perfect level of almost-sleep. My favorite state for clients to be in while I worked.
For the next hour, I worked in total silence as the soothing music of flutes and rain filled the room, mixing perfectly with Heath’s deep, even breathing and occasional groans. He woke up when I worked on his shoulder injury—he hadn’t been joking about how tight that was—but then immediately slipped back into relaxed dozing when I shifted to his other side.
At the end of his time, I was almost sad to see him go. Weird, considering we really hadn’t interacted more than I did with any client.
“Okay, Heath, our time is up,” I said softly, not wanting to wake him too abruptly. “How do you feel?”
He gave a low groan, his shoulders flexing as he raised his face. “Holy shit,” he mumbled. “That was really good, Ash.”
I smiled, pleased with that reaction. “Okay, well, I’ll leave you to dress. Take your time and I’ll meet you out front.”
“Wait.” He reached out, grabbing my wrist before I could move away.
Words fled my brain as I glanced down to where his long fingers circled my wrist, tight but not painful. A spark of fear ignited in my chest, but I quickly reminded myself that we had security within screaming distance.
“There was actually another area I wanted you to pay attention to.” Not letting go of my wrist, he twisted on the table to sit up. The sheet draped across his lap like a fucking joke, doing absolutely nothing to hide the enormous erection he’d been lying on.
My mouth went dry. Despite the not uncommon misconception about our evening massage services, it was the first time I’d been propositioned. Meg had warned me, of course, but this…this was a first for me.
“I think you’re confused, Heath,” I suggested as calmly as I could, hating the way my voice trembled. “This isn’t that sort of massage. And our time is up. So, if you don’t mind…”
He didn’t seem deterred in the least, his lush lips tilting in a smile like I was flirting with him. “Come on, Ash…help me out here. After the way you just touched every other inch of me…”
I shook my head, panicked and embarrassed as hell. “You’re mistaken ,” I said firmly as I jerked my wrist out of his grip. “If you’re looking for a happy ending, I recommend checking out Jolly Roger’s down the street.”
He laughed, a rich sound which told me he knew I was suggesting a seedy male-only strip club with lots of extra services on the menu. “That’s not the kind of attention I’m seeking, Ash.”
I bit my lip, backing away from his enticing stare. Of course I’d noticed he was naked while massaging him, but again, that wasn’t uncommon. Loads of clients took their underwear off and it was nothing sinister. Hell, even I preferred to take my panties off for a massage.
“Six,” he said, while my mind whirled. Why was I still in the room? He wasn’t holding me there and the door was at my back—I could leave anytime I wanted.
I frowned my confusion. “Six…what?”
That sexy smile curved his lips again and he lazily stood from the table, holding the sheet loosely bunched around his waist—thank fuck—and not discarded completely.
Somehow I found myself frozen to the spot, watching as he crossed to the neat stack of his belongings and pulled out a checkbook. What was he, sixty-five? Who the fuck used checks these days?
“What are you doing?” I asked, bewildered, as he scribbled on a check, then ripped it out.
He tossed the book back on his pile of clothes then crossed the small space to where I stood like a fucking statue near the door.
“Six thousand,” he informed me, showing me the check written out to cash and signed in an elegant signature.
“What?” I squeaked, too stunned to make more coherent words. Six thousand would cover the repairs for my car and then leave two hundred to put against my student loans. It was also an insane amount of money, even if I were a professional sex worker. Wasn’t it?
Heath’s flirty smile was back, his dark eyes dancing with heat. “Six thousand dollars for an extra ten minutes of your time and… special attention . What do you say?”
My lips parted, but I was still too shocked to come up with any snappy comebacks or firm refusals. Was it because he was so fucking sexy that I was struggling to leave the room? Or because of the money? Maybe both.
I needed to snap the hell out of it, because that was not the line of work I was in.
“I’m flattered, believe me. But that is not the service we offer here at Serenity, and just engaging in this conversation could see me fired. I need this job, Heath, so if you don’t mind?—”
“No one needs to know, Ash,” he said, cutting me off, tilting his head to the side as he studied my face. “Your boss won’t ever know what happens in these rooms, right? Unless you tell her, it’s just between you and me.”
He was right. And it was so much money . If we’d met in a bar, I’d have happily given him a happy ending for free, probably would have begged for it. But we didn’t and I couldn’t, so I shook my head.
“Regardless of who knows what happens in these rooms, it’s not happening. Thank you, I’m very flattered. But it’s a no , Heath. I should go, so you can dress.” And yet…I didn’t move.
He stared at me for a moment, his brow dipped in a slight frown like he was trying to decide if I was bluffing. I held eye contact firmly, refusing to look down for even the slightest glance. As badly as I wanted that money, I wasn’t willing to compromise my morals.
“Are you sure?” he asked, sounding confused. “I thought we had a spark.”
Fucking hell . “We did. But I’m sure. That’s not a service I offer.”
His lips curled up again, in that sexy smirk that was damn near winning me over. “Huh. I’m a little surprised, to be honest. Should I be offended?”
My brows shot up with outrage. “If anyone should be offended here, it’s me. I’m going to leave now, and you can get dressed.”
He nodded thoughtfully, then folded the check with his fingers and tucked it into my breast pocket. Somehow he even managed to brush my nipple as he did so, and my thighs clenched.
“What are you doing?” I asked, breathless. Shit. My resolve was crumbling like a sandcastle.
His answering smile was pure sex. “Keep it.”
I shook my head slowly. “Heath, I’m not?—”
“I know. But keep it anyway. Call it a tip for unkinking my bad shoulder.” He grinned, leaning back slightly as if silently reassuring me that he wasn’t going to force anything more. It was oddly comforting despite the thick haze of confusion.
I wet my lips, still unable to tear my eyes from his dark gaze. “I can’t accept that, Heath. It’s way too much and my boss will immediately think something illegal happened in here.”
He chuckled. “So don’t show her. I won’t tell if you don’t, Ash.”
Tempting. So very fucking tempting. It would solve my car problem, and really…why the hell should I be struggling to make ends meet because some asshole keyed my car? That wasn’t my fault, so why was I bearing the cost of repairs? Heath was telling me to keep the money without needing to suck his cock for it, so why was I protesting?
Like he said, no one else ever needed to know. The check was written out to cash and chances were it would bounce, so this argument would be null.
With that thought, I sighed. “Fine. I’ll keep it.”
He laughed again, a more genuine sound that struck a chord within me. “Don’t sound so thrilled, Ash. I’m sure you meant to say thank you, Heath .”
Christ, where were my manners? My face flamed again . “Sorry. Yes, that is what I meant. Thank you. You have no idea what a difference this makes.”
He gave a small shrug, and the sheet slipped. Shit. I was staring at that lower abdomen V where his cut muscles tapered into?—
“If you want, I’d accept a kiss,” he suggested playfully.
Somehow, I knew he wouldn’t force me to do anything without consent but shit , for six grand? As hot as the sparks between us were? Fuck it. I rose up on my toes and grabbed his face, dragging him down to my level and crushing my lips against his.
The grunt of surprise that he released said it all. He did not expect that, and it only made me want to kiss him more. A split second later, he was kissing me back with a ferocity that set my panties on fire and nearly made me forget I was at work…kissing a client . A naked, very turned-on client who had just pinned me to the door and put his hands on my ass.
Oh god, I needed to stop before things got out of control. More out of control.
With mammoth effort, I planted my hands on his broad chest and shoved him back a step.
Heath stared at me, bewildered, gasping, and flushed with arousal. Exactly how I felt too.
“Thank you, Heath,” I whispered, licking my lips. Then as quickly as possible, I opened the door at my back and slipped out into the hall before I could do something even more stupid. Like fuck him.
Wracked with guilt, I hurried my ass down the hallway to the staff locker room and immediately splashed cold water on my face. The check in my pocket felt like a block of lead so I stashed it in my purse with shaking hands, knowing there was no way in hell I could show Meg.
I skipped the usual procedure of farewelling my client, knowing full well I wouldn’t be able to maintain composure. Not after that kiss…
Ugh, I was being ridiculous. The check would never clear. It was just a ploy for a free blow job that he could laugh about with his friends later.
With that in mind, I tidied my hair and returned to my room to prepare for my next client.