Chapter 17
Calvin
As someone that isn’t usually thrilled by the idea of a stranger rubbing oil all over me, my muscles are in desperate need of this. I am not exaggerating when I call the couch a concrete slab. Those pillows have hardly any cushioning left, meaning my entire body is aching. I am severely lacking sleep and truthfully, I am not in any mood to be around people, but there is no escaping it.
“Oh, this is fancy,” Nikita coos as we enter the large tent that is set up on the private beach.
“Welcome, lovers!” We are ushered further inside by someone I can only describe as having descended from a spiritual alter-reality. She floats across the sand in her deep orange linen suit whimsically, moving with the breeze against her golden brown skin, her thick braided brown hair moving with it. “Join us.”
The tent is spacious, with billowing white curtains on either side that gently sway in the breeze. There are massage tables scattered throughout, spaced out enough to still allow for privacy. I feel Nikita’s hand on my arm, causing me to turn and face her, “Why does it look like we’re about to participate in some strange massage orgy?”
I gape at her, “Nikita.”
“What?” Her eyebrows raise and she gestures to the setup. “Even you can admit that this is way too intimate for so many people.”
I barely have time to register anything around us as we are ushered to pair up at a table. “Come, lovers, it’s almost time. Find yourselves a table.”
People continue to filter in as Nikita and I look at each other with a look that marries apprehension and confusion around what is coming next. Kenneth and Britney move hand-in-hand with each other across the sand. “Aren’t you guys excited?” Britney gushes, “I’ve never done this before.”
“You’ve never had a couple’s massage?” I ask, surprised. They are certainly wealthy enough to probably have a private masseuse.
She shakes her head, “Not like this.”
A couple more people move past us and when I take a step back, I connect with someone.
“Sorry, I didn’t s- Cal, hey.” Violet’s head lifts her eyes meeting mine.
“Hi.”
Before either of us can say anything further, Kenneth’s older brother, Paul stops by us, putting his hands on either side of Violet’s shoulders. “Rhode-kill, what’s up?” He glances past me, a smirk pulling on his lips as his eyes land on Nikita, “We meet again, beautiful.”
Violet nudges him as Nikita responds dryly, “Hi, Paul.”
“Thanks for leaving this one to me,” Paul says with a boastful laugh, “I’ll take good care of her.”
I am not the violent type but I have often thought about socking him in the nose. Thankfully, I don’t need to respond to him as the instructor continues to usher people in while everyone starts to get settled.
“Did that comment bother you?” Nikita asks, pulling my attention towards her. She looks up at me with sincerity. I shrug it off, ramping up the pretense to cancel out my building irritation. Between my lack of sleep, an aching body and the ridiculous conversations I am being subjected to, I am not in the mood.
“No.”
“Are you sure? Cause it seems like it did.”
I lean closer to her, “You’re bothering me.”
She clicks her tongue and leans back, putting her weight against the table, “Tell yourself whatever you need to, Rhodes. We both know that’s not true.”
Nothing bothers me more than being called out, especially by Nikita. She is usually right (not that I would admit that to her) and that’s the problem. We all have our toxic traits and this is one of mine.
“Could we just focus on getting through this?” I mutter, “All I want right now is the masseuse to use their magic powers to get the many kinks out.”
“And all I want right now is to relax and enjoy this, so you better not ruin this experience for me,” Nikita snaps, being careful to keep her voice down and expression neutral as people move around us. “Is this another mood you’re in or is this your permanent personality?
I glare at her in response.
“Let’s just pretend we’re here alone, okay?” she mutters in a hushed tone.
“Fine.”
From what I can count, there are over ten couples that scatter throughout the long tent that extends far down the beach, allowing for enough space between each couple. I look to the side, making a mental note of how far away the other table is, but quickly realize that there are not that many. I glance in the opposite direction, doing a quick count.
“What?” I mutter to myself confused.
There are ten tables, but twenty people. How the hell are we supposed to be getting a couples massage with half the amount of tables missing?
“Welcome couples, my name is Amari Lunalina, your intimacy coach for the afternoon.” The lady who ushered us in takes her place on a platform, addressing everyone through the headset mic she now has on. There is soft music coming through the speakers and the smell of vanilla-scented candles infused with the ocean breeze making its way around the tent.
“Did she just say intima-”
Nikita’s question is interrupted by Amari continuing, “We are all here this week to celebrate the love and commitment of Britney and Kenneth.” She extends her hands as she gestures towards them, her face extremely expressive. “The two of them are about to embark on a journey of forever together.” She looks around. “And what is it that makes a strong couple? What keeps two people connected?” She clasps her fingers together showing them now intertwined, “Intimacy.” Squeezing her hands together, she emphasizes the fact that they are now one. “And how do you become one?” A beat, “Physical intimacy.”
“Good God,” I hear Nikita say under her breath.
I don’t blame her reaction. In fact, I am questioning where this is headed myself.
“That’s what today’s exercises are going to be about,” Amari explains, extending her arms from her body. “We’re going to explore the deepest parts of your intimacy with your partner - your lover. You’re going to learn the perfect technique to take your partner to the most pleasurable places without having to explore their most intimate areas.”
“Yeah, I’m out.” Nikita mutters softly as she straightens up.
I grab her wrist, pulling her closer to me. “You’re not going anywhere,” I say through a fake smile.
She opens her mouth to say something, but Amari’s soothing voice comes through the speakers again, “Each couple gets one massage table and one side table filled with an array of essential oils and tools available to them.”
Both Nikita and I turn to the table we have next to us that is indeed, filled with essential oils and tools available to us. Nikita’s eyes widen. “I thought this was a couples massage,” she says in a hushed tone.
“That’s what it said,” I whisper back to her.
“Divide yourselves into A and B. One person is A, the other B. It doesn’t matter who is who.”
Nikita and I each point towards ourselves, “A!” We say in unison, her eyes narrow on me. “I’m A, you can be B.”
“Why must I be B?”
“What difference does it make?”
“What difference does it make to you?” I argue back.
She rolls her eyes, turning to dismiss me as Amari continues. I have no idea where this is going, but these clues we are being given are pointing to a situation I would much rather not be involved in.
“Once we change the music to a more relaxing playlist, person A is going to strip to their underwear a-.”
“What?” Both Nikita and I ask out loud, gaping towards Amari as a couple of laughs go around the tent. We both turn to each other, our eyes widening for a split second before we attempt to cover it up.
“Don’t worry Rhode-kill, no one will look.We don’t want to see your Superman briefs,” Kenneth’s voice booms through the tent before he laughs at his own joke, almost attempting to insist that everyone else around him should laugh too. I hate being on the receiving end of a comment from Kenneth, but I have learned ways to brush it off.
“Lovers, lovers, bring it back,” Amari jumps in, helping redirect attention, “We are not to pay attention to the other couples around us. This is all about you and your lover right now.”
“The itinerary said this was a couples massage,” I say to Amari needing some clarification.
“Oh, but it is.” She slowly glides across the sand towards where Nikita and I stand, making me regret opening my mouth at all. She takes a deep breath in around us, reaching for either one of our hands, “I can sense the connection between the two of you.”
Is she on drugs? Her so-called ‘sense’ of hers suggests she has to be.
“Give yourself over to this experience.” She pulls at our hands and gestures for us to face each other. Nikita tries to hide it but she is confused. As much as both of us want to leave, we know we have a part to play.
Fuck.
“This couples massage will bring forth a heightened intimacy between each couple as you’ll use my guided instructions to perform the massage on your lover.”
“Hm?” My brows raise as I look between Amari and Nikita, “I don’t th-”
Amari lifts a finger shaking her head, “Uh, uh, uh.” She continues to shush me while stepping into my personal space, resting her finger against my lips and not in the way one would enjoy.
Taking my hand, she brings it to Nikita’s, forcing our fingers to intertwine as we both struggle to hide our surprise. “Embrace the intimacy. Feel it in those deep parts of your body.” She turns to Nikita, resting a hand over hers before taking a deep breath in, “Breathe with me.” She lifts her head to address everyone. “Everyone follow my lead. Turn to your partner and intertwine your fingers together.”
There is movement around us as everyone follows her instructions. Nikita’s fingers connect with mine, the warmth of her skin against them. Her eyes remain firmly on Amari, her expressive reactions unable to stop anyone around us from seeing her confusion.
“Eyes on each other,” Amari instructs, “Eye contact is a big part of this and something lots of couples struggle with.”
I am forced to bring my gaze to Nikita’s hazel eyes. While they are typically more on the green side, today there are flickers of brown throughout, mixing the two colors together. I’ve never seen eyes as unique as hers on anyone else.
Amari leans closer to her, “Take a deep breath in, as deep as you can. Pull the oxygen all the way to your yoni.”
Nikita chokes, taken aback by Amari’s instruction. While this is the opposite of what I had in mind, there is something amusing in watching the way Nikita reacts to this. She is rarely caught off guard.
“Everyone, take a deep breath in!” Amari raises her voice still hovering by us, “You want to feel deep into the most intimate part of you, preparing your mind and body for the feeling of your lover’s hands on you.”
Amari lets go of our hands and drifts to the next couple, finally leaving Nikita and I to react accordingly. We keep our hands intertwined, but the look of confusion and a general what-the-actual-fuck mirror each other.
“What the hell is going on?” Nikita whispers, “This was not what I had in mind when I heard the words ‘couples massage’.”
“And you think this is what I thought it would be?” I shake my head, my own irritation rising, “I would have never agreed to something like this.”
“What are we supposed to do now?”
“And another deep breath in!” Amari’s voice comes through the speakers, forcing Nikita and I to take a breath and follow her instructions. “Really fill your lungs with as much as you can before exhaling.”
Nikita and I both take a deep breath in, but neither of us are serious about actively participating. The only problem is the pretense we need to keep up.
Nikita exhales, “This is a terrible idea.”
“Person A, it’s time to remove your outer clothing,” Amari announces, “Don’t think about the others around you. Don’t think about where we are - all you are focusing on now is your partner.”
My eyes dart around noticing how the others are jumping straight into this without hesitation. This has to be one of the strangest group activities for anyone to be involved in. Amari’s reassurance keeps coming through, but I feel anything but reassured.
“How are we going to get out of this?” Nikita asks.
“We’re not.” I shift closer to her, “Not without raising suspicion.”
The thought alone has the frustration and anxiety bubbling inside of me. This is a self-inflicted situation and I am running out of options. Glancing around us, I give the room one last look to reveal that everyone is indeed actively participating in the activity.
Paul pulls his shirt over his head sending a boastful look in my direction. Why in the world would Violet agree to have Paul as a partner?
“Come on,” Amari encourages, glancing in our direction pointing to me, “Pay no mind to anyone else, all you have to focus on is your beautiful partner right here.” She gestures to Nikita before she continues floating across the tent, pointing in my direction. “You - remove your shirt.”
She doesn’t wait for a response before she continues moving across the sand. I don’t have a choice and move to reach for the bottom of my shirt, bringing it up over my head to Nikita’s sheer horror.
“Put your shirt back on,” she hisses.
I lean closer to her, “You know I can’t do that. I’m following the instructions.”
The soothing music surrounding us is a jarring juxtaposition to what is being exchanged between us.
“I don’t want to see you shirtless.”
I suppress a smile as I drape my shirt over the end of the table. “Why? Are you afraid you’ll like what you see?”
Her eyes narrow, “There’s nothing you have to offer me that I’d enjoy.”
Without meaning to be, a part of me is intrigued by the challenge presented to me. I don’t know why, but I have this deep need to prove her wrong. “You say that now, but if you think about it, you have no idea what I’ve got to offer. You could have a good time.” My voice drops low as I step closer, suddenly consumed with the need to push her buttons. “I have a charm that you wouldn’t be able to resist.” I toss in a dash of playfulness to my tone.
Her eyes reach up to meet mine, unconvinced, “I’m more than capable of remaining immune to your so-called ‘charm’.”
The competitor in me welcomes this challenge. “Should we put that to the test?”
She rolls her eyes. I am going to need to start counting how often she does that because it has to be some kind of record. She rests her hands on her hips, looking at me like I am ridiculous for even suggesting that. “Please do.” She laughs, “You’re not nearly as irresistible as you think you are.”
“Oh, and you think you are?”
“Between the two of us?” She repeats before throwing her head back in laughter, “Rhodes, love, please, there’s no competition.” She takes a step closer, her chest brushing up against me as she lifts her chin, her eyes finding mine. “We both know that between the two of us, you would be the one to cave first.”
My eyes betray me as they drop to her lips, but I catch myself, bringing my eyes back up to hers. Nikita is a temptress, using her many charms to try and lure you in, not warning you of what could happen if you fall victim to her.
“You’re awfully confident.”
“And rightly so.” She shrugs, “You’re not even my type.”
My jaw tightens, that statement annoys me more than it should. Why do I care that I am not her type? She’s not my type. In fact, she’s the opposite of that person in every way. But I have to admit that my ego is taking a knock at her revelation. The initial intrigue I had to prove her wrong is turning into a consuming need. I will never turn down a challenge and getting a reaction out of Nikita is suddenly at the top of my to-do list.
“Person A, lie down on the table,” Amari instructs, returning me to our current reality.
Nikita jerks her head towards the bed, clicking her tongue as if she is calling a dog. “On.”
My eyebrow raises, taken aback by her brazen behavior, but a part of me finds it increasingly refreshing to be around someone who’s able to hold her own. She is an infuriating, disrespectful little thing. Someone needs to put her in her place.
“You’ve got to watch that mouth of yours.” I reach out and take her chin between my thumb and my index finger, “Now, be a good little girlfriend and give me a great massage.”
Her nostrils flare, and her eyebrow cocks up at me as she does a zipping motion across her lips, “I’ve heard enough from you.”
My lips pull into a smirk as I bring myself onto the table, twisting myself to lay on my stomach. Nikita leans closer to me, her lips hovering next to my ear, “Try not to enjoy this too much, okay?” Her voice drops lower, the seduction thickening in her tone, “Wouldn’t want you to be proven wrong.”
I turn to look at her and I can see in her eyes how much she welcomes this challenge. Like me, she never backs down, but I refuse to allow her the satisfaction of proving me wrong.
I will not cave first.
“Game on, princess.”