Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Delilah
I couldn’t breathe.
Couldn’t focus.
Couldn’t do anything.
Not when my hands were touching his skin and the entire town’s electricity grid coursed through my body.
I saw lots of clients, most of them mountain men, considering my location, but none of them produced such a visceral reaction as Banks did.
Get a grip, girl. It’s business. Massage him and move on.
His moans and groans were enough to send me out the door. I rubbed some oil onto his shoulders, my special mix for sore muscles, and his body tensed up as my fingers worked their magic.
“Just try to relax, okay?”
“I can’t.”
“Would help if I lowered the lights more? Or played some soft, calming music?”
“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.” Banks smirked with his eyes closed. When he opened them and looked in my direction, I nearly burst into flames. How did one look ignite so much feeling inside me? “I might get too relaxed, and I can’t promise I’ll be able to control myself in the dark.”
“Too relaxed? You just said you can’t relax at all.”
“How can I, with such a beautiful woman touching me?”
I chuckled politely. I didn’t like to flirt back or engage in any type of crossing the line behaviors with customers. It only set me up for failure. Business and pleasure never mixed well.
After a few more minutes of intense shoulder rubs, Banks finally relaxed, and I could deepen my touches.
“Do you use these wonderful fingers on yourself, too?”
I tilted my head to the side and stared at him, puzzled by his question. “What do you mean? Give myself massages?” I knew exactly what he meant, but two can play at this game.
“Kind of…”
I lifted my hands off his skin and placed them on my waist, a playful smile tugging at the side of my mouth. “I think this might be a bit of an inappropriate question.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Banks looked up at me from the massage table. “But I can’t help it around you.”
Heat flooded between my legs, and I squeezed my kegel muscles like I was a pro at the exercises, when really, I wanted to climb on top of this man and have my way with him.
Was his dick as big as his muscles?
How many times could I orgasm riding him?
His deep chuckle echoed around the room, and my eyes fell to his, which blazed with heat. “Whatever is running through that pretty little head of yours right now can’t be family friendly.”
I burst into laughter. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
Okay, now it really is time to set some boundaries.
“Actually, I would. So please, enlighten me.”
“Not going to happen. Actually, I think I need to end our appointment a little early.”
Banks quickly scrambled into a sitting position, pulling the blanket over his lap without missing a beat. Naturally, my eyes fell to his lap, his erection noticeable beneath the fabric. “What? Why?”
Shit, this is going to be harder than I thought. Literally.
“It’s nothing against you. I set clear boundaries with my clients, so they know what to expect. We remain on a professional level at all times, meaning no flirting, no dropping little innuendos, and certainly no dating any of my clients.”
Banks’s shoulders fell, his body looking as if he had depleted it of air. “I figured that’s what you were going to say. I’m sorry if I got a little carried away. Can we at least finish the rest of the massage? I promise, no more flirting.”
“Of course. Lie back down. I have some lotion I want to try on those sore back muscles.”
Somehow, I made it through the rest of the appointment without stripping myself naked and climbing on top of him. It was one of the most difficult things I ever had to endure, but at the risk of losing my job, the clear boundaries were worth it.
I wiped my hands on a towel as Banks sat up for the second time, this time around fully massaged from his neck down to his lower back.
He looked a lot more relaxed, despite still having an erection.
A zing of pleasure ran through me knowing I did that to him.
“Would you like to make another appointment to come back?”
Banks hesitated for a moment. “I want to. It’s just…”
“I get it. How about I recommend a few colleagues of mine? Sadie, who works here, helps a lot of the guys, and I can give you a brochure with a list of names.”
“Thanks. That’ll help.” Banks said as he got to his feet, his taut muscles on full display. He slipped on his cargo pants and his shirt and somehow, I felt as if I were witnessing a very intimate act, not just him throwing on some clothes.
“No problem. Have a good night.”
Banks finished with his sneakers and turned towards the door, his hand on the knob, before turning back towards me, an unreadable expression in his eyes. “You, too.” He said and offered me a side smile.
As soon as he walked out the door, I closed and locked it, resting my back against as I slid to the floor in a dreamlike state.
Who the hell is that man and why is he so fucking hot?
For the rest of the week, I hoped to see Banks’s name pop up on my schedule or for him to stop by, tell me if he liked the lotions, see how he was doing, but nothing.
The man gave me nothing but silence. But what did I expect? That’s what I wanted, wasn’t it?
I gave him a list of other massage therapists and sent him on his way. What the hell was he supposed to think?
I finished my shift at work, said goodbye to Lacey and Sadie, who I’d recently become closer to, and checked in with my parents and younger brother, Aiden, who still lived a few towns over.
But after scoring the job at the spa, I moved to Appleridge, renting a small cabin on the mountainside.
It was quiet and secluded and I loved it.
The past month I spent redecorating and making it feel more like a little piece of comfort waiting for me after a long day.
Tonight, I stopped at the market, picking up things to make myself a dinner of made from scratch tomato soup and grilled cheese with thick sliced bread and thick slices of cheddar cheese. The rain started on my way over, a distinct chill in the air, which called for warm, comforting foods.
“Looks nasty out there already.” Maise said as she rang out my groceries. The first day I shopped here, she introduced herself and since then we always made small talk while I checked out.
“It’s the chill in the air. Perfect night for soup.”
“I agree. Let me know how it comes out.” Maise smiled as she handed me my bag.
The rain came down hard as I walked outside, carrying my bag of groceries in my arm. I stepped off the curb and suddenly went airborne, my groceries flying in every direction as my ass hit the ground hard.
I sat there, the wetness seeping in through my pants, my knees and elbows screaming in pain, my tomatoes rolling down the sidewalk, the heavy cream busted open and leaking, in complete shock. I couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything, as reality set in. I fell on my ass.
“Oh my God, miss, are you okay?”
“Should I call for help?”
“Can you get up? Here, I’ll gather your groceries for you.”
Voices and questions floated around my head, but all I could think about was how badly my knees hurt.
“Delilah? Are you okay? Shit, what happened?”
Banks’s voice washed over me, and I froze, white hot panic filling my veins.
Banks? What the hell is he doing here?
And then I burst into tears.