“That would be nice,” I agreed. “Actually, I’m thinking that it would be nice to have an assistant. I'm trying to fill out some of the shop's paperwork right now, and you know me. I don't have much of a head for business. I know enough to get by, but it's so painful trying to fill out these forms and pretend like I know what I'm doing.”
“You do know what you're doing,” Mina said encouragingly. “Or at least, you're the one I always turn to when I need to fill out shop paperwork!”
I laughed. “We're quite the pair, aren't we?”
“I guess I'd better get back to my shop, and let you get back to the paperwork!” Mina said. “I'm sure it'll all be done soon.”
“See you later,” I said.
Mina gave a little wave and left. Not two minutes later, the phone started ringing, and I groaned. The paperwork was never going to get done before my first appointment for the day. Still, I picked up the phone, giving a cheerful hello.
“Hi, Gretchen, this is Cindy from over at the Golden Palm Resort. We have a guest here who was looking to make an appointment for a massage this afternoon, and I was wondering if you have any availability in your schedule.”
“Hi, Cindy; that shouldn't be a problem. I have an opening for either a one- or two-hour massage from 1 to 3 p.m. or time for a one-hour massage after 4 p.m.; which would they prefer?”
“Let me ask,” Cindy said. I could hear her conferring in muffled tones with the customer. Then, she came back on the line. “He'd like to do a two-hour massage at one o'clock.”
“Great, I'll pencil him in. What's his full name?”
“Christian Wall.”
“Excellent. I'll be waiting for him. I'm assuming you can give him directions to find me?”
“Of course.” She lowered her voice. “But can I just say, you don't sound very excited.”
I frowned, wondering what she expected. Did she think I'd never given a massage to a guy before or something? “I assure you, Cindy, I'm excited about all of my customers, new and returning,” I said.
“All right,” Cindy said, not sounding convinced.
“My first client has just walked in the door, so you'll have to excuse me,” I said. “But you can tell Mr. Wall that I'm looking forward to seeing him this afternoon.”
That afternoon, I hurriedly finished up the paperwork just before Christian came into the shop. Finally, I thought. God, I hated paperwork.
I looked up as the bells chimed over the door, and my breath caught in my throat. Man, oh man, was he gorgeous. He had dark hair that he had styled into a swept back, messy do. He was muscular, and he had tattoos swirling down his right arm. And those hazel eyes… I swallowed hard.
But the thing of it was, he no doubt knew that he was gorgeous, and he probably had an ego the size of the planet. I couldn't stand guys with huge egos. Anyway, at the moment, he was just another customer.
“Hi, and welcome to Paradise Massage,” I said. “I'm Gretchen, and I'll be your masseuse today.”
The guy gave me a once-over, and I could practically see the gears turning in his head. Yeah, he probably thought I was just dying to drop my panties for him. He could think again.
“I don't do happy-ending massages,” I warned him before he could even get something like that in his mind.
He blinked at me for a moment and then burst out laughing. “Oh shit,” he said. “Sorry, I didn't mean to be that obvious about it. Just, you're pretty hot, and I've probably just got this whole thing off on the wrong foot.”
“Here's your robe,” I told him frostily, holding out the garment. “If you want to go change in the room there, I'll be in in a moment to get started.”
The man grimaced. “Do I have to wear these?” he asked. “I always find it's better to get a massage without clothes in the way.” I frowned at him, wondering just where he got off. But he held up both hands. “That's not a come-on, I just actually feel that way,” he said defensively. “And I have a lot of tension that needs to be worked out, so I want the best.”
I sighed and finally relented. It wasn't as though he was some old pervert asking if I'd give him a naked massage, after all. And I was kind of curious to see what those abs looked like without a shirt in the way. “Fine,” I said. “But don't tell anyone that I do this, okay? I keep a pretty upscale clientele, and I don't need anyone getting uncomfortable or thinking that I do more than I do, okay?”
“My lips are sealed,” Christian said. “I hope it goes without saying, but you won't tell anyone about this either, will you?”
“Who would I tell?” I asked, baffled. “Unless your girlfriend or someone is going to come in here tomorrow and ask about this, no, this goes no further than between us.”
Christian snorted. “I don't have a girlfriend,” he said.
“I don't have a boyfriend either,” I said. Then, I bit my lip. Jesus, why had I said that? He so didn't need to know that. And he didn't need another reason to hit on me.