Page 84 of Hyde and Seek

I bit back my laughter at her unexpected silliness, not wishing to disturb the tranquil setting.

“If you’ll follow me, we’ll get things started.” She led me to dressing rooms that were larger than my bedroom. “This room will be for you during your time at Serenity. When Mr. Hyde scheduled your visit, we asked a variety of questions in order to plan the best experience for you. If there is anything that doesn’t work for you, please let us know and we will tweak things accordingly.”

“I’m sure that won’t be an issue.” I doubted there was much he didn’t know.

“Jake said that you normally wax,” Alicia said nonchalantly, confirming my internal thoughts. “He wasn’t sure if you would need that at this time, but we like to start with the most unpleasant thing and move on from there.”

My hand began to move towards my eyebrows before the look on her face clued me in that I was heading in the wrong direction. “Um, yes, I actually could use that.”

“Perfect. There are robes in the armoire to change into and I’ll be waiting out here when you’re done.”

I walked in and closed the door behind me. Setting my purse down, I opened the dresser and pulled out the lushest robe I’d ever felt. Lifting it to my face, I breathed in the same citrus and vanilla scent that lingered in the air.

Hurriedly, I undressed and pulled it on.

I opened the door and Alicia walked me to another room to be waxed. Whenthatwas done, she returned to guide me into a different area for a facial and body scrub.

My skin felt and smelled awesome, and I kept trying to inconspicuously sniff my arm.

When Alicia returned, there was a smile playing at her mouth. “Miss Skye, if you’ll please follow me, it’s time for your massage. You have a choice between a male or female masseur. I promised Mr. Hyde I would inform you that he would greatly, and I must put the emphasis on how greatly, prefer you chose the female. However, the choice is yours.”

“Female, please,” I said through my laughter, picking what would have been my choice anyway.

“That’s probably a wise choice.” Her small smile grew wider. “Jake’s a good boy, but if he’s like Gregory was with Sarah, well… let’s just say I like my staff without broken fingers.”

“You know Jake’s family?”

“Yes, we went to school together. Though, as you can see,” she said, gesturing around her, “I wasn’t made to be a lawyer. Instead, I opened Serenity and Ella’s.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you owned Ella’s! I had a hard time not staring at my dress all night.”

Try as I might to deny it, I was secretly freakin’thrilledto hear that the owner of Ella’s hadn’t been an old hookup of Jake’s.

His past was his past, but that didn’t mean I wanted to buy a dress from it.

“That dress is a favorite of mine, I’m glad you picked it. Don’t you just love the way it moves?”

“It changes the whole dress. It’s kinda miraculous.”

“Yes, it is,” she agreed as we reached a new room. “Enjoy.”

After a peaceful massage that left my body feeling so loose I was afraid I’d fall asleep, I got redressed for my time in the salon.

My fingers and toes were painted an iridescent violet. When they were done, I shuffled over in my foam flip flops to meet the stylist, Jonathon.

“Mr. Hyde had a request, but he said it’s up to you. I, on the other hand, am saying that the choice isnotup to you, and we’re just doing what he said. ‘Cause, sweetheart, your man might be fine with a capital ‘Fuck Yeah’, but he’s also scary as a broken condom on prom night.”

“Understood.”

“So no up-dos.”

I lowered my brows. “Really?”

“I said the same thing. You’re going to a formal event, an up-do would be fitting.”

“I have no clue—”

“Oh, and no product that would make your hair stiff. He said something about being able to put fingers through it easily,” Jonathan said with an exaggerated eyebrow wiggle.

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