Page 22 of The Last Affair
Still, all Desta could do was smile. “Yeah, that’s okay with me.”
“This is gonna feel so good.” There wasn’t much that didn’t feel good where Des was concerned.
“I take it you’re used to getting massages.” She was sitting on the bench beside him, her body covered by the plush white robe they’d each been handed five minutes after walking into the spa area. It was midafternoon on Sunday, and they’d signed up for the Relax and Relate session.
There were two other couples sitting in chairs across the room. The guy carrying a clipboard who seemed to be in charge of the schedule had just left the waiting area with another couple.
“I used to have a monthly in-home appointment.” Maurice paused a moment recalling Hannah, the masseuse who’d turned into a date that went disastrously wrong. The memory made him frown. “But it’s been a while.”
“Did she quit or did you fire her for the new flavor of the month?” Normally, coming from Des, that question would’ve been presented as a joking jab or just a flippant remark, but the way her face paled before she glanced away implied she was feeling something different today.
Which made sense, because he wasn’t feeling his normal nonchalance, either. Instead, he was sure his cheeks had heated at her words in what he could only describe as embarrassment. Did Des really see him as a callous philanderer? It appeared that way, considering her question. The thought made him feel like crap. That wasn’t the impression he wanted her to have, and he wasn’t ready to explore why the hell it mattered at all.
“Oh hey, y’all!” Looking toward the door he saw Kelli walk in, Travis right behind her. “You guys sure do sneak out of a room fast. We couldn’t find you at all last night after the movie. We wanted to have nightcaps and discuss the show. But I guess you two had better things to do.” She giggled.
Yes, giggled like a teenager before looking over her shoulder at Travis, who did not giggle. Thankfully. The guy did, however, look at Maurice with a nod and partial smile for a greeting.
“So you decided to do the Relax and Relate, too.” Des’s voice was less than enthusiastic, and he knew why.
After sleeping in this morning—his idea, not hers—they’d decided to once again go off script of the retreat’s agenda. They’d opted for breakfast in her room and had then headed out to visit some of the souvenir shops in the quaint little ski town. Considering all the other Dear Lover workshops and exercises, they’d assumed the couples’ massage session might be the least attended one. In any case, it didn’t seem like something the gregarious Kelli and Travis would consider doing.
“Of course,” Kelli said, happily taking a seat on Des’s other side. That made Des move over, closer to him.
He didn’t mind, but since Travis was also going to try and squeeze onto the bench with them, Maurice scooted down until one side of him was at the edge and the other was pressed against Des. Her hair smelled like vanilla ice cream. It was the oil he’d watched her squeeze out of a small bottle and rub into the center of her palms before smoothing over her thick bouncy curls this morning.
“We’re trying to take advantage of everything we can this weekend and figured we’d squeeze in the massage, too. This morning’s sessions were a little physical.” Kelli nudged Travis.
He looked slightly uncomfortable at the implied meaning behind her words, but he smiled and nodded again.
“What did you two do this morning? I didn’t see you in any of the sessions. What are you doing after this one? We’re going to the Sweet Talk Tasting because I hear they’re having a dessert bar, in addition to the open bar.” This time Des was the one Kelli nudged. “Nothing like free drinks, right?”
“You plan on drinking at three in the afternoon?” Des asked her.
Kelli waved a hand, shaking her head so the ponytail she wore bopped back and forth. “Girl, please. It’s five o’clock somewhere, and I did say free.”
Clipboard Guy came from the back and called the next names on his list. Maurice hoped they were next because Des wasn’t going to last very long sitting with Kelli. He’d had a hard time trying to figure out why Des had given the woman her number in the first place. Kelli was the exact opposite of the type of person Des would normally tolerate.
“We’re probably not going to attend that session,” Des told Kelli. “We were thinking about maybe doing a little more sightseeing and then going out to dinner.”
That was partially their plan. What they’d actually talked about was dinner in the room and renting some movies to watch if there was nothing on TV.
“Oh wow, you two are just like a real couple already. Aren’t they, Travis? Don’t they look like they’ve been in love for years and years?” Kelli was looking from Des to him and back again.
“Years and years,” Travis echoed, now with a big grin on his face.
“Dear Lovers 1687 and 1288.” Clipboard Guy was back.
Maurice jumped up, and Des followed right behind him. “That’s us!”
“Follow me.” They did as the organizer said without looking back at Kelli and Travis and chuckled when they finally walked into the private room.
“That’s your friend,” he said to Des when she stood next to one of the massage tables shaking her head.
“Oh no, as soon as I leave here tomorrow, I’m blocking her number. We’re definitely not going to be friends. Nessa is the most cheerful person I know, and she’s not even as bad as Kelli. That’s probably why I can deal with her, at least during work hours.”
He nodded at the mention of her assistant and wondered if that was the only friend Desta had. While it had never occurred to him before, he realized now that he’d never seen Des with anyone outside the office.
“You can both climb up onto the table,” Clipboard Guy said. “The object of this exercise is to encourage open communication between couples. You’ll be receiving a Swedish massage and can talk freely about anything you wish, just so long as you’re sharing, becoming closer.”
