Bodywork

by Marie Harte

  She choked on her water. “True. I’m not after your money or an engagement ring, and I have no reason to lead you on about anything. We have a good thing going.” They nodded at one another. “So let’s not screw it up.” She lifted her glass. “Here’s to keeping everyone else out of our business.”

  He knew she referred to their mothers, his brother and her friend. “Hear, hear.” He didn’t bother mentioning Mac, because he didn’t want her to worry about him, or possibly be attracted to him. Mac’s track record with women could be intimidating, and considering Shelby’s quest to have sex and nothing more meaningful, his friend would be the perfect candidate to try if Shane fizzled. Not that he intended to fizzle…ever.

  They ordered coffee and told each other more stories. The ones about George had them both amused.

  “I swear the kid is my mother in a seventeen-year-old body. He’s mature for his age and really open about life. You have no idea what it’s like to get dating advice from a high school senior, especially when his words mirror my mother’s. It’s eerie,” he said over her laughter.

  “I like Geo. Rhymes with Leo.”

  He chuckled with her. “What about Ron? He sounds like a character.”

  She raised a brow while the waiter cleared their plates. “You were military, but you don’t have a problem with gays? Good to know.”

  “I’m in Seattle.”

  “So? Lots of haters everywhere.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not one of them. Just because I served in the military doesn’t mean I agree with policy, and in case you missed it, they repealed Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.”

  “Finally.”

  He agreed. “I don’t care what people do in their spare time, as long as they aren’t hurting each other and it’s consensual.”

  They spoke about his time overseas in generalities and about her business.

  After a pause, Shelby said, “So you broke up a while ago too. My relationship was a total loss, but I didn’t see the end until he cheated. Did you see it coming?” As soon as she said it, she looked like she wanted to take the words back.

  Should he take it as good signs he wanted to know about Lisa? He hoped so. “Lisa and I were together for a year.” Should he tell her the truth? He didn’t want to lie, and the thing Shelby definitely wanted him for was the sex. “She said she started up with the tattoo guy because I was too vanilla,” he ended in air quotes.

  Shelby gaped. “You’re kidding me. You? Vanilla? Dr. Collins?” She blushed.

  “Yep. Lisa thought I was boring. Too domestic I guess, because I liked monogamy.”

  “Sounds like a bit—ah, witch.”

  He grinned. “Yeah. She left me for a tattooed guy who thought piercing his genitals meant he was the coolest of the cool.”

  “Ew.” She cringed. “I’m not against tattoos, I guess, but piercings? Ouch.”

  “My friend thinks I’m a lightweight because I don’t have a tattoo. I just don’t want one.”

  “Why mar such a fine body?”

  “That’s what I’m saying.” He flexed his arm, and she laughed with him.

  The lunch crown left the restaurant, and only when the waiter kept shooting him looks did Shane realize they’d overstayed their welcome.

  He paid for their lunch over Shelby’s protests—yet another reason he liked her. She didn’t expect him to foot the bill for everything. They left and stood on the sidewalk.

  Though he didn’t want their afternoon to end, he also didn’t want to have sex with her. Well, he did, but not today. Being physical now would water down their time as a prelude to sex, and he wanted to remember today as something special.

  “I guess I should get going.” To his surprise, she didn’t sound in a hurry to leave. Maybe she’d enjoyed their time as much as he did. “Would you like to walk around a little? I don’t have anything pressing.”

  He grinned. “Yeah. Long as you don’t try pulling me into any clothing stores while you try stuff on. That’s a real date, and one that tortures us poor male creatures. Shoe shopping, purse shopping, and clothes shopping. A trio of horrors.”

  “Yeah? Well try hanging out at a tool warehouse or car detailer. Bo-ring.”

  As they walked and argued, the afternoon turned into evening. Shane left her at her car and promised to call her next week, for another nonsexual get-together. Or as normal people called it, a date.

  He smiled to himself as he walked back to his vehicle. Not dating had never been so fun.

  * * *

  Late Wednesday afternoon, Shelby couldn’t believe Mac had actually shown for an appointment. She’d thought his interest one that he’d later regret. Instead, the man had booked her for an hour and a half.

  He lay on her massage table on his back, naked from the waist up and from the knees down. A large blanket covered his groin and upper thighs. He had a broad chest with a sprinkle of dark hair and was thickly muscled all over. An obviously good-looking man, any way you looked at him.

  And her best friend hadn’t said one word about the man other than that he was her boss. Interesting.

  “Thanks for fitting me in,” he murmured in a deep voice. He lay with his eyes closed, seeming half asleep.

  “No problem.” She started at his feet and worked her way up his legs. Carefully dealing with his knee, she felt for problem areas. “You know, you muscle types are actually harder to work on that out of shape people.”

  “Really?”

  She gently massaged the area around his tibia and eased under his knee. “Yeah. Your connective tissue is so thick it makes it hard to break through to release the toxins. But I’m stubborn. I’ll work it out of you. Might hurt a little though.”

  He sighed. “I’m used to the pain. But if I can regain more mobility, I’m all for it. Hurt me, Shelby.”

  She smiled to herself and got to work. An hour and a half later, Mac lay on his stomach, snoring.

  She eased out of the room and quietly shut the door behind her. She’d give the guy a few minutes, because she’d really worked him through his paces. He’d tried engaging her in conversation, prodding her about dating and men. Not quite leading to Maggie, but she had a feeling he’d been on the road there. And then she’d started working deeper into his tissue and he’d shut up and let her concentrate.

  Flexing her fingers, she tried to work the cramps out of her hands. Maggie happened to stop in and saw her.

  “Hey neighbor.” Maggie smiled and shook blond bangs from her perfect forehead.

  “Hey there yourself, you old hag.”

  “Wuss.”

  “Cat lady.”

  Maggie laughed at that one. “Tough client? Your hands seem to be gnarled up, like an old, dried up prune.”

  “Prune this.” Shelby shot her the finger. “Hold on, I’ll be right back.” She knocked on the door of her massage room and finding no answer, entered.

  Mac was still sound asleep. Sexy in a huge, big as a bear and mean as a grizzly kind of way. She liked him for that. “Hey Mac. Wake up.”

  He grumbled, turned his head to the side and blinked his eyes open. “Shit, I fell asleep?” he asked groggily.

  “Apparently my vast powers of seduction failed. Get up and come on out and pay me.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” He yawned and started to rise.

  “Hold on. I don’t want to see more than I have to.”

  “But there’s so much of me.” He snickered as she made a hasty escape.

  She returned to the main office, where Maggie waited with a strange look on her face. Maggie. Oh hell.

  “You have to go,” Shelby shoved her friend to the door and whispered, “Your boss is here.”

  “Here?” Maggie squeaked. “What’s he doing here?”

  “He’s here for a quickie in the back.” Shelby huffed. “I was working on his knee, Maggie. What do you think he’d be doing here?”

  “Hell if I know. You’re never around to talk to anymore. Working or gone all the time. Rumor has it you’re seeing so
me guy I know nothing about, and you refuse to take my advice about men.”

  “Yours or Dr. Phil’s?”

  “It’s all good.”

  “Wait. Who told you I was seeing someone?”

  “Crap. I gotta go.” Maggie tore out the front door just as Mac emerged from the massage room.

  He rolled his neck and shrugged those massive shoulders into a stretch. “I feel like a new man. You have killer hands.”

  “Thanks.”

  “But my knee aches.” He walked slowly, his limp noticeable.

  “You need to take it easy for a few days.” Shelby moved around her front desk and took a bottle of water out of her mini fridge, tucked away under the counter. “Drink this. And drink more when you get home.”

  “Back to work, actually.”

  “Dedicated. I like that.”

  “So why not go out with me?”

  This again? She shook her head. “We covered this. I’m seeing someone.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  She frowned at his persistence. He hadn’t seemed very interested in her before. “I am. He’s a really nice guy.”

  Mac snorted. “That explains it.”

  “What?”

  “Your secret misery. He’s nice. I’m so sorry.” His sneer actually made her laugh.

  “Nice is not a bad thing.” She grinned. “Besides, he’s not nice when it counts.”

  “Oh. So you do like a bad boy? Not as quiet and collected as you seem.” Mac dug out his wallet and handed her a credit card. “I knew it.”

  “Shut up.” She handed him back his card and had him sign, and realized she’d told a client to “shut up.”

  But he only smiled. “Right. I’ll see you next week. Same time okay?”

  She checked her book and seeing the slot open, wrote his name down. “Sounds good. And keep off that knee, Marine.”

  He waved away her concern and left. It was only after he’d gone that she saw he’d given her a fifty percent tip.

  “What a strange, strange man. But nice.” She chuckled, recalling what she’d said about Shane being nice. They had an encounter scheduled for later that night. She couldn’t wait to see him in mean mode.

  * * *

  Mac returned to work after ordering—calling—Maggie to meet him in his office. And again he found himself waiting on the woman. Twenty minutes later, she arrived wearing a sexy gray wool business suit, pink blouse, and high heels that made her look fragile, fuckable, and downright tempting.

  “There’s that look again. What did I do now?” She huffed and threw herself into the seat across from his desk. She raised her hands skyward and moaned, arching her neck, and his blood pressure shot through the roof. If the woman had a lick of sense, she’d stop enticing him with motions that brought attention to those surprisingly full breasts on such a petite frame. If he hadn’t heard her bitching about what a pain her breasts were to one of the girls a few days ago and how she’d been thinking about having a reduction—God forbid—he’d have assumed they were fake.

  Knowing they weren’t only whetted his appetite to see them up close, without the shirt and bra in the way. He wondered what color her nipples would be. Rosy? Red? Maybe a peachy brown?

  “Hello? Earth to Conan?”

  He forced himself to ignore his sexual fantasies and growled, “Well, Tinkerbelle. We have a problem.”

  “Oh boy. What now? I brought Shelby to the gym.”

  “Gee, good work. Just a few weeks late.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “The woman is seeing someone. And I have a feeling Shane is too.”

  Maggie sat up straighter. “Think they’re seeing each other?”

  “No way. I’d know if he was into her. We talked about her, but he’s not making a move. I think he’s up to something though.”

  “Well, Shelby has been pretty quiet lately. We still get together on the weekends, but she’s been happier than I’ve seen her in a while. I have a feeling you may be right.”

  “She flat out told me she had a guy on the side, one who knows how to not be nice when it counts.” He snorted. “That’s not Shane. I love the guy, but he’s almost like a woman when it comes to sex and dating.”

  She frowned. “What exactly does that mean?”

  “You know. He’s all about relationships and feelings.” Mac made a face. “He’s way to Lifetime-channel when it comes to broads.”

  “Tell me you did not just say broads and mean that in reference to women.”

  He grinned. “I did.” On purpose. He liked to tease her, because her eyes had a fire to them he liked seeing directed his way.

  “You’re such a jerk, especially when you’re trying to be.” But her lips quirked. “Well, my best friend is like Shane. She doesn’t want to be, but she needs emotional stability.”

  He groaned. “There you go with the touchy-feely bullshit again.”

  “She and Shane sound perfect for each other. But I think Shelby needs to sow her oats. She was with Rick too long.”

  From what Maggie had told him, the guy sounded like a dickhead. “Great, but my boy needs her to break his dry spell. And no, I’m not just talking about sex,” he said before she could argue. “I think he really likes her. George sings her praises, you know. And Lorraine and Chad liked her a lot after what she did for their youngest. They’d love her.”

  “Everyone loves Shelby but Shelby,” Maggie muttered.

  He didn’t understand, exactly, so he asked her again, “So what do we do about this?”

  “We?”

  “Hey, I’m a paying client. But you have the inside track with your girl. Get her to notice Shane again, would you? I can show up someplace with him. We’ll get them together, then leave.”

  “Us?”

  He frowned. “Who the hell do you think I mean? You want Mimi or Ron to get involved?” The pair sounded like a trip, but Maggie violently shook her head no.

  “Remember, it was Mimi’s idea to grab a lock of hair from Shane’s brush. She planned to do something with it I’m better off not knowing.”

  “Oh, right. And leaving this to George isn’t a question. He’s a great kid, but hell, he’s seventeen. His idea of foreplay is probably taking the gum out of his mouth before he kisses his date.”

  She laughed. “That’s not fair. He’s cute.”

  “Yeah, and he likes blondes. My advice? Don’t wear that purple getup around him again.”

  She’d worn the sexiest shorts/tank outfit the other day at the gym, and his young friend had seen her in it and walked into a wall. It would have been funny if Mac hadn’t also noticed several of the male patrons eyeing her like a stick of candy. Friends of his who would like nothing better than to try Maggie on for size. The jealousy had stunned him, especially because it hadn’t gone away.

  “What are you talking about?”

  He cleared his throat. “Let’s get back on track. One option we haven’t discussed—we could always leave Shane and Shelby alone, let them fend for themselves. Maybe they’d get together on a date before they turned fifty.”

  They stared at each other.

  “I didn’t think so.” Mac sighed. “They need our help. And hell, if it goes south after all our efforts, at least we tried.”

  Maggie cocked her head and studied him.

  “What?”

  “You actually have a heart under all that bluster.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  “Hey, you’re welcome. Trust me, it’s not easy to see past the muscle and that fat ego of yours.” She shook her head and stood. She wore her hair down, and when she moved, it framed her face perfectly. The woman looked like a walking advertisement for shampoo or sex, and he wondered how long he’d be able to resist putting the two together—Maggie naked in a shower while he washed her hair. That would work for him.

  He met her by the door of his office and forced himself not to imagine her naked. “So we’re on then? Let’s have them meet up this Friday. Dinner at that new steak j
oint on Queen Anne Avenue. Say seven? I know the owner, and he’ll hook us up.”

  “Okay. But let’s keep this simple. In my experience, when it gets too complicated, everything goes to hell in a hand basket.”

  He blinked at her. “Hell in a what? What did you just say?” Didn’t his grandmother used to say something like that?

  She blushed. “Never mind. Seven, Friday. Don’t be late.”

  He watched her flaunt that ass down the hallway. Too complicated, she’d said. As he thought about just what he’d like to do to her, he knew just what she meant.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Shelby followed Shane’s directions. She walked through the front door of his house, which he’d left unlocked, and locked it behind her. Darkness had fallen outside, so the candles lit provided enough light to see by. She followed them upstairs to his bedroom but still didn’t see him.

  She was about to turn around and go back downstairs when he grabbed her from behind and startled a shriek out of her.

  He chuckled against her ear and held her tightly, caging her back to his front with a strong hold around her waist. “What do we have here? A burglar?”

  “Shane, you told me to—”

  “No talking.” His hands reached up to cup her breasts, and he squeezed with a roughness that excited her. He shoved himself against her, and she felt his erection poking into her lower back. “Move.”

  He forced her up against the wall and put her hands up above her head. “Keep them there.”

  She shivered, totally turned on. The last time in her house, he’d made her orgasm until she couldn’t any more. She hadn’t realized she’d had a thing for being tied up, but Shane had exploited her surprising kink to his advantage.

  Tonight, he didn’t bother undressing her. Instead he reached under her shirt and released the catch on her bra. Then he unbuttoned and unzipped her pants. He slid them and her panties down to her knees.

  “What are you—”

  He smacked her hard on the ass. “Shut up. Thieves don’t get to talk. They get punished.” When he shoved his finger between her legs, inside her, she moaned, caught.