I sighed as I watched him walk away. I honestly hoped that he would be back. It's always nice to have repeat business.
But no, it wasn't that. Not only was he super handsome, but we'd also just clicked well. He'd been an ass at the beginning with the whole sex thing, but after that, I'd just had a really good time with him.
I shook my head and turned back to the shop. My next client would be there in just a few minutes, and I needed to focus on that.
Chapter Nine
Christian
Mark grinned at me as I slid into the car. “Looks like you enjoyed that,” he said.
I snorted and buckled my seatbelt. “Is it that obvious?” I asked.
“Your dopey grin could probably be seen from space.”
“Watch it, driver, or I may just have to hire someone else,” I said only half-jokingly.
“It was good, though?” Mark pressed.
“It was amazing,” I said. “I don't think I've ever had a better massage. Although to be fair, I needed this massage.” I rolled my shoulders. “God, I feel loose.” I paused for a moment. “And the girl, Gretchen. She was pretty attractive as well.”
“Yeah, she is,” Mark agreed. “One of the hottest girls on the island, probably.”
“You know her?”
“Everyone knows everyone on this island, man,” Mark told me. “I don't know her well; we're not close friends or anything like that. But we both grew up here, so.”
“Oh, yeah. That makes sense.” I was a bit disappointed, and I only hoped that I hid it well enough from my tone. Apparently not, though.
“You were hoping I could give you the dirt on her?” Mark guessed.
“Yeah, something like that,” I said. “Although to be fair, we already had a pretty long conversation, and I learned a lot about her.”
“Did you get her number?” Mark asked. “Or better yet, did you have sex with her in the massage room?”
“No,” I said, suddenly wondering why I hadn't even bothered to ask for her number. Sure, I could come back to another massage, but I would rather not. I supposed it must be because she seemed like too much work. I was sure that I could get any girl on the island to go to bed with me, but she'd expect me to take her to dinner a few times first and to take things slow. There would probably be lots of kissing and stuff like that before we ever got to the main attraction. I had never really been that kind of guy.
“I'm sure you'll get her anyway, man,” Mark said, shrugging a little. “You get all the girls, right?”
“All the sexy ones,” I said, grinning.
“Hey, why don't I take you out to one of the local bars tonight?” Mark suggested. “We can chill, have a few drinks-”
“You can show me off to all your friends,” I said, guessing that that was the real purpose of the outing.
“Yeah, that too,” Mark said, grinning unabashedly. “But I know a great little local place, always a ton of hot chicks there. Maybe not quite Gretchen's level of hot, with her smoky eyes and all, but I'm sure you'd find someone to go home with.”
“That sounds like a good plan,” I agreed. “What time should I meet you?”
“This place that I have in mind, they also do a mean Hawaiian burger with pineapple and cheese and stuff on it. Or also a fucking sexy surf 'n turf burger. And a bunch of other things. So, we could meet at, like, six and get dinner over there before getting drinks if you wanted to make a night of it. Or we could just meet a little later and get drinks, up to you.”
“Burgers sound great,” I said. “I'll meet you down in the lobby at six.”
“Cool, cool,” Mark said. He winked over at me. “I'm excited to see The Great Christian Wall in action.”
I snorted and punched his arm. “Yeah, yeah, you freaky fan boy,” I said. “Don't worry. I'll be in fine form tonight.”
Inside the hotel, I went straight to the concierge desk, leaning down against it.
“Mr. Wall!” the woman, Cindy, exclaimed, standing up to greet me. “And how was your massage?”
“That's why I'm here,” I told her. “I'd like to book the same for tomorrow, if possible.” I didn't need another massage so soon, but I just wanted to see Gretchen again. Maybe I'd get her number this time.
“Gretchen's the best, isn't she?” Cindy said. “I can call her up and see what her schedule is like. Is there anything else you'd like to schedule for tomorrow, sir?”
“Nah, just the massage is fine,” I said. “I'll probably just laze around on the beach again in the morning.”
“That sounds like a very good plan,” Cindy said, as though I needed her input.
I went upstairs to get ready to go out. I lay down on the bed, spreading out and getting myself comfortable. Then, I slipped my hand down my shorts, closing my eyes and imagining that it was Gretchen's hand on me, her firm grip tugging at my member and bringing me quickly to full hardness.
I groaned, surprised by how close I already felt. Then again, she'd basically been teasing me for two hours, as I was spread out there on the table. I could only hope that she had been as turned on by it too. She'd certainly been distracted by my cock more than once. I'd caught her looking at it, her eyes wide and face filled with lust.
I twisted my wrist on the upstroke, thumb playing with my slit, pressing against it and getting at the precum beading there. I could only imagine what an amazing lay Gretchen might be. She had glorious muscles, and I remembered that she had said she ran and surfed and did all sorts of things like that. I bet she could ride me hard, giving as good as she got.
I gasped a little at that mental image, of her bearing down on me right there in the middle of the massage parlor. Oh fuck, that was sexy. I came hard and lay there for a long moment, just panting against the sheets. It had been a while since I'd come that hard just from my own hand. Clearly, I needed to get laid.
Fortunately, if Mark was telling the truth, I would have no problem finding someone to take home that night.
Indeed, there were plenty of sexy women in the bar that evening, some even around the table that Mark led me over to. “Well, man, this is the gang,” he said, gesturing around at the group. “That's Sunny over there, and Michael next to her. And then Bobby and Ella and Sammy.”
“Don't worry,” Sunny said, tossing her blonde hair back. “We don't expect you to remember that.”
I laughed and scooted into the booth with them. “Nice to meet you all,” I said.
“Nice to meet you,” one of the girls, I think it was Ella, I was already forgetting their names, told me. Her gaze was heated, and I could already tell she wanted to be the one to go home with me that night. I'd have no complaints about that.
For now, I turned my gaze toward the menu, scanning the options.
“So, how long are you in Hawaii for, man?” Bobby asked after we had ordered our burgers.
“Not sure,” I admitted. “I'm drifting around until the end of the year, so…”
“Yeah, we saw that press conference,” Sammy said. “What was up with that? You don't seem like the kind of guy who apologizes for having fun.”
I shrugged one shoulder. “It's just work politics,” I said. “One of the other owners of the company thinks I'm tarnishing the company's image.”
“But without you, they don't even have a company image,” Ella said.
“I know that,” I said. “I know that, and you know that, and somewhere deep down, they know that as well. Doesn't matter. He was being a dick about it.”
“That's so unfair,” Ella said, shaking her head.
“Yeah, well.” I didn't exactly know what to say to that. I had to wonder what they all did for a living. Mark was a cab driver, and between that and the way they were all dressed, almost like twenty-somethings on vacation, I doubted they were doing anything really meaningful with their lives at the moment. Probably just bumming around and waiting to catch the next big wave.
Not that there was anything wrong with that. Sometimes, I kind of wished that that was the
life I had chosen for myself. Then again, I did like having plenty of money in my bank account.
“So, you lied to Kelly on The Latest about having a girlfriend?” Sammy asked.
I snorted. “I don't think I ever really told her that I had a girlfriend, just that I had someone who I was seeing,” I said. “There's a big difference there.”
There was laughter around the table. “Man, I wish I could be you,” Michael said.
A little while later, after we'd eaten, I found myself alone in the booth with Ella while everyone else danced or chatted at the bar.
“So, why Hawaii, anyway?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Because of the beautiful women, of course.” I winked at her and enjoyed seeing the way she blushed a little.
“Have you ever been with a Hawaiian woman before?” she asked. “We're the best lays in the world.”
I chuckled a little at how bold she was. I appreciated that in a woman. “Is that so?” I asked. “Maybe I'm going to need a little demonstration, then, before I go back to frigid New York City.”
“That could happen,” Ella told me. “Come on, let's go dance.” She got up and led the way toward the dance floor, her eyes never leaving mine as she swayed her hips to the beat.
I laughed a little, enjoying the show, and slipped out of the booth to follow her. Jesus, a pretty girl in a red dress: what more did a guy need in life? But as I watched her spin around me, her hips gyrating and her hands moving with the rhythm, it wasn't her that I was thinking of.
I wondered what Gretchen would look like, out dancing like this, with her hair falling loose. That tattoo on her thigh would peek out from beneath her dress, and she would look enticingly at me with those beautiful, baby blue eyes of hers. At the end of the night, we would tumble out into the warm air and-
I broke off that train of thought, wondering where exactly it had come from. That was the second time today that I'd found myself fantasizing about the woman. The first time, I could forgive myself, especially since I'd been thinking about her in an entirely sexual context. But not the second time.
I frowned. It was almost as though I was starting to imagine a relationship with her.
Then again, maybe I was. That wouldn't be such a bad thing, would it? And it wasn't like I was going to be in Hawaii forever. If things went south, I would never have to see her again.
I nodded a little to myself. Tomorrow, after my massage, I'd ask her to go to dinner with me. And hey, maybe she'd surprise me and let me take her home with me after just the first date.
I tapped Mark on the shoulder and jerked my head toward the door. He followed me over. “You're leaving already?” he asked when we could hear one another again.
“Yeah, I think so,” I said, shrugging a little. “This has been a ton of fun, but I'm just not feeling it tonight. Maybe I'm still a bit jetlagged or something. I don't know. Anyway, I'm going to walk home. I'll see you tomorrow, though.”
“Hey man, it's okay that you're not taking anyone home with you,” Mark said, slugging me lightly in the arm.
I frowned at him. “I know that,” I said. It was none of his business anyway.
“Well, have a good night,” Mark said, shrugging a little. “I'll see you tomorrow.”
Chapter Ten
Gretchen
I smiled to myself as Mina came into the shop again the following morning. “Are you planning on making this a daily occurrence?” I asked, arching an eyebrow at her.
“Are you complaining?” Mina asked, holding out a cup of coffee to me. “I brought muffins. Not pineapple ones, either.”
I laughed and gratefully accepted the coffee. “No, definitely not complaining,” I told her. “It's good to see you, anyway. What's up?”
Just then, the phone rang, and I grimaced, gestured for her to wait a moment, and answered it.
“Hi, this is Cindy from the Golden Palm Resort again,” she said. “Christian was apparently very impressed with your session yesterday.”
“Oh,” I said, blinking. Then I frowned, wondering if she was calling just to tell me that. Christian had already basically told me as much himself, not that I wouldn't have been able to figure it out, either. “Well, I'm glad to hear that.”
“In fact, he was so impressed by it that he'd like to make another appointment with you. For today.”
I couldn't help laughing. “Okay,” I said. “I'm actually booked up for the afternoon, but if he can get here for 10 o'clock, I can fit him in then. Otherwise, it's going to have to be tomorrow.”
“Let me put you on hold for a moment and ring his room to see,” Cindy said.
“Sure thing.” I waited for Cindy to come back on the line.
“Who is it?” Mina hissed.
I shook my head and motioned for her to wait again, taking a bite of my muffin.
“Are you still there, Gretchen?”
“Yup,” I said.
“Excellent. Christian says he can be there by 10, so pencil him in for that.”
“Will do, thanks!”
I hung up the phone and rolled my eyes at Mina's excited look. “It's just a work call,” I told her, even though I was pretty giddy about the thought of working my hands over Christian's body another time.
“You never look that happy about a work call,” Mina accused.
I sighed. “I had this super handsome guy come in yesterday,” I told her.
She practically squealed with excitement. “That's great!” she said. “What was his name? Did you get his number?”
I shook my head. “Mina, I'm not about to date one of my clients,” I said. “Especially since he apparently wants to become a repeat client. And anyway, even if he weren't my client, he's from New York. He's here on vacation, and then he's going to leave again. I wouldn't want to get involved with someone who was about to leave; you know that.”
“I'm not saying you have to start a relationship with the guy,” Mina said, rolling her eyes. “But you could at least sleep with him.”
“His ego's too big for that,” I said. “He was a nice guy once we got talking, but I think he thought I was going to give him a happy-ending massage when he first walked in. What kind of a place does he think this is?”
Mina groaned. “Gretchen. If some uber-hot guy wants you to touch his dick, why can't you just go along with it for once?” she asked in exasperation. “Where's the harm in that? Live a little.”
“I'm not that kind of girl,” I said, shrugging. “And this definitely isn't that kind of massage parlor.”
“He's coming in at ten, though?” Mina asked, looking at her watch. “That's in just ten minutes. Do you think I could hang around and see him?”
“Fine,” I said, rolling my eyes. “But you don't get to say anything. You see him, and then you go sell some more pineapples, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Mina said, shaking her head.
We were just finishing up breakfast when Christian walked in, looking just as yummy as he had the previous day. “Good morning,” he said, smiling at both of us.
“Good morning,” I said. I glanced over at Mina, who was just staring at Christian, and I couldn't help grinning a little. Yeah, the man was gorgeous; I guessed Mina could see that as well. It wasn't usual for her to find herself speechless, but hey.
“This is my friend Mina,” I said, nudging Mina forward.
Mina giggled a little and shook his hand. “It's nice to meet you,” she said.
“And you,” Christian said, giving her his full, most charming smile. God, she had to be practically melting. I know I was, and I wasn't even the one directly receiving that smile. “So, same room as yesterday?” Christian asked.
“Same as yesterday,” I confirmed. “Thanks for breakfast, Mina, and have a great day.”
“You too,” she said, still sounding a bit faint. I shrugged a little and got ready for the massage.
“Your friend is cute,” Christian commented as I started the massage. “A bit shy, maybe, but cute.”
I snorted. “Mina? Shy? No way! I'm not entirely sure what's gotten into her.” Except that you're practically a Greek god walking into my massage parlor.
“How long have you known one another?”
“She's been my best friend for ages, since we were kids,” I told him. “And we're lucky enough to work next door to one another. She runs the pineapple shop next door. I get to see her all the time. More so lately. I think she must have been feeling that we weren't seeing enough of one another because she's been over here two days in a row now with breakfast for me!”
“Or she thinks you don't know how to take care of yourself, maybe,” Christian said, smirking up at me.
I laughed. “That could be, too,” I agreed. “I probably have a better grasp on that than she does, though, if I'm being honest. She's a brilliant woman and very creative, but she's a bit flighty, I guess.”
“I work in the same office as my best friend,” Christian told me. “His name's Paul. He's a great guy. No matter what I do, he's there for me.”
“Well, yeah,” I said. “That's what friendship is, right?”
“I guess so,” Christian said, sounding as though he was considering it.
“Mina and I would do anything for one another,” I told him. “And I tell her everything, and she tells me everything as well. I probably know her better than I know myself. She's like a sister. The sister I would have chosen.”
Christian smiled a little. “Do you have any siblings?”
“Oh no,” I said. “I'm an only child. My parents decided I was too headstrong when I was a toddler, and they knew they were already going to be chasing me around for my whole life. They decided that one was enough.”
Christian laughed. “Are they still chasing you around?”
“I've settled down more now. But I'm close enough that they could pop by at any time if they wanted to. And I go over there for dinner a lot.”
“That's nice.” Christian sounded like he was drifting off again already, but whether he was falling asleep or falling into his thoughts, I couldn't tell.
“What about you, do you have any siblings?” I asked, wanting to prolong the conversation.
Daddy Boss (A Boss Romance Love Story) Page 54
