Donna Hill - Touch Me Now

At precisely five on the dot, the chimes over the door jingled. She drew in a breath and walked out front.

Her spirit dropped to her ankles but she still plastered a welcoming smile on her face.

“Hello, how may I help you?” she asked the young blonde woman who stood in the door looking very much like Reese Witherspoon.

“Hi. I wanted to find out about the services.”

“Sure. Let me show you the list of what I offer.” They walked over to the whiteboard and Layla began explaining the services.

“Pretty extensive.”

“I want this to be as full-service as I can manage,” Layla said with a smile. “What brings you to The Port?”

The woman took off her dark shades to reveal startling green eyes. “Needed to get away. I lost my husband a little more than a year ago. This time of year is very difficult.” She forced a tight smile. “I hoped with a change in location…it might be easier.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

She waved off the remark. “Thank you. I’m sure you don’t need to hear my sad story.”

The door chimed again. Layla’s gaze snapped in the direction of the opening door. Maurice stood in the frame of the doorway and she felt all the alarms go off at once.

The woman glanced over her shoulder wondering who or what had caused Layla to stop talking midsentence.

Layla’s breath hitched for an instant. “Hello.”

The woman’s gaze moved between Layla and Maurice. She put her shades back on. “Do you have a card?”

Layla blinked. “Oh, yes. Of course.” She hurried over to her desk and retrieved a card from the silver plated holder and handed it to the woman.

“How far in advance do I need to make an appointment?”

“You can always call when you’re ready. If I have an opening I’ll be happy to immediately accommodate you. But if you want an appointment if you can call at least the day before, I can usually work something out. It’s been pretty busy since I’ve opened.”

The woman nodded. “Thank you for your time. I’m sure you’ll be hearing from me.” She extended her hand. “My name is Kim by the way.”

“Hope to see you again, Kim.”

Kim walked toward the door. She gave a slight nod of her head and started to walk out but then stopped. She frowned just a bit as she looked up at Maurice as if trying to get him into focus. “You look familiar. I know it’s a big world, but are you any relation to Rafe Lawson?”

Layla noticed the subtle tightening of his expression.

“Cousin.”

Kim beamed and wagged her finger. “I knew I spotted a resemblance.” She stuck out her hand. “Kim Fleming. I haven’t seen Rafe in ages. Please tell him hello for me.”

“Sure.”

She opened the door. “Thanks again,” she said to Layla. “You two have a good afternoon.” She offered a knowing smile and walked out.

Layla folded her hands in front of her. “Small world, huh?”

“Yeah,” he murmured. “Listen maybe we can do this another time.”

He finally focused on her and the raw anger that was reflected in his eyes and the set countenance of his face caused Layla to take an inadvertent step back. His thick brows were drawn tightly together and his full mouth had tightened into a flat line. His chest rose and fell much too rapidly.

Layla’s eyes moved over his face and down to his hand that clenched the handle of his cane in a death grip. She dared to reach out. She covered that hand with her own.

“I can guarantee that after an hour whatever it is that’s bothering you won’t seem quite as important,” she said softly.

Maurice’s gaze dropped down to their hands then slowly up to her face. By degrees the knot in his gut began to loosen. He rocked his jaw from side to side. The corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly. “You must be very good.”

She grinned full out. “I am.” She propped her hands on her hips. “And if you are not one hundred percent satisfied…dinner is on me.”

Maurice laughed from deep in his chest. The corner of his eyes crinkled. “You’re on.”

“And I promise not to gloat over how incredible you will feel when I’m done.”

She turned to lead him to the changing room.

“If you’re that good, then dinner and drinks will be on me.”

She nearly stumbled over her own two feet but had the presence of mind to keep walking. “Mojito is my drink of choice,” she said and tossed him a quick look over her shoulder.

Maurice chuckled and followed willingly in her wake.

Chapter 6

“You can change in here,” Layla said, opening a door to a small changing space that included a locker, a bench for sitting and a hook for hanging clothes. “It’s not the Ritz but it’s cozy,” she added with a smile.

Maurice offered a half grin. “It’s more than fine. Thanks.”

“When you’re done, walk straight down this short hall to the steam room.” She indicated the direction to her right. “I’ll have it all set up for you.” She turned and the saloon door swung closed behind her. As she walked toward the steam room all she could think about was that gorgeous man was in the process of taking off his clothes, and the next time that she set eyes on him, there would be not much between them other than a white towel…of surrender, her sex-starved brain whispered. Goose bumps shimmied up her arms.

Layla shook off the tempting visual and hurried into the steam room that housed three spaces for clients. She selected the room on the end and set the temperature, made sure that there were towels and water. She came out and shut the door behind her. When she turned Maurice was standing in front of her and they both heard her gasp.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

She ran her tongue nervously across her lips. “It’s nothing…really. Just a little jumpy today for some reason.” In a nanosecond her gaze licked across his face to his muscular bare chest, to the tight stomach, to the hidden gems behind the white towel and down to his legs and back up again. She swallowed. “Your room is ready.”

“Thanks.”

“You can adjust the temperature if you need to. Everything is set for ten minutes. Press the red button on the wall and the steam will start.”

He nodded his head.

She took two steps back. “Shout if you need me…for anything.”

“I will.” His eyes crinkled in the corners when he smiled at her.

“Okay. Good.” She took two more back steps then spun away before she really made an idiot out of herself. She had the clarity of mind to point herself in the direction of the massage room. Once inside she sat down on the low-slung chair and dropped her face into her palms. What in the world was wrong with her? Her entire self was behaving as if she’d never been in the presence of a sexy man before. She couldn’t think straight, her heart was racing a mile a minute, and every other word out of her mouth was laced with a sexual undertone. Pushing out an exasperated breath she stood and began preparing the room for her client. This was business, she continued to remind herself as she set out towels, an extra robe, and lit the oil burners to scent the room. She put on a CD that captured the hypnotic sounds of rainfall and the rush of waves against the shore. She checked her watch. Maurice had about three minutes. She dimmed the lighting and went to check on her client.

When she returned to the steam room, Maurice was already out. She could hear the shower water running and her imagination shifted into overdrive. As clear as a spring morning she could see him beyond the frosted glass doors in the outfit that the Lord had given him…long, hard, sleek and drenched in milk chocolate.

The rushing water of the shower stopped. She could clearly hear him humming a soft tune now. Her heart thumped. She couldn’t just stand there like a dummy. But what if he came out with nothing on for instance? Not even the towel. But her feet were stuck on the wood floors.