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Charlotte tried not to panic as her adrenaline spiked and her mind became fuzzy. Why the sudden change? Had the mention of the client privilege been what catapulted her into the inner circle? Maybe her willingness to exploit loopholes?

The cap slipped out of her hands as she attempted to close her water bottle, but she left it where it landed on the floor

as she followed Alex out. She wasn’t going to miss the chance she’d been waiting for while dicking around with a stupid piece of plastic.

Get it together . She willed herself not to be so thrown.

Even if she didn’t expect to make such sudden progress, this is what she was here for and couldn’t squander the opportunity by being a weirdo.

Paola smiled at them as they crossed in front of the reception desk. Not for the first time, Charlotte wondered how much she knew.

From the lobby area, they entered a locker room covered wall-to-wall with dark wood lockers. Charlotte eyed the line of thick, white robes hanging on hooks along the back wall and swallowed the knot in her throat.

What the actual hell am I getting myself into?

“Change into these,” Alex instructed, handing her a pair of white flip-flops. “Everything is sanitized.”

Athlete’s foot wasn’t exactly her concern, but she played it cool and slipped out of her flats and into the plastic shoes.

Alex opened a locker and deposited her high heels, so Charlotte did the same.

On the equal footing of matching sandals, Charlotte was surprised Alex was only a little taller than her. She always seemed so much more imposing, as if she was always towering over her. But without heels she might almost pass for a mortal.

“The saunas are fantastic. Hand built with Western Red Cedar.” Alex pointed to a corridor with a few closed doors.

Charlotte listened for any unusual sounds, but when she couldn’t hear anything, she guessed the rooms could be

soundproof.

From the saunas they passed rooms for various treatments before slipping into the Turkish bath, where moist heat hit Charlotte right in the face.

Alex took a deep breath, though Charlotte couldn’t understand how in such stifling heat. “This is my absolute favorite, though I must say I don’t get to enjoy it very often.”

Three intricate stone platforms cascaded stadium style in a half-circle at the center of a large room. It would have been impressive on its own, but the half-naked people strewn all over them was the real showstopper.

“Those tha

t can’t take the full heat of the stone can adjust it with cool water.” Alex pointed to one of a dozen brass faucets sticking out of the stone levels.

The thick heat made the desire to lounge around topless with skimpy towels barely draped over nether-regions obvious, but Charlotte was surprised at the co-ed nature of the space. She wasn’t a prude, but there was something o putting and awkward about it.

“I’m surprised it’s not divided by gender,” Charlotte commented as they finally stepped out into the relative coolness of the tiled hallway lined with showers. If she weren’t dressed in expensive clothes, Charlotte would drench herself under the cool stream.

“People behave here, or they lose their privileges,” Alex replied sti y as they crossed into another clump of treatment rooms.

Charlotte furrowed her brow. She hadn’t made any accusation, but Alex picked up the thread of the question she hadn’t intended. “You’re telling me you’ve never found

anybody breaking the rules in there? Heat does something to people. I can’t imagine nudity doesn’t increase the temptation.”

Alex looked back at her. Her makeup had run some, but the smudged eyeliner only made her look sexier. Charlotte would have been captivated by it if her expression wasn’t so stern it gave her pause.

With her jaw set hard, Alex’s eyes bore into her. Her energy shifted so quickly, it caught Charlotte o guard. “Do I look like the kind of person people ignore?”

Charlotte’s stomach clenched and her skin turned icy despite the heat still clinging to her clothes. While she debated whether the question was rhetorical, Alex flashed her the hint of a smile before continuing with the tour.

The split-second smile returned Charlotte’s blood pressure to something resembling normal, but her legs were mostly numb as she propelled herself forward. Until then, she’d only found Alex’s beauty and status intimidating, but there was obviously more to it.

She was still recovering from the authoritative flex when they stopped at a closed room. Alex leaned in, putting her ear to the door.