Page 31

Chapter Thirty-One

STEVIE

“H ere’s your next appointment.” Cressy passes over the tablet, giving me the details of my next client.

“I have an appointment?” I question, taking a bite of my apple. I’ve been sitting in the employee locker room since I got here. Every single one of my appointments for the day have canceled. After canceling yesterday as well.

I got that same sickly-sweet smile from Becky when she told me. It ratcheted up my annoyance having to go back to the locker room and sit for most of my shift.

Again.

It’s been crickets for the last week and it has me anxious. I can’t keep up like this. I rely on this job to make ends meet.

“You do.”

“But I’ve only had a handful in the last two weeks.”

Ever since the media found out who I am, it feels like there has been a target on my back. No one wants me as their aesthetician.

“They didn’t fill out the intake form?” Glancing down at the info, they also booked two back-to-back sessions. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

“They’re waiting for you in your room.”

Cressy wiggles her fingers at me and heads back to grab her next client.

What in the world?

Dropping the tablet off at reception, I head to my room and knock on the door. “Hi, I’m?—”

I stop dead at the smiling face gazing back at me.

“What in the world are you doing here?” Clicking the door shut softly behind me, I cross my arms and stare at the man sitting on my table.

“I figured I’d see what all you do every day.” Bode shrugs a shoulder. “I had time after practice before I need to pick Caleb up from Harper’s.”

“So you thought you’d come get a facial from me? For two hours?”

Bode holds out a hand to me and I take it, letting him pull me into his legs. The robe he’s wearing hints at his strong pecs underneath. Even in a plain robe, he still somehow manages to look sexy.

“Well, I figured I could get a facial and then you and I could?—”

I slap a hand over his mouth. “We are not having sex where I work!” I hiss.

“Relax.” Bode pulls my hand down. “I want to hang out with you and figured it’d be a nice break for you.”

“Oh. That’s actually really thoughtful.” I press a kiss to his lips. A very chaste, not at all what I want to give him kind of kiss. “Thank you.”

“Now, do I get my facial or not?” He waggles his eyebrows at me.

“Yes. But you have to be professional.”

“What?” He throws up his hands in defense. “It’s not my fault that my aesthetician is the sexiest woman here.”

I roll my eyes as I take his robe and hang it on the back of the door. Bode is wearing a pair of black joggers that sit low on his hips. The V leading down into the hint of boxer briefs that are exposed teases me as to what’s under them. Hard slabs of muscle are begging to be ogled.

But I can’t. Not when I just told him he had to be professional.

“Eyes up here, Stevie,” Bode tells me. My gaze snaps to his and a cocky smile torments me.

“Lie down.” I try not to laugh, but hold the sheet up for him. Bode gives me a quick peck before he lies down on my table and I cover him up. A shame, really, to hide this gorgeous man. “I’m going to do a skin check before we get started, okay?”

“What’s that?”

“I take a look at your face and it gives me an idea of what I’ll be doing today. Make sure there are not spots that might be of concern.”

“Well then, look away.”

He smirks as he shuts his eyes and I cover them with protective eyewear. It’s hard to focus when working on his handsome face. Under the harsh lights, I can make out every freckle, every tiny imperfection on his face.

As if there are any.

“How do you wash your face?”

“What do you mean?”

“What do you use? Anything special?”

“A bar of soap when I shower.”

“Of course you do.” I groan. “You have near perfect skin and basically do nothing to make it that way.”

I shut off the light and take off the protective goggles.

“You remember you said that to me one of the first days you moved in?”

“God, don’t remind me.”

Bode quirks one eye open at me. “It was cute.”

“Cute? Really?”

I hit play on the soft, ambient music and smack his shoulder.

“What? You are.”

“I don’t think I want to be described as cute.”

“Well, I have to keep it professional or otherwise I would say all the ways you’re not cute.”

“Better. Now, eyes closed so I can be professional and give you what you’re paying way too much for.”

Pumping the face wash into my hand, I wet it and start to massage it into Bode’s skin. Bode relaxes into the table, letting the cushioned material of the heated table hold him.

I could do this process in my sleep. It’s different for each client, based on their needs, but it doesn’t vary too much.

“Tell me what you’re doing.”

“You know,”—I grab another generous amount of cleanser and it squelches between my fingers—“most of my clients don’t talk this much.”

“You know what I do. I want to know your process.”

Grabbing a hot towel, I place it on his neck before covering his face—a shame, really—and gently massaging his face.

“Next I’ll do a warm honey cleanser. It’ll kill any bacteria on your face. If you’re only washing your face at the locker room, you need it.”

“Are you going to give me a fancy routine I need to do?”

Pulling the towel off his face, warm brown eyes stare up at me. “I know better than to tell you what to do. Even if I know better than you, I’ll make it easy for you.”

Taking the thick, sweet-smelling cream into my hands, I massage it into Bode’s face. He sighs as my fingers work their magic.

“It’s going to start to feel warm, and I’m going to give it a bit of steam to work its way in.”

“This feels incredible. How come I’ve never done this before?”

“Maybe because you never thought you needed one and only came to rescue me.”

“I’d do anything for you, Stevie.”

He doesn’t open his eyes, so it’s easy to let my emotions play out on my face. It’s different working on someone you’re intimate with. On someone who knows all your dark parts and doesn’t flinch in the face of them.

Who is fighting the cruelty I’m continuing to face.

“Let me know if you can feel this.” I turn the steamer on and tilt him in that direction.

“Feels good.” I massage his shoulders as I let the cleanser work itself into his skin. “Mmm. Doubly good.”

“I’m glad.”

Kneading his shoulders helps to work out my own tension. I dig my knuckles into the muscles. I know he works hard and I want this to feel good for him.

I work through the rest of my routine, explaining each step to the curious man on my table. By the time I finish up, I feel more calm than I have in weeks.

“Look how good you look.” I smile down at him, resting my elbows on the table.

“All thanks to you.” Bode grabs my hand and kisses the center of my palm.

“Thank you for coming today.”

He gives me a nervous smile. “Still no bookings?”

I shake my head. “No.”

“Things will get better. I promise.”

Bode sits up and pulls me in close.

“You think so?” I twirl my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. His handsome face has a dewy glow. Being in his arms is settling.

“The PR team is working on it, so I’m hoping it’ll go back to normal soon.”

“It’s still out there, Bode.”

After my chat with Harper, I deleted my social media altogether. It’s not like it’s a highlight reel I need to remember. The less chance of coming across a message calling me out, the better.

“You’re not alone, okay? Don’t carry this by yourself.”

A riot of emotions courses through me as I fuse my lips to his. “I love you, Bode.”

That earns me a smile. “I know. I love you more, and I’m not going anywhere.”

I only hope I can carry this feeling until this thing blows over.

If it blows over.