I smacked her on the arm, laughing at her ridiculous mouth. “It’s not that type of establishment, Addie. But I’ll admit the same thought has crossed my mind more than once in the last week.” My cheeks burned pink at my admission, but I didn’t care. “Did you make any plans to see him again?” I asked.

“No, and that’s okay. I know our paths will cross again. I’ll see him at The Rub Down, or when we double date.” I gave her a look, letting her know she was out of her mind. “What, Alexa? That boy has it bad for you. He didn’t take his eyes off you once all night. He fucking rubbed your sweaty, nasty feet after hours of dancing, for goodness’ sake.”

Oh my gosh, I didn’t even take into consideration my feet probably smelled. Gross. I was completely horrified.

“On that embarrassing note, I’m going to get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.” I said.

“I’m right behind you. I’ll lock up,” she called as she headed to check the deadbolt. “Thank you so much for coming out tonight. Sweet dreams of Luke.”

“Love you, girl. I’ll see you in the morning. Smooches.” I headed to my room where I hoped I did have dreams of that sexy man.

*****

Luke

After we said our goodbyes to the women, Danny and I crawled into the cab. This time Danny joined me in the back seat. I dropped my head against the headrest and took a huge breath.

“FUCK!” I yelled.

“What the hell, asshole?” Danny responded.

The cab driver looked in the rearview mirror, warning me to keep it down.

“I want that girl so bad,” I answered. “Too bad.”

“I don’t see your problem, bud. She’s wicked hot, and from our brief interaction tonight, she seems like good people,” Danny said, and I knew it was the truth.

“We made the pact years ago to never sleep with a client. Neither of us has broken that promise, and I don’t plan on doing it now. It’s a slippery slope, brother.”

“The marathon is less than five weeks away. You can hang out with her that long without getting in her pants, right?” Danny said as we pulled up to the Ritz.

“Yeah, maybe,” I mumbled. He had given me something to think about.

After paying the driver, we got out, made plans to work out tomorrow once I was done at The Rub Down, and said our goodbyes.

The doormen weren’t on this late, so I buzzed the overnight concierge and went up to my place. If I was lucky, I would get a few hours of sleep before I headed in to work. That was if I could stop my brain from thinking of the hot blonde in tight leather leggings.

*****

I ordered my complicated coffee with extra shots of espresso from the barista. Turning to the waiting area, I spotted Alexa with a book in her hand, curled up in an oversized blue chair.

I walked over after I grabbed my drink. Bending down to give her a peck on the cheek, I whispered in her ear. “Hey gorgeous.”

“Hello, handsome. Whatcha doing here this early?” Her blue eyes, so full of life, sparkled up at me.

“This seat taken?”

“No, please sit.”

“Thanks. I’m just grabbing a coffee to wake me up after last night. I have to be at work. You?” I reached over and placed my hand on her thigh, needing contact with her.

“I couldn’t sleep. I kept having sexy dreams about you.”

Wait. What?

BEEP BEEP BEEP

My alarm sounded at the worst possible moment. Dreams of Alexa filled every minute of my three hours of sleep, and I wanted more. She had wormed her way into my brain, and I wasn’t sure I minded.

Since it was early, I decided to drive to work. I called for my car and got the standard, “Ten minutes.” Our valet service was just like every takeout restaurant in Chinatown; no matter how large the order, it took ten minutes.

Once I arrived at the spa, I put on music, and dove into payroll and other annoying paperwork. Concentrating on the bookkeeping was difficult when my mind kept recalling my dreams.

In one, a beautiful, white summer dress showed off Alexa’s flawless tanned skin, and her hair piled on top of her head exposed her neck. She knew this drove me crazy. We shared a gourmet picnic in the Boston Common, enjoying a balmy summer night. Laying on a blanket, staring up at the night sky, we talked about our hopes for the future. When I told her I wanted The Rub Down in major cities up and down the east coast, she beamed at me as if she was proud of me and my aspirations. She revealed her desire to have a few children to dote on while maintaining a small client base for Dress Me Up. Nowhere in my dream was I freaked out by the idea of having kids. In reality, the idea scared me, but only because I hadn’t found the right woman. Who knew if Alexa was that woman or not, but sometimes dreams came true.

After a few hours of working and daydreaming, a knock on the office door startled me back to now. Elle stopped in to let me know we had a problem. Tiffany showed up to work later and later each day, often reeking of alcohol, and Elle had told her to get lost. Now, we were down an esthetician. I assured her she did the right thing, and told her I would post an ad for the position this weekend.

“Sooooo… I heard you have a new client.” Elle’s tone was very suggestive.

“Yes, she’s one of Jeff’s trainees. She’s running in a few weeks.” I tried to keep my tone as neutral as possible, knowing she and Jessica talked.

“I also heard she’s super nice and drop dead gorgeous.”

“Elle, I love you. More than life some days, but you and Jess need to get your own social lives. Alexa’s great. I’m excited about her treatment since I haven’t worked with a marathoner in years,” I replied, hoping my tone conveyed the topic was not up for discussion. “But, that’s it.”

“OOOOkkkaaayyy, big brother, I’ll leave it be for now, but I’ll be watching her. She better be good enough for you.” Even though Elle was the baby, she was fiercely protective of me. Her personality was a product of Jess and me, a total mix of intelligence, niceness, and smart-ass, and viperous when provoked.

“She’s so far out of my league that you don’t have to worry about that, sweetie.” It was the truth. Alexa was the total package. “What is going on with you? Are you working too much? Do I need to hire someone to help you?” I asked, hoping to steer the conversation in another direction.

“No, big brother, it’s all good. You know I don’t have a life, so I have plenty of time to dedicate to The Rub Down.” Her voice held a tinge of sadness.

“Elle, when I was in Philly, you called me crying because you were so tired, and the linen guy was late.” Hearing my baby sister sob over linens broke my heart. “Bunny, you need a life. I want you to date again. I know you’ve been through a lot, but it has been a few years. Get back out there. I miss threatening to rip off a guy’s nuts if he treats you wrong.” I was more protective of my sisters than a momma bear, especially when it came to Elle.

She hung her head at my statement, driving me to do what was right.

“I’m hiring you an assistant. And don’t argue with me. You can have the final decision, but as soon as she’s hired, you’ll only work forty to fifty hours a week. Period.” I was in boss mode. “No arguments. Understood?” I would have to run the extra expense by Danny, but we were his family, and he loved my sisters as much as I did so I knew he wouldn’t have a problem with it.

“Thank you, big brother. I love you. I hope things work with Alexa.” Elle grinned, knowing her bringing up Alexa was going to get her kicked out of my office.

And she was right.

“Get out!”

Elle left, laughing her ass off at me.

By eleven, payroll was submitted to our accountant. If I kept this pace, I would be out of here in a few hours. Just as I was envisioning a long nap, the interoffice phone rang.

“Yes, Jessica?” I knew it would be her. By now, she and Elle had talked, and now she wanted to harass me.