Happy February! Please enjoy a pre-Valentine's Day treat...
“Bliss Day Spa?” Carrie shot her best friend Jay a dubious look. “I’ve never even heard of this place.”
“It’s new.” Jay pressed the gift certificate in Carrie’s hand and smiled. “Trust me, you need to get out of this house and get a little pampering.”
“No, I don’t.” Carrie shook her head vehemently, sending her long brown hair flying over her shoulder. “I need to work and keep busy.”
“Being boring is just what Richard accused—”
“Leave Richard out of this!” Carrie turned away as her eyes welled with tears.
“How can I leave him out of this when he’s the reason we’re into this?” Jay donned a sage look and nodded her head knowingly.
“You’re impossible.” Even if what you’re saying makes sense.
“I,” Jay fluffed up her blond curls. “Am your best friend and you love me, admit it.”
“Not a chance.” Carrie sighed and looked down at the gift certificate. “Hey, this is for tomorrow!”
“I booked your appointment already.”
“What?”
Jay shrugged. “Sorry, too late, no refunds.”
“But tomorrow is Valentine’s Day . . . I don’t even want to go to a spa, let alone on a day it will be filled with happy couples.”
“Then, you are in luck.” Jay smiled mysteriously. “Tomorrow, not only the couples will be happy.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re the one jetting off to the Bahamas with your hot, new boyfriend.”
“Don’t be jealous, Care-Bear,” Jay consoled, using Carrie’s childhood nickname.
“Oh, believe me, jealous is the last thing I am!”
“Richard was an idiot; he was never the right guy for you.” Jay pursed her lips together thoughtfully. “You’re smart and beautiful; you don’t have to settle.”
Carrie flipped through her day planner. “There’s no sense in arguing about this, Jay. Tomorrow’s Friday – I have to work.”
Jay smiled smugly.
Carrie’s eyebrows narrowed. “What did you do?”
“Nothing.” Jay shrugged innocently. “Sent-an-email-to-your-boss-from-your-account-and-asked-for tomorrow-off . . . okay see you later!”
Carrie watched in dismay as Jay bounced out the front door without looking back. What was she going to do now? It’s not like she could go to work after “asking” for the day off. She glared at her laptop perched on the coffee table; she needed better passwords; Jay knew her too well.
Damn her! Carrie slammed her hand down on the coffee table. Burying her face in her hands, she sat still trying not to think about the rat that had dumped her last month. She hated to admit it, but Jay was right about one thing. Richard hadn’t been the guy for her. The right guy wouldn’t poke at her love handles and order her salads in restaurants. The right guy would accept her for the person she was – even if that person was a little boring. Next to Jay, even a daring acrobat would seem boring. She had accepted long ago that Jay was the star and she was the wallflower. Now, if only Jay would accept it too and stop pushing Carrie out of her comfort zone.
* * * * *
“What am I doing?” Carrie muttered to herself as she stood shivering on the sidewalk outside Bliss Day Spa clutching the gift certificate in her gloved hand. This is crazy. I have the day off, I should’ve stayed under the covers at home, but no I had to get out of bed and come here. Glaring once more at the grey stone building with the elaborately scripted sign, she turned back towards her car when the building doors opened and a delicious whiff of cinnamon drifted from the building.
Carrie froze. “That smells good.” Her stomach grumbled. “This new diet is so not working.”
A petite woman wearing a pale pink uniform emerged from the building. “Welcome to Bliss; you are right on time,” she called out to Carrie. “The cinnamon rolls just came out of the oven.”
Oh, god. Hot, fresh cinnamon rolls. Carrie squeezed her eyes shut. Forget the diet. She turned on her heels and followed the woman into the building.
Soft, soothing spa music greeted her as soon as she stepped through the door. The spa looked more like a fancy house than a place of business. The woman took Carrie’s coat and boots.
“Can I see your certificate, please?” she asked softly.
Carrie handed it over, the woman glanced at it, and ushered her to a different room.
“My name is Sarah,” she said, nodding her head demurely. “Please change into the robe and enjoy your breakfast.” Sarah turned to leave.
“Uh, wait, Sarah.”
“Yes?”
“This is my first time here,” Carrie explained. “The robe?”
“Yes, please remove your clothes and put on the robe.”
“All my clothes?” Carrie gulped. What did Jay sign me up for?
“Yes, you may fold your clothes and I will collect them when I return.”
With that, Sarah left the room, leaving Carrie feeling self-conscious about disrobing. The room was cozy with a fireplace glowing brightly in the corner; a small table held coffee and cinnamon rolls, and the robe was folded on the chaise. Unable to resist, she touched the robe and almost moaned when she felt the thick, luxurious material. What could be the harm? She bit her lip and looked around the room. It wasn’t like any one could see her. Slipping out of her clothes, she quickly wrapped the robe around her body and tied the belt. The soft material felt even better against her naked skin.
The aroma of cinnamon rolls and coffee drew her attention to the table. In for a penny; in for a pound, she thought as she bit into the roll oozing with icing.
A soft knock at the door drew Carrie’s attention from her last bite. Sarah entered carrying a folded towel in her arms. “Please follow me.” Sarah bowed slightly and gestured towards the door.
“Wait, isn’t there paperwork for me to fill out? You know, health stuff. Before we begin?”
Sarah shot her a puzzled look. “You completed the paperwork when you booked your appointment.”
Jay! Carrie forced a smile, inwardly seething. “Oh, that’s right. I forgot.” I’m going to get you for this.
Sarah led Carrie down a dimly lit hall and stopped at a door marked ‘steam room.’
At Carrie’s look of hesitation, Sarah reassured. “As you requested, all your treatment rooms will be private.”
Carrie sighed in relief and followed Sarah into the room.
Sarah held out the towel and motioned for Carrie to remove her robe. And I just got used to this thing. It was warm in the room so Carrie slipped out of the robe and wrapped the towel around her middle. While she found a spot to sit, Sarah turned on the steam machine.
“Just relax and I will be back in fifteen minutes.”
Carrie closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall. Ah, this is the life. And to think I was mad at Jay for giving me this gift.
She imagined blue-green waves gently lapping the shore of a sand covered beach. And her body felt boneless as she swayed back and forth.
The door opened and Carrie’s beach vision disappeared as the light from the hall seeped into the room.
“How do you feel?”
“Wonderful,” Carried murmured.
“Perfect.” Sarah slipped the towel off, wrapped Carrie back into her robe, and led her to another room. This room had wall sconces that looked like candles flickering in the shadows and a large tub with jets. Before Carrie realized what was happening, Sarah had removed her robe and she was sitting in the tub.
Placing hands on her shoulders, Sarah began a light massage. Carrie closed her eyes and pushed the outside world away until she was only aware of the soft music and rhythmic splashing of the water. The jets sent vibrating forces of water against all her pressure points.
“How is the pressure?”
“Mmm.”
“Just lie down and rest your head here.” Sarah moved a water pillow under Carrie’s neck. “And relax your legs.”
Sarah moved away and then Carrie was startled when she felt more jets come on in the water.
“Relax your arms. Drop them to your sides. Open yourself to the relaxing jets,” Sarah instructed softly.
Carrie followed her directions; she let her arms float beside her and let her legs fall apart. Oh my! Carrie tensed when a jet shot directly on—
“Huh!” Carrie inhaled sharply.
“I will leave you for a few minutes.”
“No problem.” Ah, ah, yes, right there.
The door quietly shut; Carrie scooted deeper into the tub and opened her legs as wide as she could. The water pulsed inside her like a liquid vibrator. She snapped her hands over her mouth — ah, ah — as she began to climax.
With her eyes closed, she threw her head back, and gasped for air as she rode the aftershock. Whoa, it’s been a while and that was better than anything Richard had ever— Ah! No thinking about Richard! Carrie covered her ears. La, la, la, la, la, la, la!
“Carrie?”
Carrie opened her eyes and found Sarah peering down at her holding a glass of water.
“Would you like a glass of water?”
Great, she’s not going to mention she found me acting like an idiot. “Yes, thank you,” Carrie murmured.
“Did you enjoy the jets?”
“Yes, it was lovely.” Lovely, my ass, what an understatement!
“When you’re ready, we will move on to your next treatment.”
Boldly stepping out of the tub, water dripping off her body, Carrie covered with the robe and followed Sarah to the next room.
A massage table was set up in the middle of the room. Soft music piped in from the ceiling and the room smelled faintly of cinnamon and vanilla; her two favorite scents.
“Make yourself comfortable on the table.”
Carrie slipped off the robe, lay face down on the table and pulled the sheets up to her shoulders. Sarah placed a satin sleeping mask over her eyes.
“Breathe deeply and they will be with you in a moment.”
They?
The door clicked shut. Over the soft music, Carrie could hear the pounding of her own heart. Stripped of her sight, she was aware of every beat. Her other senses seemed enhanced too; she breathed in the sweet scents of cinnamon and vanilla; she enjoyed the feel of the cool, silky sheets. The door opened and she heard two sets of footsteps enter the room.
“Hola, Carrie.” A soft, Spanish-accented voice greeted her. “I’m Lucinda and this is Rian; ready for your sensory duet massage?”
“Yes.”
“Have you had a sensory duet massage before?” Lucinda asked as she moved in front of Carrie’s head.
“No.”
“I’m going to start at your head, Rian will start at your feet, and we’ll meet in the middle. Just let us know if you need a change in pressure or if you feel uncomfortable at any time.”
Her hair was swept into a loose bun at the top of her head and Lucinda’s little, but strong, hands started putting deep pressure on her shoulders.
“A lot of tension here.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
The sheet was pushed back exposing her feet. Carrie sighed and relaxed into the pressure from Rian’s hands on her foot. She was tense and every touch seemed more amplified with her eyes covered. His hands moved up her calves and she shivered at the touch of his large hands.
“Is the pressure all right, lass?”
His melodic Irish lilt almost made her swoon. She could picture a muscled, Irishman with a shock of black hair and big, strong hands. Oh, she could picture those hands as they rolled over her left calf and she felt herself growing wet. Oh, crap. No panties. With small, soft hands working her arm and large, strong hands rubbing her hamstrings, Carrie felt like she was on sensory overload. The soft music, the fragrant cinnamon and vanilla . . . and now the torment of the sweet agony building inside her.
The sheet moved higher up her body until only her bottom was covered. Rian manoeuvred her leg into a bended position and continued to work her hamstring. Lucinda released her arm and moved to Carrie’s side rubbing the middle of her back. All Carrie could do was feel as four capable hands worked the muscles in her body. Rian slowly placed her leg back on the table and ran his hands from the side of her foot up the length of her leg, stopping short of her bottom. Slowly, he reversed the action, which was more like a soft caress. Carrie unconsciously spread her legs a little wider and waited for him to move his hands back up her leg. Instead, he started on her other calf muscle. Carrie released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
Moving from the middle of the back to Carrie’s sides, Lucinda asked, “How’s the pressure?”
“Good.”
“Would you like more?” Rian crooned as he bent her leg and worked her hamstring.
“Yes.” Touch me.
“Like this?” Rian placed her leg back on the table and touched the sides of her foot.
“Yes.”
Carrie was aware of every move Rian made. His hands inched up the sides of her leg and this time he didn’t move back down her body. Lingering at the base of her bottom, he rubbed both legs, moving his hands over her hips and back to the top of her legs.
More! More!
Lucinda massaged the base of her back and rolled her hands over Carrie’s hips. “You have a lot of tension here, Carrie. Do you mind if I go a little lower?”
“No, that’s fine.”
Lucinda pushed from Carrie’s lower back to the top of her gluts while Rian massaged under her bottom, pulling her cheeks slightly apart.
“How does that feel?”
“Good,” Carrie managed to squeak as Rian covered her ass with his hands.
When Lucinda dug her fingers deeper into Carrie’s gluts, Carrie tensed causing Rian’s hands to slip down between her legs brushing her nether lips.
Oh my!
Rian immediately moved his hands back to the top of her legs, massaging from the top of her legs to her hips again.
“She’s still so tense,” Lucinda commented to Rian.
“Just breathe and relax, lass. We’ll take care of you.”
“Time to roll over,” Lucinda noted as she lifted the sheet up.
Carrie turned onto her back and the sheet was placed over her again.
Lucinda started kneading Carrie’s neck; Rian lathered lotion over her shins, rubbing it in a soothing, circular motion. Breathing deeply, Carrie relaxed as they worked her muscles. She slowly drifted in and out of sleep as Lucinda moved from her neck to her shoulders.
“You have such tight muscles. Take deep breaths.” Lucinda squeezed her shoulders and pushed down on her chest below her collar bone. Then she rubbed in a circular motion, lightly grazing the top of Carrie’s breasts.
“Ah,” Carrie moaned as her nipples pebbled.
Lucinda leaned over the table, Carrie felt a brush of long hair against her skin and a gust of cool air on her breasts as the sheet was pushed down. Waiting for the next touch, she was disappointed when Lucinda started massaging her stomach. With the sheet covering only her pelvis, Carrie shivered in anticipation.
“Are you cold, lass?” Rian asked as he applied lotion to her thighs.
“No.” Carrie moved her legs apart so Rian could reach her inner thigh.
“Good.”
Under the sheet, Rian pushed her legs a bit further apart and rubbed the lotion in a circular motion, his fingers gently grazing her nether lips. The touch caused her to open up and Carrie ached to be touched more intimately. As Rian continued to work her inner thighs, Lucinda moved to the head of the table again and to apply lotion to Carrie’s arms.
“Yes?” Rian questioned as he pressed his hands on her inner thighs.
“Yes,” Carried said breathlessly.
He parted her lips and slowly pushed a finger inside her.
“Ah!”
“Just relax, Carrie,” Lucinda soothed as she added more lotion to Carrie’s chest and started massaging her breasts and tweaking her nipples. “You are very tense, si?”
Rian twisted his finger to stimulate her g-spot.
“Ah, ah!” Carrie started to shake and sway as her orgasm hit her.
Lucinda held her shoulders as Rian added another finger and pushed deeper. She peaked again and as she rode the wave of ecstasy, she could’ve swore she saw stars under the satin mask.
Lucinda continued to rub lotion over Carrie’s stomach as Rian removed his fingers from inside her. “Better, si? Less tense now.”
“Uh-huh.”
“That’s it. We’re all done now. Please take your time getting up and drink plenty of water when you get home.”
“Okay.”
“Bye, lass.”
Footsteps retreated, the door opened, and shut. Carrie pushed off the mask and stared in wonder at the closed door. Getting up slowly, she stretched her arms over her head. It was true. I haven’t felt this good in ages. Slipping the robe back on, she opened the door, and peered out. Sarah was waiting there with Carrie’s pile of neatly folded clothes.
“How do you feel?”
“Good.”
Sarah dipped her head slightly and handed Carrie her clothes. “I will escort you out when you are ready.”
Forcing her boneless limbs back into her clothes, Carrie kept drifting back to the musical sound of Rian’s voice. She knew what she’d be dreaming about tonight.
“Thank you for coming, Carrie,” Sarah said as they walked towards the reception desk. “We would be pleased to have you come again.”
Suppressing a smile, Carrie nodded. When she paused at the reception desk, Sarah shook her head.
“Your certificate covered everything.”
Everything? “Gratuity?”
“Everything.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“No, thank you, and have a blissful day.”
“I will.” Carrie turned towards the door with a big smile on her face and a new bounce to her step. It was a good Valentine’s Day, after all.
I've been fortunate to participate in many written author interviews. This was my first radio interview. Ever. I was nervous, of course, the butterflies kept me from getting overconfident, which is just as bad as becoming a complete wreck. With much encouragement (and a list of sample questions to help me prepare), I was all set. My slotted time was from 4:15 to 4:35 and I waited on the call, silently, listening for my introduction. The conversation went smoothly... I even answered a few questions on the fly... read my excerpt... and the twenty minutes were over before I knew it. I think it went really well...
