Page 13 of His Curvy Temptation

“Do your worst,” I say. “You can’t hurt me. Trust me.”

She laughs.

“Don’t challenge me,” she says. “The last guy who said that to me on the table had a bruise on his back for weeks!”

“Bet it was worth it,” I grunt. “Seriously, do your worst.”

“You asked…” she says.

* * *

I’m not a wimp.But damn. By the time I’m putting my clothes back on — Andy waiting outside the relaxation room for me to come out — I can already feel the sore spots on my back where Andy dug her hands and elbows into my muscles.

Do I feel loosened up? Yes.

And…do I feel like I just got the shit kicked out of me? Also yes.

But in a good, deep tissue massage kind of way.

“I can’t believe you didn’t complain even once,” Andy says when I come out of the relaxation room. She’s shaking her head and looking at me with slight awe. “Seriously, you’re okay?”

“Yep.”

No way am I going to tell her that at one point, I was wincing and nearly waved the white flag.

“Be sure to drink lots of water for the rest of the day,” Andy reminds me as she packs her bag, returning the bottle of massage oil that she brought to a little pocket inside of her backpack.

She glances out of the window behind me.

“The sun still sets so early in the day,” she sighs. “I can’t wait for the summer sun to fully hit so I can actually get some sunshine after work.”

“I apologize for keeping you so late,” I reply.

“Oh!” She exclaims, looking at me as though she forgot I was there. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to complain! I was just thinking aloud.”

“It’s okay,” I reply, gesturing to the window. “I often think about the same thing myself. Most nights I’m here too late to enjoy the sun on my face after work. There’s something to be said about getting some direct vitamin D every day. And not having to commute back home in the dark.”

“You can say that again,” she says. “The subway can be so gross at night.”

I nod, putting my hands in my pockets.

“I’ll have my assistant move my weekly appointment to earlier in the day,” I say. “I shouldn’t be keeping you so late in the evening.”

I say all of this, despite the fact that Wednesdays are busy as hell for me at work. Lots of meetings. Lots of deals to close. It’s a miracle I even carve out a couple of hours a week for a massage.

But still, I’m offering. Maybe because Andy is so damn cute. Maybe because I feel guilty thinking that I’m the reason a beautiful little thing like her is taking the subway at night, something I wouldn’t subject a woman that I love to if I could give her any alternative means of transportation.

“Oh, I can’t do it earlier in the day,” she shakes her head. “I do the afternoon and evening appointments on purpose. I’m in school. My classes are all in the mornings so…you know, can’t do work in the mornings too.”

“You’re in school,” I raise a brow. “Graduate program?”

“I wish,” she laughs. “Undergrad for now. Though I wouldn’t say no to getting my MBA eventually. It’s just so expensive.”

I study her face.

“I knew you were young,” I say. “But didn’t realize you were that young. Undergrad? You must be twenty-two, twenty-three then?”

“Wrong again,” she smiles. “I’m a late bloomer, I guess you could say. All of my classmates are younger than me. Which is awkward sometimes. They’re all about partying and having fun. I outgrew that stage a while ago. Actually, I’m not sure that I ever went through that phase at all. Not really a big fan of crowds, parties, or alcohol for that matter.”

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