Tori
Chapter 10
So he thought of me as a whore? Fine. I’d spend his money as if I’d earned it like one.
“Room service,” a crisp, Austrian-accented voice answered.
“Good morning,” I said sweetly. “Can you tell me what you have for breakfast, please? And is there champagne this early?”
I ordered recklessly, not even asking the prices. If I was going on this adventure by myself, I was determined to treat myself right.
Along with the champagne, I asked for an Italian espresso, a carafe of fresh-squeezed orange juice, and a pot of tea. I took the suggestions given to me and selected two different egg dishes and an artisanal bread basket, adding the roasted local asparagus and a platter of bacon and sliced ham.
“We…also have apple strudel and plum jam turnovers?” the voice said. “They’re from a prominent local bakery. Though perhaps you won’t have room for—”
“Why not? Give me two of each.” And just to be extra decadent, I ordered the Strawberries Romanoff—which came with three different flavors of cream.
Room service had to send up three carts to deliver my order. I tipped extravagantly.
There was no way I could finish it all, but I made sure to sample everything.
Full to bursting after my indulgent breakfast, I got dressed and headed downstairs to the luxury spa on the first floor of the hotel. I tried to be annoyed that I had essentially been banished here, but it was hard to keep up the sour attitude once I was presented with a pamphlet of spa options. I figured Stefan owed me the best massage that money could buy, to make up for all the hurt and anger and frustration he’d caused, but I couldn’t even figure out where to start.
And then my eyes zeroed in on something with the right amount of dollar signs attached to it.
“What exactly is the ‘Gold Package’?” I asked the young woman behind the granite counter. She was wearing a lab coat and a turtleneck, like a doctor, except she was all in black.
“It’s a series of treatments using pure twenty-four karat gold, with a three-step full body massage, a gold leaf facial, and a gold dust mani-pedi. It also includes a gold flake martini and a selection of gold-dipped truffles.” She smiled at my stunned look. “I realize it sounds a bit extreme.”
I laughed. “It sounds perfect, actually. I’ll take it.”
Her eyes widened. “Of course, but…the appointment lasts approximately five hours.”
I slid the suite’s keycard toward her, and her gaze darted to my huge diamond ring.
“Charge it to my room,” I told her breezily. “And I’d like to leave a generous tip as well. Including for yourself.”
“We’ll get you started right away.” She was beaming ear to ear.
“Oh, and is there a cosmetologist on staff? Maybe a hair stylist? I have an event tonight. It would be amazing if I could get my hair and makeup done.”
“We have a full salon,” she answered. “And if you don’t mind me saying so…your partner is going to be struckdumbwhen you show up to that event later.”
“I’m counting on it,” I said, flashing a wicked smile. “Believe me.”
They started me off by leading me to a gorgeous, private changing room done up in wall-to-wall Italian marble, where I was given a robe so soft that it had to be cashmere, and then I was escorted into the spa to begin my experience.
But first, I was given my golden martini—delicious—and left alone to relax in a private steam room, lying there completely naked so my pores could open up. Soothing ocean sounds were piped in, and I felt my tense muscles start to loosen as the balmy temperature and the music coaxed me into a zen-like state. I was determined to enjoy this. I would not think about Stefan.
Before I knew it, I was back in my robe and being taken to another room, where a woman with a severe bun and a no-nonsense demeanor began scrubbing my body down with an exfoliating clay that shimmered with pure gold powder.
“That smells so good,” I sighed. “Like lemon and licorice.”
“It is anise and verbena,” the woman told me. “Now turn onto your back.”
Every time I felt a flash of hurt or anger toward Stefan, I reminded myself that I was here to indulge, to focus completely on myself. It mostly worked.
The aesthetician had come in to work on me, and I interrupted my gold leaf and collagen facial only long enough to ask, “Does the gold leaf actually do anything?”
