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“It has nothing to do with the wedding.” He held out one hand. “Keys.”
She dropped them into his palm, happy to sit on the passenger side. “I’m at your mercy.”
He turned on the car. “I like how that sounds.”
“Don’t be too excited. I’m half asleep already.” She laid her head back and shut her eyes, the entire day washing over her in one draining wave.
Two more days. Just two more days.This was crunch time, always the most challenging part of planning a wedding. But each item she ticked off the list brought her closer to the grand finale. Once the reception was winding to a close, she was home free. Then this wedding would be in the history books, another success story to add to the testimonials page of her website.
“You don’t have to stay awake for where we’re going. In fact, falling asleep might be considered a compliment.”
He didn’t give her any more hints than that. She watched out the window as he drove them back to the Bellamy Hotel. Hopefully he would tuck her in for a nap before attempting any sexual acrobatics tonight. They were running out of time to spend together, but even that ticking clock hadn’t imbued her with her theoomphshe needed.
She joked as they strolled through the lobby that she required a coffee before any of her clothes came off. He stayed quiet, holding her hand and leading her past the elevators and down another corridor.
“Where are you taking me?” She perked up when they stopped in front of a darkened window. “The spa? It’s closed.”
Trick leaned in, his voice low. “You said you could pick a lock, right?”
“Oh, no. No, no.”
He grinned and then produced a keycard from his pocket. He swiped it and depressed the handle, holding the door open for her. “Relax, Peaches. I wouldn’t ask you to burgle the hotel spa. Come on.”
A million questions cluttered her mind as they stepped into the shadows. Manicure stations were tidy and silent, rows of nail polish lining the shelves like colorful soldiers. They passed massage rooms and a room marked “sauna” before coming to a room with a pedicure chair.
“Thank you, Janice,” Trick said to himself as he stepped into the dimly lit room. The tub at the foot of the leather chair was bubbling away, steam floating up from the basin.
“What did you do?” Rylee asked as he lowered to his knees. “What are you doing?”
“Giving you exactly what you deserve.” He unbuckled the dainty straps around her ankles and removed her uncomfortable shoes. A deep sigh worked its way up from her throat. “Have a seat.”
She sat, anticipating a pedicurist to materialize from the doorway.
“No one’s coming.” Trick slung a towel over his shoulder. Then he sat on a short stool and lowered her feet into the water one by one. “Just me.”
“You’re—I can’t let you do this.” She started to pull her foot from the water, but he placed a hand on her knee below the hemline of her dress.
“You have to. I spent an hour here with Janice, the manager, and learned what to do.”
“How?” She couldn’t wrap her head around what was happening. Not being in a spa alone afterhours, or Trick sweet-talking the key from the manager, or the fact that he had taken one of her feet from the water and was squirting oil onto his hands. “She let you in here unsupervised?”
“Well, I had to promise we wouldn’t have sex on the massage table.”
As good as his thumb in the arch of her foot felt, she stiffened. “You didn’t.”
His grin was mischievous. “I didn’t. Relax. That’s your only job. I watched you run around and organize everything for everyone else tonight. It’s time you allowed yourself to be pampered, don’t you think?”
She eased back into the chair. He finished massaging her foot and then traded one for the other. He poured a scoop of scented sea salt with tiny, dried roses into the tub. Slowly but surely, Rylee allowed herself to relax.
Earlier when he’d stopped in to talk to the manager of the day spa, Trick had asked if there was anyone available for a pedicure very late tonight. Janice regretfully declined, explaining that her employees were coming in early tomorrow with appointments, and that she had a family dinner tonight she couldn’t miss.
Trick hadn’t given up. He’d had a pampering session in mind for Rylee. He’d watched her leap hurdle after hurdle today. She’d catered to the bride and groom, who had thrown another curveball her way, and she’d handled it with the same grace and poise with which she’d handled everything else. Including him.
Rylee deserved to be spoiled.
“What if I do it?” he’d asked Janice. The manager broke into a small laugh that had crinkled her eyes at the corners. He’d gone on to explain who he was, and had shown her a few of his online videos. When he offered to mention the spa to his subscribers, he won the other woman over. She’d been looking for a unique way to advertise, and him offering to do it for free had been too good to pass up.
Janice had given him the key card and asked him to stash it in the front desk drawer when he left. She’d given him a basic rundown of how to give a woman a relaxing foot treatment, teasing that she didn’t have adequate time to teach him how to polish Rylee’s toes.
