Luke pulled into the parking lot of Taurus Day Spa and hobbled out of the car with a sigh. Luke's frustration was further compounded by the additional time it took him to struggle to the door on his crutches.
Once inside, Luke didn't even bother to walk up to the receptionist's desk. He pivoted to the left and plopped down into the nearest chair.
It looked like a doctor's office inside, apart from the additional plants and a warm coconut scent lacing the air.
"Luke? 10:45?" squeaked the peppy receptionist behind the tall counter. Luke struggled to make out the owner of the voice. The cute young receptionist was almost too short to see over the counter. Only her tousled black hair and fresh blue eyes peeked back at him inquisitively.
Luke forced a smile as he nodded back. Fighting off the umpteenth sigh of the morning.
The girl's eyes smiled back, and she swiveled in her chair. "Nicole!... hmmm. Yeah, your 10:45." The girl swiveled back. "She'll be just a minute."
Luke dutifully nodded and tried to relax amid the piped-in rainforest noises echoing around the room.
Soon, the door in front of Luke opened. Smiling back at him in the doorway was a woman. Dressed professionally in the standard attire Luke was accustomed to seeing his trainers wear. Granted, none of his team trainers sported her elegant silhouette. Simply clad in a pair of form-fitting khakis that accentuated her long, feminine legs, and a smart polo. Her neon blue shoulder-length hair was buzzed on one side. It starkly contrasted her fair, smooth skin.
"Come on back, Luke." Nicole waved with one hand while helping Luke limp through the doorway.
Mercifully, Nicole led Luke into the first room down the hall so he could dress down. Luke had to admit, the spa was a little more welcoming than the training rooms where he usually received massages, with a lot fewer sweaty guys.
"Just take your time getting undressed. Go ahead and lie down when you're ready," Nicole said, brushing his shoulder tenderly. Her soothing touch made Luke's hair stand on end and his body crave more. "I'll give you plenty of time to relax." Nicole winked as she drifted out the door.
It took Luke a little longer to undress lately. Fighting to keep his balance during the undressing process was surprisingly tiring. When he finished, Luke was thankful for the extra time to rest in silence on the cozy, towel-covered table in the center of the tranquil room.
The ambiance of the tiki-themed room was growing on Luke, and it started to help him relax. With his head buried in the hole of the massage table, Luke closed his eyes, tuning out everything but the noise of the water feature in the corner of the room.
Luke had already drifted off to sleep before the masseuse returned to the room. Nicole knocked lightly before entering. Receiving no response, she proceeded in, assuming her client had drifted off.
Nicole rubbed her soft hands with warm lotion, before gently rousing Luke. Her delicate touch explored his broad shoulders for signs of tension.
"Ugh, wha... huh?" Luke muttered under Nicole's light touch.
"Hey, sleepyhead," Nicole answered with an amused giggle. "Sorry, but your girlfriend paid for a massage, not a nap."
Luke sleepily groaned in agreement. "That feels nice." Nicole's delicate hands pleasantly surprised him, deftly kneading away the pent-up discomfort in his shoulders.
The woman's soft touch was warm and comforting. The slight melony smell of her lotion was helping add to the relaxing tropical vibe.
Nicole's hand worked up and down Luke's back, every inch she kneaded, replacing discomfort with relaxation.
"I'm moving down to your legs now," Nicole whispered in a comforting tone.
"Do whatever you want," Luke moaned. "Whatever you're doing is magical."
Nicole shook her head and giggled, "Well, I didn't want to alarm you. I know about your injury, and I promise I can work around it." Luke groaned in agreement, wishing he hadn't been reminded of the state of his knee injury.
"Don't worry, I promise you'll forget all about it by the time we're finished," Nicole advised him as her warm fingers dug into his neglected hamstrings. Luke moaned as the tension melted from his body, from his legs up.
Nicole was right, Luke thought, already forgetting about his injury as a wave of relaxation washed over him.
Nicole ran her caring fingers up and down Luke's athletic frame for the next fifteen minutes. Melting away his stress, she kneaded every knot out of his muscular body. Luke felt as if he had entered a dream, unsure if he had drifted off to sleep.
The piercing noise of a ringing cell phone split the tranquil silence of the room. Snapping Luke's trace. Nicole's fingers stopped as Luke looked around the room in a startled attempt to find the perpetrator.
"What the hell? My phone's always on silent." Luke huffed.
"That's okay, I'll get it," Nicole assured him, seemingly unphased by the interruption.
Nicole walked over to the table by the door and picked up Luke's phone from his pile of clothes.
"Looks like a Facetime from April," Nicole reported from across the room.
Luke raised an eyebrow when, to his shock, his masseuse answered his phone.
"Hey, April." Nicole picked up the phone with a beaming smile, as if her best friend had just called.
"What are you..." Luke called out, about to jump off the table.
"There you are, taking good care of my man?" April's familiar voice asked as Nicole turned the phone to Luke in response. Luke peered back quizzically as Nicole answered in his stead.
"Well, I think he was. Just got startled a little." Nicole giggled, handing Luke his phone.
"Hey babe, I'm bummed you've been under so much stress lately. So, I asked Nicole to take special care of you." April smiled slyly back at Luke.
"Yeah, thanks, honey. She did a great..." Luke stammered, suddenly distracted by Nicole stripping off her polo, stretching her slender frame, and letting her plump, firm breasts fall free.
