A Reluctant Enterprise Page 12

  “Of course. I have a hellish couple of days at the office to look forward to. I could use an hour massage.” Sylvie raised her eyebrows in a clear challenge.

  “But, I’m…Oh, all right. A classic Swedish massage sounds fantastic.”

  Michelle’s glow had diminished somewhat, and she appeared indecisive for a moment before her professionalism kicked back in. “I’ll arrange that. I believe the Norwegian twins, Mette and Marit, are working the couple’s room today. If you have a seat, they’ll come for you when the room’s ready. It’ll only take a few minutes.

  Aeron sat down in a white leather armchair in the reception area. Sylvie remained standing as she listened to something on her phone. “Our flight tickets are taken care of. We fly on June 17. That will give us one day to kick the worst of the jet lag before the craziness begins on the 19th…What?”

  “You haven’t even checked with me.” Folding her arms across her chest, Aeron focused her narrowing eyes on Sylvie. “I knew we had to leave around that time, but it’d still have been nice to check. Just because we have this contract doesn’t mean you should assume you call all the shots.” She could hear her own voice become icier by the second.

  “That wasn’t my intention. I don’t feel I call any shots whatsoever. You’re doing me a great favor by joining me on the trip to Sweden.” Sylvie looked nonplussed.

  “Yes, you do. You suggested this…this collaboration. You came up with the idea that I store all the documents in your condo. You set the schedule for all the business knowledge you’re about to bestow on me. And I keep saying yes, like a fool, not putting my foot down even once.”

  Sylvie’s blue eyes turned almost gray. “From where I’m standing, it sounds like you’re angry at yourself rather than at me. I have nothing but the best intentions, and I wish you could see that.”

  “A lot of people have had my best interest at heart on many occasions. I’ve suffered through their efforts and tried to learn how to behave, how to please them so they don’t abandon me like she did.”

  “She? Maeve?” Sylvie frowned and sat down next to Aeron. “I don’t know the details of what happened to you once you decided to leave home.”

  “Decided. Hmm. Maeve sent me to boarding school when I was eight and allowed me back at the condo only for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, and Easter. I spent all the other holidays and weekends at the school. The people running the little kids’ dorm were nice, but they weren’t our parents. It was a small comfort that I wasn’t alone. Several kids had parents who were ready to ditch them for an entire semester.”

  Aeron stopped talking, appalled at how the words had gushed out of her like a broken faucet. She hadn’t meant to pour her past out on Sylvie, and certainly not in a public setting. Glancing around them, she found to her relief that they were alone. Even the woman behind the counter had left. Perhaps Sylvie had realized this wasn’t for public consumption and motioned to the receptionist to make herself scarce. “Oh, God. I’m sorry.” Feeling cold now, Aeron rubbed her palms against her thighs. “I’m not usually this…unhinged.”

  “You’re in mourning. I think you’re extremely composed.” Sylvie’s eyes had become a warm blue again. She took Aeron’s right hand. “I must’ve hit a nerve when I kept steamrolling and just expected you to follow along. I apologize for being presumptuous.”

  This humble approach from the formidable-looking businesswoman standing before her made Aeron’s heart slow its hammering, and she could breathe normally again. “I suppose you’re right. I’ve never felt this kind of turmoil before. Maeve wasn’t a good mother. That’s the God’s honest truth. Still, I feel I missed out a lot and I have regrets.”

  “Also natural. Even people who’ve had amazing relationships feel they didn’t do enough or say enough to their loved one.”

  “Love.” For a long time, when Aeron was a young teenager, she’d been determined to hate her mother. In her mind it was better to be the one rejecting than being rejected. She opened her mouth to tell Sylvie this, but the receptionist came back and approached them. Her blinding smile was professional rather than warm. “This way, my ladies. Mette and Marit will be ready for you soon. I’ll show you to the couple’s room, where you can disrobe. Have you had massages before?” She motioned for Sylvie and Aeron to follow her.

  “Of course,” Sylvie said.

  “Not really,” Aeron added.

  “No? Well, you need to take off as many items of clothing as you’re comfortable with. Some leave their panties on, and others don’t mind being naked under the towel.”

  Aeron didn’t think she’d be comfortable with the latter. At least not during her first time.

  “Then you climb onto the massage table and lie down on your back. Drape a bath towel over yourself so you don’t get cold. The massage therapist will knock on the door to announce her presence, then ask you about your preferences before she starts. She’ll use warm oil, and if you like, she has different aromas that she can add to the oil to either rejuvenate or soothe the senses.”

  “Okay.” This sounded a bit complicated to Aeron, but as Sylvie was going to be there…now, wait a minute. Undress down to your panties and lie half naked on a massage table in the same room as Sylvie? Aeron’s heart picked up speed again. The idea of catching glimpses of the slender figure stole her breath away.

  “Here we are,” the receptionist said and opened a door. “As you can tell, there are two dressing rooms. Then you can decide among yourselves which table you want.” She nodded energetically and left.

  “Goodness.” Aeron scanned the large room. In the center stood two massage tables, looking very comfortable with thick mattresses, sheets, towels, and blankets. On an oak counter sat a plethora of bowls and bottles, which she guessed contained the aromatic oils and such. Inhaling through her nose, Aeron could detect a faint scent of pine, ocean, and sandalwood. Perhaps vanilla? It smelled divine.

  “You like it?” Sylvie had removed her jacket and hung it to the right of the door. “We need to get undressed.”

  “Yes, I like it.” Aeron hurried behind a drape in the far left corner, where she removed her clothes and wrapped a white terry-cloth towel around her. Padding out, she saw Sylvie enter, having attached her bath towel in a similar fashion.

  “You look uneasy,” Sylvie said. “Actually, you don’t have anything to be concerned about. Mette and Marit are experts. I managed to persuade them to move to the US to work for me and haven’t regretted it. On the contrary, I hear nothing but good from their customers. If you want them to go easier on you, or deeper, just say so.”

  “Okay.” How could she explain to Sylvie that it had been ages since anyone had touched her, not counting a handshake or a quick hug from Annelie and Carolyn? She was by no means a virgin, but the last couple of years she’d kept to herself. Now a stranger would be touching her while she was in the same room as Sylvie, who’d penetrated more of her carefully constructed shields than anyone else.

  Awkwardly, Aeron maneuvered up on the massage table. It was very comfortable, and she cautiously relaxed only to tense up when she heard a knock on the door.

  “Yes, we’re ready.” Sylvie called from the other table.

  The door opened, and two women in their mid-thirties stepped inside. It was obvious they were twins, but Aeron hadn’t expected them to be of Asian descent since they were from Norway. Feeling a bit foolish for expecting blond women with blue eyes, as she hated stereotypical thinking with a passion, Aeron greeted them politely.

  “I’m Mette and I’ll be massaging you, Aeron.” Mette warmed her hands. “Would you like scented oil or just plain?”

  “Just plain, please.” Aeron cleared her throat.

  “Plain it is.” As she arranged a bowl on the heater, Mette conversed with her in a low tone. “Have you had a massage before?”

  “No. I’m sorry.” Not sure why she apologized, Aeron squirmed. Perhaps this was a really bad idea after all.

  “Then I’ll start easy. I
f you want me to go deeper on any particular place on your body, just let me know. I’ll start with your legs and arms. I’ll move up to your upper chest, your neck and scalp, and then I’ll tell you to turn over and do your back. You’ll be all covered up the entire time except for the part I’m working on. If anything hurts or you don’t want me to do that particular part of your body, just let me know. This is supposed to feel really good. No stress, no tension. Just relaxation.”

  “I understand. Thank you.” Aeron began to relax marginally when Mette covered her with soft blankets, leaving only her right leg exposed.

  A soft moan from her left made Aeron want to turn her head. Marit had begun working on Sylvie and was clearly doing a good job.

  “I’m starting now,” Mette said and began rubbing oil on Aeron’s leg. She kneaded, pushed, and pulled on the muscles, and for Aeron this was close to a religious experience. Nobody had ever touched her like this—impersonal, but with strong, kind hands and great skill. Little by little, Aeron let go of her tenseness, knowing she was well taken care of. Before she knew it, a moan similar to Sylvie’s escaped her lips. Aeron knew she blushed, but the muted light probably hid it. She didn’t actually care. One limb after another received the same amazing treatment, and Aeron promised herself to keep getting massages, especially when she was this worked up about life.

  “I’m going to hold onto the towel now so you can turn onto your stomach, Aeron,” Mette said and held the towel like a tent above Aeron. Carefully she pivoted on the table, mindful to not fall over the edge, as she was a bit dizzy.

  “You’re shaking. Let me get your some sweet iced tea.” Mette left for a moment and returned with a glass and a straw. “Here. Drink some. It’s important you keep rehydrating throughout the day. This will help you rinse out the toxins we’re freeing from the muscles.”

  “Are you all right, Aeron?” Sylvie asked in a low voice from her table. She’d also turned onto her stomach. “You’re a little pale.”

  “I’m fine. Just not used to being massaged.” Aeron drank gratefully from the straw. The delicious tea made from raspberries rejuvenated her almost instantly. “Much better. Thank you.”

  Mette put the glass away and folded the towel down dangerously low on the small of Aeron’s back, who had her head turned to the side toward Sylvie’s side of the room and saw Marit had done the same. Sylvie had the most beautiful pale skin. Her slender-looking frame gave the impression that she was delicate, but Aeron had learned better. This woman was strong. She met everything head-on. Aeron didn’t know why Sylvie was so adamant about making it for herself with this spa chain, but she recognized her strength from how Sylvie approached their slightly odd business relationship. Like a low-key kind of warrior. Where did she find the tenacity?

  Aeron raised her gaze to Sylvie’s face and met her blue eyes. Sylvie was looking at her with a wholly unexpected intensity. She must have seen how Aeron studied her. Unable to tear her gaze from Sylvie’s, she then noticed the other woman’s gaze. Following the angle of Aeron’s arms, and then down her side and back, Sylvie’s eyes were like feathers against her skin. Small goose bumps rose as Sylvie scanned her.

  *

  Sylvie couldn’t take her eyes off Aeron. Her creamy skin, looking almost like mother-of-pearl in the dim light, the slight freckles over her shoulders, and the innocent expression in her eyes made Sylvie’s stomach clench as Aeron kept staring at her.

  Sylvie had already been on her stomach when Aeron turned around on her table. She’d fumbled a bit and the towel had slipped just a fraction of an inch, but enough to give a tantalizing view of a voluptuous outline of Aeron’s breasts.

  The flowing dresses or skirts that Aeron normally wore hid her figure to some degree. Now as she shifted beneath the towel, no, squirmed, she left very little to the imagination. Trying to get a grip on her sudden bout of hormones, Sylvie squeezed two fistfuls of bedsheet.

  “Relax. You’ll get all those knots in your neck right back if you keep doing that.” Marit admonished her gently. “I bet you don’t have time to stay here another hour for me to start all over again.”

  “You’re right, as usual.” Sighing, Sylvie closed her eyes, but that didn’t work much better. Now she saw images of Aeron smiling reluctantly, glowering, and laughing. Her hair glimmered with the golden highlights among the dark-blond strands. The vision sent tremors through her body, made her grow rigid again. She pressed her legs together, and involuntarily her mind went forward into forbidden territory. New and decidedly more X-rated thoughts raced through her brain.

  “Am I hurting you?” Marit was in the process of probing Sylvie’s lower back but now stopped.

  “No, no. Not at all. Please continue.”

  “Absolutely, but something is making you tense up like this. Try to cleanse your mind with each movement of my hands. Like a pattern, remember? Feel my hands repeat this pattern. Palm, roll, fingertips, pull. Palm, roll, fingertips, pull.”

  Sylvie latched onto Marit’s monotone voice as the massage therapist worked the part of her back that always needed it the most.

  Refusing to let her mind wander back to Aeron, Sylvie let Marit’s words echo over and over. Palm, roll, fingertips, pull. Palm, roll, fingertips, pull. The distraction worked for a few minutes, but then her mind conjured up new images. Sylvie couldn’t do anything about it. Every time she envisioned Marit’s hands working, she automatically saw herself touching Aeron the same way.

  Just then Aeron opened her eyes and gazed right into Sylvie’s. She tried to harness her wayward thoughts, but how could that be possible when Aeron looked at her with such intensity?

  As their eyes stayed locked for several moments, or it might as well have been hours, Sylvie knew she was in trouble. How would she be able to spend so much time with Aeron and keep a tight lid on her feelings? If she didn’t, she’d jeopardize everything.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Aeron glanced at Sylvie, who looked uneasy where she sat in the passenger seat. “Are you feeling carsick?”

  “What? No. Not at all. I’m just not used to riding in one of these.”

  She grinned. Aeron loved to drive and had been wonderfully surprised to find Maeve had kept her old pickup truck that she’d wanted for her eighteenth birthday. Not only had she kept it, but she’d given Paulina orders to keep it in good running order.

  “You mean cars in general or pink pickup trucks in particular?” Aeron snorted now.

  “Funny. Pickup trucks. I have a Porsche, but it’s in storage back in Sweden.”

  “Ah. Totally different breed. And very close to the ground. So it’s the altitude that gets you in this vehicle?” Aeron thought this silly joke would render her a lethal glance from Sylvie, but instead her passenger tossed her head back and laughed. The husky tone of Sylvie’s mirth was new and very contagious. Aeron chuckled, which ignited more laughter in Sylvie.

  “Thanks for coming with me. I mean, you must really have a lot of stuff to do other than accompanying me to the Adirondacks, no matter what we said earlier.” Aeron shifted lanes and overtook a truck. “If I’m going to meet my deadline I need some of my hard-copy research material that I left behind, since I thought I’d be gone only a few days.”

  “I brought some work with me, mostly some video presentations created by our media department. I managed to cram in a few completely boring meetings earlier this week.” Speaking casually, Sylvie still sounded cheerful.

  “So that’s why you weren’t home the two times I came over to go through the boxes.”

  Sylvie frowned. “I’m sorry about that. Did you have any questions for me? You could’ve left voice mails if you did.”

  “No, no. I just found some dry legal documents having to do with my grandparents’ will. I put them aside for later since I didn’t understand all that legal mumbo jumbo. Perhaps you can have a look at them at some point?”

  “Sure. Well, what I mean is, I’ll have one of our lawyers have a look if you want. Remember, I’m a business
woman so I know some about the law, but I rely heavily on our legal department.”

  Aeron nodded gratefully. “Thanks. That takes care of that.”

  “So, the Adirondacks. How did you end up there?”

  “I went to summer camp there four summers in a row. When I found a cabin in roughly the same neighborhood, I just had to get it. It’s right on the lake and far enough from the closest neighbor for me to not hear or see them, but we can still help each other in an emergency.”

  “You something of a hermit?

  Chuckling, Aeron shook her head. “No. That would mean never seeing a living soul for years and years, right? I enjoy my own company, I need the peace and quiet for my writing, but I also like to socialize with friends, of course. I made friends with Carolyn, Annelie, and Annelie’s little sister, Piper. They live about fifteen minutes by car from my cabin and are there almost all weekends, if Carolyn isn’t filming. They really prioritize Piper. She’s ten-and-a-half and quite precocious.” Aeron heard her own longing. Had she ever felt as if Maeve prioritized her, sacrificed anything for her? Hardly.

  “I’ve heard a lot of good things about them through Helena and Noelle.”

  “They’re great. I hope you get to meet them during this trip. We did talk about having a barbecue soon.”

  Sylvie didn’t answer at first, and Aeron took that as a sign that she wasn’t interested in getting together.

  “Why not?” Sylvie surprised her by saying after a while. “When in Rome and all that. I do enjoy barbecued vegetables. I can’t remember when I barbecued last.”

  “Vegetables? You’re a vegetarian?”

  Sylvie nodded. “Yes.”

  “Good to know.”

  After a few moments of silence, Sylvie turned slightly in her seat toward Aeron. “About before. I can’t remember laughing like that for a while. Hearing that must make me seem tremendously boring.”

  “A bit sad, perhaps, but who am I to judge why you haven’t found anything as funny as you find me?” Aeron risked a glance at Sylvie, as they had just hit I-87 north and traffic wasn’t too bad this early.