“Oh, you know we’re together? Whew, I thought you might take this as me hard-core hitting on you. It’s not, just so you know. I just thought it might be nice to get to know you better. I don’t have many girlfriends, seeing as how I live with a male drummer and spend almost all my time hanging around a bunch of guys. Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from the testosterone fumes.”
“Oh, wow, that’s nice.” I paused, searching for how to phrase it delicately. “You know, Jack and I aren’t together now.” Maybe that would change her desire to get to know me.
“Oh, I know. He told me about that,” she laughed a cheerful laugh. “Not to worry, I still would love to hang out with you. Say you’ll come!”
I considered. It might be fun to get to know another female who wasn’t work related. And hanging out with Kimi didn’t mean I’d be hanging out with Jack. We could be an entirely separate thing.
“I’d love to,” I told her. “When were you thinking of?”
“I have reservations for this Saturday. Does that work for you? I can change the reservations if you already have plans.”
“Actually, I have Saturday free. That sounds lovely. Shall I meet you there?”
We exchanged time and place details and disconnected. I found I had a smile on my face as I was brushing my teeth. I had something fun to look forward to.
It wasn’t until I was snuggled deep under my pile of blankets and was drifting off to sleep that the thought skittered across my brain—how did Kimi get my number?
Chapter 21
I packed a day bag for my trip to the spa. We had to bring our own swimsuits in order to use the whirlpool, and I threw in clean undies and a water bottle, along with lip balm and my favorite rose-infused moisturizer. After the emotional week I’d had, I was looking forward to just relaxing and having fun. Kimi seemed like she would be fun to hang out with, and I felt a lift in my spirits with the prospect of girl time.
She was waiting for me in the entryway and gave an excited wave as soon as she spotted me coming through the doors. Her long black hair hung down straight, but she’d backed off the dramatic stage make-up I’d seen her wearing before and I saw that her face was quite sweet without the heavy, dark eye makeup and fire-engine red lips. She wore dark blue, slouchy harem pants with a cropped sweater that showed off a sliver of toned midriff and a hint of a belly button ring.
“Yo, Eve!” she greeted me and threaded her arm through mine, leading me towards the front desk.
“Hi Kimi. Thanks so much for inviting me. This is going to be such fun!”
“I’ve never done this kind of shit before. Have you?” she asked.
“I’ve had some spa experiences before. Never a full day, though. And Luxe is supposed to be the best.”
She nodded. “Wasn’t it a Luxe deal you were working on when you met Jack?”
Crap. There it was. Not even two minutes in and Jack shouldered his way into the conversation.
“Yes. I was negotiating a deal for them to lease space in some of our hotels to provide spa services for our clients. Not full spas, but some of the services which would open their market without the financial obligations of opening new full spa locations. And, of course, it would benefit the Duvier brand, as well.” I took a breath. “I’m sorry. That is truly boring for you. I just slipped into work mode for a moment.”
“No prob,” she said with a grin. “I’ll get back at you by humming bass lines during our massage.” I could tell this was going to be a fun day. I liked her.
Kimi handed the gift certificate to the woman behind the desk and gave our names. Janine (that’s what her nametag said), scanned the certificate and her eyes got bigger. “Oh my, this was issued by Mr. Ballanger. You will get VIP treatment!” She pressed a button on the desk, and a discreet chime echoed softly. Almost immediately a slender, young woman with her hair pulled back into a tight bun, wearing a dove grey aesthetician’s jacket with pockets and her name (Shanice) embroidered on her breast, approached us. Janine instructed her, in almost reverent tones, that we were special guests of Mr. Ballanger and to treat us appropriately. She bobbed her head and asked us to follow her.
She led us across the thick carpeting of the lobby toward a door marked Spa Services with a discreet brass plaque. We passed through the door and took a left into a long corridor. We passed the door marked Dressing room and then she stopped by the door marked VIP Dressing Room. She opened the door and ushered us inside. My eyes went wide with surprise. I was not expecting something so sumptuous from a dressing room. There was a soft, grey leather couch with embroidered throw pillows, comfortable looking overstuffed armchairs, and a coffee table. One wall was a series of doors with full length mirrors. I guessed they were closets. Way nicer than the lockers at my gym! Perpendicular to that a counter ran the length of the wall with 4 sinks and a mirror above it.
Shanice instructed us to pick a closet and stow our gear in there. The closets were already furnished with incredibly thick, soft robes and slippers for our use. She then pointed out that the door on the wall opposite the sinks led to our private showers. This was amazing!
There were two menus lying centered on the coffee table. Shanice asked if we would like a beverage to start our spa day. Feeling like my diet had been a bit ice cream and chocolate heavy lately, I picked a green smoothie. Kimi made a face at that and asked for chai tea. Shanice entered our orders into the tablet she was carrying, then went on to the main body of the menu from which we could select our lunch choices. And once we’d made our selections and she’d entered them in her tablet, we got to choose our spa services.
Since we were VIP guests, the sky was the limit, with no looking at price tags. It was a giddy feeling.
The tea and smoothie were delivered, and we sipped on them while we discussed our options. Since our time was limited to one day, we couldn’t do everything, and finally settled on the sauna, a hot stone massage, the mud wrap, the whirlpool, and finishing up with a mani/pedi.
Shanice entered our choices into her pad and instructed us to change into our robes and slippers, and she would wait for us outside.
As soon as the door was closed Kimi whispered to me in a hiss, “Can you believe this place? This is amazing! But seriously, who would want to come here for a colonic irrigation. Thanks for not suggesting that, by the way.”
I laughed, “I know, right? Or the stinging nettle flogging? Honestly? I’m surprised they don’t offer a Poison Oak wrap.”
Changed and our clothes safely stored in our closets, hair pulled back with scrunchies, with the closet keys safety pinned inside our robe pockets, we met Shanice in the hallway, and she took us to the Sauna room. There was a pitcher of lemon water there with two cups and she instructed us to stay hydrated. Then she showed us the temperature and steam controls and left us alone to sweat.
