Eliano watches me closely and adds, "But if they try something like that, it’ll happen over my dead body," in a slow, unyielding manner.
Our eyes meet in an intense lock, I nod in response. We have a silent understanding, and for some reason it makes my hole clench a bit. How weird!
We head back toward the entertainment wing of the complex. Not a single word is exchanged between us, but the silence is not tense.
The massage room turns out to be exactly what I expected. It has the same folding screens as the other rooms, but the layout inside is different. There is a massage table in the enclosure, with open space beside it. Clearly, one person is meant to lie down while the other does the massage.
It strikes me that the one being massaged will obviously be the beta, and the alpha will be the one doing the touching. I glance at Eliano, who is studying the table as well, and for a brief moment our eyes meet.
An insistent thought starts to creep in. The intensity with which this program pushes closeness, encouraging alphas and betas to spend time together through touch and physical proximity, is bound to affect me too. I already know that I like Eliano’s touch far more than I should. No one has ever touched me like this before, definitely not in an erotic way, so I am only now discovering this whole world of physical sensation, and it is pretty overwhelming.
I know that the more of this I allow myself, the harder it will be to give it up later.
Damn it. These people are really not making this easy for me.
How am I supposed to focus on sticking to my plan in a place where everything seems to be working against me, even my own body?
With an irritated scowl, I fold my arms across my chest and turn away as footsteps approach.
ELIANO
The massage instructor walks into the room. It turns out to be… Pip.
He greets us, and when he sees us standing kind of cluelessly, he briefly explains the rules. Salt is to undress completely behind the screen and lie naked on the massage table. At the head of the table there is an arm with a small shelf attached to it, holding massage oils, a clean towel, and paper towels.
Pip turns on a video projector. On the wall, we see a massage therapist demonstrating a sequence of techniques. These are the stages of today’s lesson, what to do first and how. The other participants clearly already know these techniques, so for them it is just another massage session, following the video.
That does not mean I am completely uninformed about massages. I trained in martial arts, and my coach used to give us simple massages from time to time. Sometimes a sports physio would come in to help us loosen up after fights. So at least in theory, I know a fair number of techniques, what you should and should not do. But this is not the same thing. Here, the key aspect and the actual goal of the massage is interaction, not loosening tight muscles.
I glance at Salt. He has already been through one shocking situation, back in the medical office. Maybe this is not quite as difficult for him now, but this is still a fairly fresh experience. As he strips, this time with his back to me, I notice a line of decorative letters running down his spine, spelling out the word ‘Senu’.
I remember what Storm and Damien told me about Salt’s past, about how he took revenge on the people who killed his brother. The fact that he has his name on his body feels significant. We’ve only known each other for three days, so I haven’t really had much chance to talk to him about his family, and I’m not even sure I should be digging into it at all.
Still, the sight of Salt’s naked body affects me. My blood starts moving faster through my veins. Salt lies down on the table with an uncertain expression.
"Have you ever had a massage before?" I ask quietly.
"No, never," he answers through clenched teeth.
When I see Pip approaching again, I quickly grab the towel and drape it over Salt’s chest. It is large enough to cover everything, including his groin.
Pip notices the gesture and, of course, that familiar little smirk appears on his face. By that point, it’s obvious to me that anything showing possessiveness or protectiveness from an alpha toward his beta is seen here as something positive, desirable. No one reacts with disapproval.
I guess their everyday motto is pretty much: the stronger an alpha’s natural instinct, the stronger the release of pheromones, and the higher the chance of stimulating a beta’s reproductive system.
And when it’s not enough? They have Drax…
With a broad smile, Pip asks, "Do either of you have any experience with massage?"
"I don’t," Salt mutters.
"Well, I used to be heavily into sports, so I know a bit," I admit.
"It shows for sure," Pip mutters in a low voice.
Salt’s eyes send him a killer gaze, which only seems to make Pip even more satisfied. Yep, everything here is kind of a scenario meant to evoke a specific reaction, what a circus.
So I pretend not to hear his compliment and continue, "I’ve had massages, but they were more sports-oriented, focused on loosening tight muscles and deep relaxation. I’ve never done them myself; it was more like observing on the side."
