“A massage?”
“Yeah, I need a lymphatic massage,” she says. “To drain the fluid.”
I glance at her legs again, shaking my head. “No. You’re not gonna suffer like this all night.”
Hopping up, I move to the side table, pick up the receiver tothe hotel telephone, dial zero, and the concierge picks up almost immediately with a cheerful, “Good evening, Mr. Devereaux, how can I be of service?”
“I need a massage therapist to my suite as soon as possible,” I say, glancing at Poppy and meeting her wide eyes. “One that specializes in… lymphatic drainage.”
CHAPTER 18
POPPY
“Oh my God…” I bury my face into my forearms, stifling my groan.
“Oh, you poor darling,” the massage therapist, Riya, coos sympathetically, scraping the Gua Sha up the back of my thighs so slow it’s excruciating. “You have so much swelling here, hon.”
“Shit.” I hear Brookes mutter from where he’s sitting on the edge of the sofa next to where Riya set her table up in the living area of the suite. “Is there anything I can do? I-I feel really bad.”
I turn my head, resting my cheek on my arms and meeting his concerned gaze. “No…” I whimper. “You’ve done enough,” I grit out. And I mean that in a good way because a late-night house call from a top therapeutic masseuse is not cheap, but Brookes explicitly told the hotel concierge to spare no expense, and he did it all without hesitation. This is more than anyone has ever done for me.
“So, this is from flying?” Brookes asks, his gaze trailing down my body, zeroing in on where Riya is manually draining the fluid from my legs.
“Flying exacerbates the swelling and the pain, so I try to avoid it as much as I can.”
His eyes flare. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
The reason I didn’t tell him is because I knew travel was a big part of the job description and I couldn’t really say no. I wanted this job, and I knew the risk. But, of course, I can’t say that in front of Riya so, instead, I just offer him a knowing look that he thankfully seems to understand, nodding once, a very pissed-off look in his eyes.
“I was diagnosed with lipedema when I was a teenager. It took a while because my mom kept dismissing it, telling me I was just fat.”
Brookes shakes his head, but when he opens his mouth to say something, I quickly interject. “But I knew there was more to it because I was in constant pain, and I bruised so easily. Finally, I begged Mom to take me to the doctor, and he was able to diagnose me almost immediately.”
“Lipedema,” Brookes says it as if he’s sounding out the word.
I nod. “It’s a chronic condition that causes an abnormal and excessive buildup of fat and connective tissue, predominantly in my legs, my hips, and my… butt.”
Brookes nods, his eyes roving down my body again. “There’s no cure?”
I shake my head. “Unfortunately not. This helps,” I say, indicating Riya. “I should be getting massages weekly at least, but it’s expensive and, well… I don’t have insurance.” I murmur that last part, noticing the way Brookes’ jaw ticks. “There’s no cure. Apparently liposuction can help by removing the abnormal fat, but even if I could afford that, I’m too much of a wuss because have youseenwhat they do?” My eyes widen on a grimace at the thought of having my fat unceremoniously sucked out of me.
“I’m sorry, Pops.” Brookes frowns.
I flash him a half-smile combined with a wince when Riya starts scraping my other thigh. “It’s okay. I’ve learned to live with it. It’s just… part of who I am.”
“I can show you how to help,” Riya suddenly says.
Brookes looks up at her, a small crease knitting between eyebrows.
“There’s some really effective manual techniques I often show my clients’ partners that they can do to help, especially in urgent situations like this.”
Brookes shifts in his chair, looking from Riya to me and, I can’t be sure, but I’m almost positive I see his cheeks tinge pink.
“Oh, I don’t… I wouldn’t want—” Clearing his throat, he stumbles over his words. “I don’t want to hurt her.”
“You won’t hurt her,” Riya says with a light laugh. “I won’t let that happen. I promise.”
Brookes spears me with a wide-eyed look, lowering his voice. “Is it okay with you?”
