“Oh, would that be okay? I hope you don’t think I’m being presumptuous. The ladies in the spa are outstanding, though. They’re usually booked out over the weekends with weddings and party glow-ups.”
“I need a glow-up?”
Gemma’s eyes widened. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean that. I just thought you might like one. A little pampering is good for the soul.”
Ammy had been the last person to do Thea’s makeup for her. There had been a lot of pinks and blues, and she’d looked more clown than hot mama. But, she’d kept Ammy’s efforts on her face all day, much to her daughter’s delight.
Gemma shifted on the spot like she’d bolt at any second, and Thea’s heart lurched. She hadn’t meant to sound so stern. The poor thing must already be under enough pressure working for Felix. She didn’t need an indignant girlfriend to deal with as well.
Thea’s breath caught. Hang on. Did she just refer to herself as Felix’s girlfriend? She stood still, allowing the idea to settle over her. There was no panic, no protest from her body or brain. Perhaps shecouldthink of herself as his girlfriend. Shewas hardly a girl, but the idea filled her gut with bubbles of delight. Felix’s girlfriendwouldhave a glow-up. She’d arrive at the party looking polished and perfect. All the things she never felt.
“You might enjoy it,” said Gemma, checking her phone screen after yet another buzz. No doubt from Felix. Didhewant her to have a glow-up? Would his eyes burn extra hot if he liked what he saw?
“Okay,” she said, but as her gut churned, she only hoped her glow-up didn’t turn into a throw-up.
28
THEA
With a final, magical sweep of her hands across Thea’s lower back, the masseur placed the tiny towel across her bottom and stepped away. “There you go. That should help stave off any “cocktail back” at the party tonight.”
“What?” Thea asked through the hole of the massage table, her face nestled into a cloud of soft towels. She’d never felt so relaxed, even after Felix’s attention in her kitchen. Halfway through, she’d drifted off and had woken up dribbling into the white cotton.
“Cocktail back? Google it. It’s a thing. Too high heels, dehydration and long hours standing around chatting can be crippling.”
Thank goodness she’d bought some low wedges with her for tonight, then. She planned to team them with a blue dress she’d found in town. She wasn’t sure it was fancy enough, but it was in the sale, and Felix said he loved blue. “I’ll bear that in mind. Thank you, though. You’re very talented.”
The masseur laughed. “Well, I’ll leave you to melt into thetable, but I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes to finish and wash you off. Then we can get started on your mani-pedi.”
Thea thought about the nibbled stumps at the end of her fingers that passed for nails. How could anyone make them look presentable?
She nodded into the towels, and the door closed at the back of the room. The gentle pulse of pan pipes mixed with a healthy dose of whale song came from a speaker somewhere overhead.
Alone, Thea chuckled to herself. When she’d arrived, the masseur’s assessing gaze made her want to sprint back to her room and dive under the covers. She’d suggested that her skin would benefit from a regular buffing routine and mentioned her tight shoulders. Who had time for ‘buffing’, and what even was it?
Now, lying coated with oil, she probably resembled a suckling pig more than an unkempt woman in desperate need of an overhaul. Perhaps the masseur would stick an apple in her mouth, turn up the heat, and leave her to roast. At least she might be nice and plump should Felix choose to devour her. Oh, how she hoped he would.
As she lay trying to think up seductive one-liners to use later on, a harsh, braying laugh reached her ears from outside the room. Thea lifted her head to listen. Were Felix’s staff giggling about her un-buffed complexion? She held her breath. No. The sound had come from the other side of the room, outside in the corridor.
She craned her neck to identify the person cursed with such a dreadful cackle, and a nasal voice had her pushing up on her hands. Thea narrowed her eyes. The voice sounded an awful lot like Ginny Foster-something-or-other. The woman Felix introduced in the restaurant.
Thea shoved up to sit. The disposable paper on the tablemoved beneath her with a scrunch. Yes, it was definitely the CFO’s wife. She’d mentioned she had a spa appointment.
“Oh darling, you should have seen her. He probably dug her up from a field like a potato.” Another laugh followed the woman’s words.
Thea’s skin prickled, and the hairs on the back of her neck fought to stand on end through the slick of oil coating them. Ginny was talking abouther. Likening her to a potato.
“Well, he introduced her as his friend, but she looked so scruffy. She’s probably penniless. I think our little potato might be a gold digger.”
Thea’s mouth hung open. She may not have much money to spare, but she was hardly a gold digger. Sure, she was here at Felix’s spa for free. Had eaten at his restaurant. But she’d paid for it all in a roundabout way. She and Ammy had lived on tinned soup for a week after her bid at the auction. That was hardly the behaviour of a money-hungry temptress.
“Well, Felix looked totally smitten.”
The voice was really loud now, right outside her door. The corners of Thea’s lips quirked, though. Felix looked totally smitten? With her? A breath tottered in her chest, and heat sprung to her cheeks.
Why was she blushing? There was nobody here to see it. Damn, though. Totally smitten? Perhaps Felix liked potatoes. Who didn’t like potatoes?
The voice returned, this time sounding more distant. If Ginny was on the move, Thea wouldn’t hear any more of the conversation. Find out who she was speaking to. She slid off the massage table and grabbed the small towel that covered her bottom. She held it across her front. It barely covered her boobs and lady parts, but it would have to do. Nobody would see her if she just popped her head out of the door.
