Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
“Could you…uh…” I begin, but he starts to put a little more pressure. It feels great, but I’m starting to lock up.
My shoulders start to tighten up. He obviously notices, because he starts to apply even more pressure in an attempt to get me to relax.
“Ouch!” I yelp.
“Ah, my apologies,” he says.
“If someone is obviously uncomfortable, why is the solution to push harder?” I yell. I don’t even know why I’m upset, but I can’t really keep myself from lashing out. “And why is everything here so bright? It’s hard on the eyes, especially for someone who’s not even used to this!
“And the scheduling system is so difficult to navigate!” I continue nagging. “It took me ages to get an appointment block! You can’t really expect me to believe this place is booked solid like that, with how many spas we have in New York City. I think you guys are really just trying to create an illusion of desire so you can seem so exclusive and get all kinds of attention and press for free!”
“Sven, no worries. Give us a few minutes, would you?” I hear a calm woman’s voice say from behind me.
I look up to see Sven shrug and walk off, no worse for the wear.
“What’s the issue here, ma’am?” the woman says after Sven has left the room.
“Issue? It’s disorganized and uncomfortable, the smells are overpowering, and why is everything so goddamn bright?” I continue on my tirade. “Ugh. I’m not going to sit here and repeat myself! Who’s the owner around here anyways?”
“As a matter of fact, that would be me,” she says. My eyes widen, and my face turns a bright red flush in embarrassment.
“I…um…” I stammer.
“Nicole,” she says, extending her hand. “And judging by the appointment time, you must be Julia.”
“Ahem. Yes. And I’m very sorry about my…outburst there. That’s not usually how I am, and I don’t know what came over me and—”
“Sweetie, stop,” she says, putting one finger in front of my face. “You’re fine, I get it. And maybe you have some real points. But the real question is, why are you so worried about it when you’re supposed to be relaxing?”
I stare blankly at her. In my mind, I knew this was all about relaxation, I really did, but it took her calling me out for me to really question: what the hell am I doing?
“There’s time for business talk. There is, and I would love to do that with you sometime,” Nicole says warmly. “But how about we have some nice private time?”
“Private time?” I say, blushing. “I’m not…I don’t…”
“A sauna, love,” Nicole says, laughing. “Just a sauna. For one, I’m spoken for. Now, I know it’s not what you paid for, but fuck it. Why own a place like this if you can’t do favors for people, right?”
She holds out a hand to me. I hesitate to take it, but she’s incredibly warming as a person. She seems to have herself so put together. I envy that.
And maybe a sauna is just the thing I need.
Chapter 3
Julia
I cringe and cough a little as I am led through a wooden door into the sauna, the scents and moisture in the air entirely unfamiliar to me.
“Ugh!” I exclaim, wrinkling my nose.
The spa attendant looks up at me with a frantic look on her face.
“Relax, dear,” Nicole says, smiling. “It’s a little different, but you’ll get used to it.” She turns to the attendant. “No worries, Brian. It’s just her first time.”
She’s already got a monogrammed towel with an incredibly elegant golden letter ‘N’ wrapped around her body, ready to hop in with me.
“It’s not that easy for me,” I tell her with a small frown. “I’ve really never been to one, and I just don’t see the necessity. There’s work I should be doing right this second.”
“In my opinion, doll, you can’t think of a spa day as a way to slack off. Everyone needs some mental release,” she counters. “And if it makes you feel any better, just imagine it as work research.”
“When you handle as many venues as I do—and as many problems as I do—you just never get the chance to let anything slide.” I let out a little sigh. “Think about it. One bill falls through, and I could lose that resort. One client review goes uninvestigated, and hundreds of people could read it. We could lose thousands of dollars in business. I can’t afford to—”
“Isn’t that what your employees are for?” Nicole retorts, rolling her eyes at my reaction. “You do have departments to handle things, right?”
“Of course I have fucking departments! But who’s there when they make an error?” I pose.
“Department heads?”
“And when they fuck up?!” I say, practically screaming.
“Your controller. You have one of those, right?” she asks, only half-jokingly.
“Yes, I have a goddamn controller!” I shout.