Free The Rub Down by Gina Sheldon

at all was a shock, and I would hear some razzing from Danny about it later.
    “So, you mentioned you’re business partners. What do you ladies do?” Danny asked, bringing Alexa and me into the conversation.
    “The company is called Dress Me Up. We’re personal shoppers and fashion consultants.” Her eyes trailed over our clothing. “We help our clients put together wardrobes and find clothes that are in style, in budget, and look fantastic on them,” Alexa replied.
    “Wow, something like that exists? Lukey over here could use some help in the style department,” Danny said, poking me in the arm as hard as he could.
    That job sounded like fun if you were into fashion. Sadly, he was right. I pretty much was blind when going into stores. My sisters picked out all my clothes.
    “You look pretty good to me tonight,” Alexa said as a light pink hue lit up her cheeks. “I mean, your outfit looks good.”
    I gave her foot a small squeeze, letting her know I knew what she meant.
    “What are you guys doing all the way over here if you were downtown all night? Nothing good to lick over on Boylston Street?” Addison blurted.
    I think she was trying to save Alexa from an embarrassing moment by throwing a sexual innuendo on the table.
    “Gross, Addison.” Alexa gasped, slapping her on the arm.
    “There was one chick that wanted to lick Luke. It was hilarious. But no, if we licked any of those girls, our tongues would have to be cut off,” Danny joked.
    I was going to kick him in the nuts if he kept talking about that Wendy chick. Alexa’s head whipped around, and she stared at me with laughter written all over her face. She opened her mouth a few times, as if wanting to ask more details, but in the end, closed it and shook her head while laughing at me.
    “I wanted a gelato, but I also wanted to hit up Stanza dei Sigari for a cigar and bourbon. Mainly, I needed to get away from the children and have an adult conversation,” I answered.
    “Sorry to interrupt your male bonding session,” Alexa said while trying to remove her feet from my lap.
    I held tight to her ankles. “No need to apologize. Sitting here with you beautiful ladies is better than polluting our lungs.” I stared into Alexa’s eyes as I spoke. She really was captivating and stunning.
    “Oh shit! You didn’t even eat your gelato, thanks to me and my stupid feet. It’s all melted. Let me go buy you another one.” Alexa moved too fast for me to catch her this time, and she had her shoes on and stood before I knew what was happening.
    I managed to grab her arm, and pull her to me. I looked up at her and softly spoke. “Please, sit. I don’t need another one.”
    “Are you sure? You were so busy massaging my feet that you only got in a bite or two.” A soft smile graced her face.
    Danny and Addison were in their own little world. My finger itched to trace her plump lips. As we held each other’s eyes, my hand drifted up and down her arm. The moment was intense and intimate, almost as if we were having some sort of conversation without words. I didn’t want to think about what we were actually saying, but wanted to enjoy the moment with her.
    “I’m sure,” I answered. The urge to pull her down in my lap and lick her luscious lips was strong, but the mood was broken when Alexa sat down again.
    The four of us talked until the employees flipped the chairs upside down on the surrounding tables.
    “I think they’re trying to tell us something,” I said, looking around the room. “Where do you ladies live? Do you want to share a taxi toward downtown?”
    “We’re in the South End. You?” Alexa asked.
    “The Ritz down by the Common. We can have the cabbie drop you off first. I want to make sure you ladies get home safely.” It seemed silly for Danny and me to go the extra blocks, but I wanted to be with her as long as possible. It didn’t look like Danny was all that interested in leaving Addison any time soon, either.
    “Sounds great.