Nick grimaced. “I’ll be here when you learn the painful lesson about blind loyalty and how destructive it can be.” He held out his hand. “Deal?”
I slid my smaller hand into his, surprised by his warmth. “Deal.” The satisfaction that filled his eyes should’ve given me pause.
It was too late for that.
Chapter 14
A spring storm hit late morning. Tessa picked me up right after lunch, and we drove through town and around the south end of the lake to a brand-new building covered in sleek river rock. As we entered the copper accented lobby, the sounds of flutes in the rainforest filled the air. Did anybody really ever play the flute in the jungle?
“What do I do?” Tessa whispered in the elevator as we lifted to the third floor.
“Just be Tessa North and keep your eyes open,” I whispered back. “If there’s a way to talk about pot, do it.”
She nodded; her eyes alight. I grinned. This going undercover was kind of fun.
We checked in, donned thick white robes, and headed into the Zen room, which had more flutes playing. Frogs croaked, and birds chirped along. Tess poured us some ice-water colored with lemons and cucumbers, and we burrowed into thick, fabric-covered chairs. A wall of glass showcased rain battering the dark grey lake outside. I sunk deeper into the silk cushions, slowly exhaling. My breathing evened out and I sighed.
A small blonde named Mandy silently entered the lounge and then asked me to follow her. She wore a tidy cream outfit that looked like hospital scrubs.
Hopefully she gave massages. I still hadn’t asked about my appointments when we checked in.
We entered a tiny room with a table draped with crisp white sheets. The walls were smooth stone, and a copper fountain gurgled on the granite counter. Flutes tinkling around us, I turned around to face her, feeling a little vulnerable in my robe.
“Have you had a Brazilian before?” Mandy asked.
I coughed. “What?” That couldn’t be right. No way.
She nodded her head to the table. “A Brazilian. The ‘Summer Special’ promotion? Have you had one before?” She stirred something in a small pressure cooker held on a narrow metal tray.
“God, no.” She was between me and the door. “Um.”
“It’s no biggie, you’ll love it,” she said with a smile. “Have a seat.”
Okay. It was almost bikini season. But a Brazilian? “I, ah, just thought I had an appointment with Cheryl.” I sat gingerly on the table.
“You do, after this. She does a wonderful pedicure. Now just lay back and relax.”
Famous last words. I lay back on the plush table. Mandy pulled the bottom of my robe apart. What had I been thinking? I recited exceptions to the hearsay rule in my head. Some woman was now looking at my hoo-hoo.
Going undercover wasn’t as fun as I’d thought, but I’d better get to it. “So. This is going to be painful. I don’t suppose you have a sedative or anything?” I croaked.
“There are numbing agents in the wax.” She used a tongue depressor to spread warm wax across my private area. The heat irritated but didn’t quite sting. Her hands were steady as she covered the wax with a piece of paper and pushed down.
All right, that was no big deal.
“Take a deep breath,” she chirped. Then she yanked, and pain ripped into me.
“Holy Mary Mother of God!” I leaped off the table, away from her and into the wall. My foot tangled in my flapping robe. I struggled to regain my balance before going down on all fours to hit the cold floor with the hard slap of skin on stone. The healing scrapes on my hands from the other day screamed in reaction. With a gurgle, I lurched to my feet and backed against the smooth wall, clutching my robe together with trembling hands. Forget going undercover.
Mandy stumbled back in shock, steadying herself and the metal tray. I stared at her, the table between us. She gave a high-pitched giggle and eyed the door. I eyed the door, too.
“Okay,” she said softly, soothingly. She stretched both hands out at me, much like she would to a rabid animal. “It’s all right. The first pull is always the worst.”
I whimpered, and a bit of drool slid out of my mouth. I kept my gaze glued to her, my heart pounding beneath the robe. Fire lit my hoo-hoo, and adrenaline flowed freely through my veins. I didn’t care about being a lawyer any longer.