Healed by His Touch (3 page)

scarves. His intention was clear as he

tied her limbs to the bed posts, one-by-

one.

The bindings were loose; Jessica

could have easily wiggled free. But she

didn’t. Instead, she stayed spread-eagle

on the bed, her hairless mound unable to

hide her growing excitement.

She watched Daniel shed his own

clothing and wondered what he had

planned. He leaned in to sample her

wares, dipping his tongue between her

smooth pussy lips to taste her juices. She

let her eyes close and relaxed her head

against the pillow, moaning as his

tongue fluttered over her clit, her desire

soaring.

“Tell me what you want, Jessica.” She

was confused by the Spanish accent and

realized that the voice in her dream was

no longer Daniel’s. She opened her eyes

to see that the head between her legs

belonged to Marco!

Jessica woke with a start, her breathing

rapid and shallow. She got out of bed and

padded out to the kitchen, grabbing a

bottle of water from the fridge and

drinking deeply. The California sky was

clear and the moon shone bright,

illuminating the spotless counters and

reflecting off the stainless steel

appliances.

What in the hell is wrong with me?

She felt like she was losing her mind.

Carrying her water to the bathroom, she

rummaged around for a bottle of Xanax,

swallowing the sedative before climbing

back into bed. As the relaxing properties

of the medicine kicked in, Jessica let

herself drift back to sleep, her dreams

temporarily halted by the powerful

prescription drug.

***

On the day of her next massage

appointment, Jessica entered The

Neighborhood Salon with a bit of

apprehension. In a way, she felt like an

inexperienced teenager with her first

crush. What should she say? How should

she act?

But all of her anxiety melted away

when Marco greeted her with his brilliant

smile and brought the back of her hand

gently to his lips. When their eyes locked,

time stood still for a moment and the rest

of the world faded away. Marco’s heated

gaze sent electric energy coursing through

Jessica’s body. In response, her pulse

quickened, her cheeks flushed and her legs

weakened.

Marco sensed the effect he was having

on his client and broke their eye contact.

He offered Jessica his arm, which she

used to steady herself, and guided her to

his massage room.

“I was not sure if you would keep your

appointment,” Marco said, taking

Jessica’s bag and sweater and setting them

on the chair. “I was afraid I had gone too

far with your first visit.”

Or not far enough,
Jessica thought to

herself. “Not at all. It was the best

massage I’ve ever had.”

“I am glad you feel that way. Same

treatment today, then?”

“Oh, yes!”

“Excellent. I will leave you to

disrobe.”

Jessica quickly shed her clothes and

climbed onto Marco’s massage table. Her

nipples hardened when her breasts

brushed against the smooth sheet and the

warm table mixed with the heat of her

body’s own arousal. She was aching for

his touch.

When Marco returned, he went through

the same preparation steps as last time,

turning on the music, placing a pillow

under Jessica’s legs and gathering the

other items he needed for her treatment.

The ritual put her mind at ease, but didn’t

prepare her body for the shock of his first

touch as he folded the sheet down to

expose her backside.

How could something so innocent feel

so utterly erotic?

Jessica quietly moaned when the oil

dripped on her skin and Marco’s strong

hands began to work their magic. Her

body relaxed into his touch and she was

swept away by sensation. Like before, he

worked his way down her back before

massaging her buttocks and slipping his

hand between her parted legs.

“Tell me what you want, Jessica.”

Marco’s voice was low and husky, just

like in her dream, and she experienced a

fleeting moment of deja vu.

“I want . . . to know more about you,”

she finally said, stopping herself from

voicing her true desire.

Marco complied with her request,

seducing her entire body with his hands

while his sexy voice told her about his

childhood in Brazil. He was the oldest of

six children, born into a family of coffee

bean farmers. One day, when his father

was unable to run the business, he would

be expected to return to his native country

and take over the family’s operations. For

now, he was free to lead a life of his

choosing.

“Why do you offer your, um, special

massage services?” Jessica asked.

“Because there is a need for sensual

touch. So many women have negative

relationships with their bodies. If I can

touch my client in a way that helps heal

her relationship with herself, than I have

done my job well.”

“Doesn’t what you do cross the line,

legally?”

“In Brazil, the special services I offer

are perfectly acceptable.”

Jessica didn’t argue that this was

definitely not Brazil, choosing instead to

change the subject. “What brought you to

the U.S.?”

“A woman of course,” Marco laughed

softly. “Lana and I met on the beach in

Brazil. I was young and impressionable;

she was older and experienced. She

offered me a chance to experience life in

America and I took it.”

“Is that when you became a massage

therapist?”

“Yes. I wanted to go to school, but had

already attended University in Brazil.

Lana loved the backrubs and foot

massages I gave her and suggested I look

into the healing arts.”

“What happened between the two of

you?”

“We eventually grew apart. Our love

was not strong enough to overcome our

cultural differences or our age gap.”

“I’m sorry.” Jessica’s eyes filled with

tears at the wisp of regret in Marco’s

voice.

“Do not be,” he said. “The experience

taught me many things. How to follow my

heart, how to heal a body with my hands,

how to make love to a woman . . .”

Marco’s hands had slowed to a

seductive crawl on Jessica’s body.

Although she stayed still, inside, she was

burning with desire. More than anything,

she wanted him to touch her as a man, not

as a massage therapist. But this was

neither the time nor the place.

“I’m afraid our time is up,” Marco

said, reluctantly removing his hands from

Jessica’s body.

“Hmmm . . . that was wonderful,

Marco. Please set me up for another

appointment next week.”

“I will do that.” He paused before

asking, “May I take you to lunch after your

treatment next week?”

“Isn’t that against the rules or

something?”

Marco laughed at her naiveté. “I am a

massage therapist, Jessica, not a

psychotherapist. There are no rules that

prevent me from spending time with my

clients outside the salon.”

She smiled sheepishly. “Then I would

like that very much.”

“I am glad to hear that. I will look

forward to your next visit.”

Marco left the massage room and

Jessica stayed on the table for a few

moments, letting the implications of his

invitation sink in. She had so many

questions that were left unanswered. Did

asking her to lunch mean that that he was

attracted to her? Or did he make a similar

offer to all of his single women clients?

She would find out soon enough!

***

Marco couldn’t believe he had asked

Jessica Duncan to lunch! Not only was she

a client, but she was a married one at that.

Even though she was getting divorced, she

was still legally bound to another man.

And that came with the kind of baggage he

wasn’t sure he was ready for. What had

come over him?

Her interest in him, that’s what.

It had been so long since a woman had

been truly curious about who he was and

where he came from. Clearly, her social

skills were polished. But he didn’t get the

sense that she was just being polite.

Talking to Jessica about his family, his

work and even about Lana was easy.

Although he barely knew her, sharing

details about his life seemed natural,

comfortable even. So comfortable, in fact,

that he crossed the line between

professional and personal without giving

any thought to the possible consequences.

Although Marco and Jessica were

close in age, it didn’t escape his notice

that they walked in different worlds. Much

like his relationship with Lana, this fact

spelled certain doom for their future. Still,

he couldn’t deny his growing attraction to

the beautiful, soulful blonde. An attraction

that occupied his every waking moment

and urged him to follow his heart.

***

The week went by quickly for Jessica.

Her days were filled with volunteer work;

her women’s group had started planning

their annual Children’s Hospital benefit

auction and Rebecca Dorn, the event

chairwoman, had tasked Jessica with

overseeing several committees. She was

excited to put her event planning skills to

good use and immersed herself in every

detail.

At night, Jessica’s dreams were laced

with sexual visions, often shifting between

Daniel and Marco. At one point, she

dreamed about the first time she had dared

to dismiss Daniel.

She and Daniel were still newlyweds

and had recently bought the country house.

Jessica had planned a housewarming party

for Daniel’s colleagues and made some

last minute changes to the menu and wine

list. Although the guests had nothing but

praise for the food and drink, Daniel

wasn’t happy that she hadn’t run her

changes by him first.

“You vowed to love, honor and obey

me,” Daniel said. There was an edge to

his voice that relayed his anger.

“Be reasonable, Daniel. I can’t run

every detail of every party by you. I

wouldn’t get anything done!”Jessica

couldn’t believe her husband was being

so petty. The party was a success, so why

was he mad?

She started to walk away and he

grabbed her arm roughly. “Our

conversation isn’t over.”

“You’re hurting me!” she cried and

he loosened his grip.

“You need to be punished for your

behavior. Wait here.” She stood there,

afraid to move, afraid of doing or saying

the wrong thing and afraid of what kind

of punishment Daniel had in mind.

After leaving their bedroom, he

returned with a leather flogger. “Remove

your clothes and lean over the ottoman.”

“You must be joking,” Jessica said,

although she could tell from his intense

look that he was completely serious.

“You’re going to spank me with some

sort of horse switch?” She laughed

nervously, trying to lighten the mood.

But instead of deflecting his anger, her

response seemed to incite Daniel even

more.

He pushed her to the bed. Then,

reaching for the bodice of her dress, he

yanked the fabric from her body with one

violent tug. Jessica screamed, but there

was nobody to hear her.

“When I give you an order, I expect

you to obey,” Daniel said darkly,

slipping his fingers under the waistband

of her panties and pulling them down

toward her feet. “Now, get up and lean

over the ottoman.”

Resisting the urge to cover her

nakedness, Jessica scrambled off the bed

and did as Daniel directed. Kneeling on

the plush carpet, she hid her burning

face in her hands and draped her body

over the cushioned footstool, exposing

her backside to his mercy.

The sensation of leather tails softly

stoking her ass made Jessica wonder if

Daniel was just trying to scare her. But

when she felt the sting of leather on her

bare skin, she knew otherwise. She

jumped at the first swift contact, but

relaxed a little when she realized the

sting was mild, and was followed by a