Serenity (Inevitable #5)(4)

Matthew guffawed, unable to imagine his buff, fitness fanatic friend at the mercy of this slender, graceful young woman. "So you're the masseuse he always raves about," he mused. "Hmm, maybe I should set up an appointment with you myself. I, uh, have a pretty stressful job, and massage seems to help with that from time to time."

"Of course," agreed Sasha placidly. "I'm afraid I don't have a business card with me, but you can just ask Tessa or Ian for my contact info. After they get back from their honeymoon, that is."

"I'll do that."

Sasha set her tea mug down on the bar. "I should be getting back now. You're not here alone, are you, Matthew?"

He quickly decided that he loved the way she said his name - almost like a musical note. "No. My wife and I are here together. Though it seems like she's ditched me for a different dance partner," he joked, trying to sound carefree. "Several different ones actually." 

Sasha frowned. "Why in the world would she do that? I mean, don't married couples typically hang out together at events like this one? And dance together?"

Matthew tried again to laugh the matter off. "I'm a terrible dancer," he admitted. "Two left feet, and all that. And Lindsey loves to dance, so it's better for both of us if she finds another partner. That way neither of us is miserable."

Sasha shook her head, causing those curls to bounce endearingly. "I don't believe you're a terrible dancer," she declared firmly. "Not for a minute. You hold yourself very well, have excellent posture, and seem extremely fit. If you can't dance well it's probably because you haven't had the right teachers. Come with me. I'll show you."

"But - honestly, I don't think.." stammered Matthew, as she took him firmly by the hand and led him out to the crowded dance floor.

"Relax," she assured him, patting him on the shoulder as though he was a small child she was comforting. "The band has just switched to a slow number, so all you have to do is move your feet a little."

Before he could protest further, Sasha had placed one of her hands on his shoulder and picked up his hand with the other. Automatically, Matthew's arm banded about her slender waist, holding her a respectable distance from his body. It was, he thought absently, a far cry from the way he'd seen Lindsey almost dry humping one of her dance partners a little while ago.

And surprisingly, with Sasha's softly murmured instructions, he found himself moving her around to the music, not stepping on her dainty toes even once. He gazed down at her, the top of her curly head barely reaching his chin, and realized he hadn't felt this sense of calm in a very, very long time.

"You're doing great," she assured him. "See, I told you. Anyone can dance provided they receive the proper instruction. However," she added more severely, "you weren't kidding before when you said you needed a massage. You've got knots in your shoulder that a Shibari master wouldn't be able to untie."

"What exactly is a Shibari master?" he inquired, unfamiliar with the term.

"Oh, just someone who's skilled with tying patterns and shapes with rope," she replied hastily. "It's, ah, usually for bondage purposes. You know, like in BDSM."

Matthew coughed. "Are you into that stuff?" he wheezed. "Is that what you meant earlier about having weird boyfriends?"

Sasha laughed delightedly. "I never said they were weird. Just that they wouldn't necessarily fit into a fancy society event like this. And, no. I'm not into 'that stuff". But I do appreciate all different art forms, and I saw a photography exhibit of Shibari last year. It's actually quite beautiful, very intricate. You should look it up sometime."

"Yeah, maybe."

A sudden, unbidden image of the graceful, lovely Sasha bound up in intricately knotted silk ropes made him hard again, and he was thankful that several inches still separated their bodies. By the time the song ended a minute or so later, he'd brought his unexpected erection back under control, and led her off the dance floor with a hand lightly resting on her elbow.

"Well, thank you for the dance," Sasha told him. "And I do hope you'll get in touch. For that massage I mentioned, of course. I could feel all the tension in your body just now. And if your neck and upper back are anywhere near as tight as your shoulder feels, you need a massage urgently. So even if you forget to ask Tessa for my contact info, or just prefer to go to someone else, please make sure you get that massage soon, Matthew." She took a step back and frowned a little as she studied his face. "You have a very unsettling aura about you. Oh, I'm sure you think all of that stuff is for quacks and weirdos. Don't worry, most people feel the same way. But believe it or not, I do have something of a gift for reading peoples' emotional states. And yours - well, you don't seem like a very happy man, Matthew. And that's a shame, because you're also one of the kindest people I've ever met. So please take care of yourself, hmm?"