It didn’t help a bit that things at the office were slow. Not only was Ian away for two weeks, but several of the other managers were either traveling on business or attending a conference somewhere. However, it seemed that Tessa was the only one of her co-workers who wasn’t pleased at the lack of work assignments. The others took full advantage of the lull by arriving late and leaving early, taking longer than usual lunch hours, and spending the better part of the day gossiping, searching the Internet, and making personal calls. Of course, Andrew was still very much on top of things, and they had to exercise at least a little caution. But Tessa was quietly convinced he knew exactly what was going on, and was making very careful notes of who was slacking off. Determined not to take advantage of her relationship with Ian, she kept to her normal schedule and routine, and strove to work as hard as possible.
And she couldn’t help feeling just a little bit smug when Alicia shared the latest rumors about Ian and his love life with the rest of them. The speculation that he had a new girlfriend was apparently really running wild now, given the facts he’d been a no-show at several important events lately, and that his other two former escorts – the news anchor and the ballerina – had been seen out with other men.
“Most everyone seems to think this mystery woman is someone back home in England,” Alicia informed them with a little sniff of displeasure. “They think he met her when he went home for the holidays, because it was very soon after his return that he stopped being seen in public with other women.”
“Hmm, so he was probably looking forward to this trip big time,” chimed in Kevin. “Two months is a long time for someone like His Hotness to go without a woman.”
Tessa had to bite back a retort that Ian had actually gone two years without a woman – if she could truly believe what he’d told her about being celibate. And while she still had her doubts that someone as virile and sexual as he was could really go without sex for so long, she also knew he was too honest and moral to lie to her about something like that. Besides, there was always such a desperate, urgent hunger in the way he took her that it was easy to believe he’d abstained for such a long time.
Rather than put herself through a grueling workout in her weakened physical state, Tessa elected to take a restorative yoga class at SF Flow instead. The unlimited monthly membership that Ian had surprised her with had been one of her favorite and most cherished gifts, and she loved the luxury of being able to take classes whenever she wished.
She knew Julia took a 6:00am class at a different studio during the week, so she didn’t worry about running into her apparently very nosy friend. She did see Sasha as she arrived, since the curly-haired teacher also taught classes in the evening. Tessa had heard from other students that Sasha was not only the most popular teacher at this studio but also one of the most sought-after in the entire city. She wasn’t the least surprised to see the throng of students crowding into the larger of the two practice rooms where Sasha’s class was held.
“Hey, I’m not used to seeing you here in the evenings,” Sasha told her. “But why aren’t you going to my class? Restorative is way too easy for you, Tessa.”
Tessa grimaced and placed a hand on her belly. “It’s that time of the month, I’m afraid, and it’s pretty awful. I figured it would be a good idea to take it a little easy.”
“Ah, absolutely,” agreed Sasha. “No inversions on your cycle, okay? Backbends, handstands, not a good idea. If you have bad cramps, try drinking some chamomile tea. I wish I wasn’t already so booked up tonight with classes or I could try to squeeze you in for a massage. That would do wonders for you right now.”
“I actually just had a massage over the long weekend,” recalled Tessa wistfully. “My first ever. It was really amazing, something I could get used to.”
Sasha nodded. “It’s a good addiction to have. Maybe we can set up an appointment for you sometime. Take it easy in class, okay? I’ll see you soon.”
It didn’t surprise Tessa that her teacher was also a massage therapist. During class, Sasha made a point of going around to as many students as possible and making adjustments to their bodies while in poses. Tessa could tell by the knowledgeable way in which Sasha touched her that she was extremely familiar with human anatomy, and her touch was both skillful and soothing. Tessa wondered anew if Ian already had a massage therapist he saw on a regular basis, and made a mental note to suggest that they could possibly use Sasha’s services if he didn’t.