The Date Auction

Chapter 13: Spa Day

I was a little sore when I woke up the next morning. Blaise noticed immediately when I stretched and winced.

"You're hurt!" he said.

"I'm fine!"

"I am compelled to take care of you whenever I notice anything I decide is a problem. Regardless of how you feel on the matter. That's what caring about a person is."

Blaise cares about me? I'd been worried he was only continuing to date me out of obligation. But knowing he cared, I was immediately willing to acquiesce.

"I'll take you to a local spa." he said, "I know a place. It's extremely expensive, but they'll let you in for free since I'm such a reliable customer."

The spa turned out to be hidden in a older part of town, with an unassuming storefront. But once we went inside, everything was covered in gold, the relaxation metal. First off, we had a couples massage. My masseuse was perfectly rough, and although I wore a thick winter coat to show Blaise I was modest, she successfully worked out all the kinks I'd developed during my flight yesterday. Blaise sent his first three masseuses away for being too hot, allowing me to feel even better about myself through the way he treated others. But he also gave them a sizeable tip.

Next up was our mudbath, and to my surprise I found Courtney and Pierre already relaxing inside.

"Hey guys!" Courtney said, "Pierre brought me here for our one-day anniversary!"

I could already tell they were a perfect couple. It made me wonder who I was in a perfect couple with. Jake... or Blaise? Which one of them was my soulmate? One day I'd figure it out.

"How did you know?" I asked them, eager to put this problem to bed. Bed... like I slept in with Blaise last night.

Pierre and Courtney shifted closer together so they could hold hands in their adjacent basins. "I think," Pierre began, "it is something you just know, like for example, if you're immediately captivated when your eyes first meet across the room."

I'd felt that when I first saw Blaise, hadn't I? The past few days had brought up so many questions, and I had the answer to none of them. I'd also felt weak at the knees when I'd first met Jake. Something about the way our eyes met, the spring air, the carbon monoxide alarms blaring in the background, all combined for an ethereal feeling. I had to figure this out. It was the most pressing issue in my life.

When we finished our mud baths, Blaise tipped a hundred dollars to the mud while the employees of the spa protested his generosity. Outside, the sun was setting on a relaxing day. Blaise and I crawled back into our bed. I mean, the bed he and I were sharing, in the sumptuous extra good honeymoon suite. I hoped no one found out we stayed here. I couldn't even imagine what people would think if it looked like Blaise and I were newlyweds. Like, what if someone saw Blaise and me and thought we were married? And kept that thought in their heart and occasionally envisioned us whenever they thought about the platonic ideal of a married couple? It would be so embarrassing, but I kept thinking about it no matter how hard I tried.

A knock at the door sounded. Blaise opened it.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news," the hotel clerk stood, clearly nervous, "but I wanted you to know we've been having issues with the air conditioning. There might be a few temperature variations in your room over the course of the night. I've of course refunded the cost of your stay."

The room had been getting warm. I threw off all the covers a few minutes later. But Blaise began to look clearly uncomfortable. His tight leather pajamas must have been warmer than my plain wool ones.

"It's so hot," he said. Then, under his breath, "If only I were alone, I would remove my clothes in this intense heat. After all, this is extremely expensive leather, and I'd hate for sweat to ruin it."

He didn't expect me to overhear him, but I did. "Blaise," I suggested, "If external circumstances force you to be less than fully clothed around me, we can find some way to compromise for everyone's modesty. For example, if you just blindfold me, you can take off as many clothes as you like,"

"Maybe there's a better-" Blaise began, but I wasn't going to let him prioritize anything above his comfort.

"No! Just blindfold me first. You'll need to do it because I don't think I'd be any good at it. You can use this one I brought just in case." I indicated my sleep aids in my suitcase.

"If we must," he sighed, before picking up the blindfold, "turn towards me."

I looked at his chest, encased in tight leather, too afraid to make eye contact.

"I can't tie it from that angle," Blaise said, gently sliding a hand under my chin and tipping my head up until our eyes met. "Are you ready?"

I swallowed, overcome by the heat of the room. He placed the blindfold over my eyes and tied it slowly but firmly.

"Can you see?" he asked.

"No."

I heard the standard sound of leather being pulled away from taut muscles. Abruptly I realized that I, too, was getting too warm. I was wearing a sports bra under my pajama top, so I could probably get away with taking just the pajama top off. Plus, I couldn't see Blaise, so he probably couldn't see me. I tried to find the hem of the shirt so I could pull it off, but without sight it was too hard. Only, I couldn't take my blindfold off, or then I'd see Blaise shirtless, a clear faux-pas. I explained my predicament to him.

"I'll help you, if you need me," he said. I nodded. His fingers tingled along my side as he lifted off my top. I could feel the heat radiating off him onto my skin.

"Good!" I said, "Now as long as it stays exactly this temperature, we'll be perfectly comfortable as is."

Suddenly, a clattering sound echoed up the vents as the air conditioning kicked on full blast. The temperature in the room quickly dropped. I pawed around for mine or Blaise's shirt, but I couldn't find them.

"Blaise, our shirts! I can't find them!" I declared.

"I can't either!" Blaise said, "If you can't see them, I can't see them either!"

The room was getting so cold. I could hear Blaise shiver.

"We'll have to cuddle." he said, "I knew two friends who almost froze to death when their AC and their shirts malfunctioned at the same time. This is a real threat we have to react to, and there's no other way I can think of."

"I can't think of any alternatives either." I confirmed.

We moved closer. Every brush against his skin felt heightened as we shifted closer. I moved to pull him in closer to me for heat reasons, but I'd misjudged where his body lay, and I accidentally cupped his firm butt.

"Oh no!" I said, thinking out loud, "If I can't see you, I might accidentally touch many parts of your body. Which is undesirable."

"Oh no!" Blaise said back, "How do we solve this when we have to cuddle together for warmth?"

"Sometimes I have night terrors and move my hands a lot in my sleep," I explained, "so I keep a pair of handcuffs in my sleep kit, just in case."

I heard Blaise nod. "A good solution," he said, wisely, "I'll get them since you're still blindfolded."

"They're under my extra travel shirts," I directed him, knowing he'd found them when I heard their familiar metallic tinkling. He slid one arm up, careful to move me slowly. I could feel his warm breath on me as he reached over my body for my other arm, bringing them together and handcuffing my arms above my head.

"There," I said, "Now our modesty is preserved."

"It sure is." Blaise said, "Hey, is it healthy to leave you tied up like that all night? Seems like it might mess up your joints"

But I was already drifting off to sleep with him against me.