Wilson's Hard Lesson (60 page)

By: Sandra Newton

The Billionaire’s Sensual Masseuse

© Sandra Newton, 2016 – All rights
reserved

Published by Steamy Reads4U

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the
publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles
or reviews.

This is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, businesses,
places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s
imagination or used in a fictitious manner.  Any resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead, or actual events are purely coincidental.  This book is
licensed for your personal enjoyment only.

This book may not be resold or given away to other people. 
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Warning

This book contains explicit content intended for readers 18+
years old.

If you are under 18 years old, or are not comfortable with
adult content, please close this book now.

Douglas ran his hands through his hair and released a heavy
sigh. He looked at the papers in front of him, and the words all seemed to run
together. It seemed as though he hadn’t slept in weeks, and he was having a
hard time concentrating. He reached for his cup of black coffee and hoped that
the caffeine would kick in soon enough and help him to get his work done.

Douglas was extremely stressed. He was the CEO of a major
real estate company worth billions of dollars. While he certainly enjoyed his
riches, sometimes he wondered what it would be like to simply work for a company,
rather than to run one. It seemed that he never had time to himself, and that
even when he did, he ended up working anyway because he couldn’t bring himself
to relax.

Naturally, his tendency to overwork himself put quite a
strain on his life, and perhaps most notably in his marriage. He loved his
wife, Anna, very dearly. They had met when Douglas was in business school, and
she was studying literature, and he had immediately been taken by her sharp wit
and good looks. As soon as they had both graduated, they had gotten married.
They swore that they would be devoted to one another for the rest of their
lives, no matter the circumstances.

When they made those, vows, though, they were much younger,
and had no idea what life would bring their way. When Doug’s real estate
business had begun to take off, neither of them had really known what to do.
Anna had been more than encouraging, and respectful of his need to nurture the
company as it grew, while she attained more degrees, and eventually landed a
teaching job at a nearby university. He knew it was hard on her when he had to
spend extra hours at the office, but it truly seemed as though she really
understood that that was just the price of success.

Even as understanding as she was, though, a rift began to grow
between them. It seemed that all Doug could ever really think about was his
company. Conversation about other topics, like the topics of art and music and
literature that so interested Anna, were all but pointless to him. Doug often
zoned out every time she began to speak to him, knowing that the words she said
likely did not really pertain to him.

Every time he did this, Anna would simply trail off with a
sigh, and pick up something else to do. This, of course, made Douglas feel very
guilty, but he never knew what to do about it. So, after years of existing
beside one another, and supporting one another, their marriage had reached a
point that they rarely spoke.

Intimacy had become out of the question. Douglas could
remember a time that they had been very sexually connected, and that there was
hardly a night that passed where they weren’t joined together in one another
arms, moaning out their pleasure as they got lost in one another’s embrace.
Gradually though, their couplings waned from happening every night to about
once a week, and then once a month, and then to special occasions.

As their interactions became less and less frequent, they
stopped sleeping in the same bed altogether. It was much more practical that
way, as Douglas often went to bed far later than her, and he hated disturbing
her almost as much as she hated being disturbed. So, in the end, it was just
best for both of them that they both started sleeping in separate rooms of
their large home.

This only perpetuated the growing distance between them.
Douglas suspected that though she did a good job of acting as though she was
perfectly fine with what was happening, she was really discontent with their
lackluster marriage. Doug could see it in her eyes every time they spoke
together, and he often wondered if she wanted out of the marriage altogether.

Douglas regretted this slightly, but he had to acknowledge
that he was largely at fault for this. If he could not connect with his wife
spiritually or intellectually, he could not very well expect her to want to
connect with him physically. Douglass wondered at times what he could do to
rekindle the connection between him and his spouse, but then his mind would be
inevitable drawn back to his work, and he would get caught up in the flurry of
business yet again.

Douglas rifled through the various file folders on his desk,
and he hissed as he felt a sharp pain shoot up his neck. He saw lights dancing
in front of his eyes, and he cursed to himself. He was having a migraine for
the second time that week. He grumbled to himself and turned to open the drawer
of his desk to get his medicine, only to growl out his frustration as he
realized the bottle was empty.

Fortunately, he knew he had another bottle in the desk of
his study at home. Hopefully, Anna wouldn’t be busy, and she could bring it up
to him. He vaguely tried to remember if she had any classes at this day and
time, but he abandoned the pursuit as soon as he remembered that he didn’t keep
a mental note on the structure of her work. He pulled his cell phone out of his
pocket and hit her number on speed dial. The phone rang, and he flinched as the
loud noise sent another throbbing pain in his head.

“Hello?” he heard her answer after the second ring. She
seemed surprised to be hearing from him.

“Hello, hey,” Doug said into the phone, his voice strained
as he pressed his eyes tightly shut against the sharp pain in his head. “Can
you do me a huge favor?”

“Of course,” she said simply. “What is it you need?”

“Can you bring me the bottle of medication from my study?”
he asked. “It’s un the top drawer of my desk. I just realized I’m out up here
at the office.”

“Are you having a migraine?” she asked, concern in her
voice.

“Yeah, it just came on right now,” Doug sighed, rubbing
furiously at his temples.

“Okay,” Anna huffed, her voice flustered. “I’ll be there as
soon as I can.”

“Thanks so much,” Doug said, and with that, Anna hung up the
phone.

Doug released a breath through his teeth as his head ached
almost unbearably. He reached behind his desk to the light switch and turned
off the fluorescent lights. The darkness helped to ease the pain a little, but
not by much. Doug cleared the papers off his desk and laid his face flat
against the cool wood, which also granted him at least a small measure of
relief.

Doug heard the door of his office quietly open, and he
looked up, squinting, to see the small form of his wife crossing the room
toward him, a concerned from upon her face.

“Here,” she said softly, handing him the bottle of pills and
a bottle of water.

“Thank you,” Doug breathed in relief.

He immediately opened the bottle of pills and shook two into
his hand. He tossed them into his mouth and downed half the water bottle. Anna
moved behind him and gently massaged his neck as he gripped the edge of his desk,
waiting for the relief that the pills would soon bring.

“Sorry about that,” Doug apologized. “I know you had to go
out of your way.”

“Its fine,” Anna said, her tone dismissive. “This is the
second one this week.”

Her tone was hard, and Doug knew that she was concerned.

“Yeah, I know,” he sighed, rolling the cold water bottle
over his face.

“They’ve been happening more often,” she pointed out.

“I know,” Douglas said again. “There’s not much I can do
about it.”

“Maybe not that
you
can,” Anna said vaguely.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Doug frowned.

“It means,” Anna started. “That I think a good way to help
you would be massage therapy.”

Doug grunted noncommittally. He did not like the idea of
going out to some massage parlor every week and hoping someone could rub away
his troubles.

“I know you don’t like the idea of going to a spa,” she
said. “And I agree, that seems a bit impractical. But I thought that we could
certainly hire someone to come out and give you treatments. I’ve been doing a
lot of reading, and there have been significant reductions in stress migraines
just from weekly treatments. I really think it would be worth it to at least
give it a chance. If you hate it, we don’t have to keep doing it, but at least
try.”

Douglas sighed. His first inclination was to reject the idea
offhand. He had never put much thought into the idea of having some stranger
touch him all over in the name of relaxation. But he clearly saw that Anna had
obviously taken some time to do her homework. He also saw that she really was
concerned for him, and his heart softened a bit at the reminder of her care.

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll try it.”

“Thank you,” Anna said softly. “I’ll take care of all the
details so you don’t have to worry about anything at all.”

“Okay,” Douglas nodded, and sighed a little in relief as he
felt his pills began to take effect on his headache. He blinked a couple of
time and massaged at his temples.

“I’ll see you when you get home,” Anna said as she moved
back out of his office.

“Okay,” Douglass said. With his migraine slowly ebbing away
in intensity, Douglas took in a slow breath and once again looked down at his
papers on his desk, and tried to focus his mind on the tasks he had to
accomplish with the rest of the day.

Fortunately, the pain from his migraine steadily subsided
into nothing, and Doug was actually able to complete all his work, and even
start some of the things he had assigned to tomorrow. He vaguely debated
whether he should stay late that day, but he decided against it. He knew Anna
would likely be a bit worried about him, having just had a migraine, and he
didn’t want to keep her waiting if she was still concerned.

So, Douglas packed up a few files and headed for home.
Besides, he could always work from home within the confines of his study there.
He locked up his office and headed for the parking garage. Once inside his car,
he started the engine and pulled out of his space.

It did not take him long to get back home from the office.
Before he knew it, he was pulling up the driveway and into the garage, right
next to Anna’s car. He got out of the car as the garage door automatically
closed behind him, and he moved into his home.

The garage door led straight into the kitchen. Douglas did
not wait, and he moved over to the cupboard to fetch a cup, which he the filled
with water from the tap. He drank at it, letting it refresh him after his long
day. He could feel his eyes drooping, and he vaguely considered taking a nap.
Then, he remembered the files he had brought home from work, and he knew he
wouldn’t be able to get any kind of rest with them weighing on his mind.

Douglas was just finishing up his glass of water when he saw
Anna enter into the kitchen. He offered her a small smile. She did not return
the gesture.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, her voice cordial and
somewhat concerned.

“Much better now,” Douglas smiled. “Again, thanks for
bringing up my pills.”

Anna nodded and moved deeper into the kitchen toward the
fridge.

“Dinner will be ready in about an hour,” she said simply as
she removed a few items from the fridge, setting them out on the island behind
her.

“Okay, great,” Douglas said. “I’m just going to go into the
study and work through a few more files.”

Anna said nothing, and Douglas heard her release a soft
sigh. He felt a momentary surge of guilt, but then shrugged it off. This was
nothing new, and he moved through the house to his in home office, settling
down in his large chair to go through the paperwork.

Douglas quickly fell into his familiar rhythm. He ran
numbers and made a few phone calls, and generally accomplished several of the
tasks that he had lined up. Before he quite realized it, an hour had passed.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Anna at the door of the office, leaning
against the frame with her arms crossed. Douglas looked up at her expectantly.

“Dinner’s ready,” she said shortly.

“Alright,” Douglas nodded easily. He packed up all the
completed files and put them back in his briefcase. His mind lingered on a few
loose ends that he had to tie up before the night was over, but he suspected he
could get the entire issue taken care of with a phone call or two. For now
though, he tried to banish work from his mind, and enjoy the meal that Anna had
prepared for them.

Douglas stepped out of his office, and his nostrils were
immediately filled with a delicious aroma wafting through the air. He moved
into the dining room, and he stomach growled. Anna had made them a meal of
spaghetti and garlic bread, one of his favorite meals. Anna had always been a
wonderful cook, and he eagerly sat down at the table.

“This looks delicious,” Douglas offered her a small smiled.

Anna said nothing, and took a sip of her glass of wine.
Douglas’s smile faded, and he looked down at his plate briefly before picking up
his fork and gathering up a bit of his meal.

“How was your day?” he asked softly after he had swallowed.

“Are you really interested, or are you just trying to make
small talk?” Anna asked him. Her tone was not irritated, but it was certainly
bored.

Doug’s stomach sank a little, and he let out a sigh.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I’m just… trying.”

Anna’s expression softened a little, and he felt a familiar
flicker of hope. Even though they were distant, he knew that deep down, they
still loved each other. If only they could somehow bridge the gap that had
formed between them.

They were quiet for quite a while as they both ate. Doug
thoroughly enjoyed his meal, and a warmth filled up his body as he ate more and
more of his food. Soon, his plate was empty, and he couldn’t help but serve
himself another helping.

When they were both finally finished, Anna collected up
their plates. Usually, Doug would simply go back into his office and work more.
Today, though, he sensed that Anna was in a bit of a more somber mood. So, he
followed her into the kitchen.

He watched as she turned on the water in the sink. She began
to wash the dishes, and she eyed him strangely as he picked up a towel and
stood in wait for the newly cleaned dishes. He offered her a small smile, and
he saw her relax a little as they fell into the mundane chore of washing dishes
together. All too soon, though, that task was complete as well.

Anna turned toward Douglas and her eyes looked him up and
down. Douglas looked back at her, leaning against the counter as he waited for
her to speak, for something was most certainly on her mind.

“I want you to be home from work on time tomorrow,” she said
simply.

“Then I will be,” Douglas said, easily agreeing with a
shrug.

“I have called a few massage therapists throughout the
course of the day,” Anna went on to explain. “I think I found one that will
serve our needs very nicely, and I set up a meeting for five-thirty tomorrow.”

Doug’s mind whirled for a moment, and then he recalled that
he had agreed to try massage therapy to help out with his migraines. He wanted
to groan and complain, but he knew that he had already agreed to this course of
action. At first he felt a twinge of irritation, but at length her relented,
knowing that his wife was just concerned for his wellbeing.

“Okay,” Douglas nodded. “I will be here.”

“Good,” Anna said simply. “You have to be here, because I
won’t be.”

“Where will you be?” Douglas asked, frowning with some
confusion.

“I’m going to that book signing with Kathy,” she explained,
her lips slightly pursing. “I told you last week.”

“Oh, oh right,” Douglas nodded. Anna blinked a couple of
times, and Douglas knew well that she didn’t believe him. Again, he couldn’t
fight the wave of guilt that washed over him. But, as usual, there was nothing
he could really say to absolve himself of his faults, so he said nothing.

“So just be sure to be here,” Anna said again. “I set up the
appointment for five-thirty, so that should leave enough time for traffic and
everything. But only if you actually leave on time.”

“I will, I will,” Douglas assured her, nodding.

“This is a professional,” Anna pressed further. “And this is
something that could really benefit you.”

Her tone was somewhat chiding, and Douglas felt a prickle of
irritation.

“Look, I got it,” he snapped. “I’ll be here on time.”

Anna released a small huff of air from her nostrils. He
could tell that she wanted to say something to him, but she held her tongue.

“Good,” she said simply, and turned to leave the room.

Douglas briefly considered stopping her, but he knew that
the conversation was over. He ran his hand through his thinning hair and let
out a sigh.