[3rd Person POV]
'Why are these people here so sketchy?' Abby thought as her eyes darted around the room.
The cold and wet brush of the green-colored face mask solution made her flinch as she wasn't focusing on what was going on in front of her but rather kept her eyes on the room Edward was in.
"Pff- it's just a brush Abby." Haley chortled as she saw her friend's overreaction.
"Sorry." Abby said to the worker meekly.
Then, she got back into her detective mode and analysed the fake expressions of the people there, the sweat on their foreheads as they focused on their work, the hidden glance the spa workers gave to her and Haley as if they were their rivals, and the extremely high privacy setting on the establishment.
The door would be locked during the massage session, therefore, she had no idea what was going on inside the room.
Beside her, the carefree Haley exclaimed "Ahhh~" as she drank fresh cucumber water. "This place is awesome."
"Mm-Hmm." Abby replied perfunctorily without paying attention to Haley.
'Fantasia. A high-end spa establishment with a dark secret. My detective sense is tingling. Why did Jenna give this ticket to Edward? Is it really just a birthday present, or did she have another thing in mind?'
'My Edward is pretty dumb about this thing. I need to make sure that he isn't exploited by some bad guy. Or worse, being blackmailed by them.'
'My instinct is telling me that something weird is going on inside this building.' Abby thought as the manicurist cleaned her nails and put nail polish on them.
"Excuse me, where is the toilet?" Abby asked the worker next to her.
"Down the hall." The worker said and pointed to her left side.
"Thanks."
Abby stood up from the comfy chair with a green mask on her face and towel wrapped hair before exiting the room.
"Something is definitely wrong here." She said it with a determined glint in her eyes. Suddenly, a worker exited the room and crossed her path while she was going to the toilet. Her eyes quickly scanned the room within the small gap of the door crack, and she widened her eyes as she saw the sight of a customer 'doing it' with the masseuse.
Her face blushed red and she turned her head away in a hurry before jogging lightly to the toilet.
"Oh my god. This is… THAT kind of spa!"
Flustered, Abby grabbed her head as she let out a silent scream while still blushing hard.
"Wait…Ed…I need to make sure…He's not doing it!"
With a newfound sense of determination, Abby ran towards the room Edward was in to check up on him.
'But. How do I enter the room?' Abby thought as she reached Edward's door.
Stopping a worker on her path, Abby said, "Hey. He needs to take his medicine at 5 o'clock. Can you open the door for me?"
"What meds?" The worker asked.
"Are you trying to get his personal information?" Abby asked scathingly.
The worker shivered and said, "Forgive me. I'll open the door right now."
As the door was opened, Abby widened her eyes as she saw what was going on inside the room.
***
[Edward POV]
To be honest, the massage was pretty bad. I couldn't feel anything when she touched my body and her indecent touching with no actual skill only made my muscles condition worsen.
But as she decided to remove all facade and get to her main work, I finally realised that I had entered the wrong establishment if my intention today was to just get a massage.
As the lady was straddling me, I yelled hurriedly, "STOP! STOP!" I tried to forcefully remove my hand from the cuff, causing the entire table to shake.
The lady was baffled and she stopped licking my neck for a moment before she resumed her character. Her soft ass was moving front and back while she was sitting on top of me, and her warm tongue made my face flush as she licked my neck seductively.
"Resist all you want, you can never-"
"CatZILLA. CATZILLLAAA!" I muttered the safe-word immediately after wrecking my brain in trying to find the method to stop this session. Luckily for me, I heard the safeword loud and clear before she started going on top of me.
"Eh." Serefina's brain short-circuited and she straightened her back while still straddling my hips. "Are you seriously asking me to stop? Isn't this what you came here for?"
"Lady. I want a massage. I have muscle pain from over-exercising." I explained with sincere, fearful puppy-dog eyes.
The lady was baffled by the situation, but she decided to try one more time to persuade me, "Aren't… this guy is excited right now? Are you sure you want me to stop ?"
She was grabbing 'something' underneath my boxers while intently studying my reaction.
"Yeah. Please stop." I said decisively. "And take off the cuffs too."
Serafina shrugged and said, "Okay. Too bad though, I think you're really cute."
Before she could climb down from my body, I heard the sound of the door being opened. Serefina and I both turned our heads towards the door, and found out that it was still closed.
"It must be the other room." The masseuse said and got down from my body. I breathed a sigh of relief as she took out the key from her underwear.
"Please don't blame me for this. People who show up with the VIP card are sure to get the best treatment possible…This kind of treatment…"
"Really. The best? Even though you suck at massaging?" I teased as she unlocked the handcuff.
"Well I usually suck…at something else. But you don't want it…So…."
"Soo…"
Both of us weren't looking at each other as the situation became increasingly awkward as time passed.
"Do you want me to continue?" She asked. Then, she realised something and said, "What I did was of my own accord. I wasn't forced, and neither did the establishment provide this kind of service."
"A disclaimer, huh? So, will they cut you off and throw you under the bus if I report this?" I asked with understanding.
Her eyes shook and she said, "Yes. I should've asked you clearly before. I'm sorry."
"Never mind. I won't report it. It's useless to report it anyway." I muttered dismissively as she apologized to me. It was stupid to report this kind of service to the authorities.
Not only did this establishment cater to some politicians and police superintendents, but the VVIP guests would also back them up if someone tried to shut the business down. The worst repercussion was that they would need to change the location and company name before resuming their entire operation.
As my body was still sore, I had no choice but to accept her offer. "I will say yes to the massage. The NORMAL one. However, this time, I will guide you."
She smirked as she couldn't help but feel the situation was funny. She said, "What do you know about massaging someone?"
Because my name and age were concealed, she estimated that I was at least 17 or 16 years old, implying that I was still a child in her eyes.
"I know plenty. And it'll definitely be better than whatever it is you're doing before this." I said cockily while smirking.
"Let's see, Mister. I have 5 years experience in massaging someone." She raised one of her eyebrows as she felt challenged by my words.
"And in those years, how many times did you actually finish the massage without the "happy ending" option?"
"Umm.." She was at a loss for words, as, like I said, she never actually needed to massage someone properly as long as she could service them after.
"Also, if you can learn even one-tenth of what I teach you today, you'll become the best masseuse on the planet. You don't even have to use the happy ending to make the guests have their… happy ending. It'll be intoxicating, addicting, and the greatest massage technique in the whole world. Even presidents will stand in line to be massaged by you."
She chortled loudly and said, "You braggart. Okay, I'll follow what you say. But, if you're not satisfied afterward, I will take no responsibility for it."
Laying down face first on the bed, I said, "First, locate the trigger point in my shoulder blades. We're looking for my myofascial trigger point. You should feel a small notch with your finger and press down on it using only half the pressure you usually use."
"Only half? Are you sure?" She asked cautiously as she followed my directions.
"Yes. You need to move your finger in the direction of the muscle fiber. Imagine as if you're trying to elongate it." I guided her slowly in the massage session.
From my hand to my back, my waist, and my legs, she followed all of my instructions carefully.
Following the Murim World Massage Technique ingrained in my mind, my teachings allowed her to actually relieve the muscle tension on my body. As a result, I could feel my hands again after about half an hour of her massaging me.
"Serefina, tell me. What is the funniest moment you've experienced in this line of work?" I asked her casually while she was kneading my back.
It was her first time ever sweating while massaging someone in her 5 years of work. "In all of my years, I think this moment is the weirdest one."
"Hey I asked the funniest." I retorted playfully.
She snickered a little and said, "This also takes the top spot among the funniest ones. Not many people who come here treat us as human beings, ya know. All of them just want the special service. I can't complain though, as I earned more than $20,000 a month doing this."
"Wow. That's amazing. So are you going to keep doing this forever?" I asked.
She pinched my back and said, "Don't ruin the vibe."
"I'm not ruining the vibe. I'm just curious. What got you into this in the first place?"
My questions may seem intrusive, but Serefina didn't mind them. In fact, it was the first time in years after she came here from Argentina that someone actually wanted to talk to her about her background.
She shared about her childhood story, her broken dreams of becoming an actress after being tricked into doing pornography by some slimy producers, and how she couldn't help but enter this line of work just to continue living.
"The man I love fell out of love with me. Broke my heart. And whenever the chance to be loved came along again, I ran away from it. What they fell in love with was an image of me. When they know the true me, they will run away again."
"I understand that. I used to have a really nice pair of rollerblades. I was afraid that if I wore them, I'd wreck them, so I kept them in a nice box underneath my bed to hide them from myself and everyone around me."
"What are the similarities between them?" she asked, laughing. "Feeling and roller blades are two different things."
"Or…It's the same. Listen to me first. So, you know what happened when I kept them inside for so long?"
"No. What?"
"I outgrew them. I never wore them outside. I just wore them in my room a couple times, and never once did I use it on the streets the way it was intended to."
Serefina paused her massage and listened intently to what I was going to say next.
"If you aren't going to use your heart, then what's the difference if it gets broken. Just keep it to yourselves, maybe it'll be like my roller blades. When you do decide to try it, it won't be any good. You should take a chance, you have nothing to lose."
"...There is a bit of truth in there somewhere."
"I guess. Also, your heart must've still been broken, but it wasn't gone. If it were gone, you wouldn't be this nice."
"...I'm basically a prostitute. Do you really think I'm nice?" She asked in a solemn tone, her eyes glassy from our conversation.
"Yeah. If you weren't nice, you wouldn't even stop when I asked you to stop before this, nor would you show concern for me when I said I had muscle pain. Don't doubt my words. I never lie unless it's absolutely necessary."
She chuckled a little, and her mood was lifted. "Okay. I will listen to you, and take a chance on myself."
"That's the spirit. Seriously, my technique can make you the greatest masseuse on earth. Try it on another person and you'll know I'm not lying."
"I thought you weren't lying unless absolutely necessary?" She couldn't help but laugh. "Is it necessary to brag?"
"Lady, I never lied." I replied. Serefina didn't know at this time that this particular short session would change her life completely.
She suddenly felt a bit weird from the conversation before. "Why do I think that I had heard it before? The skate line."
"Maybe someone told you that before. Or maybe the writer for the Home Alone movie and I shared the same mind. We would never know."
"Ahh…a movie…" She muttered in disappointment before she let out a sincere laugh and continued massaging me.
For me, the half hour of massage was blissful. She had hit my sore spot and managed to wipe out the feeling of tiredness from my body. For her, it was a hellish experience, as she had never concentrated as hard as she did right now in her entire life.
"OWW OWW OWW OWW CRAMP CRAMP CRAMP!"
Both of Serefina's hands cramped up at the same time, as the massage skill needed a strong physical capability and trained dexterity to do it.
"Wait. Lemme help." I stood up while only wearing a boxer and helped her stretch out her hands while she was kneeling on the ground.
I was only helping her to stretch out her hands, but if someone walked in through the door, they would see the back of her head moving slowly while perpendicular to my crotch area—as if she were giving me a massage with her mouth.
At this moment, the door opened suddenly, and Abby walked into the room. She covered her mouth as she misunderstood the situation.
"Owww... it's cramping hard. What did you teach me exactly?"
"You're the one with no stamina. Didn't you say you had massaged people for 5 years?" I asked, ignoring the stunned Abby.
Finding the conversation weird, Abby decided to move forward to see the situation better. She breathes a sigh of relief after seeing that I am helping the lady ease her cramps. The worker opened the door for Abby, walked into the room, and helped Serefina ease her cramps instead of me.
"What?" I asked her in confusion as I saw the intruder with a green mask keep staring at me.
"No-Nothing. I just thought you were doing something else.." she said before she pulled me close and whispered what she had found out about the establishment into my ear.
"So. We better go now." Abby advised.
"Sure I can go now. I have already finished my thing. You and Haley should finish yours and meet me in the entrance after changing back into our clothes."
"Okay. I'll meet you there." Abby said before she ran outside the room to get Haley. I put on the white and fluffy robe before going to take a shower and changing into my earlier outfit.
In 20 minutes, I had already finished with my preparation and sat in the lounge area while waiting for the girls to get ready.
While I was browsing the magazines, Serefina walked towards me with an embarrassed face.
"Are your hands alright now?" I asked with a mischievous smile.
She faked a cough before she said, "Thank you for helping me before. And…telling me what I needed to hear."
Although the advice resonated with her, she would still continue working here for a few months before actually having the strength to quit her job. Change was always scary, no matter how much motivation people could offer.
"It's okay. Now, you're officially a disciple of the Master Alchemist. I hope that you will use the techniques I bestowed upon you to better yourself in the art of being a masseuse."
She chortled and waved her arm at me and said, "Okay. Stop. I will lose my composure here. My boss wouldn't like it."
I smiled and said, "I wish you all the best, Miss Serefina."
"You too… Edward Newgate." She replied with a sincere expression. As the YouTube video had gone viral, she knew who I was the moment I entered the establishment.
"My advice. Next time, don't accept gifts from a random stranger, okay?" She said this before turning around and walking away.
"Well, that was weird." As I remembered my time at the Spa, I muttered.
"I need to know if Jenna does this on purpose. I don't think she would do this as she doesn't want someone else to get near me, but who knows what she's actually thinking about."
I let out a long sigh and waited for the girls before Abby drove us quickly away from the building.
"Why the rush? I still haven't gotten a foot massage yet." Haley pouted while sitting on the same seat as I was, next to the driver's seat.
She hadn't gotten the chance to climb on the back of the car before Abby had pressed the gas pedal. As the seat was narrow, half of her butt was on my lap, and Abby didn't care about speed bumps while she drove.
"Well. That place-"
"I needed to get home and work. Sorry Haley." I interjected before Abby could tell her the truth. She used her eyes to ask me, {Seriously?}
I replied back with my eyes by blinking twice, {Yeah.}
'It's better if she didn't know about it.' I thought as I poked Haley's puffy cheeks.
"Hey! STOP THAT!" Haley said it with fierceness, but she was not at all threatening.
***
[3rd Person POV]
While Edward had gone to the spa, Ted received an invitation from Phil to hang out at his house after he returned home from the real estate office.
"He spoke Japanese?" Phil was flabbergasted when he heard Ted's story of Edward's sleep exercising and his weird behaviour this morning.
"Yeah. I know for sure he hasn't learned the language before." Ted muttered in a concerned tone.
"It wasn't that weird for him to speak another language. My roommate Ling in college suddenly spoke Arabic at one time while he was sleeping, and he had never learned the language before." (True story)
"Maybe." Ted muttered.
"But if you're still concerned, maybe you can get someone to talk to him and find out if there is something wrong with him. You know, someone he respected enough to share his feelings with, but who was not close enough to him that it would be awkward for him to see him the next day."
"He meant him." Claire walked by the kitchen and interjected in the gentleman's conversation after she returned home from picking up Alex from her cello lesson.
"Yeah. Me." Phil beamed up while volunteering himself. Ted was flabbergasted at first, but after thinking for a while, he finally reached his decision.
"Please help me, Phil." Ted requested with a sincere expression on his face.
"I would help even if you didn't ask me to." Phil said. "I will invite him over tomorrow to play some Mario Kart."
"Phil." Claire admonished him again while preparing for dinner.
"To have a nice, casual talk with him. I won't just play with him." Phil said in an unconvincing manner.
"Captain, why don't you and Ed have dinner with us?" Claire offered.
"Nah, it's okay. Edward's aunt is coming for dinner tonight, and she wanted to cook for Edward."
Aunt Camilla was already in front of the house, wearing a brown jacket on top of her black tank top, and tight jeans.
Nervous as it was the first time she would actually spend time with her nephew, she was also looking forward to getting to know an estranged member of her family.
"Hopefully Edward will like the food." Camilla muttered to herself as she waited for Ted to return home.