CEO Took A Break From Work At A Spa. He Never Expected To Fall For The Masseuse
The Choice to Belong
After the second session, he didn’t ask again. He just showed up every morning at the same time and the same room with the same masseuse.
He learned she liked honey instead of sugar in her tea. He learned she worked six days a week because she was saving up to open her own wellness studio.
He learned she dropped out of college to take care of her mother. Her mother had passed two years ago.
He learned she liked rainy mornings and hated cucumbers.
She didn’t know a thing about him. That was exactly why he kept coming back.
On the fourth day, she met him at the door with a raised brow.
“Aren’t you supposed to be checking out this morning?”.
“I extended my stay,” he said casually.
“Of course you did”.
“Don’t act like you’re not happy to see me”.
She gave him a look, but her cheeks pinked slightly.
“You’re not like most people who come here”.
He leaned against the door frame.
“How so?”.
“They usually come to escape. You seem like you came to remember who you are”.
That shut him up.
Later that night, he found her organizing oils in the spa lobby after hours. She looked up, surprised.
“I could get in trouble if someone sees you here”.
“I wanted to talk to you”.
“About what?”.
Xavier hesitated for the first time in days.
“Dinner”.
Her brows lifted.
“You want me to massage you while you eat?”.
He laughed.
“No, I want to take you to dinner. Off-site, somewhere nice”.
She blinked.
“You’re serious?”.
“Very, Xavier”.
“I can’t. Clients aren’t—”.
“I won’t be a client anymore. I’m checking out tomorrow”.
She stared at him.
“You don’t even know me”.
“I know I feel more human around you than anyone else. That’s enough of a reason for one dinner”.
Willow looked down at the small amber bottle in her hand, then back at him.
“Just dinner?”.
He stepped closer, his voice low.
“For now”.
She bit her lip, then exhaled.
“Okay. One dinner”.
The next night, his driver picked her up at exactly 7:00. Willow stepped out of the car in a simple black dress and flats.
Her hair curled softly around her shoulders. She looked uncertain, like she didn’t belong.
The moment Xavier walked out of the restaurant to greet her, everything in her relaxed.
The restaurant was on a hilltop overlooking the lake. He’d booked the entire terrace.
A string quartet played quietly in the background. Willow looked around, stunned.
“Xavier, this is insane”.
He held out his hand.
“Come on. It’s just dinner, remember?”.
They talked for hours. She asked about his life, and this time he answered.
He told her about the company he built from scratch and the pressure. He told her how he hadn’t laughed like this in years.
He watched her eyes widen when he talked about the jet he barely used. He spoke of the penthouse he rarely visited and the boardroom that felt more like a prison than a throne.
“You’re a billionaire,” she said, stunned.
“Unfortunately, the money didn’t come with a manual”.
She stared at him, then shook her head.
“You’re nothing like I expected”.
“What did you expect? Arrogance? Coldness? Maybe a Rolex?”.
He grinned, pulling back his sleeve.
“I left it in the room”.
They laughed.
When the dessert came, he reached across the candle-lit table and took her hand.
“I wasn’t planning to meet anyone here,” he said.
“I wasn’t planning to fall for a client,” she whispered.
He leaned in.
“Are you falling?”.
She looked into his eyes, steady and certain.
“Yeah, I think I am”.
