Lisa opened the door silently. One of those annoying little bells that hang behind a door to announce a visitor's arrival jangled as she stepped into the small sparsely decorated room. A couple of modern art prints hung on the wall above the small simple desk, the only decorations to otherwise break up the monotony of the white walls. The desk had a small vase of tropical flowers, an appointments book and a telephone. Alongside was a small two-seater rattan couch β obviously people did not have to wait long!
A long and exhausting schedule of business calls and visits around Southern Africa had brought her here to Mombasa and this small hotel sandwiched between two major tourist hotels and almost hidden among a forest of palm trees. Business over, her company had offered to treat her to a couple of days R&R before she headed back to America and her family. She thought now about her children, how they would love to run and play in the white sands of the beach or in the blue waters of the hotel pool. Her husband would have loved it too, a chance to soak up some sun and get away from the monotonous dirge of life in the local machine shop. She was the lucky one, Lisa thought, a good job in educational marketing, gave her the chance to travel the world and get away from small town America; an opportunity she relished. But now she was feeling a little selfish; she was enjoying what her family would probably never be able to share with her - a luxury hotel in a far away location.
"Mrs. Williams?" a soft male voice with more than a hint of a South African accent broke her out of her thoughts.
"Err yes, that's me" she turned to face the man who had noiselessly entered the room through a side door and now offered her his hand.
"I apologise," he said, reaching out to take hers; his deep brown eyes looking at her fully. "We have you down as a male guest for some reason." He shook her hand firmly but gently, then turned to the desk to consult the left-hand page. "We tried to call your room when we realised the mistake but you must have already left."
She remembered her long stroll along the beach, the soft warm sand beneath her feet. "Is there a problem then with my massage appointment then?" She looked back into those brown eyes, questioning.
"Well it's late in the afternoon and our girls have all gone. I stayed on to give a sports massage to the last client." He looked up again at her "You are that client but you are clearly not a man or somebody who needs a sports massage." He paused. "What sort of treatment did you ask for?"
"Well," she looked once again into those eyes, "I need to unwind so a deep relaxing massage to free up some fairly tired and aching muscles." He broke the link and looked down.
"Well if you are happy for me to do it, I could give you a short massage now and book you in with one of the girls tomorrow morning?" He paused then the eyes returned to her face. "Of course we would only charge for the one treatment." He gave no clue to what may be going on his mind but he was looking at her for a response.
"Its fine with me β I really need some help to relax and two for the price of one seems a good deal to me." She smiled allowing him to enjoy the warmth of her smile, white teeth contrasting with her red lips and coffee coloured skin.
"OK come with me then" he turned and opened the door through which he had entered. Holding the door ajar for her, he led the way down a narrow corridor. She found herself looking at the figure ahead of her. Traces of grey in his hair gave the way the secret that he was probably the wrong side of 45, but his body looked well toned and fit beneath the white T shirt loose fitting cut offs. He wore no shoes and his arms and legs, like his face was tanned a deep reddish brown from his time here in east Africa.
He pointed to the last door, "If you would like to go in there and make yourself comfortable on the massage table?" He released the door catch and her senses were immediately filled with the smells and sounds of the sea. "I will go and get some towels and oils and be right with you."
The small room had walls of thin reeds, the exception being that which faced her from the doorway. This was largely open to the beach, a warm breeze blowing in from the sea through the glassless window, the far off sounds of the last people on the beach the only sound. Lisa felt herself relaxing. "If the guys could just see me now" she thought.
The massage table was a simple but sturdy trestle covered in soft white fluffy towels. She had been given no instructions β should she undress? She still wore her simple (but modest) bikini from her beach walk. She decided that to avoid embarrassment she should keep this on. She placed her beach robe on the only chair and laid, face down on the table. "To avoid embarrassment" - she was not sure who would be embarrassed her or this middle aged man who was about to provide her massage. Had he seen it all before? "Yes", probably, although in a hotel like this they would be careful not to offend anyone. Was she embarrassed? Well yes she thought, or least she should be, laying nearly naked in front of a stranger β a strange man.
Not that he was strange, he might be nearly old enough to be her father but he was quite good looking in a mature sophisticated way. As these thoughts occupied her mind, she did not hear him enter the room nor the soft click as he turned the little bolt which registered "Engaged" on the other side.
"I have some aromatic oils which I think will help you relax" the soft voice broke the tranquillity and her train of thought.