The Ballerinas Billionaire Bodyguard

CHAPTER 15

We arrived at the spa, our moment in the car had long passed, and Lilli had long since returned to her super happy self. We walked into the lobby of the building, arm in arm both our faces stretched into wide grins as we took in the beautiful decor surrounding us. There were fairy lights hung all around the room, creating a subtle glow and along with the various plants and vines decorating the space, it gave off a forest vibe. We made our way to the desk, checked in and headed to our first treatment. Lilli had taken the liberty of setting up this whole thing, and from what I overheard between her and the receptionist, there were a lot of things she had us booked for. Feeling the strained muscles in my neck from the constant stress lately, I decided not to protest and just roll with it. We headed over to the lockers, put our stuff away and got changed into the fluffy robes provided by the spa. Upon entering the resting area we were each handed a glass of golden champagne, and told to sit in the swinging chairs that overlooked a rooftop garden.

"Well, this is actually super nice Lilli." I leaned over to her, and we clinked our glasses together.

"May you be fully relaxed and stress free by the end of this day." I winked at her.

"And you too, my good friend." She laughed at my silliness and lay her head down on the plush cushion behind her.

"Ugh, this is just what we needed. Man, I cannot believe you have a stalker, I mean how do you sleep at night?" I wince, trying to force my muscles to relax. Whenever I thought of him or the situation he had put me in, my entire body started to cramp up. That is also a massive factor of why I decided to come along to the spa today, my body in serious need of some destressing.

"Lilli, the whole point of us coming here is to escape all of that stalker drama. Please, I don't want to even think about that stuff right now, okay?" She quickly grabs my hand and squeezes.

"You are right, I'm sorry. I just...I still can't wrap my head around the whole thing, and to be honest...I'm worried about you." I frown at her words. Why was I always causing the people around me stress.

"I have Frankie to protect me." She bit her lip before answering.

"Yes, but is that enough?"

"Have you seen the size of him? I mean come on, who can honestly get past that man?" She giggles a little but her eyes remain serious.

"Enough of that, alright. No more stalker talk, no more work stress, no more worries about nothing. From this point on, we are only allowed to have fun conversations." I stick out my hand, waiting for her to shake on it with me. She eyes my hand, almost like she didn't really want to keep quiet and ask me a whole bunch of questions about my situation, but she finally accepted my hand and remained hushed on that topic. I had never been so grateful for the fact that I could trust my best friend.

"Alright ladies, are you ready for your first treatment?" A nice lady came out from one of the doors, dressed in a black double-breasted uniform, her hair done neatly in a low bun. Lilli and I excitedly followed her into the room she stood outside of, Lilli squealing with glee at what lay ahead of us. Inside the room there were two beds each spread out with a soft towel, and next to them were a tray with essential oils.

"You may lie down and get comfortable. We will give you a few minutes to get settled and then we will get started." I hadn't even noticed the other woman in the room, my eyes too busy looking at all the other goodies. Lilli and I give them a nod and they leave the room to let us get comfortable on our beds. By the time the masseuse started her routine I was almost asleep already.

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Three hours later, I was so completely relaxed it felt like I couldn’t even think straight. Every muscle in my body had stopped feeling like it was being pinched, and my mind felt a lot less cluttered. I was currently sitting in the waiting area again, waiting for Lilli to get her pedicure done. I've had 2 different types of massages, a manicure, pedicure, a facial and a head massage, and I felt like a brand new person. Even when I was on break from touring before, I hadn't done myself the pleasure of relaxing like this. I was constantly practicing for the next show, always working hard in the studio. I made a small promise to myself that from now on, I would come here at least once a month and give myself a treat like this. I sigh and let my head roll back. If Frankie wasn't waiting for me, I would stay here the whole day.

"Oh my goodness, Frankie..." I was so smothered in bliss that I had forgotten this poor man was waiting in the lobby for me and Lilli. Wanting to call him and check up on him, I reached for my phone, but realized that I had left it in the locker room. I make my way back to grab my phone, opening my little locker door and notice a paper fall out of it.

"What is this?" I say as I bend down and reach for the paper on the floor. I turn it over look at the picture on the other side. Not just any picture, but a picture of me and Lilli soaking in the hot tub here at the spa, our faces drawn in smiles. We were both laughing at a joke Lilli had told, that moment seeming so close and intimate. And yet we were being watched by some creep who's face I didn’t even know. My eye catches the bottom right corner of the picture, and I move my thumb to read the message written there.

You look good in that swimsuit. Happy to see you're looking after yourself, sweetheart.

It wasn't signed, but it's not like I expected it to be anyway. I hear the door open up behind me and in a rush I shove the picture into my bag. I snap my head to the door and see Lilli entering the room, her hair in such a mess, she looked like she got in a girl fight.

"Oooo, I tell you...I could permanently pay for a room here. I mean can you imagine it, retiring here? How great would that be?" Her eye catches what I can only imagine is my strained face and she blanches.

"What's wrong, Vi?" I shake my head and try to swallow the lump in my throat.

"Nothing, I-Ijust don't feel so well all of a sudden."

"Do you need me to get you anything?" She seems so concerned that I wanted to kick myself in the face for not telling her the truth. But I wanted to keep her safe, and the only way to do that is to not tell her about this picture.

"No, no. I'm fine, I just think I'm going to head home a bit earlier, if that's alright?"

"Yeah, sure, I mean if that's what you need. Do you need me to come with you?" I shake my head.

"No, don't worry about me. You should enjoy the rest of the day here. Are you going to be fine here alone? Do you need Frankie to come back later for you?"

"No, there's no need. I'll grab a cab. Just let me know when you get home safe, okay?" She pulls me into a hug and I hold her tight.

"You're the best, Lilli." I hope she knew how much I meant those words.

"Stay safe okay?" She lets me go and turns to the door again.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some more relaxing to do." When she leaves the room, I quickly get dressed, grab my things and rush out to the lobby where Frankie was half asleep on one of the couches.

"We're leaving, right now."