"Miss Kendrick," Ambrose breaks me from my thoughts of possible jealousy and leads me out of the double doors and back down the hallway. We stand at the bank of elevators until one arrives, and we step inside. Ambrose steps forward to the panel and punches a series of numbers into a coded keyboard.
"Your massage has been arranged at Mr. Whitlock's residence," Ambrose tells me as the doors close and the elevator begins to smoothly rise up the floors. I am suddenly hit with a wave of nerves at being in Rhodes's apartment. I hope he knows that this is where Ambrose has organized it for me. I don't have long to think about it before the elevator doors open up into an expansive room.
"Mr. Whitlock's apartment occupies the entire top floor of the hotel. If you'll follow me, I'll show you where Marla is set up." I half-listen to Ambrose as he talks, unable to remove my gaze from the view set out in front of me. The front room is incredibly grand; sleek marble floors, and an incredibly modern kitchen to my left with at least a ten-foot-long island bench top. But what really takes my breath away is the floor-to-ceiling windows that cover the entire back wall of the apartment, revealing a stunning view of London below us.
I quickly realize I've been standing in the same position for far too long and eager to not keep Ambrose away from his real job for much longer. I follow him down a long hallway to the right. We pass multiple closed doors until we reach the end of the hallway and enter a room that appears to be a gym, with a large table set up in the middle of the room.
A young woman with long black hair is walking around the room lighting various candles she has placed around. The mood is an instantly calm one, the lights have been turned off so the only way you can see is through the various flickerings of candles.
"Miss Kendrick, this is Marla. I will leave you two to it then, if there isn't anything else you need, Miss Kendrick?" Ambrose asks me as he stands by the door. It's an odd feeling, having someone try to go out of their way to make you feel comfortable, especially when they don't really know you. I smile and shake my head.
"No, thank you, Ambrose, I'm fine. You go help Rhodes." He gives me a small smile and leaves the room, presumably to run back to Rhodes's side.
One hour later, I am oiled up and dressed in a bathrobe, wandering through Rhodes's apartment to find my way back to the windows I saw when I first entered. It's the first time I have ever had a professional massage, and I honestly feel like I'm floating away. It's the most relaxed my body has felt in probably my whole entire life. Marla has just left the apartment, but not without getting an earful of me telling her how incredible she is at her job. I make a mental note to tell Rhodes how wonderful she was; maybe it will yield something like a raise or even just a bit of leniency if she ever fucks something up.