The time flew by, and before he knew it they had to turn in their equipment. One quick lunch at the snack bar later, they were heading for the spa. Neither of them was terribly enthusiastic about the rest of the afternoon.

“You didn’t book us for seaweed wraps or facials, did you?”

He snickered at Parker’s anxiety. “No, man. I’ve got us signed up for massages and the steam room. There won’t be anything weird. I don’t think.”

Parker frowned. “You’re not reassuring me here.”

The spa was a low, minimalist building. Inside, the décor was spare and simple, with whites and blues and a lot of bamboo. He could hear the sound of the ocean louder than he should have been able to, making him think they must be playing some sort of relaxation tape. The overall effect was nice enough, if a bit clichéd.

A smiling, forty-ish woman approached them. She wore a soft blue outfit similar to nurse’s scrubs. Her voice was calm and carefully modulated. “Welcome to the Sea of Pleasure Spa. Have you made reservations?”

Ignoring Parker’s twitching lips, he focused on the woman. “Yes. I’m Theodore Christopher. We have a reservation for two o’clock.”

Consulting a small notepad, she nodded. “And this must be Mr. Denton. Welcome, both of you.” Motioning to a tiny young woman who stood nearby, she continued, “First you’ll need to change into robes. You won’t need any other clothing here. Carrie will take you to the changing room, and then she’ll direct you to the next stop on your road to relaxation. Enjoy!”

The small woman, apparently Carrie, didn’t even come up to his shoulder. “Follow me, please.”

Though he could hear Parker trying to stifle laughter, probably at the road to relaxation remark, Teddy followed Carrie silently. He nodded and smiled when she gave them both robes and told them to go to room seven when they had finished changing. When she left, he rounded on his snickering companion.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the serious one here?”

Clearly unable to hold in his mirth any more, Parker burst out laughing. “Sea of Pleasure? Road to relaxation?”

His friend’s laughter was infectious, and pretty soon he was cracking up too.

“I think you’re a bad influence on me, Denton. I’ve been acting like a two-year-old ever since we got here, and I blame you.”

Kicking off his own sandals, Parker gave him a half-hearted shove. “Whatever. You’ve been a bad influence on me for years!”

“Shut up and strip. We’ve got some relaxing to do.” The far wall featured wicker baskets to store belongings in. He went over, grabbed one, and brought the basket over to the bench. Yanking off his t-shirt, he wadded it up into a ball and dropped it into the basket. Both his and Parker’s sandals went in next, and then he slipped off his shorts and underwear and dropped them in too. Moments later he was swathed in the thick, soft white robe.

Not surprisingly, Parker hadn’t finished changing. His carefully folded t-shirt was in the basket, along with his watch and shorts—also folded—but he still wore boxers. The teasing remark Teddy had been about to make caught in his throat when his friend stripped his underwear off, folding them as well. Having never seen the other man naked, he couldn’t help but look a little. His studious friend was surprisingly well-muscled for being so slim. The completely bizarre thought that Parker had been working out flitted through his mind before he forced himself to glance away.

Trying not to think about what else he had seen, he took the basket back to where it belonged. Over his shoulder, he asked, “You ready?”

“All set.”