Wagstaff - Christmas in chamonix: A heartwarming, feel-good festive romance

For Ben. For the skiing but mostly, for us X

Lily Jackson pushed her elbows into her clients incredibly hairy back and let out a deep sigh. It was more about Lilys state of mind than part of the treatment, but it seemed to help; her client let out an identically pleasurable sigh and relaxed visibly into the towelling-covered couch.

So good, he murmured into the face hole.

Great, Lily said, keeping one hand on the clients back as she reached for more oil. She was sure it was great for her client, but not so much for her, it had to be said. Massaging someone with such thick hair wasnt the most fun, however much she generally liked her job. Perhaps it was just that it was a little predictable. Lily was the sort of person who liked to feel safe and secure, but she also didnt like to stand still. And in her current job, she was definitely standing still.

Find a positive, find a positive, Lily intoned to herself. OK, so she loved the scent of the oil! Yes, she did. It contained juniper berry for detoxifying, rosemary to stimulate the circulation and warming black pepper. Her heart sank slightly. Was that all she could come up with? That she liked the smell of the oil? Good God. Maybe it was time for a change. Not that Lily particularly liked change. She had only had one other job because she hated the disruption and having to adapt to new things.

Is this pressure OK? she asked, doing her best to fulfil her brief as a calming, professional masseuse.

Perfect, her client mumbled. My shoulder feels so much better.

Lily felt gratified by that and momentarily considered her client. Kieran was a professional rugby player and might even be a famous one, but Lily wasnt really sure because rugby wasnt her thing. He had the chunky thighs, on reflection, but his face was meh. And Lily was all about the face. And the eyes. And the voice.

She mentally pulled herself back into the room and accepted his compliment.

Fantastic. Just relax into the couch and Ill make sure all these knots under the shoulder blade disappear.

Lily focused her attention on the massage. This was a sports massage, meaning the emphasis was on the manipulation of a certain muscles soft tissue in order to treat an injury and help prevent any further injury. Unlike a deep tissue massage, which focuses on putting pressure on the layers of tissue in the body, a sports massage relies upon safely and skilfully manipulating the damaged, fragile tissue to heal it. It was complicated, but Lily had been doing this job for ten years, so she was if not an expert shit hot. Ish. Totally in her comfort zone.

Thoughts of Jamie drifted into Lilys head and she allowed herself to indulge in them while the other half of her mind made sure the massage was perfectly executed. Her and Jamie on holiday in the Maldives. A water cottage with its own decking area for meals, a glass floor to watch the fish weaving through the aquamarine water beneath it and and a curved slide to enter the water with a whoop and a splash! Lily felt a beaming smile spread across her face. Cocktails shed never heard of because they were so cool and unique, both of them seated on velvet thrones in a swanky Mayfair bar with her favourite canaps. Shellfish-based, if she was allowed to choose. Which she was, because it was her fantasy. What else? Oh yes. A weekend away in a country hotel with a roaring fire and brisk walks with a dog. The French bulldog they had chosen together called Hugo. They would dress Hugo in a bow tie and bowler hat, if the whim took them, and he would complete them before they decided to have a gorgeous little baby. Once they were married, natch. And it was about time she got married, or at the very least got together with the man of her dreams, because she was thirty-two. And as everyone knew, being thirty-two was brilliant in many ways, but not if one was single and didnt have a proper plan, as Lilys best friend Imogen called it, for acquiring a man and a future that involved marriage and babies. Which Lily wasnt entirely sure she wanted, but she would very much like to be in a relationship. She had been single for longer than she cared to remember, even though it was probably actually less than six months.

Lily had had boyfriends. Four serious ones, a few not-so-serious ones and what she felt was an adequate but not slutty number of casual flings. Why hadnt those relationships worked out? The serious ones, at least. She supposed it was because she had always felt as though something was missing. A special connection. Sizzling chemistry. Friendship. Something.

Lily sighed again, but this time, not so pleasurably. The problem was, none of these delicious thoughts she had about Jamie were memories; they were fantasies.

The actual memories were almost as good, they just didnt involve Jamie and Lily being a couple. But the memories of hanging out after school listening to music, picnics and rounders in the park, sharing Oreo milkshakes and discussing who they both fancied were still lovely. Jamie had fancied far more girls than Lily had boys and that had always jarred slightly, but still. Lily had always acted chilled about it, no matter who Jamie was fixated on. The point was, Jamie had been a huge part of Lilys childhood and beyond that. Thinking of their friendship developing into something else almost felt like a natural step. Not to mention how fantastic she assumed the kissing would be. And the sex

Oh yes, the sex. This was something Lily fantasised about far more than she probably should. It was just so much fun thinking about Jamie and what hed be like in bed. She had built him up into a veritable sex god, capable of slow, achingly romantic love-making all the way to hot, thrusting quickies and everything in between.

Why hadnt they ever got together? It was a question Lily had asked herself on and off through the years. They had friendship and a special connection borne out of all of the years they had been close. Was it the lack of chemistry? No, there was chemistry. Timing? Bad timing. Perhaps that was the answer.

Lily relaxed deeply into the massage, making sure all the shoulder knots had gone. Kieran groaned and moaned into his towelling hole as if he was enjoying the massage very much indeed. Lily finished up and walked back into the room some time later with a glass of iced water, finding Kieran wrapped in the fluffy, navy towelling robe all clients were given, seated in one of the small armchairs in the corner of the room. His face was bright red from the massage and he sat with his gigantic thighs spread far apart, clearly unaware that he was showing off all of his rugby tackle. Again.

Lily averted her eyes and wondered if she should mention to her client that his scrotum was on show for the fifteenth time. The spa was very keen to maintain a professional stance at every turn, but Lily felt it might be helpful for Kieran to know that he was displaying his wares every time he came to the spa.

Brilliant massage, Kieran commented, accepting the glass of water. He checked out the smooth, navy-hued walls, the piles of thick towels and the on-trend, rose gold cushions and vases as he pushed his feet into navy mules thus exposing himself even more.

Thank you. Im glad it was beneficial for you, Lily replied with a polite smile, keeping her eyes on his gaze and away from his tackle.

My favourite thing in the world, massages, Kieran commented, looking in no hurry to leave. He scratched his balls and Lily winced.