‘Good,’ Holly said, focusing on the techniques she was about to employ on Charlie’s back in an attempt to keep the professional distance. ‘Well, hopefully after this massage you’ll feel even better. So, I’m going to start off with medium pressure on your neck and shoulder blades. If it feels too hard, or too soft, just let me know and I’ll change it up a bit.’ She rubbed her hands together and then uncorked the freshly prepared massage oil. ‘Likewise, if you think my hands are too cold, let me know and I’ll warm them up a bit.’ She dribbled a little bit of the oil onto her palms and then rubbed them together again. Then, taking a deep breath, she put her hands onto Charlie’s broad, muscular back. Feeling the tension in his neck and shoulders, she began to press and squeeze, working her fingertips into the knots and kinks of his shoulders and neck. ‘Some people like me to talk to them while I do this, but others prefer to be quiet, so let me know if you want me to shut up,’ Holly said. She felt the smooth warmth of Charlie’s skin, in contrast to the tension in his back, and she pressed her fingers deeper into the junctions of his shoulder blades, easing out the very worst of the stiffness she found there.

Charlie groaned as she switched tack and dug her elbow into a particularly stubborn knot between his shoulders.

‘Too hard?’ Holly asked. She was leaning over Charlie’s back and felt a sharp, pinpricking tingle deep within herself as she smelt the remnants of his musky aftershave, underpinned by his own scented warmth, combined with the deeper, more peppery scent of the massage oil. In response to her nearness, she saw her breath lift the hair on the back of his neck when she spoke. She was compelled to pause the movement of her hands for a moment, and drew another deep breath.

‘No…’ Charlie murmured. He was face down, resting his head on the circle of the massage table, so Holly couldn’t see his expression. ‘It feels amazing. I don’t know why I haven’t had one of these before.’

‘You feel quite knotted,’ Holly said, focusing on the vertebrae in his neck. ‘I really would think about getting a new office chair. And booking a seat on the train home.’

‘It’s been a busy few weeks,’ Charlie’s voice, muffled from the position he was in, sounded more relaxed. ‘But this is definitely… helping.’

Holly, who was again using her elbows as well as her hands, felt the warmth of Charlie’s back against her own skin as she pushed deeper into his shoulder blades, feeling him breathing in and out, his chest rising and falling, and then hitching slightly, as she hit another tender spot.