[Invitation to Eden 04.0] Hydrotherapy Read Free

in the invitation she had received back in Chicago. Judging by the formal writing and what little information she could find online, Jenna had assumed that she was coming to work at a five-star hotel. This... this looked more like an all-inclusive family beach resort than an elite getaway for the rich.
    “Nice view, isn’t it?”
    Jenna jerked around to find a tall, slender woman with long, white hair staring at her.
    “Excuse me?”
    Laughter passed through the woman’s bright brown eyes as she nodded in the general direction of the waiter’s ass. “The view is quite nice here. Much better than the last place I worked at.” She shifted her sleek, black serving tray from one hand to the other and leaned in closer to Jenna. “I greatly prefer the Oasis to those stuffy spas back in the States.” She smirked as she glanced back at the waiter. “In fact, everything about this island is better than the States.”
    The woman’s low, stuffy voice sounded odd, given her appearance. Then again, her face was a little too smooth, her brows a little too high. There was a plastic feel to her perfectly aligned nose and forehead that made her look more mannequin than human. Jenna guessed that the woman had so much cosmetic surgery that her nasal passages were a mess.
    Jenna studied the woman’s high cheek bones and long, thin face. “Do I know you?”
    The woman straightened and smiled, showing off her perfect white teeth. “I'm Simone.” She indicated the gold-plated name badge fastened to her red and white polka dotted bikini. “Do you have an appointment?”
    Jenna looked over Simone's shoulder and spotted the coral reception desk at the far end of the room. The Eden logo was painted on the front with the words “Oasis Spa.”
    “This place looks so different from the rest of the castle,” Jenna said.
    Simone smiled, although on her it looked more like a twitching of lips. “Yes, well. We have found that our clients prefer the more relaxed atmosphere when getting their massages. It helps get them more…how should we say…” Simone waved her red manicured fingers in the air. “In the right mood.” She straightened and cleared her throat. “Now, what type of package will you be having today?” The woman chuckled, as if she had just made some sort of joke.
    Jenna frowned at the tall woman's words. “Oh, I'm not a client. I'm supposed to start working here. I have an appointment with Mr. Vardalos.” She pulled out the invitation from her jacket and handed it to Simone. “I was offered a job in management. It's very similar to the job I had in Chicago at the Ecstasy Spa.”
    Simone lowered her mascara-caked eyelashes and scanned the note. “Ah yes, Jenna.” Simone handed back the paper. “There has been a change of plans. Mr. Vardalos is away from the island for the next week. Mr. Malstrom will be tending to your needs.”
    Tending to your needs. There was something about those words that sounded suspicious. Jenna wanted to question the androgynous woman, but Simone had already started toward the reception desk.
    Jenna followed her in her wake, still trying to make sense of it all. “I used to be a masseuse,” she explained, hoping that her earlier comment about management didn't offend. Jenna knew first-hand how competitive spa staff could be. “Then I was moved to office management about six months ago.” The move had more to do with spa politics than any administrative talent, but she didn’t need to know that.
    “Oh?” Simone’s voice sounded bored, but Jenna felt a strange need to prove herself to the woman.
    “Yes. I schedule appointments, work with vendors and coordinate work schedules.” Jenna glanced down at the invitation she had gotten only three, short weeks ago. “I kind of assumed that I’d be doing something similar here.” For three times the pay—and the possibility of advancement in six months if she did a good job. The offer was like a dream come true. Jenna had conversed with