Chapter 107 - The Surprise Soak (1/2)
This is going to be mind-blowing, he thinks, as he watches Claire get the jet tub ready. She turns on the water, ensures it's the right warmth, then empties a small bottle of bubble bath. Foam quickly develops, filling the bathroom with that familiar floral fragrance he has begun to ȧssociate with her presence.
Outside, it is indeed a beautiful morning, with the morning sun bathing the city with its crisp, warm light. ”I bought this hotel because of the view,” he mutters as he gazes at the skyline, seemingly entranced. ”And I specifically chose this suite for you, because of this very view.” He smiles as he turns to her. ”Isn't it wonderful?”
”It is magical,” she says, as they stand there, facing the glass wall. That's why I love long soaks. Thank you for this, Gab.”
”You deserve all the finest things, Claire,” he says. He takes her hand. ”Come on, the tub awaits.”
”You go on ahead,” she says. ”Go, you need it.”
”But…”
”Go on, before the water gets too cold.”
Timidly, Gabriel gets in the tub, one foot at a time. He's still wearing his hospital bottoms. He slips it out of his legs under the water and holds up the wet clothing. He turns and finds her no longer there. ”Hey, where are you?”
”Go ahead, I'll be right there in a moment,” says Claire's voice, probably from one of the rooms.
She's going to do something naughty, Gabriel thinks, his heart pounding in his ċhėst. Jesus, she's going to be eye-poppingly awesome.
He tries to relax in the tub, feeling the perfectly warm soapy water ċȧrėss his flesh. He realizes to his mild horror that he still has that distinct hospital antiseptic smell on him. How embarrassing! What did she think or feel about that? He dips his head in the water, scrubs his shoulder-length hair with the perfumed froth, and kneads the hospital smell off his skin. ”I need some silicone brush,” he says out loud to no one in particular. ”There's this hard-to-reach spot on my back that—”
Gabriel is mildly surprised when someone starts gently scrubbing him on the back. ”Oh, that's good,” he says, purring like a cat. ”God, I missed that.” He doesn't look back just to relish this build-up of excitement. Claire must be standing behind him nȧkėd, and she's wordlessly scrubbing his back with what he feels is a silicone brush, perhaps because she wants to surprise him, too. ”That feels so good,” he mȯȧns. Suddenly, the brush is gone and what directly massage his back are her hands. ”Wow,” he exclaims. ”That's surprisingly bold.” When the hands reach his shoulders, Gabriel touches it to ċȧrėss it. ”Have you been gardening lately? Your hand feels a bit rough, Claire,” he says.
”My name is Dale, sir.”
Gabriel's head spins around so fast it's comical. ”What in hell are you doing here?”
”Uhh, Claire sent me, sir,” Dale stammers. ”She said you will need ȧssistance. So I'm here.” A pause. ”Would you like me to continue, sir?”
”What? No! Get out,” he says.
”Are you sure, sir? Because there seems to be a knot of muscle in your back that needs some—”
”I don't care about that fuċkɨnġ knot or whatever. Just get out, Dale. I don't…Just get out, please, before I lose it.”
In Dale's panic, he bows as he leaves. ”I'm sorry, sir.” He slips out of the bathroom as quietly as he must have come in.
Gabriel abruptly stands up from the tub, like an angry Godzilla, water splashing about the bathroom. He's beet-red in the face. It's embarrassing. How could Claire do that? Water is still dripping all over his body, and there's an island of foam on his head, but he grabs a towel and wraps it around his hɨps, grumbling. When he steps out of the bathroom, he finds Claire laughing like crazy.
”Very funny,” he fumes.
Claire is already so red in the face from all that laughing. She's incredibly cute, he thinks, and it would have been a lot better under a different circumstance. But Gabriel has lost his temper.