It fell to the floor. I took my time getting into the tub. Bubbles layered the top and steam continued to rise. I closed my eyes as warm water rose around me, swallowing my body in relaxation.
“I’m going to get you a towel.” He went to a cupboard across from us and pulled out a fluffy blue one.
“Blue is your favorite color?” I asked.
“Always. Granted, that’s what boys are given at birth. I just let it stick to me. There’s so many shades of blue, I can never get enough.” He brought the towel over to me and set it on the edge of the table.
“Do you always pamper your guests like this? I love it by the way.”
“No, I don’t pamper anyone but myself. At times, I was a mother hen to Jason, but it was mainly me telling the staff to check in on him.”
“A mother hen? Interesting.” I tried to picture two R&B legends depending on each other and living regular days. “What do you like to do besides music?”
“I’ll show you later. It’s on the third level. Besides the staff and my parents, no one else has been invited up there.”
“I’m excited to see what it could be.”
“It’s a bit dorky, but I love it.” He shrugged. “We all need hobbies outside of music. What’s yours?”
“Black and white movies. I’m all about the cinema classics.”
“That makes sense. You did say you’d seen ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ fifty times.”
“It’s one of my holiday favorites.”
He leaned his head to the side. “What’s your favorite classic film?”
“Citizen Kane.”
“Orson Wells.” He nodded. “You have impeccable taste. Every music video director I’ve worked with says Citizen Kane is their top classic movie.”
“It was modern for its day and still relevant when thinking about humanity.”
“Damn, you’re so smart. Tell me more.”
I blushed. “The movie makes you ask questions.”
“Like what?”
“Why was the hero successful, why was he a failure? Why was he a triumph and a tragedy all in one? Why is he, simultaneously and almost symbiotically, all of us and none of us at all?”
“Do you think you would ever work in film?”
“I don’t know about acting, but screenwriting would definitely be a long-term goal.”
“I should definitely introduce you to my parents.”
Shocked, I said nothing, grabbed one of the folded washcloths to give myself something to do, and picked up the rose-scented soap.
Bath time number two with G-fucking-O. I don’t think anyone would believe me. I should bathe like this every day.
Silence filled the bathroom as I made the cloth sudsy and rose-fragranced.
“Should I leave?” he asked.
“I actually feel bad for having you here, but I love it. Every second. This morning was perfect. Breakfast, your company. All perfect. And now. I can surely get around on my own, but I love the attention, the pampering, the doting.” I laughed.
“I never thought of myself as a doter, yet here I am.”
I raised one leg at a time out of the water and rubbed the soapy cloth on them. Gio directed his attention to my every movement, gripping the edge of the tub like he was close to jumping in. “Do you need any help?”
I grinned. “I’ve got it, but thank you.”
“I’m here for anything. There could be places on your body that you can’t reach. All you have to do is whisper my name and I’ll be there.”
“You’re my own little personal bathroom, Batman.”
He held a wicked grin. “More like BathMan, but yes.”
“BathMan? Hmmm. What would your logo look like?”
“Me in a towel, looking like I could conquer all suds.”
“Clearly.”
I thought about him in nothing but a towel and shuddered in the warm water. I was close to telling him to come inside, so fucking close, but I couldn’t rush this. I had come here for a job, not dick. While the dick belonged to a man that was on posters I’d been drooling on for years, I couldn’t just jump into a sexual relationship with him.
Make the music. Do the job. Then...damn it. Then, let him tear this pussy apart if he wants to. Jesus. Look at him.
“You look like you need some help.” His tone was firm and soft, pumping need sweetly between my thighs.
“I’m...fine.”
“Good.”
I dripped water onto my back. “What’s your usual morning routine?”
“I usually meditate on the balcony, if it’s not too cold. If it is, I meditate in the gym. After that, breakfast and workout. After a shower and lunch, it’s all about the music until the sun sets. Then, I switch to my hobby and fall into my bed.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Why?” he asked. “What did you picture?”
“Royal balls. Supermodels. Orgies. Strip clubs. Golfing with the stars.”
“You clearly know how to live.”
“Not really. My daily routine is music and snacks. Just those two continuous things back and forth.”
“We’ll have to change that. At some point, sweet Simone, you have to stop the work and breathe. Sometimes you should take a break and do anything else—paint, run, cook, dance, tv, anything but music. If you don’t shut the light off, the bulb will explode.”