by J. S. Cooper
***
“Where are you?” Lacey asked when I called her from Scott’s claw foot bathtub.
“You will never guess,” I said as I ran my finger through the water and bubbles.
“Paris?” Lacey guessed and I rolled my eyes.
“I just spoke to you three hours ago, how could I be in Paris already?”
“I don’t know. Concorde? Time travel?”
“Time travel?” I laughed. “Uh huh!”
“So where are you, then?”
“Guess again,” I said with a giggle.
“I don’t know.” She sighed. “I’m guessing not Hong Kong.”
“Hong Kong?” I was exasperated. “Come on, Lacey.”
“Elizabeth Jeffries, how on God’s green earth am I supposed to know where you are?”
“I’m at Scott Taylor’s house,” I whispered. “And I’m currently soaking in his claw foot tub.”
“What?” she screeched. “You slept with Scott Taylor again?”
“No.” I rolled my eyes, even though I knew she couldn’t see me. “What do you take me for?”
“The girl who wore no panties to work, put her boss’s hand up her skirt and is now at his house and in his bathtub.”
“I didn’t put his hand up my skirt. He put his hand down my skirt. And you’re the one that told me to wear no panties in the first place, Lacey.”
“I know, but I didn’t mean for that to lead straight to his bed again.”
“He’s not even here yet.” I muttered. “We didn’t have sex. I’m just having a bath because I saw the claw foot tub and wanted to relax in some bubbles for a little bit, and he left a note saying he won’t be back for another hour.”
“Do you know how crazy that sounds, Eliza?” Lacey sounded perplexed. “You went to your boss’s house to work and instead you’re having a bath.”
“I’m going to work after my bath. It’s huge, Lacey. Like so huge that I can stretch out my whole body. You know how much I love baths!”
“Yes, I know you like baths, but that doesn’t explain why you’re currently in your boss’s bath. What if he comes home and catches you?”
“I didn’t think about that,” I said and sighed into the phone. That was a lie, of course. I’d thought about it and dismissed it. He was going to be gone for an hour and I wouldn’t take that long. Plus, if he did come back earlier, maybe he’d be so aroused that he’d make a move. Not that I wanted him to make a move, of course…well, not really.
“If he sees you naked in his bath, he’s going to think that that’s an invitation to get into the bathtub and get naked with you.”
“No he won’t,” I said and sat up quickly in the bathtub and listened to see if I could hear any noises in the house. My heart was racing as I imagined him walking in and seeing my naked body covered by bubbles. What would he do? More than just go down on me, I was sure. He’d have to take me then. He wouldn’t be able to resist me.
“Unless that’s what you’re hoping for,” Lacey said and I could tell what she was thinking because Lacey always knew what I was thinking.
“That’s not what I’m hoping for,” I protested as I looked at the fluffy white towel I’d taken out of Scott’s linen closet. I debated getting out of the bath right then or allowing myself to soak in the bubbles and Epsom salts for a few more minutes.
“Sure, it’s not.” Lacey laughed. “You can fool Scott and you can even try to fool yourself, but you can’t fool me.”
“I’m not trying to fool anyone. I don’t want to have sex with Scott Taylor again. He’s a liar and he used me for a one-night stand.” I repeated the words that had been running through my head all week. I had to keep reminding myself why I didn’t want to get any more involved with him.
“Maybe you’re being too hard on him, Eliza,” Lacey said softly. “You haven’t even given him a chance to explain.”
“He lied,” I said, though a part of me wondered if she wasn’t right. Maybe I should give him a chance to explain. “You know how I feel about men that lie.”
“He’s not your dad,” Lacey said. “Don’t judge him based on what your dad did.”
“I know,” I said, my heart lurching. “I just don’t like it when guys lie.”
“I know you don’t,” she said, her voice compassionate. “But one lie doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy. It doesn’t mean he’s going to let you down. It doesn’t mean that he’s going to hurt you.”
“But it could,” I said. “It could mean that.” My throat caught as I thought about Scott. “I wish I was stronger, Lacey. I wish I could give him a chance, but after my dad and Shane, well, I just can’t go through that again.”
“I know.”
“It was too painful.” My voice was raw as I mentioned my dad and my ex-boyfriend. All of a sudden I felt cold in the bath, even though the water was still warm. I felt empty inside as I sat there thinking about old hurts and heartaches. I felt empty and lost. What was I doing here sitting in Scott’s bathtub? Hadn’t I learned from my past mistakes? Why was I putting myself in this position to be hurt and rejected again? Just because of some good sex?
“I know,” she said again and she did. She was the only one that really knew. She was the only one that had seen me cry: big, gut-wrenching, heartbreaking tears. She was the one that had seen me breaking down, the only one that had ever seen me break down. It had been right when I’d found out my boyfriend Shane was cheating on me. That alone hadn’t caused me to break down. It had been the knowledge that my father, the one that had walked away from my mother and I when I was only two, had walked his stepdaughter down the aisle. He didn’t even know that I knew. He didn’t know that I stalked him and his family to see what he was doing. I didn’t even know why I cared. He wasn’t in my life. Not even a little bit. I’d tried to see him when I was younger, but he’d always had an excuse at the last moment. He’d always had a reason why he couldn’t come get me, and then we’d just stopped making plans and he’d faded out if my life. But when I’d gotten older I’d looked for him. I’d been oddly unaffected when I’d realized he’d remarried and had stepkids. It didn’t seem real. The pain never really surfaced. And then I’d seen a photo of him giving his stepdaughter away at her wedding, the day after I’d found out Shane was cheating on me and I’d just lost it. My heart had broken into a million pieces. I’d completely lost it and I’d hit the walls in pain and anger, and that was when Lacey had walked in. She hadn’t said a thing. Instead she’d put her arms around me and held me close to her. She’d let me cry until I couldn’t cry anymore. She’d told me I was worthy of love and that she’d always love me. She’d told me I was her sister and best friend. She’d told me that it was my father’s loss and I’d held onto those words, clutching them tightly to my soul when I felt down. I’d gotten over that moment, but the pain still existed in my heart. I always wondered why I hadn’t been loved. Why my father had walked away so easily. Why he’d lied so many times when he’d said he was going to come pick me up. I wondered why Shane had cheated on me. Why he’d fallen for someone else. And now, anytime someone got too close and I thought they had potential to hurt me, I backed away. It was an unconscious reaction, but I didn’t know how to stop. I didn’t know how to not overreact in these situations. I didn’t know how to preserve my heart and still give someone a chance.
“You think I’m being too hard on Scott, don’t you?” I stared at the bubbles in front of me as they ebbed back and forth.
“You’re just doing the job you’ve been paid to do. I don’t know that Scott deserves it, but it’s not you that hired yourself,” she said, but I knew what she was thinking.
“I know all guys aren’t the same, Lacey. But he hasn’t given me any reason to trust him.” Though he had apologized and given me flowers. That should count for something, right? And it wasn’t even that big a lie. Wasn’t I technically the biggest liar in this situation?
“Maybe he had a good reason for his lie,” she said. “I mean, what exactly
do we know about this Helen person that hired you?”
“We know she’s his ex, or something like that.” I sighed. “I’m so confused.”
“And that’s okay, understandable even. You’re confused because the situation is complicated. I just want you to really think everything through.”
“You think he deserves a second chance?”
“No, I think you do. You like him, Eliza. And it’s about more than just being sexually attracted to him. You like his personality. You like who he is as a man.”
“He seems really close with his family,” I said. “That makes me like him, you know. He talks about his sister a lot. I guess he really loves her. That’s a good sign when someone is close to their family.”
“He seems like he could be a good guy,” Lacey said. “Give him a chance. I mean, you barely know him. Yes, you slept with him, but you don’t really know him. Maybe you’ll really like him and maybe you won’t. But don’t go ruining something before it even gets started. Don’t go pushing him off when you know you like him.”
“Well, I know I like sex with him.” I giggled, feeling light-hearted again. “He’s good in bed.”
“Oh Eliza.” Lacey laughed. “Just give him and the situation a chance.”
“So what do I do?” I sighed, knowing she was right. I couldn’t keep running from situations that I thought might make me emotionally vulnerable. “The fact is, I’m there for a different reason. What do I do about the job I was hired for originally?”
“Do the job and maybe just don’t give him a lap dance in front of anyone. Maybe tell him what you were hired to do, but ask him to not let anyone know you told him.”
“So you think I should admit to him that this was an acting job?” I groaned. “It feels so duplicitous and cheap, almost. Like what sort of loser am I that these are the acting jobs I take? No Shakespeare or Broadway for me. No siree. I work for a candy gram company and my jobs are getting shadier and shadier every week.”
“Let him know you studied acting in college. Let him know you’re just doing this job with Candy Canes for the money. Tell him when you took the job, it was only supposed to be an acting job. That you’re only working there to pay the bills until your big break.”
“What if he thinks I slept with him to pay the bills? What if he thinks that...”
“Elizabeth, you’re overthinking everything.” Lacey laughed. “Stop and see what happens.”
“You really think I should?”
“I think you want to,” she said. “You went to work yesterday with no panties on and allowed him to go down on you, and today you’re having a bath at his house. I’m not trying to be clever here, but let’s be real, you want him. Badly.”
“You were the one that told me to wear no panties.” I blushed.
“Yeah, but not to let him go down on you at the office.”
“That wasn’t my plan.” I giggled. “I just didn’t know how to say no.”
“Uh huh,” Lacey drawled. “And you just happen to be having a bath right now because you just had to bathe your skin at this very moment. You’re not hoping he’ll come home and catch you in his bath tub, naked, right?”
“Lacey,” I said as my face blushed. “Of course not.”
“Uh huh. You can’t fool me, Elizabeth Jeffries.”
“Lacey,” I groaned. “Stop it.”
“Stop what?” She started laughing. “You totally want him to take you, but you wanted it to be one of those ‘oh, I couldn’t say no’ situations.”
“Shh.” I groaned. “I’m that obvious, huh? He didn’t even try anything at the office today. He says that he wants me to make the move if I want him. Come on now. I want to be ravished and taken.” I giggled. “I want him to grab me and bend me over and have his wicked way with me because he just can’t stop himself.”
“I’m sure he wanted to.” She laughed again. “I’m sure he was hoping you’d return yesterday’s favor to him this morning.”
“Lacey, stop it.” I giggled. “There is no way he thought I was going to go down on him in the office.” I shook my head. “Could you just imagine?”
“You’re totally loving this, aren’t you?” She laughed.
“Kinda,” I admitted. “I’m confused about my feelings, but I’m enjoying the game, yes. Argh, what is my problem?”
“You like a guy and don’t know if he’s a dog or not.” She laughed. “We all have that problem. Every single one of us. I don’t know any single woman that doesn’t wonder if the guy she met is a dog.”
“Why is dating so hard?” I sighed. “And fake dating is even worse. And I’m not even really fake dating. This is such a mess. And so hard to figure out.”
“It doesn’t have to be hard. Well, that’s preferable, but it can start off soft.” Lacey giggled and I rolled my eyes at her pun.
“Yeah, soft can get hard real quick,” I said seriously, though I ruined it with a giggle. “Especially when I’m around.”
“When you’re around, the guys can’t even control it,” Lacey said. “It gets hard whether they want it to it not.”
“I’m just that desirable,” I said and laughed, feeling light and happy all of a sudden. “What would I do without you, Lacey?”
“Um, continue making men hard?” she asked and we both laughed. “And maybe continue taking naked baths in the home of your boss when you’re supposed to be working.”
“Oh, shit.” I froze as I heard a door slamming. “I think he’s home early, Lacey. What am I going to do?”
“Well, you have two choices.” She giggled. “Hurry out of the bath and get dressed. Or hurry out of the bath and go into full-on seduction mode.”
“What do you suggest I do?” I asked, my nerves on high as I heard Scott calling out my name.
“You know exactly what I’m going to suggest,” Lacey said. “I’m going to suggest you do the same thing you’re planning on doing.”
“Oh God, Lacey. Am I crazy?” I groaned as I stepped out of the bathtub and picked up the fluffy white towel and wrapped it around my body.
“Not at all.” She laughed. “Go for it, girl. Just don’t let your doubts make you nervous.”
“I wish I had a drink.” I groaned as I stood there trying to gain up the courage to walk out of the door. “I need some liquid courage right now.”
“No, you don’t,” Lacey said. “Go and have some fun. Go and rock his world.”
“I’m going.” I said and then hung up. I walked out of the bathroom at the same time that Scott reached the top of the stairs. He looked over at me with a surprised look and I saw his eyes reviewing my body eagerly.
“Elizabeth?” he said as he walked over to me with questioning eyes. “What’s going on?”
“You said the next move was mine, right?” I said and walked towards him. “Well, I’m ready to play, big boy. Are you?” I stopped in front of him and dropped the towel on the floor. Scott’s eyes widened as he stared at my naked body and I put my hand on my hip and tilted my face in a seductive pose.
“What’s your move?” I said as I walked towards him and pressed my body into his. His body felt warm next to mine and I could feel my body shivering against his as I waited for him to speak.
“Scott, where are you?” I heard a female voice from down the stairs and I froze for a second before grabbing my towel and running back to the bathroom, my face fire-engine red.
“Elizabeth, wait,” Scott said and grabbed my hand. He pushed me back against the wall and his lips pressed down onto mine firmly. He kissed me for a few seconds as his fingers played with my breasts and I moaned against him. “Go into the bathroom and wait,” he said as he pulled away from me, his eyes dark and mysterious.
“Who’s downstairs?” I questioned him, wanting to know who he’d brought back with him.
“Go into the bathroom, turn the light off, bend over the bathtub and wait for me,” he barked, not answering my question.
“But…” I started, but stopped as his eyes na
rrowed.
“Go,” he said, a slight twinkle in his eye. I turned around and walked back to the bathroom quickly. As I walked away, I felt his hand slapping my bottom and I turned to look at him.
“What was that for?”
“Not listening,” he said with a smile. “Now go into the bathroom and wait. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Okay, James Spader – I mean, Scott Taylor,” I said with a laugh and ran to the bathroom quickly as he shook his hand at me. I hurried into the bathroom and turned off the light and waited. My whole body was on fire, burning in anticipation for what was going to happen next. I bent over the bathtub and waited, my eyes closed and my ass tingling. And then I heard the door open and I almost jumped in excitement.