| Back in the kitchen, Thanos tried to keep his mind on the task at hand. Before he’d gone on his vacation, he’d spice- rubbed, marinated and frozen some steaks that were now thawed and ready for the grill. The foil-wrapped, new potatoes were already on the grill after being coated with his special blend of seasonings as well. At the moment he was working hard on the vegetables for the salad and trying not to cut his fingers clean off. Normally he was an excellent cook - some would call him chef, but he usually didn't have a beautiful woman taking a bath in his house. Trying to calm his nerves, he stopped cutting for a moment, closed his eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath. He felt better until his mind’s eye saw her in the tub. Her long, thick, strawberry blond hair piled atop her head with soft, sexy tendrils trailing down her naked back. He imagined just enough of her pert yet full, milky-white breasts above the water to tantalize his senses. He saw her savoring the steaming, hot water with her eyes closed to enhance the pleasurable aroma of an exotic combination of oils he had blended only yesterday, as if he had her coming to stay in mind. It was a blend of botanical extracts that was designed to scent the skin and sooth the soul. His minds eye watched on as she leaned her slender back against the rim and extended her long leg in the air- toes pointed. She took his sea sponge and squeezed the water down the length of the butter, soft contour of her firm leg. “Oh, to be a member of the phylum Porifera that I might be upon that leg.” His eyes popped open when he realized that closing them didn't seem to be helping at all. It had become harder for him to breathe, his breath was slightly labored and other matters had gotten harder as well . . . much harder. He shifted his stance uncomfortably. “I must have dried my clothes on a higher than normal setting,” he complained and made a mental note to dry his boxer briefs on the cool setting next time. “Man, I need some fresh air.” Thanos grabbed the plate of steaks and brought them outside to the grill. Never mind that it was seventy-five degrees outside with little to no breeze, he was sure he would feel better with a little more distance between his body and the bathroom she was currently naked in! “What’s my problem? I've been in close proximity of beautiful girls before. Hell, I’ve been in bed with beautiful girls before!” He placed the steaks on the grill and checked the potatoes. “Okay,” he leveled with himself, “so she’s beautiful, smart and apparently talented as well. I like that in a woman. “But, she isn't anything special. She’s just another passing visitor who’s stranded in The Rock and won’t look back when the work on her car is finished. Don’t go crazy, boy; keep your wits, keep your pants on and stay in control.” He walked the distance from the end of the deck to the back door and stepped through to the kitchen. “Why didn't I have her take a bath in the guest bath? No, I had to have her use mine!” Thanos washed his hands and got back to work, with a much clearer head . . . or so he thought. This time on autopilot, he was able to chop and dice without injury, but as he put the food in servers for the table his mind began to wander once more. He saw her pulling the plug and stepping out, water coursing down the length of her naked frame. In this surreal vision, he came into the room to help her dry off with a huge fluffy towel. She turned to smile up at him and twisted her body to fully face his and wound her arms around his neck. The heat and passion of their imaginary kiss took his breath away. This is crazy. He shook his head to clear it again. I’m acting like a school boy, he scolded. If I was really attracted to her, I would have had this response to her earlier. It’s just because she’s using my personal things in my private bath and that’s all. She’s going to come out and I’m going to see that she’s perfectly ordinary. Just like any other nameless face in a crowd, he thought with a cocky snarl of his lip. One could even say she’s a plain Jane! Damn straight! She’s so plain she’s almost painful to look at. She’s . . . He looked up just in time to see her come down the hallway and into the room . . . Stunning. Anyway you sliced it, she was no nameless face in any crowd. She was natural, normal yet absolutely uncommon in any way. Her personality was unassuming, which only added to her beauty. She was incredible in every way. The most amazing thing about her was that she didn't even know how amazing she was; refreshingly unaware of her power. “Hello there,” he said trying to keep his voice steady. “Did you enjoy your bath?” |
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