“Teak?” I ask, running my finger along the polished wood.

Jackson nods as he begins to undress me, very slowly and very tenderly. He unfastens each button, then eases the blouse off my shoulders. Then he traces the swell of my breast against the line of my bra cup. I arch back, my body going limp from the pleasure of such sensual caresses. Gently, he reaches behind me and unclasps the bra. Then folds it and the shirt neatly on a nearby table.

Now I am wearing only my skirt, underwear, and shoes. He moves down a step so that I am still seated on the edge of the tub, naked from the waist up, but he is below me on the second step. My body tingles in a state of sensual overload as the cool air from the room brushes against my bare left breast even while the heat rising from the bathwater teases my right.

From below, Jackson caresses my calf, then eases my shoes off. He strokes a gentle finger under my foot, so light that it is almost a tickle, but instead sends sensual threads darting up my inner thigh to settle at my sex, making me tremble with anticipation and delight.

He guides my feet to the step upon which he sits and tells me to stand, taking my hands to steady me. I do, and he releases his grip long enough to reach behind me and unzip my skirt. He tugs it down over my hips, taking my panties with it, so that I am now standing naked in front of him.

His eyes drift slowly over me, and I force myself not to cross my arms over myself, but to simply let him look—and to enjoy the heat that I see on his face, and the knowledge that it is directed at me.

“In,” he says, nodding at the tub.

I step in slowly. The gently bubbling water is hot, but not scalding, and it’s scented with lavender. I breathe deep and let the water take me. When I’m submerged to my neck, I look up at Jackson. “Coming in?”

I expect him to say yes, of course, and am surprised when he shakes his head.

“But—”

“Shhh. Close your eyes.”

I consider protesting, but I do as he says. I hear him moving behind me, then feel his hands upon my body, slick with some sort of oil. He rubs my shoulders and arms, his touch firm but gentle. He slides his hands down over my shoulders, then massage my breasts, and as he does, arousal swirls through me.

“Stand up,” he says. “But don’t open your eyes.”

I comply, and while my damp skin cools in the touch of the air, he keeps me warm with the sensual strokes of his oil-soaked hands. Over my belly, my hips. Then down my thighs to where my calves continue beneath the water.

He is not touching me sexually, and yet my body is on fire. My breasts feel tight and heavy. My nipples craving a nip of his teeth. My lips are parted, silently begging for a kiss. And the muscles of my sex throb and clench, desperate for penetration, even as my swollen, sensitive clit begs for his touch.

He doesn’t satisfy, though. His hands slide up my thighs, yes. And though I shift my position so that my legs are parted—though I go so far as to actually whimper—he does not touch me intimately. Instead, his fingers stop their climb just shy of where I so desperately want to feel him. He’s teasing me, of course, taking me to the edge. Heightening my arousal.

And while I curse him, I can’t deny that it’s working. I am beyond turned on. So excited that it feels as though I am floating, all the more so because I am light-headed simply from the heat of this deep, wonderful tub.

“Back in. But keep your eyes closed.” He speaks in a whisper, as if this is a ritual, and it feels that way. As if he is worshipping me. Or readying me to present to an eager god. Either way, the focus is on me. On my pleasure. And I am delirious with the power of it.

Once I’m back in the water, he has me sit on the lowest step so that the water hits my shoulders. He leaves me for a few moments, and when he returns, he tells me to tilt my head back, then uses a cup that I hadn’t noticed to sluice water over my hair before massaging my head with a rosemary-mint shampoo that makes my scalp tingle even as I breathe deep, then sigh with pleasure.

His fingers are strong, and the pressure on my temples and at the base of my neck is just enough to keep me relaxed and happy, and when he rinses the lather out of my hair, I can’t help but wish that we could stay like that just a little bit longer.

As if reading my mind, he massages conditioner into my hair, then gently combs through it, and I’m thankful my hair is short because it so rarely tangles, and the attention is wonderfully sensual rather than potentially painful.

When I’m all bright and shiny and clean, he helps me out of the tub, finally letting me look around. I watch steam rise off my naked body as Jackson urges me to lay down on a towel he’s placed on the side of the tub, along with a small inflatable pillow. Along the edge, there are rows of tea candles, filling the room with a warm glow and soft shadows.