Saturday evening, after dinner, I suggested, "Why don't you enjoy a hot bubble bath?"
As my newlywed wife luxuriated, I prepared. In the bedroom, I closed the curtains, brought in several lavender-scented candles, then gathered the various stuffed animals she had collected over the years - plus a few new ones I had bought for her but had not yet presented to her - and placed them on the bed.
Earlier in the day, I had also bought a vase of roses and had hidden them in my tiny office in the basement. While Tina continued to enjoy her hot bath, I brought the roses to the bedroom, taking each flower out of the vase and placing it so that it appeared to be held by one of the stuffed animals. Then I stepped back and admired the scene for a moment before lighting the scented candles.
It was then time to prepare myself. I undressed fully and added a touch of cologne, then went to the bathroom door and knocked.
"It's okay," I heard softly through the door. Still, I hesitated a moment before opening the bathroom door.
"Are you here to join me?" my young wife asked.
"Actually, no," I responded, kneeling beside the bathtub for a moment to kiss her cheek. "Time's up."
"Already?"
"Already." I stood and reached for a large towel, and she took the hint, reaching forward to open the drain before standing in the slowly-descending water.
Seeing my wife naked and wet reminded me of the previous times when I had seen her naked and wet in a different context. While this situation was indeed quite different, she was still just as alluring and just as beautiful. As the water dripped from her body, I could well have been looking at a fabled siren, and my body began to react accordingly.
With great care and love, I dried her, then set the towel on the counter, but before I could pick her up, Tina was kneeling before me, fondling me, enticing me, looking up at me with great devotion and respect and love.