Note: This is another excerpt from a longer story about Jim and Monique, two grieving lovers who find each other on a private island in the South Pacific. In the last story they woke up together and consummated--much too quickly--a passion that had been building between them for days. Now that that's out of the way, they can afford to take their time.
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The shower was Monique's idea. The passion that had erupted between us moments earlier had left things, well, a little sticky. When I suggested we try again she said she wouldn't mind cleaning up a bit first, and so I handed her a towel from the nightstand beside the bed and we both stumbled into the master bathroom.
The master bath is almost as big as the sleeping loft, with a white tile floor, warm wood cabinetry, and skylights to let in the morning sun. I always find fresh flowers in there, perfuming the air with their fragrance, and plenty of scented candles arranged around the double Jacuzzi tub. The shower itself is enormous, enclosed in glass, tiled in deep blues and greens the color of the ocean, with two shower heads and a redwood bench against one wall. I turned on the water and within seconds it was hot and steamy in the shower. I flipped the switch on the exhaust fan and we both got in.
Although I always wake up feeling clean and fresh on the island, I haven't given up the habit of showers. I love them, and being in the shower with Monique made me wonder if I would ever come out again. We embraced under one of the shower heads and let the warm water flow over us.
"Doesn't that feel wonderful?" I asked.