After moving into the new house, I discovered all sorts of small projects to address. The first, and most annoying, was the steady drip of hot water in the bathroom. The tap set was shot – probably original hardware for the late 1950s style bungalow, and the shut-off valve wasn’t working either. While I pride myself on being pretty handy, I just didn’t feel comfortable taking apart the plumbing.
Sue, my new neighbour, had arrived on the doorstep and welcomed me with a freshly baked apple pie (wow, did people still do that?). She was warm and friendly, but not overly so, and I immediately liked her pleasant manner. We talked about the great neighbourhood that I’d just joined, while she told me about her own place next door. I guided her through the house and pointed out several of the projects on my ever-growing “to do” list. When we got to the bathroom, she noticed the water flowing from the taps.
“Wow, guess that’s on the top of your list! I wonder how long that’s been a problem…” she echoed my own thoughts. “You know if you need a plumber, I can definitely recommend someone, and he’s fabulous. Of course, I’m biased – he’s my brother.”
At this point, I was just glad to have someone to turn to, as I had no friends with that area of expertise. Sue said she’d give her brother a call as soon as she got home, and to expect him to stop by soon. I’d taken a week off to move and get settled into the new house, so my schedule was pretty flexible. I thanked her again for the pie, and for agreeing to call her brother. It felt like I’d made a fast friend.
The next morning, I was ambitiously hanging pictures and arranging things in all the rooms. July is notoriously warm in this part of the country, so even by 10am, I was already feeling the heat. My long hair was casually tossed into a loose pile on my head, and the cotton tank was already clinging to my body. It was another day of no make up or bra – roughing it, so to speak. I wiped the dripping sweat off my neck and headed to the fridge for an iced tea. Deep in thoughts of paint and trim, carpets and tile, I was startled at the firm knock on the front door.
Opening the door wide, iced tea still in hand, I was met by a large presence.
“Are you Kim?” he asked, his deep voice reverberating off the thin fabric covering my bare bosom. I nodded, almost in a stupor, as his piercing blue stare captivated my eyes. “I’m Steve. Sue mentioned you were having some trouble with the bathroom taps…?”
Again, I just stood there. His frame practically filled the door, his shoulders wide enough to carry a mountain. Although I was aware of my obviously roving eye, I couldn’t seem to tear my gaze away as I travelled over his broad chest and arms to his waist, hips and legs. I was shameless in my visual assault, but wasn’t able to control myself.
With a last gasp of composure, I smiled and extended my hand. “Hi. Come on in. Sue mentioned you were going to be stopping by, but I have to admit, I didn’t expect you so soon!”
I gave him a quick tour of my home, and soon he was commenting on the workmanship of the structure. Each time we walked into a room, I felt his presence immediately behind me. Was it just the heat of the July summer, or was I incredibly turned on by this stranger? Turning to lead him to the bathroom, I found myself pressed against his chest, almost spilling my iced tea on his tight t-shirt.
“Oh, I’m sorry – I almost got you there,” I stammered. His smile assured me that everything was fine, as I led him to the bathroom and the plumbing problems.
Steve put down his toolbox and started to assess the tap set and corresponding pipes from the old sink. I leaned against the doorframe while I watched him move under the sink and back again. His physique was almost perfect, but not in an obvious body-builder type of manner. This was a man who enjoyed physical work, and his body was an ideal reflection of his efforts. While he made a series of “uh huh’s” and “hmm’s”, I slowly sipped my cool drink and thought about what it would be like to tear that shirt from his body and trail my tongue over every inch of him.
“Kim?” his voice interrupted my wanton dream. “This is not going to be a problem at all, but you’ll have to consider making some hardware changes if we’re going to take care of the plumbing. Did you want to put a new tap set on here?”
I had already decided to make some changes to the fixtures before I knew they needed to be changed, so I went and retrieved the set I’d purchased. Approving of my choice, he started to pull out tools and get himself organized.
“I think I’ve got some parts in my van to replace the old water lines – I’ll be right back, okay?”
Steve brushed by me in the doorway, giving me a sly smile that went straight to my nipples. I checked myself in the mirror, and although I was not at my best, the natural look seemed to be radiating from my skin. Yeah, probably ‘cuz you want to lay this guy like a cheap rug, girl, I thought. Chuckling to myself for my silly fantasy, I topped up my iced tea and poured Steve one, too.
He returned to the house, obviously claiming what he needed for the job from his van, and moved into the bathroom to get started. “Hey Kim?” he called.
I brought his drink to him, just grazing his hand as I passed it over. The chemistry shot through me like a shock of electricity and our eyes locked for just a moment.
”I’m not sure if you just want me to fix all this, or if you want to help me and maybe learn a bit in the process – why don’t you tell you what you’d prefer?”