Testing the water with my hand, I put the stopper in and started to undress. It had been a long, stressful day, and I felt harried. Pulling the tie around my hair out, I let it fall down to my shoulders. I ran my hand gently through it, then rubbed my scalp vigorously to get some circulation back. I hated having to wear my hair up in a tight bun like that, but that was the dress code. You had to look professional to be professional. Whatever that means, I thought tiredly to myself.
The room started to steam up, and I realized I forgot to turn the exhaust fan on when I got into the bathroom. Sighing, I flipped the switch and heard the whirl of the blades. Opening the cabinet under the sink, I searched around, pushing bottles and cleaners aside until I found what I was looking for. Unscrewing the cap, I inhaled the soft scent of rose petals. This was my favorite bubble bath, and hard to find, too.
I bent over the edge of the tub and poured some into the water rushing from the tap. A small mountain of bubbles started to form, spreading over the surface of the water. Putting the bottle back in the cabinet, I turned the tap off, satisfied with the level of the water. I reached behind me and unsnapped my bra, pulling the straps down off my shoulders and letting it fall to the ground. I pushed it into the growing pile of laundry in the corner of the room. "Great, just one more thing I have to add to my list of stuff to get done," I groaned.
I shimmied out of my panties and added them alongside my bra. Stretching slightly, I arched my back, trying to loosen up some of my tight muscles. I massaged my breasts a little, mainly the undersides where the edges of the fabric seemed to cut into my skin.
Feeling slightly better after removing all my tight, restricting clothing, I stepped gratefully into the hot bath. I let out a long, low moan as I slowly lowered myself into the hot water, the bubbles tickling my bare skin. God, that felt good! I was so glad that we got a custom tub when we moved into the new house. I could actually enjoy my bath and completely submerge myself in the water with no problem.
No knees poking out of the water, or having to bend your legs to fit in the tub. Sometimes I would soak for hours, that's how good it was. There was even plenty of room for someone else to fit in with me. I smiled, thinking of the last time he was in the tub with me. Jacob didn't usually like taking baths, or, God forbid, soaking in the water. He thought that was a bit girly. Although he didn't mind very much when he was in the tub with me.
My hands trailed slowly down my sides, to my hips. I massaged myself slowly, going upwards towards my shoulders, paying particular attention to my abs. I thought I might have overdone it a little at the gym this morning, as my abs still hurt. I rubbed them tenderly, then went higher, working on my breasts. Almost immediately, my nipples went stiff under the soft caressing of my hands. Kneading the soft flesh, and surrounded by the enveloping warmth of the water, I let my thoughts drift. The last trip I went on flashed through my mind's eye, and I concentrated on it.
******
I had just gotten off the plane, and my friend was waiting in the terminal, with my bags in tow. "Already? Wow, that was quick. I'm used to having to wait at least a half hour, if not longer to get my luggage back." I smiled at him, and slid the strap of my duffel bag off his shoulder and onto mine, lessening his load. He gave me a quick, awkward one armed hug, and we walked towards the car.
After we loaded the luggage into the trunk, we drove off the lot and into the small line of traffic waiting to get out of the airport. I let my head fall back against the cushioned headrest. I was so glad to get off that plane. I had flown many times, but long flights still took it out of me. I slept the rest of the drive to his place, but Jacob didn't mind. He let me take my nap. It seemed like hours later when he gently shook me awake. "Wake up, Liz, we're here." He told me softly. I blinked sleepily at him for a moment, then stretched. "Okaaaay..." I said, stifling a yawn.
Pushing open the door, I stumbled to the trunk and began pulling out my bags. Jacob went to help me, and we walked towards the front of the house. Unlocking the door, he held it open for me to go in, and followed afterwards, closing and locking the door. I dumped my bags on the floor, then rummaged around through my duffel bag, looking for my little travel bag that had my toiletries in it.
"There it is," I yawned, pulling it out of the tangle of clothing. "Where do you want to put these?" Jacob asked me, still holding the rest of my bags. "Oh, you can just leave them there for now, it's not going to hurt. All I want to do is brush my teeth and go to sleep." I mumbled. He placed the bags down next to the others. "Well, the bathroom is upstairs, and my room is right across from it, unless you want to sleep in the guest room again." I wrinkled my nose. "No thanks. I don't mind sleeping on an airplane, but I think it might be pushing it for the air mattress right now." I said, grinning a little.
He nodded to me, then disappeared into the kitchen. He probably hadn't eaten before picking me up, I thought, shaking my head. Climbing up the stairs, I saw the bathroom door was open, and detected a whiff of chemicals. Some kind of cleaner, I thought, my smile widening. He must have tried cleaning up earlier, when he found out I was coming over.
I pushed the door open wider, then pulled my toothbrush out. Once I finished washing my face and brushing my teeth, I wandered into Jacob's bedroom. "This is more like it," I laughed. It seemed as if Jacob had attempted to clean his entire place, but of course, didn't manage to clean his room. Dirty clothes were strewn about the floor, empty soda bottles on the desk by his computer, and papers covered his nightstand and the unoccupied spaces of his desk where the plastic bottles weren't covering it.
I cleared a path among the clothes to get to his bed, then picked the clothes off his bed and threw them on the floor. "Men. For some reason, they just can't keep their own rooms clean. Unless, of course, a woman does it for them," I mused, laughing softly to myself. Stripping my clothes off except the underwear (I hated sleeping in a bra), I put them in a small pile on the floor separate from Jacob's. I didn't want to lose them in his mountain of laundry on the floor.
