A Dangerous Affair

Tom finally settled on a channel playing some TV drama. Well at least it wasn’t a stereotypical male film this time and he could show Stephanie his deeper more pensive side. This wasn’t to happen however as after about fifteen minutes he became bored with trying to figure out why the woman next door was seen sneaking out of the house every evening by the brunette in the bungalow, and why the brunette in the bungalow cared.

“Comfortable sofa this is Steph,” he said, putting his feet up on the coffee table.

“Hmm,” she replied with her eyes on the screen but wondering what on earth they were going to do with the evening. She pretended to be interested in the film.

“I like sofas. Sofas are good,” he grinned, swivelling in his seat and placing his feet on the cushions with his legs stretched out. She was sat at the other end and he prodded her with his foot. She frowned and wriggled away a little. He waited for a moment and then prodded her again.

She swung her head around. “What?”

“You want to get comfortable?” he asked with a hopeful expression.

“I am comfortable,” she replied, purposely misunderstanding him.

“No I mean comfortable, like before.” He thought back to the time she had fallen asleep on his sofa and wondered if she realised how close he had been to turning her around and kissing her.

“Err, no, I don’t think that would be wise Tom,” she answered.

He looked surprised and a little excited. “No? Why?”

She realized the implication of her last comment and faltered. “Err, well…it’s getting late. I’ll be going to bed soon.”

“Bed,” he smiled at the thought of it. “And where will I be sleeping tonight then Steph?”

“In the spare room, like I said,” she answered quickly.

“Yes, I know that, I don’t know what you were thinking but I just wondered where the spare room was,” he teased.

“Oh,” she blushed. “It’s next to the bathroom.” That was her cue to make a quick escape from him. “Actually I’d love a bath right now. Do you mind?”

Tom’s face lit up. “No not at all, especially if that is an invitation!”

She blushed again and slapped him on the leg. “Half the time I’m not sure if you’re joking or not Tom!”

He grinned. “Let me give you a clue, if it involves you and me and either baths or beds I’m deadly serious!”

She laughed. “Okay but I’m going to have a bath now, you can have one after,” she said firmly.

He sulked. “Damn!” Then he smiled as another idea sprang to mind. “Of course if you need me to scrub your back for you I’d be only too glad to help out.”

She rose to leave the room. “Thank you Tom but I can manage quite well on my own, I’m all grown up now.”

He watched her walk out. “Yes, I had noticed.”

A smile spread across her face as she climbed the stairs.

Stephanie ran a hot bath and luxuriated in the heat of the water. She lay back closing her eyes. Tom was downstairs trying to concentrate on the television but he was distracted by the sound of her moving around the bathroom and by the pictures that he was conjuring up of her in the bath. Forty minutes later and she still hadn’t come out of the bathroom so he turned the TV off and went upstairs to see what she was doing. He stood outside the door, listening for movement inside. He heard the sound of water moving in the bath. Walking away from the door he went to head back downstairs but stopped in mid movement. He stood thinking for a moment before pacing back across the landing and knocking on the door.

“You’ve been in there a long time Steph, are you enjoying yourself?”

She had heard Tom walk up the stairs, pause at the door and move restlessly around the landing and she had giggled to herself. Perhaps she should have invited him in, just to see his reaction.

“You can’t imagine,” she purred, soaping herself with a sponge.

“I think I can actually… that’s not all I can imagine either,” he mumbled to himself.

She bit back her laughter. “Did you say something?”

“No, carry on!”

He began to pace the landing, waiting for her to come out. Eventually she opened the door in her bathrobe and Tom looked at her, intrigued. He went to walk past her into the bathroom but she put her arm across the door, leaning against the doorframe provocatively. He came to a halt, his eyes were focused downwards but as she stopped him they slowly travelled up her robed body to her face. She lifted a challenging eyebrow at him.

“Have you quite finished pacing around out here?” she asked.

He wasn’t registering her words, only the messages her body was giving off. “Stephanie, for a woman who has experienced so much of life you can be very naive at times.”

She frowned. “No I’m not, what do you mean?”

He leant towards her. “Well, I’ve been standing on a precipice for the last few days, you push me any further and I’m taking you with me!”

She pulled back in shock and hesitated just a second then before backing down, moving out of his way and making a hasty exit.