Chapter Nineteen
Vivian only ever took baths when she was stressed or tired—or both—which basically meant she took baths as often as she showered.
Tonight was no exception. The tub was full.
The water was maybe too hot, given just how warm the day had been.
The bubbles curled lovingly around her, while steam fogged the mirrors, and the scent of lavender from the bath oil hung in the air.
Her mind was empty. Almost. Except for a giant-sized image of Sienna bouncing around her brain like a ping-pong ball.
Sienna in that slip dress. Sienna calling out Nisha-the-snake-hater’s name instead of Brooke-the-sexy-artist.
Vivian exhaled slowly and let the water lap against her skin. She let herself imagine a quiet, desolate beach with waves lapping on the shore, the blue water shimmering so bright her eyes hurt, and sand so white it looked like snow. The place she was imagining was where Sienna simply didn’t exist.
But that wasn’t just hard; it was impossible. Mostly because she didn’t just want Sienna in her mind. She wanted her here. In this bath. In her bed. In the quiet, half-lit mornings when the world hadn’t fully woken up, in the less than frantic evenings after work…
A sharp rap echoed against the door.
Vivian shot both hands out to either side of the bath and gripped the edges tight.
Her heart gave an unnecessary little flip.
It was late. Almost midnight, or maybe even later.
She hadn’t checked the time in ages. Her phone sat on a small, three-legged stool next to a lit candle and a folded cream washcloth.
She reached over to check, but just as she did, Sienna’s voice barreled through the slit beneath the door, filling up every inch of the villa. “Vivian, will you open up, please?”
In any other situation, Vivian would’ve stayed perfectly still and taken her time to consider what she should do next.
She would consider if she even wanted to open up.
But there was no time to think. Or maybe she didn’t need to.
Maybe she’d been hoping Sienna would show up, and she was ready for the moment she did.
Which was why Vivian was up in a split second, swinging her legs out of the tub and sending a wave of water sloshing over the edge. She quickly grabbed the towel she’d draped over the chair, wrapped it around her body, and padded across the cool wooden floor.
But just as Vivian’s fingers brushed the doorknob, doubts swarmed in thick and fast, and she considered not opening it. Yes, she wanted to see Sienna, but wouldn’t that be a mistake? Wouldn’t that go against every warning, every shred of sense in her head?
Then the knock came again, louder this time, and Vivian couldn’t risk someone seeing Sienna standing outside.
So, she yanked the door open a smidge and stuck out just her head.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered, pulling the towel tighter before it slipped down.
“You know you can’t be here. What if someone sees? ”
“It’s almost midnight. No one’s awake,” Sienna replied. She was still in her dress from earlier. Except now, one strap had fallen down her shoulder, and she was barefoot.
“You’re right,” Vivian said, still not opening the door fully.
If Sienna came inside, if she stepped one foot closer to that bed, Vivian didn’t think she’d have enough self-control to send her home.
Which was why she had to do it now. “Everyone’s asleep.
You should be too. Go to bed, Sienna. I’ll see you in the morning.
” She was halfway to closing the door when Sienna pushed it open and walked inside.
“You need to go,” Vivian said, not fighting it. Even though that was exactly what she should’ve done. Every cell in her brain knew she should push Sienna right back out that door.
But Sienna didn’t go, and Vivian ignored the little fire of relief that ignited in her chest.
Sienna walked to the center of the villa.
It had a perfect view of every nook and cranny, including the bathroom, which had no walls except for the exterior walls of the villa itself.
Her eyes landed on the bathtub. Steam still curled into the air off the water’s surface because Vivian had made it hot, hot.
Then, without hesitating, Sienna started to undress.
Vivian blinked. “Sienna, what—what are you doing?”
But Sienna didn’t pause. She dropped her dress to the floor, shrugged out of her tan seamless panties, and headed toward the bath before climbing in. “I refuse to move,” she said, gathering a few remaining bubbles between her arms. “Now, how about you get in before the water gets cold?”
“Sienna…” Vivian started, because what the hell was happening? Had she somehow manifested this? Was there some genie listening to her thoughts and decided to grant her this wish? But then also, what the hell was happening? “You know I can’t do that.”
“Yes, you can,” Sienna said, and she sounded so convincing Vivian couldn’t think of one good reason she shouldn’t. There were many, but in that moment they all felt flimsy and almost laughably insignificant.
Vivian dropped her towel. It bundled at her feet.
She stepped forward and wished she didn’t enjoy the way Sienna’s eyes lingered on her body, roaming up and down.
But she did. In fact, she loved it so much that she felt herself blush.
Anyone who knew Vivian would know she never blushed.
Which was why she rushed over to the bath and slipped into it.
She could blame her red cheeks on the hot water.
Thankfully, the tub was one of those deep, freestanding soaking tubs. It was long enough that if Vivian pulled her knees up, she could stay on her side without actually touching Sienna. But didn’t really want that.
“What are you doing here?” Vivian asked, her voice soft and full of cracks. The bubbles that had been frothing five minutes ago had dwindled, leaving a few floating in lazy clumps. She looked up and found herself staring at Sienna’s pink, perky nipples peeking just above the waterline.
“I sent Brooke home.”
“I know you did,” Vivian replied, leaning back against the tub. “I was there, remember?” She wanted to ask why she had done that, but she had a feeling Sienna would explain in a minute.
Sienna didn’t. Or at least not immediately. She just let her fingertips skim the water, sending tiny ripples toward Vivian.
“I don’t know that much about you,” she said after some time.
“I could probably Google you and find out you’re from a small town in Wisconsin, or that you grew up with two siblings, or that you have two cats named Clyde and Spunky.
You probably spend your Saturday mornings at SoulCycle and your afternoons at the local markets sipping pineapple juice.
You’ve probably dated a celebrity or had your heart broken by some influencer.
” She exhaled. “But none of what I’ll find, no matter how deep I dig into your socials, will explain why I feel this way about you. ”
Vivian’s throat closed. Which was surprising, since she’d always thought steam was supposed to help open airways, not seal them shut. “How do you feel?” she practically croaked.
“Like I’ll swim across that hippo-infested river to the other side and rescue you from a lion.” It sounded like a joke. But Sienna wasn’t laughing. She wasn’t even smiling.
“I wouldn’t ever expect you to do something like that for me,” Vivian said softly. She wasn’t going to add that she’d never find herself in a situation like that. That was Sienna’s territory.
“I know,” Sienna said just as softly. “But you’d do it for me.”
It was bold of her to assume something like that. Brazen, even. But she was right. Every time there had been a shout, a commotion, or Maurine came storming past, Vivian’s instincts had been the same. To look for Sienna. To make sure she was safe, that she wasn’t in any danger.
“Yes,” Vivian nodded slowly. “I would. But only if I didn’t have to die in the process. I don’t like you that much, or know you well enough, that I’d give up my life for you.”
Sienna shook her head, but she was laughing. It was soft and serene and seemed to float across the water. “Touché.” She leaned forward. Nearly all the bubbles were gone.
Vivian tried not to look at Sienna’s smooth legs, or at the curve of her stomach, or at the soft petals of her sex. But she failed spectacularly. Only Sienna didn’t seem to mind because she was doing the same thing. Studying Vivian as she would study a painting.
She leaned back, and Vivian’s breath hitched at the sight of her breasts.
The heat had smoothed out her nipples, and Vivian could imagine enveloping them with her mouth.
This made her hips pulse violently. She quickly splashed a bit of water on her face to cool herself down, except the water wasn’t nearly refreshing enough.
“Why did you send Brooke home?” she asked, when it became clear that Sienna wasn’t going to bring it up again. Not that she didn’t already know the answer, just that she needed Sienna to say it out loud.
“To prove to you that I won’t stop pursuing you. You’re my baboon, Vivian. I’m not going to stop and run back to the pack.”
“What?” Vivian asked.
“Our guide, Themba, told me this story about a painted dog that stayed behind because it wanted the baboon in the tree more than it wanted the pack,” Sienna said quietly. “That’s all I meant—I’m the dog, and you’re the baboon.”
Sienna laughed. She straightened her leg until her toes brushed against Vivian’s inner thigh.
But she didn’t stop there. Her foot lingered, and her toes traced lazy, featherlight circles along her skin.
Vivian’s body jerked. Heat spiraled through her like someone had turned the steam from the bath into molten lava and poured it straight into her veins.