6. June #3
I take in the large bathroom with a soaking tub and a shower big enough for a group of people to fit into. “Bring it out? Where is it?”
“Hidden.” Magnus steps under the running water.
“Wait, are you really leaving?” I strip the rest of my clothes off and follow him in.
He tilts his head back, letting the stream crash over his face and glisten along his tattooed skin. “I won’t be long.”
“Aren’t you worried I’ll rob you?”
Magnus chuckles and grabs my hand, pulling me closer to him. “That’s the least of my worries.” He presses our lips together briefly and rests his forehead against mine. “I do have to hurry though.” He finishes rinsing off and kisses me one last time before stepping out and drying himself off.
I crank the temperature up hotter and sit on the tiled floor, letting the water cascade over me.
Cora was right, this is heaven, especially compared to the hell of a shower I had this morning.
The muscles in my body relax and I savor the momentary relief they bring.
This day may have started terribly, but at least it's ending well.
And tomorrow will be another shit storm, considering I only have a little over half of the money I needed to make for rent.
I’ll have to woman-up and ask Cora if she’d be willing to loan me the rest until I can pay her back.
I wanted to avoid it at all costs, because then I’d have to either admit I’m bad with my finances or tell her that Carter stole the cash I had set aside.
I don’t really have any other options available though, unless I find someone who wants to buy a kidney in the next twelve hours.
“Princess.” Magnus pokes his head into my steamy oasis. “Help yourself to whatever you need, in here, but don’t wander too much. I’m not hiding anything, but…well…consider it my occupational hazards.”
“I have no idea what that means,” I tell him. “But don’t worry. I’m probably going to pass out when I’m done here.”
“Okay,” he says with a sad smile. “I’ll join you soon.”
I stay in the water for longer than I probably should, but there’s no knowing when I’ll have another chance to bathe like a queen, so I bask in the glorious opportunity.
I even use his fancy products, shampooing and conditioning my hair with something that smells like the angels themselves created it.
I dry off on a towel that must have been made of fluffy clouds, and moisturize with the lotion I found in the first drawer in his vanity. I peek into the closet he told me to get clothes from, my eyes widening at the size of it. I’m pretty sure my entire bedroom at my apartment could fit in there.
Rows of white, black, and grey tee-shirts hang on one side, with various shades of dark jeans under them.
I open a drawer to find his boxers, and another with socks.
It’s the next one where I locate a few pairs of sweatpants.
I pull the first from the top and slip into them, grabbing a white shirt and putting that on, too.
Hanging my towel on a hook in the bathroom, I finish and shut the light off.
His room is cozy, in a dark and neat kind of way.
Lots of similar colors to those in his closet, but with a splash of green from a plant here or there.
I climb into his plush bed and wiggle myself under the covers, only to realize I forgot to turn the bedroom light off.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he has some nearby button or clapper for that, but considering he isn’t here to ask, I get up and settle for the switch near the door.
It only takes a second before I’m back in bed, letting out a breath and sinking into the high thread count sheets.
I fell asleep hard, without much effort, only waking once when a warm body snuggled in behind me.
He was a little wet, like he had taken another shower, but because I was out of it, I didn’t put too much thought into it, just melted into his embrace and conked back out.
I squint through my achy eyes and feel around the now empty bed. Light pours in through the window, telling me that it must be morning, or afternoon for all I know. I reach for my phone, but it’s not there. I must have left it in the kitchen during our sex-capades.
Is Cora awake? She must be wondering where the hell we are, given how wasted she was last night. With the headache I have, she’s probably in worse shape than I am.
I sit up on my elbows and blink a few times to clear up my vision, settling my sights on the tall glass of water sitting on the nightstand with a couple pills.
I scoot over and down them both gratefully, and sigh at how thoughtful this seemingly hard exterior man is.
I guess that saying really is true, don’t judge a book by its cover.
Graphic designers and marketing teams might think otherwise.
I snatch the small fuzzy throw blanket on the edge of the bed and put it over my shoulders, making my way to the door. I crack it open as quietly as possible, and peek out into the hallway.
For all I know, she could be behind any of those closed doors, and the one thing Magnus told me was not to wander around. I at least owe him that courtesy after how generous he’s been to me.
I step into the hallway and try not to make a sound. If I listen carefully, maybe I can hear her rustling around and find her that way. Perhaps she’s even waiting for me downstairs where we had pizza last night. I’ll check there first prior to playing detective up here.
I tiptoe across the rug-covered floor and stop near the steps when I hear chatter float up to me.
“You have to stop ordering so much take out,” a man, definitely not Magnus, says.
“Dude, it’s fine. I have it under control. I’m not an idiot,” Magnus tells the person.
“Do you?” The guy sighs. “These are trying times, Bryant. You’re going to get yourself killed.”
Bryant? Killed? Who and what the fuck are they talking about? He’s going to get offed by a delivery person?
I lean against the wall, clinging to the blanket wrapped around me. I try to listen closely and figure out what it is I've stepped into.
“Hayes agrees with me, you’re being careless.”
Who’s Hayes? And Bryant? And the dude who seems to be in charge? And why does his voice sound familiar?
I rack my brain, trying to place it to a memory to figure out how I know it. I deal with so many people daily that it could literally be anyone.
My foot slips and I don’t catch it in time before it thuds against the step.
“What the fuck was that?”