Ethan has donned my jacket and scarf when I meet him in the morning. He looks irresistible, so I steal a quick kiss. My heart beats faster even though we mostly keep things chaste and there is no one in the hallway.
“You are a little overdressed,” I say, leading him to the elevator. Unlike him, I’m just in a hoody and a pair of pants that I wear when I am off work.
“I assumed we would be going on another adventure with how you voiced things last night,” he explains, following me inside.
I press the ground floor button. “I have something warmer in mind. Exclusive, too.”
We get off. I wave at the reception staff and slink past the blocked-out stairs leading to the underground pool. With the power still out, the area remains off-limits to the guests, but we staff are allowed to go there. It’s to ensure everything is kept clean and ready to open once things are back to normal. Which should be soon… ish. So I am making the most of the situation until then.
“I thought we weren’t allowed here,” Ethan points out once we leave the chatter and clatter of the lobby behind us.
“It’s a one-off exclusive experience for Mr. Ward. Courtesy of the hotel.”
“I almost believed you,” he accuses, claiming one of the lounging chairs. Usually, the custom-ordered overhead lamps mimic the sun, but currently only the regular lighting is on. Evenso, the artificial greenery and trees help maintain the jungle thematic even if the ‘sun’ is missing.
“Okay, fine. I wanted to take you on a fun date, so I thought the pool would be to your liking. I saw you heading down here the other day when the electricity fault happened.”
“There are quite a few things to unpack in what you just said,” he muses, taking the slice of melon and honey I hand him. I’ve prepared fruit, coffee and light pastries for breakfast.
I sit cross-legged on the chair across from him, stuffing a raspberry and vanilla pastry inside my mouth. It’s another new recipe I am trying, and it’s come out great. “Such as?”
“This being a date. Or the fact that you have been observing me like some stalker.”
I take off my hoodie and wave him off. “Don’t pretend you weren’t doing the same. I saw you ogling.”
He chuckles, his gaze going darker as it roams my bare torso. “I do notogle.”
“You do. In fact, you are doing it right now.”
“Am I? Really?” He leans in, snatching another piece of fruit from the bowl I’ve placed on the end table between us. It’s a grape and he does an obscene job of licking it before popping it inside his mouth all the while not taking his shivers-inducing gaze from me.
I decide that retaining some dignity is a futile effort, so I kick out of my pants. My erection tents my swim trunks and Ethan doesn’t miss it. Smirking, he pushes off the chair and removes his jacket and top. The expanse of pale skin pulls my attention, riling me up further as I notice the few marks that I’ve left. Despite living in the south, Ethan has no tan whatsoever, which means he probably spends most of his time indoors. If it was me, I’d be out and about all day. On the other hand, precisely because he doesn’t seem a fan of the sun, it’s so easy to stake my claim on him in this very primal way. I’m not usuallyinto it—or I haven’t been so far—but I couldn’t help it last night. I wanted him to wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and remember how explosive our night together was.
“You look really happy for some reason,” he comments, repressing a smirk as he rubs one of the hickeys I left on his collarbone. “I wonder why that might be.”
I stroke the one he left on the side of my neck. It’s a little hard to see unless you look at it from the right angle. I think he was counting on me not noticing it. “No particular reason whatsoever.”
Huffing a laugh, he gets rid of his pants. He’s put on a sexy pair of boxer briefs that hug his ass perfectly. I give it a teasing pinch, wiggling it a bit as he tries to shoo me off.
“Behave,” he warns and jumps into the pool.
I follow suit. We swim for a while. He’s good at it, better than me even. Not that it’s a high bar, but I’ve been making use of the pool and the gym at the hotel, so I pride myself as quite fit. Unfortunately, due to the power issue, I can’t turn on the artificial waves so we can enjoy a bit of surfing, but we make do at the inflatables’ corner. It’s usually for kids, but since there is no one around to laugh at us adults running and jumping and falling, we do just that.
By the time noon arrives, we are both ready for a break. After a long shower during which we mostly make out like horny teens, we head upstairs. My shift doesn’t start until the evening, so I join Ethan for lunch. As a member of staff, I usually eat with the other employees in the staff room, but being the assistant chef allows me to pose as a guest so I can observe and collect feedback.
“I liked your sushi more,” Ethan says when we finish eating. Today’s lunch is Japanese-themed, while the dinner will be Chinese. “The vinegar is a bit strong for me.”
I nod in agreement. Carla must’ve been the one in charge of lunch. She tends to over-spice. Some people like that, but I tend to lean more toward letting the natural flavors of a dish be the star, with the spices only enhancing them. Besides, I might or might not have been paying extra attention to what Ethan was eating the previous days, so I could match his preferences.
For dessert, we have some mochi, then head out. There is still time before my shift starts, but the weather has gone bad again, so going outside is not really an option. I was planning to take Ethan to the nearby woods for deer-watching, but I guess I’ll have to postpone that for another day.
“You can come watch that show you recorded,” Ethan suggests as we reach the elevators. “If you want to. I’ll catch up on some reading, so I won’t get in your way.”
“Sure. Sounds good.”
I tuck my hands in my pockets and lean against the elevator’s wall. I wonder what kinds of books Ethan likes to read. If I had to guess, other than nonfiction about business, economy and the likes, he’s into hard sci-fi. Or steampunk. Maybe dystopian, too. The more technical, the better. Personally, I prefer the lighter genres like soft sci-fi or urban fantasy. Throw in a bit of romance and you have yourself a fan.
That’s not to say I’m not willing to try the books Ethan likes. You learn a lot about someone by the things they like, be it books, series, music or art. Plus, it gives you something to talk about, even if your opinions ultimately differ.
