Page 72 of Nocere

"Come on, my sweet." Sam took my hand, and led me to the master bathroom attached to her bedroom. Marble tile filled the vast space, and I couldn’t help smiling at the nature of it.

"You bought this condo just for this bathroom, right?" My voice echoed when I spoke and I pointed to the jacuzzi tub beside the stand-up shower. Sam turned on the faucets and the tub began to fill and bubble right away.

"You know it, baby girl." She grinned with pride over the luxurious surroundings. "The rest of this place is lovely for what it is, but no other unit had a bathroom like this."

"How deep is the tub?"

"It'll be to our chest when we sit," she said, then pulled a lighter from the drawer by the double sinks.

On all four corners of the tub, trays of white candles squared off the setup and she began lighting each of them. My heart pounded in my chest as excitement built. Everything with Sam seemed new and adventurous, even if it was just a bath.

"What scents do you like? Lavender? Vanilla?"

"Lavender is nice," I said, then watched as she added a few drops to the water after finishing up the candles. "You've made this very romantic."

"I was hoping so." Sam turned off the bright lights and allowed only the candles to illuminate the bathroom. She held her hand to me, and I scurried over to grab hold of it while hopping up on the first step to the tub.

Without saying anything, I urged her shirt over her head and she allowed me to for once. She let it fall away before guiding me out of my sweater and blouse. We took turns like this, until I was left standing naked, and she wore only a pair of black panties. She hesitated, only briefly, before tugging them down her hips. In all our times together, this was the first she allowed herself to be fully unclothed with me. I ran my knuckle around her belly button, nudging her piercing as well.

"You're beautiful, Samirah. So beautiful." I met her gaze and she drew in a deep breath. She didn't say anything, though her eyes shimmered in the candlelight. Instead of her leading, this time I took her hand and guided her into the tub.

We took careful steps into the hot, aromatic water, and right away, the heat of it wrapped around us in a liquid hug. Sam settled first, leaning back against the wall of the tub and the water rose just above her breasts. I sat across from her, with the water to my neck, and our legs tangled straightaway. She caressed my calves, all the way down to my feet. I mirrored her gesture, and pulled her feet against my stomach to rub them. She smiled and wiggled her toes against me. I let out an unintentional giggle when she tickled me.

"Hey." I grinned at her and she chuckled.

"That was a cute laugh. Do it again." She tickled me with her toes and I squeaked before snickering again.

"Silly." I gave her toe a gentle twist and she chuckled.

"I've never shared a tub with anyone and I'm glad my first experience is with you," she said, then held her hands to me. "C'mere, fairy."

I rolled forward and floated my way to her. She grabbed my waist and drifted me onto her lap. With the added height, my breasts poked out of the water and the cool air hardened my nipples.

"We have to talk about what Caroline said," she began, lacing her fingers with mine.

"Is that what's bothering you for real?"

She nodded, and tugged me closer until my belly met hers. "About doing a scene."

"Did she mean it when she said you don't keep your girls?" I gnawed the inside of my cheek after I asked the question that burned inside of me for a few hours now.

"She meant it, yes. My relationship with Caroline and Nora has always been in the context of BDSM, Rosie. Scenes with women—those are not relationships. I might've had favorites over the years, but they didn't belong to me. We weren't in a relationship."

"But we are…" I tilted my head and she nodded, her gaze never leaving mine.

"I don't want to bring you into that lifestyle and risk losing you. Or share you. Or anything like that. I meant it when I said I was territorial and monogamous. I couldn't bear it."

"I'm okay not getting involved with that, Samirah. I don't know anything about it. And I'm very happy that you're monogamous and territorial. I like being yours…" I held her hands to my chest. "And I like that you're mine. Is BDSM important to you?"

"I'm not sure… Sex is important to me." She brushed her lips over mine. "Sex with you is."

"Sex has been very one-sided so far. I'm not complaining at all, but I would like to enjoy it with you, to make you feel good, too," I confessed, leaning my chin down and nipping her knuckles.

"For the first time in a long time, I want to share that with you. I want to share a lot of things with you. How have we only known each other a month?" She sighed softly and dropped her head back on the tub. "How can I feel like this so fast?"

"You're asking me? I feel the same way." I chuckled then scooted forward to kiss her neck. My pelvis rolled against hers and she lifted her hips as our flesh collided, then bit her bottom lip. I started when something firm poked my folds, and gazed down between us. "What was that?"

"Hmm?" Sam looked at me with glazed-over eyes.

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