Obsession Falls(16)

After a week at my new job, I still felt like I had no idea what I was doing. They already had material for this week’s edition, and Sandra had helped me figure out some ideas for my journalistic debut. I didn’t particularly enjoy the feeling of flailing around at work while everyone there seemed to assume I knew what I was doing. But today was Friday and I was going to leave work at work for the time being. At least I wasn’t unemployed anymore.

“What do you think, should we unpack the rest of the car?” I asked. Max rolled to his side. “And by we, I mean me, since you need all your limbs for walking.”

With a big yawn, he stretched his legs in opposite directions.

“I think that means I should relax first. Maybe poke around the house a little more. That’s good advice.”

I got up and stretched my arms overhead. The living room had a couch and two armchairs around a coffee table. The kitchen was small but fully stocked and there was an eating nook with a view out the back. Down a short hallway were two bedrooms and a small bathroom. The larger bedroom had its own bathroom, which was nice.

I wandered into the bedroom where I’d left my suitcase. The king-sized bed was a bit large for the room but they’d made up for it by choosing narrow bedside tables and a tall dresser that fit in a nook next to the closet. The bathroom was a charming surprise. Tile floor, a nice sized vanity with two sinks, a walk-in shower, and the best part? A freestanding bathtub.

A hot bath sounded so good.

Sure, my car was still full of stuff and I had no groceries, but those sounded like future Audrey problems. I needed a break.

Max jumped up on the bed and curled himself into a dog-ball. Apparently doggie daycare had worn him out today. I turned on the water in the tub and got a towel out of the cupboard. I needed to remember to pick up some bath salts when I went shopping.

Steam rose from the tub as it filled. Temperature felt good. I went back to the bedroom and dug a claw clip out of my toiletries case so I could put up my hair—I didn’t want to have to mess with drying it—and put a pair of clean pajamas on the bed.

I left Max on the bed and shut the bathroom door behind me, in case he woke up and got curious. I didn’t want him thinking he needed a bath too and jumping in with me. It wouldn’t have been the first time.

It felt good to get out of my work clothes. I let my blouse and slacks drop to the floor, along with my bra and panties. I twisted my hair up and secured it with the claw clip. The water was still running but it was deep enough for me to get in comfortably. I checked the temperature one more time. It was just right.

I held onto the edge of the tub and dipped one foot in. Max barked from the other room. It sounded like a happy play bark, but what was he doing in there?

Out of nowhere, the door opened. I whipped my head around, my heart instantly racing, to find a big, burly bearded man in red flannel standing in the doorway.

I screamed. His eyes widened. Max barked again, like this was a fun game, not a potentially life-threatening breaking and entering situation for his human.

“Get out! Who are you? What are you doing here? Get out!”

I was rambling at the top of my lungs, but who could blame me? I was stark naked, bent over with one foot in the tub, holding onto the edge for dear life so I wouldn’t fall, and a strange man was in the doorway, looking away as if he were trying to avert his eyes.

But he wasn’t a strange man. I knew who he was. Josiah Haven.

The shock of it all destroyed my balance. I tried to stand up and grab the towel off the counter so at least I wouldn’t be completely naked, but my foot slipped. I fell forward, face first into the bathtub, and sucked in a mouthful of water.

My arms and legs flailed, slipping on the wet tub, as I tried to right myself. What direction was I facing? Where was the air? I twisted and my butt hit the bottom of the tub. Sitting up, I broke the surface of the water and took a sputtering breath.

Max darted in and started splashing in the puddle of water on the floor.

I hunkered down and gripped the sides of the tub, rounding my back to make sure my boobs were at least partially covered. My hair was plastered to my face and my sinuses ached from the rush of water that had invaded them when I face planted. With a deliberately slow movement, I shut off the faucet.

“Are – are you okay?” Josiah asked.

To his credit, he was keeping his eyes averted.

“Do I look okay? What are you doing in my house?”

“This isn’t your house.”

“Yes, it is.”

“No, it’s my house.”

“Can we maybe have this conversation when I’m not naked in a bathtub?”

Max stopped splashing long enough to sit at Josiah’s feet, tail wagging, and eagerly looked up at him, no doubt hoping for attention.

Josiah glanced at Max, then at me. He looked away abruptly. “Sorry.”

He stepped out, shutting the door, and left me with Max in a soaking wet bathroom.

Max put his paws up on the side of the tub and looked at me, panting happily.

“Some guard dog you are. What if he’d been trying to kill me?”

He leaned closer and licked my face.

I scrubbed my wet hair back, unplugged the drain, and carefully stood. The floor was a mess. I got out of the tub, tiptoeing through the puddle, and wrapped myself in the towel.

Opening the door a crack, I peeked out to make sure Josiah wasn’t in the bedroom. It was empty and the door shut, so I dried off and put on the pajamas I’d laid out for myself.