creams.
Though William was out of sight, Josie suspected he remained close in case she experienced some sort of episode. She appreciated and hated it at the same time.
She sighed, confused about her mixed emotions. How many years had she wished that their path would cross again? Now, through some truly bizarre happenstance, here he was.
In her dreams, she’d envisioned he would spot her at a CD signing or promotional gig. She would boast about her successful career and her wonderful marriage.
But her life hadn’t gone as planned. Nowhere near it. Because of a series of polyps on her vocal cords, her singing career was over before it really began. After three moderately successful CD releases, Josephine Ferrell’s singing career had ended.
Her music never garnered the big crossover audience in America, but she was close. She was sure of that. And Etienne. She didn’t want to think about it.
“How are we doing in there?” he called out from the bedroom.
“So far so good.” She injected pleasantness into her voice and hurried to finish massaging lotion onto her elbows. A few minutes later, garbed in a large, fluffy robe, Josie gave William the okay to rejoin her.
“All righty, then. Let’s get this thing started.” He flashed her a smile as he entered with a pitcher, and then gathered more towels.
His return immediately wrecked Josie’s calm reserve. In retrospect, he’d always had that effect on her. And she had always enjoyed it.
William positioned her and the chair in front of the sink and gave it enough room so she could comfortably lean her head back over the sink. Since she couldn’t get her entire head under the immobile faucet, William filled the pitcher with water, and then used it to wet the areas that wouldn’t reach.
“Seems like you’ve done this before,” Josie commented. She closed her eyes and loved the feel of his strong fingers as they massaged her scalp.
The sound of his light chuckle washed lazily over her. “I guess you can call me a veteran.”
Josie instantly thought of his wife and as a result ended her feelings of euphoria. “Your wife is a lucky woman,” she said before she could stop herself.
William’s fingers froze for an eternal second and then resumed. “I used to do this with my ex-wife . I’m not married anymore.”
“Sorry. I didn’t know.” There was no denying the rush of relief she experienced after his confession, but now a series of questions strolled through her head.
“No way you could’ve, I guess.” He reached for the bottle of shampoo. “It’s been almost two years.”
She detected sorrow in his voice, and a low level of jealousy stirred within her.
They fell silent while his fingers worked up a good lather. It was nearly impossible for Josie to stop her toes from curling or prevent the soft moans from escaping her lips.
“Glad you’re enjoying this,” he commented, with another chuckle.
“How can I not?” she said. A lazy smile curled her lips. “You have great hands.”
“I think you might have told me that before.”
“Oh, yeah.” An embarrassed Josie remembered. “How could I have forgotten?”
“Beats me.” William chuckled.
She smiled but couldn’t combat the sudden chill that crept from her toes and slowly transformed her body into a giant glacier.
“Josie, are you all right?”
She heard him, but couldn’t get her teeth to stop chattering long enough to answer.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.” He shut off the water, wrapped a towel around her head, and then helped her to lean forward.
Her shivers turned into violent convulsions, but Josie felt William’s arms slide beneath her and she was aware of him taking her back into the bedroom. When he placed her on the bed, she thought her soul was being lifted from her body. The experience frightened her.
William quickly piled blankets on her. All the while, he whispered words of comfort in her ear. “Just ride it out, Josie. I’m here for you.”
His words
Though William was out of sight, Josie suspected he remained close in case she experienced some sort of episode. She appreciated and hated it at the same time.
She sighed, confused about her mixed emotions. How many years had she wished that their path would cross again? Now, through some truly bizarre happenstance, here he was.
In her dreams, she’d envisioned he would spot her at a CD signing or promotional gig. She would boast about her successful career and her wonderful marriage.
But her life hadn’t gone as planned. Nowhere near it. Because of a series of polyps on her vocal cords, her singing career was over before it really began. After three moderately successful CD releases, Josephine Ferrell’s singing career had ended.
Her music never garnered the big crossover audience in America, but she was close. She was sure of that. And Etienne. She didn’t want to think about it.
“How are we doing in there?” he called out from the bedroom.
“So far so good.” She injected pleasantness into her voice and hurried to finish massaging lotion onto her elbows. A few minutes later, garbed in a large, fluffy robe, Josie gave William the okay to rejoin her.
“All righty, then. Let’s get this thing started.” He flashed her a smile as he entered with a pitcher, and then gathered more towels.
His return immediately wrecked Josie’s calm reserve. In retrospect, he’d always had that effect on her. And she had always enjoyed it.
William positioned her and the chair in front of the sink and gave it enough room so she could comfortably lean her head back over the sink. Since she couldn’t get her entire head under the immobile faucet, William filled the pitcher with water, and then used it to wet the areas that wouldn’t reach.
“Seems like you’ve done this before,” Josie commented. She closed her eyes and loved the feel of his strong fingers as they massaged her scalp.
The sound of his light chuckle washed lazily over her. “I guess you can call me a veteran.”
Josie instantly thought of his wife and as a result ended her feelings of euphoria. “Your wife is a lucky woman,” she said before she could stop herself.
William’s fingers froze for an eternal second and then resumed. “I used to do this with my ex-wife . I’m not married anymore.”
“Sorry. I didn’t know.” There was no denying the rush of relief she experienced after his confession, but now a series of questions strolled through her head.
“No way you could’ve, I guess.” He reached for the bottle of shampoo. “It’s been almost two years.”
She detected sorrow in his voice, and a low level of jealousy stirred within her.
They fell silent while his fingers worked up a good lather. It was nearly impossible for Josie to stop her toes from curling or prevent the soft moans from escaping her lips.
“Glad you’re enjoying this,” he commented, with another chuckle.
“How can I not?” she said. A lazy smile curled her lips. “You have great hands.”
“I think you might have told me that before.”
“Oh, yeah.” An embarrassed Josie remembered. “How could I have forgotten?”
“Beats me.” William chuckled.
She smiled but couldn’t combat the sudden chill that crept from her toes and slowly transformed her body into a giant glacier.
“Josie, are you all right?”
She heard him, but couldn’t get her teeth to stop chattering long enough to answer.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.” He shut off the water, wrapped a towel around her head, and then helped her to lean forward.
Her shivers turned into violent convulsions, but Josie felt William’s arms slide beneath her and she was aware of him taking her back into the bedroom. When he placed her on the bed, she thought her soul was being lifted from her body. The experience frightened her.
William quickly piled blankets on her. All the while, he whispered words of comfort in her ear. “Just ride it out, Josie. I’m here for you.”
His words
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