I pat her ass. "No problem. Ladies first." I motion for her to get in, and I push the button to start the jets.
As soon as I get in, I pull her on my lap. "That got a little crazier than I anticipated."
"I had fun."
I scoff. "You enjoyed that?"
"Yeah. It was a good adrenaline rush."
I'll give you a rush of adrenaline.
"Are you sore?"
"Little. I'll be okay. What about you?"
"I'm good."
She squeezes my biceps. "Forgot you were Mr. Muscle."
"How could you forget that?" I tease.
Her hand slides down my chest and over my torso.
"Are you stroking my V?" I murmur in her ear.
"No," she lies as her fingers trace it.
"I'm—"
"Excuse me, Sir. There's a storm coming. All the guests were instructed to go to their rooms or the common areas," the young man who was on the beach says in Spanish.
So that is why everything is empty.
Zoe and I stand, and she keeps her head tilted into my chest. "Sorry about that."
"No problem. Please use the North walkway. The South one is blocked off from all the construction materials they brought in. It doesn't make a lot of sense when they haven't even removed the items from the rooms yet. But hey, as my boss told me today, that's above my pay grade." He rolls his eyes.
"My bet is someone needs to give you a pay raise."
He chuckles. "That would be nice."
"When does the construction start?"
"A week from today. Did they not tell you about it at check-in?"
I snap my fingers. "It was mentioned, but I didn't pay close attention. Okay, we'll take the North walkway."
"Okay, Sir. Have a great evening." He leaves, and we step out of the hot tub.
"What now?" Zoe asks.
I take the towel and wrap it around her. "You get to see my real criminal skills."
"Oh?"
"Yep. Come on." I lead her through the pool area and glance around to make sure no one is watching us. Instead of taking the North path, I take the South.
The young man wasn't exaggerating. There are pallets of materials everywhere.
We walk for ten minutes, and it begins to sprinkle. I tug Zoe closer. We get to one of the rooms in the middle of the complex. I dig into my rucksack and find my small case that has several tools. I take one out and pick the lock on the door then open it. "After you."
Zoe claps her hands. "Bravo."
I step behind her and shut, then lock and bolt the door.
She flips the switch, but I turn it off right away.
"We can't have lights on."
"Sorry. Duh."
I remove a pocket flashlight from my bag. "Use this sparingly." I double-check that the curtains are closed.
"Is it crazy that I'm excited about a real bathroom?"
"Nope. Have at it."
"Is it okay to shower?"
"I don't see any reason why you can't."
"There isn't a window in the bathroom. Can I use the light?"
"Sure."
"Should I shower now?"
"If you want."
Silence.
"Zoe, you okay?"
"Yeah. Here. You take the flashlight while I'm in there." She hands it to me.
I take it, but she doesn't move. I put my hand on her cheek. "What's going on, my Little Diva?"
"I haven't said thank you for helping me."
"You did."
"I don't think so."
"You have. And you're welcome."
Silence.
"I had a lot of fun today. It's...I don't remember the last time I had fun."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I did too."
"You did?"
"Yes. You've always brought fun into my life. But as much as I love your music and shows, the real Zoe Diego is more than I imagined."
"In a good way?"
"In the best way. And what I imagined was pretty awesome."
She reaches up and gives me a slow-burning, I need more, take all of me because I want to be yours forever, kiss.
I deepen it but then pull back.
She hasn't had a real bathroom or shower in months. Let her enjoy it.
"Go take a hot shower."
"Ummm...o...okay."
I flip the switch on. "There's toiletries here unless you want what's in my bag?"
"Those will be fine."
I turn the shower on, pull the towels off the top shelf, and set them on the counter. "Don't use all the hot water," I tease.
Her face drops.
"Only kidding. You can use all of it if you want."
She smiles, but it looks a little forced.
She probably wants you to get out of the bathroom so she can relax.
"Enjoy."
I step out, shut the door, and exhale. Using the flashlight, I check the bed. The linens are fresh, and I do a victory pump in the air.