The Woman in 3B - Eliza Lentzski Page 0,42

until morning.”

“I don’t mind,” I said in earnest.

“You’re nicer than my own family,” she remarked. “They take off as soon as the food’s been eaten.”

We cleaned up the pool area just enough to dispose of used plates, paper napkins, and plastic cutlery. Leftover food went into plastic storage containers and were stacked in the refrigerator.

Her family was long gone, and I was still uninvited. It had been a nice afternoon, which had turned into a nice evening. I didn’t want to wear out my welcome or make her feel like she needed to entertain me. She probably wanted to relax and binge on HGTV like I did most free evenings.

We stood in her kitchen, on either side of the granite island.

“I’m glad you decided to stalk me today,” she said.

“I’m not a stalker!” I squeaked. “I’m just very dedicated to customer service.”

“All in the name of duty, I see.” Her eyes seemed to twinkle even in the dim lighting. “That’s the only reason you came out here?”

I pushed out an annoyed breath. “You know you’re gorgeous. Don’t try to pretend you’re not.”

Anissa pursed her lips. “Would you like to borrow some pajamas?”

My breath hitched. “Are you asking me to stay the night?”

“I can’t expect you to drive home; you’ve been drinking,” she said reasonably.

In truth, I’d only had a single beer the entire afternoon and evening.

“I could call a Lyft,” I reflexively defended.

Her eyebrow arched. “So you don’t want to stay the night?” she questioned.

“I-I do,” I admitted. “But not because I’m drunk, and not because I’m some charity case.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I wouldn’t want to think I was taking advantage of you later.”

My throat felt suddenly dry.

“I need a shower,” she casually announced. “I need to rinse the chlorine off my body. Do you want one, too?”

My brain was still struggling from her previous line of questioning. I could only nod in response.

Anissa began to climb the stairs to the second floor, and I followed a few steps behind. Her coverup fell to mid-thigh, but the bottom hem crept up higher on her tan legs as she steadily climbed the staircase. I was enjoying the view, but more than that, I needed time and space to let my brain catch up to my body.

Was she planning on us showering together? Were we going to take turns? She’d made me wear a tiny bikini in front of her family, but I didn’t know if I was ready to be naked in a shower with her. We hadn’t even kissed.

The silent march to the second floor was over too soon.

“Guest bathroom is right in there.” Anissa gestured towards an open door. “Towels and toiletries are already in there, so use whatever you need.”

She’d been so bold before in her earlier pursuit of me, the change of venue was a surprise. “O-okay. Thanks.”

“See you in a bit,” she said before padding off in the direction of her bedroom.

The warm jet of water tried to jolt me awake from my surreal dream. I was naked, in the guest bedroom of a woman whom I hardly knew. And yet, I’d met her family. I’d told her details about my life that people whom I had dated over multiple months had never known.

I exhaled deeply. What was I doing here? This had all started as an inter-company competition, but there were no bingo squares for what I was currently doing.

I stood directly under the spray of the showerhead and let the hot water stream down my face. There were few things I enjoyed more than a rainfall showerhead, but I couldn’t entirely abandon myself to the feeling. My brain was too busy to let myself relax.

What was I doing in this woman’s shower? I was sure I was overstaying my welcome. But had I really forced myself into the situation or had her invitation been genuine? And how many near-strangers had used this shower before? If I dug a little deeper in the cabinets and drawers of the guest bathroom, what would I find? A smorgasbord of single-use toothpaste, toothbrushes, and other travel-sized toiletries? I felt out of my element, but maybe this was common in her world. Her bourbon-inspired sex solicitation in a hotel outside of Philadelphia suggested that very thing.

I hid in the shower for as long as I dared. My fingers were only slightly wrinkled, but if I lingered too much longer Anissa might think I’d drowned in her shower.

I groaned when another realization came to me. I’d pulled a