Salt looked unhappy. “If you do not wish to do this…if you want to change your mind…”
“No—no of course not,” I said. “I mean…what choice do we have?” I took a deep breath. “I’m just…a little on edge. That’s all.”
“Of course.” He stroked my shoulder again. “But Andi…I want you to know, I will be careful…will be gentle.”
I nodded. “Sure. I know that.”
“I am not sure you do. Not after what happened at dinner time.” He got a look of remorse in his eyes. “Please believe me—I did not realize I was spanking you so hard. I was…also on edge. Will you forgive me?”
“Of course, Salt.” I gave him a tentative smile. “There’s nothing to forgive. And I’m not afraid of you hurting me or anything like that. I’m just, you know, shy.”
“For me to see your body, do you mean?” He raised an eyebrow at me.
“Well…yeah.” I shrugged uneasily. “I mean, I know we’re not doing this for real to be, you know, sexual. But I still care about your opinion. I mean…what if you don’t like what you see?”
“Is not possible,” Salt said softly. “I know I will like.”
I put a hand on my hip. “How can you be so sure?”
“Because I know you, Andi—you are what I like,” he said patiently. “And besides, I have seen you in swimsuit, you know.”
“A modest one piece swimsuit,” I pointed out.
My suit doesn’t show much skin because I only swim for exercise in the mornings at the YMCA. When I put it on, I’m not doing it to get male attention—I’m there to swim my laps and relieve some stress before I have to go to work. That’s all I care about.
In fact, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d dressed up to please a man or cared what any man thought of how I looked either clothed or naked…besides Salt, that was. I couldn’t help feeling if he didn’t like me naked it would really, really hurt.
“I just don’t know what you’re going to think,” I said at last.
Salt frowned at me. “Do you want me to give honest opinion?”
I bit my lip. Did I want that?
Yes—do it. Like ripping off a bandage, whispered a little voice in my head.
It seemed like a good idea. If I was going to have to be naked and letting Salt give me a bath every night we were here, it would be much better to know what he thought and not always be worrying about it.
“Well, all right,” I said. “Yes, I do. Tell me. Not just as a friend or a partner—as a man.”
He nodded. “I can do this. Drop the towel.”
It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done but I forced myself to lose the death grip I had on the pink terrycloth towel I had clutched around me and let it drop to the marble tile floor. Then I held out my arms and lifted my chin, letting my partner look at me—really look at me for the first time.
Salt sucked in a breath and his eyes roved over me hungrily.
“Andi…” he breathed softly.
“Well?” I said tightly. “Go on. Don’t keep me in suspense.”
“You are beautiful.” His eyes left my body and found my face. “Truly, I would not say so if I did not mean it.”
“But my breasts are too small,” I protested.
“Perfect for your size,” he assured me. “Perfect to fit in a hand…or a mouth.”
I could feel my cheeks getting hot.
“My thighs and hips are too big,” I pointed out.
“Your curves are lovely,” Salt said softly. “So often the clothes you wear at work hide them. But the dip of your waist…the way it curves out to your hips…” As he spoke, his big hands described an hourglass in the air between us. “Beautiful,” he breathed again.
“My legs aren’t long enough,” I challenged.
He smiled. “If your legs were long like giraffe how could you be my little mishka? I love the difference between us—the way you are so little and perfect.”
“All right,” I said. I didn’t know how I felt about the ‘little and perfect’ remark but I decided to let it slide. “But you have to admit,” I said, turning to the side. “That my ass is way too—”