𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞

A A R O N

"Quite seductive, I must say."

Maddie rolls her eyes and smiles at me once she has her hair pushed back from her face, having it all mussed from when she removed her hoodie from over her head.

The air-con in the hotel is blasted and only now, an hour after adjusting the thermostat, has it finally started to heat up. Temperature wise. My hands are shaking at the prospect of tonight heating up in other ways now that we're booked into a posh hotel for the night.

Maddie didn't elaborate, but from the way we were treated as we came in, it seems she is a very valued guest. The penthouse suite has two of everything, floors, balconies, bedrooms, and bathrooms. Everything is over the top and unnecessary, and yet I don't find myself uncomfortable. This entire experience so far feels like a gift, especially encountering it with her.

"Wanna order wine or something? Room service menu is on the bedside table," She rolls over, reaching for it and pulling it out. I move closer to her, sitting on the edge of the bed while she scoots up enough that we're touching. She's on her stomach on the bed, feet in the air and her elbow is nudging my thigh unintentionally.

"Alaskan king crab?" She asks, looking up at me with one eye pinched closed to avoid the light. The sight makes me smile.

"I've never had crab before."

"It's like lobster, but softer and better."

"I've never had lobster either. I don't think I've ever had anything that is on that menu."

"Oh."

"Why don't you order for me?"

"You're too picky."

"You cook for me and I've liked everything you've made."

"I mostly make Spanish food and this restaurant is French with some exceptions."

"I trust you." She rolls her eyes but I earn a small smile as she turns away to grab the phone, dialing for the front desk and receiving an answer right away. I don't listen as she rattles off orders, surely too much for the two of us to eat, but I don't say as word as I stand up and wander, testing my weight on my foot and wanting to look around the massive loft again. The sky and the ocean in the distance are so dark, that the moon and the city skyline are the only sources of light.

Maddie must follow me out soon after because I hear footsteps approaching and then her voice, amplified by the open space. "Room service is ordered. Now movie time. And if we follow your schedule, getting intimate follows closely behind—" I cut her off with a started laugh, turning around to gape at her.

She's only a few feet behind me and I take one step to put us close enough for me to grab her waist and pull her into me. I kiss her forehead, my lips lingering and I inhale the fresh scent of her shampoo. "Why can't anything ever be spontaneous?"

She scoffs. "You don't want spontaneous. You want me not to say anything out loud and pretend like that's not what we're both thinking about." She raises a challenging eyebrow and I don't have a proper retort.

"Alright. Let's talk about it then," I back her up, suddenly confident knowing that she's thinking about it the way I am. "Where do we start?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I'll tell you then." She looks pleasantly surprised. "We'll eat and sit out on the balcony, look out at the water or the skyline and we'll talk while we drink wine. We'll stop ourselves at a glass and you'll catch me staring at you. More than once. It's not an invitation, I simply want to look at you, but you'll grow impatient, and you'll come to me first." I half expect her to scoff and try to change the story, but she seems to like where I'm going so I continue. Maddie's now got her back to the wall and my hands are on her, but that's the only part of me I let touch her.