The Love Box Experiment

Chapter Six. P & K shower together

CHAPTER SIX

Katie emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, and looked at Paul's bedroom. She hadn't seen this room when Paul carried her over his shoulder, into the bathroom. His double bed, covered with a white duvet, on top of which were clothes. Paul's clothes. The wardrobes and chest drawers were open for Katie to inspect.

She smelt the coffee and heard Paul clattering downstairs in the kitchen. The full length mirror caught her reflection, she paused and dropped the towel onto the smooth wooden floor. Somehow Katie didn't care if Paul bounded up the stairs to find her like this; in fact she wished he would.

The light grey sweatpants were too big and she rolled the legs up to her knees. For a top, she picked out a fawn cashmere jumper with a Harrods label; it hung off her shoulder. Just two garments, no underwear. The jumper had the faint smell of Paul's aftershave. 

She walked down the stairs to coffee and burnt hot cross buns.

Paul glanced at her. 'Good choice Katie. Like your style.' He smiled.

'Sure I look a mess.' She scanned the kitchen. Jam, butter, crumbs and spilt coffee beans took up four foot of work top. Paul didn't seem to be a natural cook.

He came over and gave her a hug. 'We need to dry our clothes. I'll go and get yours.' He took the stairs, two at a time, called back. 'Take a seat.'

All their wet and damp clothes were lumped in a pile and put into the tumble dryer. Somehow Katie felt a connection with Paul for tumbling their clothes together, as if they were a couple living with each other. Her thoughts went to the persistent knot in the base of her stomach, like a message which said, I want him. Under the cashmere her nipples hardened. 

Paul watched her. 'What are you thinking?'

Katie lied. 'Wondering how you make enough money to live here.'

'Long story. Shortened version is I went to Cambridge Uni and . . .'

'Graduated in advanced maths and computer sciences. . .'

'Right. Good memory.' He paused. 'But I spent much of my time developing an app for smart phones.'

'What app?'

A shy smile from Paul. 'An app for finding your ideal person. Cheesy isn't it. Works like this. . .The user puts in the profile of the ideal person they want to meet.'

'So,' said Katie, 'I might put in, male, five foot eleven inches tall, brown hair, dark brown eyes, aged twenty-six.'

'Exactly.' He nodded and appeared not to have noticed his own description. 'At the same time, the user submits their own profile. And where you have a match within 100 yards of your location, the app bleeps.'

'Sounds like fun.' She figured he was seriously rich. But he didn't brag about it.

'I've moved on since then into hologram research, which is what I do in the studio.'

-O-

After their coffee and burnt buns, Paul took Katie down to the studio. The jumper and sweatpants made her look sexy. Paul guessed she wore nothing else. He put on his glasses. 'This is where I work. Two PC's linked to San Francisco. We're developing interactive holograms.'

Paul had a pang of guilt at the micro devices in his glasses to film Katie and record her voice.

'Does that mean you travel to the States?' 

'Every month.'

'Oh. That's your travel ticket?' She pointed at the flight details for the following week.

'Yup.'

'I like your set-up here, work station, leather couch . . .and look at this.' She moved over to the exercise bike.

Paul adjusted the saddle for her and selected a programme. She started to peddle and Paul explained the graphics on the consol. It wasn't long before Katie was well into it and perspiring into her cashmere.

'You're getting too hot in that jumper.' He could see she was getting overheated. 'Put your arms up.'

'Why?'

'Because I say so,' he paused, 'I'm going to take your top off.'

Katie kept peddling but looked at him, like she was considering his suggestion. A little shrug and Katie lifted her arms. 'Okay, bossy.'

Paul came behind and lifted off the garment. She put her hands back on the handlebars. He passed her a bottle of water.

'You always act like this with other girls?'