Under the Elms

What am I gonna do?

She thought it had to be morning. Maybe it was afternoon. All she knew for sure was that Prince was insatiable, and so was she when she was with him. True, she had nothing to compare it to, except for the fact that she had never desired anyone like she desired him.

Her request that they not stop had been like a trigger for him, and he kept wanting more and more. She would fall asleep in his arms after he had, seemingly, wrung every bit of passion from her, only to be awakened by a hand or mouth within minutes. At least, that's what it felt like. It went on all night.

Finally, she had said, 'I can't,' when he tried to start again. The small sweet ache she had felt after their first go round had turned into an all-encompassing ache that involved most of her body below the waist. That was all it took, though. He immediately changed from a ravenous to a solicitous lover, pulling her into his arms, saying, 'Just rest.'

As she was drifting off, she thought she heard him say, 'We have the rest of our lives,' but she wasn't sure. She hadn't felt like she was falling into a gentle sleep, more like she was passing out.

Blinking, she thought, 'Bathroom. Now.' She tried to move, and made it to the side of the bed without a sound. Trying to swing her legs over the side brought a groan she wasn't expecting, and couldn't suppress. She thought she'd feel some sort of afterglow, like they showed in movies. Instead, she felt like she'd been through a battle. She looked behind her and realized she was alone, so she felt a little less self-conscious.

Except that the door to the bathroom opened and a clean shaven Prince came out, wearing one arabic-looking robe and carrying another. 'Thought I heard you,' he said, looking extremely smug. 'Let me help you, I just drew a bath that should help a lot.' He walked over to her, giving her his hands to help her stand.

'You did this to me!' She accused, every step aching as they slowly made their way to the bathroom.

'Yeah, I did,' he said, not sounding sorry at all. 'You'll be okay in a little while.'

'I may never let you touch me again,' she threatened. Prince just snorted and chuckled. She sat on the edge of the tub, letting him carefully remove the robe he'd placed on her before this excursion began. 'I need some privacy, I have to pee.'

'Can you get to the toilet?' he asked, gesturing toward a narrow door on the far side of the bathroom.

'I'll figure it out,' she ground out, not happy at all with the way she was feeling.

'Okay, Okay,' he responded, throwing both hands up and backing away. I'll be back in a minute.'

'Wait for me to call you,' she stated, looking away. I better get out of here, she looks ticked, he thought, as he quietly closed the door behind him.

He waited for what seemed like far too long, then heard the sound of flushing. Glad I didn't get one of those silent toilets, he mused, smirking, as he waited again for her to call.

'Aarrgh! Prince!' Finally! He rushed in to find Sofia sitting on the side of the tub again.

'I can't get my legs up over the side of this huge tub. What did you do to me!?'

'Here, I'll help,' he responded, lifting both legs as Sofia clutched his shoulder. Prince could tell she was still fuming. Looking at her, seated on his tub in his bathroom, lyrics started in his head; What am I gonna do with all this love? Putting his arms under hers after her legs were over the side, he said, 'Let me help you in, then I'll take care of you.'

'Don't you think you've done enough of that?' Sofia tried not to sound irritated, but it was hard.

'Not that way. You'll see.' Once she was settled, he took off his robe, folded both of them neatly on a vanity bench, put bright scarlet towels within easy reach, and slid behind her into the silky, fragrant water.