“I’m not bathing in that thing.” She stood there, staring at the tub.

“Why not? I can make the water whatever temperature you wish.”

He moved to the edge of the tub and stuck his finger in. Within seconds, steam began to rise from the water.

“Come. Touch it and see if it’s warm enough for you.”

“No.” Her eyes were daggers.

“You should bathe now. It will help you to fall asleep so your body can be in perfect condition. That way you can win the competition.”

Candi stewed. So now he was bringing the competition in to the conversation every time he wanted her to do something.

“I’m not taking off my clothes with you in this pod.”

Slate rolled his eyes and stared at the ceiling and heaved a big theatrical sigh.

“Candace, I’ve seen your entire body.”

“Not.” She pursed her lips.

Slate sighed.

He made a few quick gestures and a circular panel extended downward, encircling the tub. It was made of some thin frosted white material that gave her at least some sense of privacy.

Candi lifted her head up, chin in the air, and marched in through the opening.

Behind her, Slate stood with a curious gentle smile on his face that he hid behind his hand.

The circular panel was not exactly closed off, but it was better than nothing. She stripped and quickly got into the tub hoping to have a bit less exposure.

The water was steaming up in nice billows of heat. He really heated it up so nicely with his finger.

She blushed, thinking about all the places on her body he had touched with that finger and how it had warmed her up, from the soles of her feet all the way to…

Candy shut her eyes and sank under the water, wetting her hair. A few seconds later, she rose from the warm bath water and began splashing around.

As large as the tub was, it could have easily held four people. As it was, she was all by herself and it made for a wonderful hot tub.

Her only issue was the clearness of the water. It was rose scented and warm, but there were no suds.

Unfortunately, unlike all the commercials she had ever seen where there were mounds of bubbles that could hide any parts of her body that was supposed to be hidden, this water was crystal clear.

“Do you have any bubble soap, and maybe some shampoo?” She called out.

“Just lie there and relax,” she heard a voice behind her.

Candi’s eyes bulged! He was right behind her!

She gulped a lungful of air and sank under the water, hugging her knees.

Immediately, she felt hands pulling her back up out of the water.

“Candace! Are you okay??? What’s wrong? What happened???” She heard his insistent voice next to her ear.

“I’m taking a bath! Why are you in my bathroom???” She yelled back at him, eyes tightly shut, arms still hugging her knees.

“You asked for soap. How am I supposed to give it to you if I don’t come in here?”

She cautiously opened her eyes.

He was on his knees in the water, holding her up above the waterline. His glittering blue eyes held…panic?

“This water is only up to my neck even when I’m seated.” She mumbled, not taking her eyes off his. “There’s no way I can possibly drown unless—”

Slate exhaled, releasing her body back into the water. She was stark naked in his arms but he was not looking anywhere. He was looking straight into her eyes, searching for reassurances that she was unhurt.

“Unless what?”

“Unless you push me under and hold me down until I drown.”

His mouth worked for a moment.

“Why would I do something like that? I was holding you up!” He exhaled harshly.

“I thought you had suffered some medical condition that caused you to slip under water.”

Candi shook her head.

“I was just startled and—and embarrassed.”

Slate closed his eyes.

“Candace. You have a beautiful body. A beautiful face. Why are you so embarrassed about it?”

“I just.” She curled up into a small ball, hugging her knees up to her chin. “I don’t know you well enough to be comfortable parading my body about.”

Slate nodded.

Without a word, he reached out into empty space and magicked into being, a glass vial holding an amber liquid. He took off the stopper and poured a small amount of viscous liquid into the water.

He kissed his fingers and waved it into the water, heating it back up to the temperature it was when she first entered.

As if by magic, huge amounts of bubbles began to rise, covering the surface of the water and spilling out onto the sides of the tub.

“Turn around. I’ll wash your hair.”

“It’s—it’s okay. I can wash my own hair.”

“This is to ensure you win the competition. Turn around.” His voice broke no arguments.

Candi pressed her lips together and turned her back to him.

It was at that moment when she could not see him at all that she could feel him all around her.

He was the billowing scented steam swirling around her. He was the soft gliding water that streamed around her. He was the millions of scented foam that tickled and kissed her skin with each tiny air-filled bubble.

His fingers were softly gathering her hair and caressing her head as the mounds and mounds of soap floated around her and melded into the mounds and mounds of soap spilling over the sides onto the pristine white floor.

She closed her eyes, feeling the gentle pressure of his fingers on her scalp as he rubbed the soap into her skin. Then he ran his fingers through her hair, gently spreading the lather around.

“Keep your eyes closed,” she could hear his voice softly reverberating around her.

There was a cascade of clear warm water that came sprinkling down from the ceiling, as if a tropical rainstorm had just blown through.

His fingers worked at her hair until the water ran clear. Then he gently picked her up and folded her within large sheets of soft warm towels.

With unspoken commands, Slate made the tub disappear and the bed reappear from the floor, rising up in a swirling circular pattern, like an exquisitely frosted white cake.

“We have taken up several hours eating and bathing. There are only about fifteen hours left until we reach our destination.”

“Get some sleep so you will be completely rested by the time we get there.”

Candi nodded. She had no strength left.

He gently deposited her onto the circular bed and drew the covers up over her shoulders.

With a touch of his finger onto her forehead, she sank into a dreamless sleep.