Robyn sank lower into the water and sighed. She hadn't taken a bath in a while and this was much needed. She had just finished working on a refreshingly simple missing person case today. It was finding an 18-year high school student who was apparently just good at hiding from her parents. She had been staying at her boyfriend's house for 6 days and her parents had assumed the worst. They first thought she was kidnapped, then that she ran away. It ended up being the latter because "She needed a break from them." For that matter, her parents didn't even know she was dating and had a boyfriend. The emotions had been out of control for the whole family and she was glad it had been an easy one to solve. She was tired of dramatic emotions. Really, she was just glad she hadn't needed to call Mel or Harry for help. She still hadn't quite patched things up with them. While the missing girl had been reported to the police, since she was of legal age, and there was no ransom, they couldn't do much. All it took was Robyn borrowing Dante and his resources and the girl was located 3 hours later. What it did do, is give her another reason to be paranoid about her own teenager.
She sighed again, scooped up a handful of bubbles and gently blew them across the tub. She really loved this tub. Since she was tall, she had it specially ordered so that she could actually sink all the way into it and not have parts of her body above water, one of her biggest pet peeves. Well, technically two people could be fully immersed in the tub. No need to close yourself off to future options for a visitor. She smiled at the idea of Dante in the water with her. What was it about being in the tub that made him immediately come to mind? She hadn't heard from him since she left his house, but she was willing to bet his bathtime radar was working and he'd call soon. As predicted, a moment later her phone rang.
She laughed and dried her hand. Reaching over she put the phone on speaker on the second ring. "Hey you," she answered.
"Good evening, beautiful," came his response. "I was just calling to check on you after our conversation. Are you processing everything okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. I was feeling restless when I left, but I went and cleaned the storage unit, so I managed to burn off some energy. I'm still enjoying having moments of burying my head in the sand." She scooped up another handful of bubbles to play with. "Did you do anything exciting after I left?"
Dante chuckled. After she left? The main excitement of his day had happened in his kitchen where he got to be a willing distraction. "Nah. I watched a movie with the boys then worked on some paperwork."
"Paperwork? Sounds thrilling," she laughed.
"It's a boring job, but someone has to do it. My thrills happened while I was kissing someone in my kitchen," he teased.
"Oh yeah?," she asked, shifting into a more comfortable position in the water. She smiled and bit her lip at the memory of being pressed up against the wall by his body. "Did you have fun?"
He heard the water and noticed that his ability to call Robyn when she was in the tub appeared to still be working. The fact that she answered his calls, seemingly without hesitation, was beyond sexy to him. There was nothing more appealing to him than her confidence. "Of course I had fun. I did feel like a teenager though, almost getting caught making out." Her husky laugh made him smile. "I'm looking forward to our next make out session too." He paused, " So, what scent is tonight's bath?"
"Vanilla bean," she responded. If she was surprised by his question, she didn't let it show. "I see you noticed that your bathtime radar caught me again."
"I did notice. Did you think I wouldn't?"
"I assumed you would, but I wasn't concerned either way. You know I don't keep it a secret from you."
His groin immediately hardened and he groaned, "Do you have any idea how sexy you are?" She gave a low laugh in response. "You're killing me. I have a hard enough time resisting you when you're clothed. At this point, I'm helpless when you're not."
"As usual, I would like to remind you that you called me," she said quietly. "It's not my fault you like my voice without clothes on."
Dante's mind immediately started its favorite pastime of picturing Robyn naked. Wet, sudsy and thoroughly willing to play with him. The sooner his visions became reality the happier he would be. He heard her moving in the bath and groaned again. "Sometimes I'm glad I don't know where you live yet. I've never been more tempted to get in the car and come visit you," he admitted. "Maybe I need to have you warn me so I'm not being tortured when I call."
"So you want to know every time I'm taking a bath whether you call or not?" she laughed.
"OK wait no. I didn't think that one through. I can't handle that kind of knowledge," he replied. " Hey, the boys are going to Vanessa's this weekend, if we're not working, do you want to do something with me?"
"I need to double-check with whoever is going to be in the house, but I'm going to preemptively say yes please."
He could practically hear her smiling. "Excellent," he replied."We can figure out details later. Right now, I'm going to let you go so you can finish your bath and I can ... compose myself." He paused before teasing, "Don't say I never do anything for you."
"I would never," she replied in a low voice. "You do all kinds of things for and to me."
He hung up the phone on a moan. A moment later his phone buzzed with a text. Opening it he found a picture of Robyn from the shoulders up looking up at the camera with a soft smile. Her hair was piled on top of her head, she was learned back in the tub and she was lit up by candle light. Bubbles and water were streaked down her shoulders and chest and the tops of bubble mounds were barely visible at the bottom of the frame. The picture was unrevealing, showing nothing and yet he was able to imagine everything.
Robyn: Have a good night. Thanks for being my sounding board.
Dante: Kill...ing...Me... You are breathtaking.
He stared at her photo for a moment before setting his phone down. He was legitimately speechless. His phone buzzed again and he picked it back up, not sure what to expect now.
Cedric: Good evening. I just wanted to check and see if you had some time this week to talk.
Dante: Hey Cedric. Good to hear from you. Sure, I can carve out some time to come by this week.
Cedric: Great, I won't take up too much of your time. You can swing by any time. I'm at the restaurant pretty much all the time.
Dante: Anything I need to be concerned about?
Cedric: Nah, just have a couple of questions for you.
Dante: Sounds good. I'll see you in the next day or two.
He opened up Robyn's picture again then put his phone down and stood up when he heard the boys bickering down the hall. He was in desperate need of a cold shower.
A couple of days later Dante walked into The Lush Lounge around mid morning. Just like his first visit, the restaurant was quiet and empty. Following his first trip, he walked through the back doors into the kitchen.
"Cedric?" he called out.
"In the back," Cedric called. Dante followed his voice and walked through the room to the back of the kitchen. He entered a brightly lit office that was nicer than he expected.
"Hey Dante," he said. Cedric looked around a monitor and gestured to the chairs with a smile, "Have a seat."
They exchanged pleasantries while he looked around the room. The floors were navy tile, he assumed for easy clean up and health reasons. In the middle of the room sat a large oak desk that faced the door. Cedric sat in a large black leather chair behind it working on two computer screens that sat on top. Two mustard colored leather chairs were in front of the desk facing it. Cream colored walls featured black and white photos like in the main room, but this time with red frames. Filing cabinets filled the right wall with instruments and more photos lining the tops. A console table rested against the left wall with inboxes and binders on top. The remaining wall showcased a large window that looked out over the kitchen. The blinds had been lifted so the prep could be observed.
"Thanks," Dante said, sitting in the chair on the right. "I like the space," he said, continuing to look around the room. "It's different from how I thought it would look."
"That's a common thing I hear," he laughed. "It's a fairly new change. I figure since I spend enough time here, I might as well be comfortable."
"No, that makes sense," Dante agreed.
Cedric leaned back into his chair. "How did you enjoy your first visit to The Lush when it was open?"
"You've got an amazing place here. The atmosphere is perfection and the food is delicious!" he said without hesitation. "Definitely my new favorite restaurant."
"I'm glad to hear it! Anytime you want me to hold you a booth, just give me a heads up." Dante nodded as Cedric continued, "How did you enjoy our Dolly?"
"My god, she's incredible," he said with a soft smile. "I had no idea."
"She's always been a talent. I've missed hearing her sing. Hell, I've missed just having her around."
"She is definitely someone who gets a hold of you."
Cedric nodded, "Needless to say, I'm glad to have her home again." He quietly looked at Dante. "So," he paused. "What are your intentions with my girl?"
Dante smiled. "My intentions?" He was pretty sure the last time he had this conversation was in high school. He paused before responding, "We're only just moving forward from friends.I know I care for her deeply and I'll do anything for her. I don't know where we will end up, but I intend to be there for her and find out as long as she'll have me."
"She's been through a lot in her time. She doesn't open up or trust easily."
"I know. I'm willing to be patient and move at whatever speed she needs me to."
"She's also been hurt and lost a lot of people she's cared about."
"I know, and there's a lot I'll probably never know, but I will accept whatever she's willing to share with me. I'd never want to see her hurt in any way."
Cedric looked him in the eyes for a moment then nodded in approval. "Good. I knew you were a good man."
Dante reached for his pocket when his phone rang, "Excuse me." He held it up to Cedric to show Robyn calling, "You mind?"
Cedric shook his head and Dante left the office.
"Hey you," he answered walking back to the empty dining room.
"Hi," she replied. "What are you up to?"
"I'm at The Lush Lounge," he responded. "I just finished talking to Cedric."
"Cedric? Oh god, let me guess, he gave you the intention speech?" she groaned.
"How did you know?" he laughed.
She sighed, "He's been doing it since I started dating. I was kinda hoping you would be spared. I mean it's been forever, it's not like it should be second nature for him anymore, but I had a feeling it would happen after our dinner there."
Dante smiled, "He loves you and wants the best for you. He means well and I don't mind."
"You gonna be there for a bit? I'm less than a half an hour away. I'm thinking I could stop in for a hello."
"I will be here when you arrive," he promised before hanging up. While he technically needed to get back to the station, the paperwork wasn't going anywhere. He slowly walked over to the stage and stopped at the piano. He sat down, lifted the lid and ran his fingers over the keys. He thought back to the last night he was at the restaurant and started to play. It had been a long time since he played. He didn't have a tune in mind, so he just made it up as he went along. A few minutes later, a trio of musicians showed up for their rehearsal. Instead of stopping him, without speaking, they pulled out their instruments and joined in on his improv.
