She's amazed by the true size of the apartment and its elegance. She's been here before, of course, but she's never ventured beyond the living room or the kitchen. Since she was a little child growing up in an extremely humble working-class neighbourhood in Manchester, she's dreamed of living in a place such as this one. She likes it even more than the eldest Dr. Crane's condo. The classic style of the Montana suits her a lot more. She's not much for the eclecticism Frasier favours, instead finding Niles's tastes for decoration more according to her own.
She hasn't been able to resist taking a quick look at the rooms she's passed by, ending in the master bedroom, pristine but cozy, and the en-suite is almost as big as her whole bedroom (her own en-suite included) in Frasier's home. The bathtub is large enough to accomodate at least three people comfortably. She opens the wardrobe he mentioned, crafted from hardwood, and picks a towel from a neat pile. It's as soft as he assured, and spotlessly clean. There are also silk robes on another shelf of the wardrobe.
As she undresses, steps into the bathtub and takes the craved cool shower, she can't help but imagine Dr. Crane naked under the stream of water. Despite him being far from a sports person save for his weekly squash matches with his brother, he has a lean and slender figure. Along the years, she's had glimpses of his chest hair whenever he's worn shirts with the top buttons loose or polo shirts, and she finds it very masculine. Niles is not manly in the conventional sense of the word. He doesn't exude physical strength, he doesn't have an imposing figure or iron muscles, and he's a freak of tidiness and cleanliness where many other men are sloppy and messy. But he's a true gentleman, he knows how to make a woman feel like a queen with his attentions and care (well, his wife has been seemingly immune to his attentiveness, but then Daphne, judging by the glimpses she's had of her added to everything she's heard regarding her personality, surmises that she's a woman nearly impossible to please) and the most important thing of all is that, under his prudish appearance, Daphne senses the passionate nature of a hot-blooded male. Deep waters run wild, as the saying goes, and she knows intuitively that his deep waters run very wild below the surface. And she likes that fact very, very much. Come to think of it, she's never met men who have matched her own passionate essence, men who have thoroughly satisfied her emotionally and sexually, and she's as curious as terrified by her wayward thoughts regarding the tenant of the luxurious apartment she's in right this moment.
Has she gone completely mad? He's her employer's brother, the whole situation is complicated enough without making it even more complicated by involving herself with Niles beyond their current friendship... But then, both him and her are lonely and in need of touch, of feeling someone else intimately, and why shouldn't they find comfort in each other when they're available? Well, he's still married, technically, and her personal code has always advised her against involvements with married men, but after many months have passed since his separation and quite a few since he started to genuinely show signs that he's moved on from his wife, Daphne isn't so sure anymore about her own code with regard to Niles. What if she misses the chance of something great with him because of fear and an excess of caution? What if, due to her indecision, he eventually finds someone else whom he'll stare at the same way he stares at her now, whom he'll shower with his gallantry and attentions?
She's always dreamed of a romantic hero devoting himself to her, making her feel like a queen. What if Niles Crane is her romantic hero in the shadows?
Well, either way, whatever happens today, she's determined to go with the flow. She wants him, and she's sure that he wants her back.
She smiles as she finishes the shower, reaching for the towel and shooting a naughty glance at the silk robes on the other shelf of the wardrobe.
She has an idea.