The Sauna

In the background soft, pulsating music was playing and rising in the semi-darkness was the soulful voice of a woman singing, “Ima tell ya how much I want ya, how much I need ya, how much I love ya…” Reyan had booked a private sauna for them. She had never been to one of these before but everyone she spoke to swore by them.

Her colleague, Roberta gushed, “Saunas are amazing. I go to one every chance I get. It’s sheer bliss and a much needed escape from the frantic pace of life. Imagine hours of no stress, no distractions. Go for it, Girl.” 

She went into the sauna now where he was. He was sitting there wearing a very thin towel. Her eyes ran over his broad shoulders and bare thighs. He had his left foot drawn up with his hands clasping it. He’s gorgeous. Under her towel, her body was doing crazy things, especially when she saw the way he was looking at her.

“Your hair looks different,” he remarked.

“This is my natural hair. I straighten it sometimes, though.”

“I like it this way. It suits you.”

“Thank you. It’s-it’s hot in here.”

“Yes, it is.” And it didn’t have anything to do with the heat. Underneath the towel, he was rock hard. He was sorely tempted to get up and walk over there, remove her towel first, then his and…

Swallowing hard, he averted his eyes. He wasn’t a cheater and neither was she. They had agreed to see each other, provided nothing happened between them as long as they were in relationships with other people. It was tough, though. He wanted her so badly.

Last night, when they were having dinner, it had been hard for him not to stare at her or wish that he could take her back to his place for a nightcap. In spite of that, dinner had been very pleasant. They learned a lot about each other. Her family migrated from Kingston, Jamaica before she was born. They lived in Bristol then, she moved to London after graduating from the University of Bristol.

Then, she applied and got a teaching position at the high-school where she had been teaching for twelve years. Her younger sister was living and studying in Glasgow. Her brother, the eldest of the three, was married and living in Manchester. They kept in touch with each other through Facebook, phone and email.

She hadn’t been dating much and then, she met Don at her cousin’s wedding. Neither of them took a date and they hit it off, spending most of the evening together. He asked her on a date and she accepted. They had been dating for three years now. No talk of marriage, though.

He told her that his family was from Mumbai. His father was a successful businessman and his mother was a member of parliament. He had an older brother who recently got married and was still living in Bangalore. His sister who was younger was still living at home with their parents. He was dating Mandira, a freelance journalist. They met when she did a feature story on him which appeared in the Daily Telegraph. After the interview, he asked her to have lunch with him.

They talked about other things and then, it was time to take her home. He escorted her right to her front door where they reluctantly said goodnight after he promised to call her in the morning. He did and that was when he asked her to join him in the sauna for a relaxing afternoon. Without any hesitation, she accepted his invitation. And now, here she was, wondering if she was out of her mind.

She went and sat on the bench adjacent to his. She took advantage of the fact that he wasn’t looking at her and she feasted her eyes on him. She watched as the sun bathed his body. His body. She wondered what it would be like to run her hands over his chest, feel the bulging muscles on his arms or caress his thighs or to kiss those sexy lips…

Stop it, she chided herself. Stop ogling the man. He has a girlfriend and you have a boyfriend. She rested her head against the wall behind her and closed her eyes. She tried to ignore her pounding heart, racing pulse and the sensations running through her body. In the background, the music continued playing.

He watched her. They were alone. No one would see them if they ended up making love right there in the sauna. All he had to do was to get up and walk over there. He knew that she wouldn’t resist him. He knew that she wanted him too. He had seen it on her face when she walked into the sauna. It would be so easy and no one would know except the two of them…

No, he told himself. I can’t do it. It wouldn’t be right.

When they left the sauna, he would take her for lunch and after they parted company, he would stop seeing her.

Posted for December 2020 Writing Prompts – #30 – Ima tell ya

Source: Thermae;