Red Phoenix

the doorknob. ‘I may put a hole in one of the new pairs that Leo bought me, just to annoy you.’
    Two smiling demon servants waited for us inside with a portable rack of clothing. We immediately sent them out.
    ‘Most of this is designer gear,’ I said as we flipped through the rack. I handed him a plain black cotton shirt, and he swapped it for a black cheongsam embroidered with silver good-luck bats. ‘He hates us.’
    ‘He loves us.’ He took the plain black slacks from me and pulled his swim shorts off. ‘Thanks.’ He reached around the rack, grabbed me and pulled me in for a lingering kiss. ‘Let’s do it Japanese-style.’
    ‘I hope you mean have a bath Japanese-style.’ I released myself and pulled my swimsuit off. We wentinto the bathroom together. ‘Can you fill the bath quickly?’
    ‘Right now I can only work with water once it’s there. When I’m not drained I can make it rain in a focused area, but it’s too hard right now.’ He threw our swimsuits into the linen basket and they disappeared. ‘We’ll have to fill the bath normally.’
    ‘Damn. That bath’s enormous. It’ll take a while to fill up. Having it Japanese-style is a good idea.’
    ‘Not washing here.’ He started the water into the bath. ‘This bathroom isn’t set up for it. Have a shower first.’
    He pulled me into the shower. ‘I should have shown you this in the pool, but I fell asleep. Hold your head under the water and breathe it.’
    I tried it. He was right. I could breathe the water. It was a most remarkable feeling.
    Then he washed me and that was an even better feeling. He took his time, soaping me all over. He pressed himself against me as he did it, then pushed me forward out of the water to wash my hair.
    I rinsed my hair, then turned, put my hands behind his neck and pulled his face down to mine. We stayed under the water together for a while. I breathed the water as I kissed him; the water was sweet in our mouths and flowed deliciously between us.
    I pulled away. ‘Let me wash you. Turn around.’
    His long hair took a great deal of shampoo. When wet it went down to the tops of his thighs. I lingered, enjoying the sensation of his silken hair running through my fingers. I pushed him to sit in the shower and massaged his scalp. He leaned back into me and closed his eyes.
    I bent to speak into his ear. ‘Remind me to give you a massage later. All over.’
    ‘You are absolutely on,’ he said, his voice a low rumble.
    I squeezed the water out of his hair and pulled him up. ‘The desert’s making your hair very dry. It needs a treatment.’
    ‘It’s because I’m so drained. After Paris it will be okay again.’
    I brushed the grey at his temples. ‘I like this though. It makes you look distinguished.’
    He smiled over his shoulder at me, then his head shot up and his face went blank. He quickly jumped out of the shower.
    The bath had overflowed.
    He turned the water off, then moved the excess from the bath to the shower in a floating shiny blob. He dried the floor at the same time, then reached into the shower and gently guided me into the bath.
    We stepped in together. We watched each other as we sank into the steaming, crystal-clear water. It was Japanese-style, breathtakingly hot.
    His face remained expressionless as he dropped his head into the water and his long hair floated around him. He reached to me and took my hand, then tugged it gently.
    I dipped my head under the water as well. I took a deep breath, trusting him completely. I could still breathe the water. He pulled me into him so we touched all over, breathing the water together.
    Our mouths met and we floated together. The water was sweet and pure and hot.
    We stayed under for a very long time.
    He sat with his arms draped over the side of the bath and I lay on top of him with my arms folded across his chest. The water was beginning to cool but neither of us was eager to move.
    ‘Your eyes haven’t gone black since,’ I said with a touch of disappointment.
    His chest moved under me as he laughed softly. ‘You are so different.’ ‘Different?’
    He didn’t say anything, he just smiled down at me. I heard what he’d said and pulled myself up so that my eyes were level with his.
    ‘What did Michelle do the first time? I hope she wasn’t too frightened.’
    He still smiled, but I could see he was hesitant about what to say.
    ‘It’s okay, I understand,’ I said. ‘I’m just interested. It must have been terrifying