Chapter 20

Elliot snapped out of his thoughts. Charisse had her back to him, her shirt tucked neatly into her skirt, showing off a surprisingly slender waist. Because she'd just leaned over to run the bath, the skirt had ridden up a little—almost dangerously so. Elliot looked away and said, "Come here." Charisse took a deep breath, hands clenched into fists at her sides. She turned around stiffly, forcing a smile. "Is there something else you need?" For a second, Elliot actually found her more interesting like this—tense and putting up a front—way more than the fake smiles she probably gave everyone. He rested one arm on the edge of the tub and nodded toward the towel like it was obvious what he meant. The bathroom was full of steam, almost choking. Charisse felt suffocated. Fine, just do it, she told herself. He's some VIP of VIPs—maybe there'd be a tip in it if she played along. Mentally turning him into a walking bank card to make it more bearable, she grabbed the towel and started wiping down