Chapter 18: You’re Naked!

“Get up! Get up! Get up!,” the wild cat screeched as she tried to claw me to death. At least that was how my dream ended when I felt someone jumping on my bed.

“I’m awake!”

“Well, act like it!” she yelled excitedly. “Get up!”

I didn’t see the point in arguing. I was getting up whether I was ready or not. So I threw off the covers and stood.

“YOU’RE NAKED!” she screamed as her eyes traveled up and down my body.

“You said to get up,” I told her as I headed for the en suite bathroom.

“You didn’t tell me you were naked!” she said as she followed me to the bathroom door.

“Funny, I don’t remember you asking,” I replied. I just left the door open and climbed into the shower. The shower was a glass enclosure in the corner of the bathroom, large enough for two or three and even had a marble bench. But it offered no privacy from prying eyes. I just shrugged as I poured some body wash into my hand and began washing my hair. Then using the body wash again, I washed the rest of me and then rinsed off.

Stepping out of the shower, she was still there.

“You shouldn’t use body wash on your hair,” she critiqued.

“What would your daddy say if he knew you were critiquing my shower habits?”

At least she blushed at that one, but she didn’t close her eyes and she didn’t turn around. I just hung the towel back on the rack and stepped to the sink to shave and brush my teeth. She didn’t move a muscle or say a word. Finally, I turned and walked past her to the bedroom and began to get dressed.

“I’ve never seen a boy naked,” she offered conversationally.

“Before yesterday, had you ever kissed a boy?” I asked.

“Uh-huh,” she said shaking her head side-to-side.

“Well now you’ve done two new things with a boy,” I told her. “Want to know what comes next?”

“What?” she asked, almost eagerly.

“Babies!” I cried as I lunged for her.

She gracefully sidestepped me and ran for the hall, screeching.

I laughed as I finished dressing and followed her to the kitchen. Coffee! I need Coffee!

“You’re mean!” she said as she slapped at my arm. “You actually had me going there for a minute,” she chided me.

“For a minute?” I asked.

“Yeah. Until I remembered I’m on the pill,” she explained. “I can’t have babies!”

“Well, now that I’ve educated you, how about you educating me some more about this dance contest?”

Okay,” she replied and away she went. She kept talking until the maid came to announce they were here to fit us for our dancing outfits.

“You tired and hurting?” Cynthiana asked. We were the only ones at supper again. I would be missing everyone else if I wasn’t so tired.

“Yeah. Five hours was a little over-kill. Especially when she threw in the lifts. I never knew that ballroom had lifts.”

“It’s the Latin and Contemporary that have the lifts. Don’t you watch ’Dancing with the Stars’?”

I just looked at her and hung my head.

“How about another massage? I can call Bernadette,” she said.

“I’ll pass. I’ve already used up my quota of listening to young girls for the day.”

“It’s up to you.”

I was standing in the shower allowing the hot water to cascade over my sore, tired muscles and debating whether I hurt bad enough to listen to Bernadette again for an hour when she spoke.

“You don’t look so good,” Jeanne said.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Larry took me home, but daddy said I could stay here until the competition is over, so I packed a bag and Larry just brought me back,” she explained. I remembered something about Cynthiana inviting her to stay so I just closed my eyes and continued to let the water run. When I found myself wondering what size of water heater the rich people used, it was time to get out. I dried myself off and brushed my teeth and then walked into the bedroom.

There she was again, this time eating a sandwich on my bed.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I didn’t want to eat alone,” she said.

“And miss the show...” I added.

“It’s not a bad show,” she zinged back.

“It could be better,” I teased. “You could join me.”

“Will you put on some clothes?” she asked.

Well ... ah, sure,” I replied and reach for my boxers.

“Be right back!” she said as she zipped out of the room. Five minutes later she was back in a long t-shirt that came to just below her butt cheeks. Then she stopped and did a turn and a waltz pose. “How do I look?” she giggled.

“Last one in the bed has to turn out the light,” I said as I lifted the covers for her. The bedside light was still on so I could see the emotions on her face. Fear and joy all at the same time. I wished I had a picture of her face right that instant.

It was a queen sized bed and there was plenty of room for both of us. But Jeanne lay stiffly on her back, trying not to move or to touch me.

“You’ll never get to sleep if you’re that tense,” I told her. “C’mere.” And I lifted my arm so she could come closer. She eased over enough to be touching me, but just barely.

“Look, Jeanne. I will not do anything to you that you don’t ask me to do,” I told the girl. “Now scoot over here and put your head on my shoulder.”

She did and I let my arm down to where my fingers were loosely touching her arm. After a while, she began to relax and turned a little more towards me. Shortly she was running her fingers through the sparse hair of my chest.

“Alex. You promise you won’t do anything unless I ask you?” she asked.

“I told you I wouldn’t,” I said.

A few minutes later, she spoke again.

“Alex? Would you tell me a story?”

“Once upon a time there was a young girl that loved to dance...”

“Alex? Would you kiss me again? Like you did yesterday?”

Thursday and Friday passed much like every other day that week. Preparations for the ball Saturday night were in full swing. Isabella and Sofía were set to return sometime Friday night. The President and First Lady arrived in Paris on Thursday and the American First Lady spent time with the French First Lady touring various hospitals and other places of interest to visiting dignitaries. Reggie returned on Friday as well as Roland and Carina, but I didn’t have the chance to talk with Roland about what I had discovered about my increased muscle memory performance. And of course, Jeanne kept me busy rehearsing for the World Seniors dance competition in between sessions of trying on and having our costumes adjusted.