Sellevision - Augusten Burroughs [68]
“G
ee, Nikki, you don’t have to do that, I can do it myself later on,” John told the girl.
She set the yellow plastic laundry basket onto the table beside the washing machine. “Really, Mr. Smythe, it’s no problem at all. I want to help,” she said as she placed a load of whites in the machine.
He leaned against the dryer, noticing the care that she took while placing the garments into the Kenmore. Unlike Peggy Jean, who wore Playtex gloves when she did the laundry, always complaining about pee stains.
“Are these yours?” she asked coyly, taking a pair of John’s Calvin Klein boxer briefs in her hands, dangling them in front of her by the waistband.
“How embarrassing,” he said, turning slightly red in the face.
She let them fall into the washing machine and smiled, closing the lid and pressing the start button. “Oops,” she said. “I forgot the soap.”
He pointed to a family-size jug of Tide on the floor next to the machine.
She slowly bent over and picked it up. He could see no pantyline beneath her tight jeans. And this could only mean one thing.
Upstairs in the kitchen, the two sat at the table, each with a Diet Pepsi. “So when you dropped Peggy Jean off this morning, did they say how long she’ll have to stay?” she asked.
God, the girl had beautiful lips; full and perfectly shaped. “Uh, the doctor said she’d be there at least thirty days,” he told her, wondering what flavor her lip-gloss was. Peach? Maybe strawberry?
“That’s such a long time. And this is such a big house. Please don’t be afraid to ask me for help, whenever you need it.” Nikki looked into his eyes. “Your eyes are a beautiful brown,” she told him.
He blinked. “Peggy Jean keeps telling me to get blue contacts. She thinks they’d go better with my hair color.”
Nikki tilted her head slightly down, allowing a few stands of her long hair to fall against her cheeks. “Well, she’s wrong.” Nikki rose from the table and rinsed her glass in the sink before placing it in the dishwasher.
John trembled slightly, as if from a chill.
Then she walked behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. “You’re so tense. Your shoulders are like rocks,” she said as she began to massage. “My father stores all his tension in his shoulders, too,” she said kneading his muscles between her fingers with expert skill.
He moaned softly, and she applied more pressure.
“This must be so hard for your sons. What have you told them? Are they okay?”
He sighed. “Oh, they’ll be fine. They’re good kids. God, you’re good at this.”
She began softly pounding on either side of his spine with her fists. “See? Already you’re relaxing.” Then she ran her hands gently across his back; over his shoulder blades, across his deltoids and down to his lower back just above his buttocks. “You have such a strong back. You must go to a gym,” she said in a soft, breathy voice.
“I try to keep in shape,” he said, his mouth suddenly very dry.
“My father never does anything to stay in shape,” she said. Then Nikki leaned her face next to his ear, placing her lips so close he could almost feel them. “You know,” she whispered, “this would be a lot easier if you were lying down.”
I
mmediately after making love, Eliot announced, “I’m hungry.” Bebe laughed. “My God, the male of the species is so primal and need-driven.”
He gave her his hurt puppy look. “What?”
She lay back on the bed in mock despair. “You mean you’d rather eat cold pizza than bask in the afterglow of love with moi?”
Eliot had forgotten about the pizza that was in the refrigerator from the night before. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and leapt from the bed.
Bebe smiled and looked at the clock on the nightstand: 4:30 P.M. She’d have to be at work in an hour and a half to prepare for her Sunday night Dazzling Diamonelle show. She lay back and watched the shadow of a tree outside the window play against the ceiling. What funny thing had she and Eliot done that she could talk about tonight? Of course she would absolutely love to talk about the burly judge who brought plussize Victoria’s Secret nighties into Eliot