He took a swig of the amber liquid. Sarah got to her feet and went to the stove where the boiler was holding yet more water for the tub. Using a towel to protect her fingers from the hot cast iron, Sarah closed the vents to the stove, shutting off the air supply to the fire inside. It would be extinguished within minutes. “I think we’ve got enough hot water now,” she said matter-of-factly as she dipped a pan into the boiler, extracting a measure of clear, heated water. She walked back to the tub and knelt on the floor, setting the pan down beside her. There was an unusually serene expression in her emerald green eyes. “Now where’s that block of soap?” she asked. Before Derek could answer, she dipped both hands into the milky water and, not unintentionally, managed to find his penis and testicles before finding the soap. “Here it is,” she said with mock innocence as her hands came out of the water holding the soap. Derek, with his elbows on the sides of the tub, had a roguish half-smile on his lips.
