In the bath they soaked in bubbles that left their skin silky soft, the lights turned down low, sipping on their drinks as they talked about what they liked in bed, and what they didn’t. The bath was big enough for Penny to sit between Francesco’s legs, with her back to him, so that they could touch without looking at each other. It felt easier that way, rather than having to hold eye contact. Less pressurized. The talk came easier.

‘I like it when you kiss me slowly,’ Penny told him, her hand gently floating on the surface of the water.

‘I like it when you move your hips,’ Francesco said, his hand running up and down the top of her arm.

‘I like when you’re deep inside me,’ Penny said. ‘When you forget to be gentle and get …’ she started to laugh. ‘When you’re a bit animalistic.’

Francesco laughed too. ‘I don’t think I would have worded it that way, but that’s what I like too. When I can be that way, and so you can be that way. It makes me feel like …’ He didn’t finish his sentence.

‘You can tell me,’ Penny urged. ‘There isn’t a wrong thing you can say. That’s why we’re doing this, isn’t it? To be …’ Now it was her turn to not finish a sentence.

‘Yeah,’ said Francesco. ‘You’re right.’

‘So …?’

‘I think what I mean is, you know. I respect you, obviously.’

‘Obviously,’ Penny said.

‘And I’m not saying I want to, I don’t know, give you a golden shower or anything.’

‘No judgement,’ said Penny, straight-faced.

‘But I like it when it’s like … losing control. Really going hard. I don’t know. I don’t want it to sound like I’ve been watching crap porn and I want you with a gag in your mouth and tied up to a bondage table. I just mean …’

‘That you want to fuck me like a dirty little side piece?’

‘If I say yes, is that bad?’

Penny turned around so that water sloshed over the side of the bath and she could face him.

‘Francesco, that’s exactly what I want too. Go for it like you don’t care about being polite.’

She felt him press against her stomach.

‘Oh,’ she said, searching for him under the bubbles. ‘Is that a hint?’

They started slowly, the room lit by candles, music softly playing. Francesco talked her through the bag of toys he’d had delivered, and the practicality of it – explaining speed settings and the mechanics and the angles of each thing – was so at odds with them sitting across from each other, naked, that it was the foreplay before the foreplay. By the time they finally touched Penny was practically quivering with desire, and within minutes was panting Francesco’s name, climaxing and whimpering, ‘Oh. My. God.’