“It will not cause you pain,” Timothy promised. “My saliva will deaden the injection site before I puncture your skin.”
Even scarier. I shivered, and he tossed a blanket over my body, then held me for a while until my fears eased.
Eventually, we showered (together) and preceded downstairs to eat a very late lunch. The cook had made a kind of Indian vegetarian stew. He told me what it was called, but all I cared about was that it was delicious, and I was famished. Apparently, lovemaking qualifies as exercise.
We had Naan, also, which was a flatbread. I could have consumed an entire meal of it because it was scrumptious. Bread enthusiast, here. The stew was great for ladling into the Naan. The stew contained chickpeas, sweet potatoes, peas, cauliflower, spinach, and zucchini in a sauce made with turmeric, tomatoes. and coconut milk. The chef, Ben Stevens, also, had sprinkled cashew nuts over the top. Since I raved over our meal, he explained so much about the recipe that Timothy finally cleared his throat meaningfully, which Chef Ben immediately noted.
“Why did you do that?” I fumed, after the poor guy scurried back to the kitchen. “I liked hearing about how Chef Ben fixed our lunch.
Timothy fidgeted, which was so unlike him that I almost forgot my irritation.
He sighed, then placed his hand on his forehead, shaking his head as he did so. “Sorry, Penelope. I guess you could say, one part jealousy, one part because he was wasting our togetherness time, and lastly, because I wanted to talk to you about our plans for the rest of the day. Do you want me to call Ben back to apologize?”
I relented, shook my head, and babbled, “But why is everyone afraid of you? I mean, you clear your throat, and people practically cower and run off like whipped dogs, tails between their legs.”
Timothy laughed. “No. It’s not like that, my love,” he said, shaking his head. “No one’s scared of me. Not in the way you mean. Nervous that I might terminate their employment, I suppose, although I would never do so for a non-reason. Especially not when the food is this excellent.
“Of course, if I thought someone endangered you, or if you requested that I give them notice for some reason, then I would do it in an instant. But, rest assured, Ben is not afraid of me.”