Tina gave Bette one final rub and said, “Bette, you look exhausted. Would you like me to draw you a bath so you can relax and let go of your worries?”

“A bath?” Bette asked, immediately thinking about one scene from ‘Nikki and Nora’ that she watched before dinner. She smiled shyly at Tina, “A bath would be nice. Can you make bubbles?”

Tina laughed softly, “Yes, Bette, I can make bubbles. Just wait here and I’ll take care of everything.”

Tina prepared the bubble bath, put some scented candles around the bathroom and brought Bette a glass of wine to help her relax. She went to the bedroom and put an ‘Enigma’ CD on, something that always helped her to reduce tension.

She called Bette into the bedroom and said, “You can undress here and get into the tub. I’ll be in the living room so call me if you need me, okay?”

Bette checked inside the bathroom and saw all the nice things that Tina prepared for her. Her heart swelled with tenderness and affection for Tina. She turned to face Tina, “How about if I change in the bathroom and then you come in and stay with me? I don’t want to be alone right now.”

All Tina could say was, “Okay.”

She waited until Bette was safely under the bubbles and then came inside. She sat down on the edge of the bath tub and began caressing Bette’s curls. Bette closed her eyes in pure delight and suddenly saw an image of the bath scene from the movie again. She couldn’t explain why but for some reason she urgently needed to feel Tina’s body against hers.                                           

Bette looked at Tina, “I watched that pilot movie, and one girl was taking a bath and another was washing her and I just thought that…” Bette stopped unsure of how to express her wishes.

“You want me to wash your back?” Tina asked hopefully, already imagining her hands all over Bette Porter’s amazing back, flawless shoulders, touching her skin, lingering on her neck.

Bette thought for a second and then said boldly, “If you don’t mind, I would like you to join me. I think you need to relax, as well.”