“Call me Milton. My father goes by Brown. You can’t miss it— it has the water drop above the door,” he called down the bar to her, as he was filling some mugs for the barmaid.
“Thank you,” Jenn called back.
“Let’s go,” Yukiko said. “We missed the bath last night and I could use one.”
The three of them went down the hall together. Dia came out of a room near the end of the hall, her hair still damp. Giving them an amused smile, she went past them. “Enjoy your bath.”
They were wondering what was so amusing until they reached the door with the water drop painted above it. There was a single room to undress in, with baskets for their clothing. It was not split like the one at the clan hall.
Gregory looked at the room with a rising trepidation while Yukiko nodded. She went to the sliding door on the far side of the room and looked inside. Jenn stood a handful of feet from Gregory, coming to understand what the bath meant.
“We’re the only ones here,” Yukiko said. “It’s a mixed-gender bath, as there’s only a single heated pool inside and five spots to rinse beforehand.”
“Uh...” Gregory murmured, his face starting to heat, “is that normal?”
“For some inns, it is,” Yukiko said as she undressed. “This or less will likely be the standard when we have troops under our command. This will be good to get you used to mixed bathing.”
Jenn’s cheeks were as red as Gregory’s, but she started to undress, as well. “It’ll be fine. We’re all adults, and it would happen eventually.”
Feeling like the one causing problems, Gregory took a deep breath and reached for his obi. He kept his eyes off the women, hoping that it would be less awkward than he feared it was going to be.
Chapter Seven
Yukiko was the first one naked. “Jenn, if you get my back when you come in, I’ll get yours.”
“Yes,” Jenn nodded as she finished stripping. “Be right there.”
“Greg?” Yukiko called out softly.
He looked toward her out of reflex. “Yes?” His mouth went dry when he saw her, her pale skin looking as silken as he knew it felt.
“It’s okay. She’s fine with being seen by you, and I’m fine with her seeing you. Please, dear one, try to accept this?”
Gregory’s face burned hotter and he exhaled raggedly. “I’m trying, Yuki... I really am. It’s just moving a little faster than I thought it would.”
Jenn went to stand beside Yukiko, but she wasn’t looking his way. “It’s not like I thought it would be either, but I’m not unhappy about it.”
The contrast between Jenn and Yukiko side by side was obvious, even with Jenn turned sideways, one arm covering her breasts. Jenn was more muscled and defined than Yukiko, but not overly so, and her skin was a darker shade. The difference in height was also noticeable, as Jenn was half a head shorter than Yukiko.
“Um... okay.” Gregory’s face was burning. He knew his state of arousal was obvious. Even with the kimono still mostly in place, both of their eyes dipped below his waist. “I’ll be right in,” he told them, pulling his gaze from their bodies.
“We’ll be waiting,” Yukiko said as she took Jenn’s hand and led the other woman into the bathing chamber, shutting the door behind them.
Gregory let out a shuddering breath as he tried to calm down. It’s okay, it’s fine... They’re both fine with it, so everything is okay. The image of them standing by the door was still fresh in his mind, and he tried to think of anything else. Need to calm down... Brow furrowing, he wondered at that. Why? I’m going to end up in the same state as soon as I go in there. If anything, the more I act like this, the worse it’s going to be for all three of us. It’s not like I’m going to do anything wrong. We’re just bathing. Seeing them is natural, and they know that, too. Just need to not stare at Jenn... glances are okay, but no staring. She’s so different from Yuki… Gregory sighed to himself— he knew this was moving them closer to what Jenn wanted and what Yukiko had proposed. Another long, deep, slow breath helped him calm his emotions some. With a nod, he resumed undressing.
Soft laughter reached him the moment he opened the door to the bathing room. Jenn was behind Yukiko, soaping her back. “I was sure my face was going to burst into flames,” Jenn was telling her.
“Gregory’s was just as ready to combust too,” Yukiko giggled. “Wasn’t it, dearest?” she asked, her sharp ears having heard the door slide open.
“Yeah,” Gregory admitted, going over to sit beside Yukiko. “That was difficult.”
“Which I found amusing because of my father’s guards,” Yukiko said. “I think it was Jento who said, ‘Only enough blood to run a single head at a time.’ Oh, Lin thrashed him when he realized I overheard that. You proved that wrong a moment ago.”
Gregory’s face went crimson again and he laughed awkwardly. “He wasn’t wrong. Not entirely, anyway. Men do have a hard time thinking when they get excited.”
“You’re all done, Yuki,” Jenn said.
“Thank you, Jenn. Do you want to get Greg’s back?”
“I don’t want to make this harder for him than it already is,” Jenn said.
Gregory exhaled, glad he was facing away from her. “It’ll be fine, Jenn. If you want to, that is.”
“Really?” Jenn asked, the hope in her voice clear.
“It’s just washing my back. It’s fine,” Gregory said.
“And I can get hers at the same time,” Yukiko said, getting back up after having rinsed off. “Efficiency is good.”
Jenn’s hands touched his back gently and hesitantly,
