“I’ve asked for one of the stools in the kitchen to be brought down. It’ll be fine in the shower, so when you’re ready, you won’t have to stand the whole time.”
He put his hands in his pockets and suddenly looked uncomfortable. “I can help, if you want. I know how to wash and condition hair.”
Emmy’s first instinct was to say no, that she could manage, but something in Spence’s expression stopped her. He wasn’t offering out of obligation. Hewantedto help.
“Yeah,” she said softly. “That would be really nice.”
“Okay,” he said, and he seemed relieved. “Let’s get you back into bed so you can rest a little before we get started. I’ll set everything up, and once the stool gets here, we can get started.”
Emmy watched more of Buffy while she waited, and twenty minutes later, Spence walked her into the bathroom wearing only shorts, and he took them off before he helped her out of her clothes.
It was so fitting for a submissive to bare himself before helping her, but she didn’t mention it. She wanted to, but couldn’t figure out how to say it without being awkward, so she merely said, “Thank you.”
But he merely said, “It’s all part of taking care of you, and I want to thank you for letting me into your life enough to help.”
He supported her back while she sat on the stool, and then placed the handheld shower unit in her hands before he turned the water on.
“I’ll set it to what I prefer,” he told her, “and you can let me know if you want it cooler or warmer.”
It was fine from the start, the perfect amount of warm without being too hot. Spence wet her hair before shampooing it, his strong hands massaging her scalp, working the lather through her hair with practiced efficiency. Emmy’s eyes drifted closed, her body relaxing under his skillful fingers, soothing her while they worked her scalp.
“You’re really good at this.” Emmy’s voice came out quieter than she’d intended, but werewolves have excellent hearing.
“I like taking care of people.” His fingers moved to her temples, applying gentle pressure that made Emmy sigh. “It’s not just what I do, it’s who I am. Now, as an adult, I’m happy to have been trained in all the ways to pleasure people, both sexual and nonsexual.”
“I’m sorry you were forced into it as a child, and I’m glad the ones who did it are dead.”
“Some are enslaved now. Not all are dead.”
“Even better. I’m happy for you, that you’ve found a life that fits your needs.”
Because for service submissives, the act of serving was everything — and by offering his service to her, he was offering part of himself.
“I honor your service. I’m not in a place to show you that yet, so I’ll have to just say it.”
“I like thatyetin there. You should know that Zander’s given me permission to service you in any non-sexual way Ifeel is appropriate for now, and he feels I’ll be given permission to service you sexually once you’re fully healed, should you wish for me to.”
“Permission? Not an order?”
“No, not an order. My only orders regarding you have to do with the nurse’s instructions, which are mainly about keeping you hydrated, what I can and can’t offer for food and drink, taking your temperature, and noting any changes to your heart rate or respiration.”
“Do you know what happened to my belly button ring?”
“Yes. We took it out when you were unconscious. The nurse said the silver content was fine when you were at one hundred percent, but with you so sick, any extra stressors were unacceptable.”
“Thank you, and I’m sorry you had to do that.”
He sighed. “I tried, but it burned my fingers pretty badly. Zander put gloves on and took it out. Burned him, too, but he pushed power into his hands and healed them, after. I suggested bringing Felix down to do it, but Zander can be kind of hardheaded, sometimes.”
Emmy felt genuinely bad that they’d hurt themselves taking care of her. Vampires and werewolves are some of the most sensitive, when it comes to silver.
Spence rinsed the shampoo away, then applied conditioner with the same methodical care, working it through her hair from root to tip. He let it sit while he soaped a washcloth and handed it to her.
“For your face and neck,” he explained. “And chest. And wherever else needs it.”
And then he went to his knees before her and washed one foot and calf up to her knee, then the other. He did the tops of both thighs, and finally moved around behind her and washed her back.
Emmy washed her boobs and stomach with the face cloth, and figured she’d do her groin once she stood.
