Lotus Blossom by Hayton Monteith

Lotus said and looked up at him, thinking how handsome he looked with the sun flashing silver in his ash blond hair.
    “But I was thinking about you, China Doll.” There was silken menace in his voice. Lotus pulled back from him and stared up into his face. “Why do I feel threatened?”
    Animosity toward her melted away. He stared down at the brave look of her, her chin in the air, her small hands curling into fists. “I was angry, that’s true. I sense that you’re not being open with me. I hate that, but I’m not going to let it stand in the way of our beautiful day. Sorry. Truce?” “Truce.” Lotus breathed a sigh of relief. She had today and she would use it to get to know him, to build memories with him, that she could pull out of her mind and scan when she was unhappy.
    Lotus was stunned when she saw his house. It very modern, with simple decor. All the wood was cedar and pine. There were no painted walls, not even in the bathroom, as she discovered. The ceilings were high and vaulted and the open side of the house looked out over the valley with floor-to ceiling glass, yet there was privacy, since all the land as far as could be seen belonged to Dash.
    “It’s lovely, so wild . . . and free . . . Lotus whispered, feeling him come up behind her as she looked out the window wall of the living room into the spectacular valley.
    “ Come and see the kitchen, so you’ll trust me when I tell you that I can cook.”
    “How many women have you cooked for here?” The minute the question was out of her mouth, Lotus regretted it. “Sorry, don’t answer that. It’s none of my business.”
    “No, it isn’t, but I will tell you that I mostly entertain other women at my apartment above the casino and that I don’t cook for them.” Dash leaned down and kissed her neck. “Come and see the kitchen.”
    Lotus could feel her entire body blush as she imagined the things he did other than cooking in his apartment.
    The kitchen gleamed with chrome and steel. There were three ovens and a microwave, and built-ins everywhere. It was when Dash led her to the well-stocked pantry that she gasped. Every herb and condiment that could be thought of was there. Dried peppers and herbs hung in bunches from the ceiling along with pots and pans. There were more pots and pans that hung above the work island in the middle of the kitchen.
    “I like it. I’ll help.”
    “That’s the idea. Would you like to wash up? My bedroom suite is through there. Use that.” Lotus’s gaze slipped across his face and away. “I can use the guest room.”
    “I know. I would like you to see mine, and I know you would be more comfortable seeing it alone rather than with me.”
    Lotus nodded, relieved that he had made it bordering the sunken living room and dining room to the hall leading to his bedroom suite.
    His room was in earth tones, it was as though the desert continued right into the room. The vivid orange and greens of the throw pillows were a welcome foil for the browns, tans, and beiges of the rest of the area. She looked at the sitting room with its floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with volumes of prose and poetry, and some on ethics, economics, and engineering.
    Lotus used the very masculine bathroom all in beige, with turquoise and blue azulejos on the floor and walls and delighted in the feel of the fluffy towels after the thin ones she had been using at her rooming house. She ran a covetous eye over the hot tub and wished she could use it; instead, she washed her hands, and then wandered back into the main part of the house.
    She found Dash in the kitchen, an open cookbook in front of him “What shall I do?” She felt shy suddenly.
    “Tear the spinach for the salad. We’re going to have hot spinach salad. It’s very good.”
    Lotus swallowed as her mouth began to water. She hadn’t had much to eat because she had been in a hurry and concerned about returning the file to Dash’s office.
    The bell on the stove rang and Dash