Squeaky Clean

[#1]

I actually didn't need to read the scene from Under Fire, because, well, I've read it a few times in my copy of the book, it just sort of falls open to that page. Should I blush? Nah.

Water's always been connected with sex. Especially on the screen, how about From Here to Eternity, you can imagine the couples emotions crashing over them with each wave. Lapping, crashing, swirling -- and that's just the ocean.

Now the shower scenes, I lurve those, one reason is easy clean-up, especailly for the guy flying solo, nothing to pull us out of the scene, such as, 'what's he gonna do with all that?'

[#2]

picture this, standing under the spray of a waterfall with your favorite Highlander Laird while his long hair is blowing in the mist and of course he's unadorned and the kilt is waiting on the beach for the after shower activities, and he's massaging softly scented soap into your body and hair while he whispers what he's going to do to you when he's finished. (blushing here) I don't remember which novel it was as I read like a maniac but dream about that all the time and my husband's not really the making whoopie in the spray of a waterfall I guess I'm outa luck.

The effect of love making in the shower, tub, hot tub lake, ocean etc has always been an erogenous zone for me as a reader, but I've never really taken the time to ask why. It effects me more in the historical romance novels then in the contemporary but as to why, who knows. It just turns me on! 

[#3]

LOL, dhaupt and amy, as my 12-year-old son sits next to me, obliviously crunching away at his breakfast.  I do love this work at home thing. 

See? Both of you mention the cleanliness factor, which is important to readers; we're able to suspend disbelief up to a point.  Like, what about all that sand in "From Here to Eternity?"  Much easier to pretend that plaid will do the trick after dhaupt's fantasy waterfall misting. I'm guessing there's brogue and lavender involved.

[#4]

I was drawn here by the steam coming out of my computer - now I see why! I'm glad you mentioned a slew of my favorite authors -- I love Vicki Lewis Thompson's hot nerds, but I also love her hex series, which is weird and wonderful.

Kresley Cole's books are always on my must-read list, and I've read Jo Davis' books, too. And, I just have to gush a little about Monica McCarty. She and Veronica Wolff were among the first authors I met at National, and they were unbelievably nice. Of course, once I introduced my roommate, Rosie, to her, things got a little down and dirty as they struggled over the prone body of Gerard Butler (virtually, anyway).

Thanks for a great post to kick off my morning! 

[#5]

Ooh, yeah, I love those guy in a shower solo scenes, and agree about the aesthetic issues mentioned by Amy. It avoids a lot of ickiness! LOL

I'm stickler for cleanliness and scrupulous hygiene for my characters, as a writer, so I prefer later historicals and contemporaries for that reason, so I can include pretty thorough - and sexy - ablutions in my stories. 

But as a reader, I can usually suspend disbelief enough to enjoy the story without wondering about hygiene issues too much, especially if it's a cracking read that sweeps me along and doesn't give me time to ponder about whether the characters whiff a bit, or what their teeth are like! 

[#6]

Yeah, Portia, I don't get too hung up on the "but they had such poor dental hygiene in those days," stuff.  In reverse, i do get kinda bummed if authors feel pressed to to prove how characters maintained good dental health because they fear being brutalized by picayune folks online. I'm not convinced the average reader cares all that much. She's just, like, 'it's fiction, so I believe you when you say his teeth were as snowy white as the linen shirt he tossed over the rock before he plunged into the loch to perform certain ablutions to rid himself of his unrequited love/lust for the bonnie lassie of his dreams.'

[#7]

I clutch my suspension of disbelief to my imagined breasts. I try never to think about teeth not being clean or white or complete. Portia, your post got me thinking about the term 'ablution' I always think of having ones sins washed away, no matter what the context.

Must be all those years in Catholic school.

[#8]

And dhaupt, thanks for the imagery...

[#9]

You're welcome ;-)

[#10]

I love showers because they're CLEAN. It washes away all the ick factor. LOL That and with soap, you can get EVERYTHING slick!! ROFL

[#11]

Monica! I'm shawked!

Not really.

 But I think Monicabrings up a good point, the fact that when you're in the shower, you put your hands on yourself, where and when else do you stroke yourself like that -- maybe with moisturizer (another column perhaps?) but really, we don't walk around stroking ourselves. So that amps up the sensuality of water.

[#12]

Monica, I'm shawked!

Not really.

But, Monica brings up a good point, where and when else does a person stroke themselves the way they do in a shower, we are never that loving to ourselves in the dry world.

[#13]

Well, I think what you're saying is -- and I'm so totally being serious here -- is that humans don't always get enough 'human touch'.  I've long had this theory that the reason we spill so much dish to our hair stylists is that they touch us.  So many people -- even those in relationships -- go w/out regular hand-on-skin contact.  In historicals, often it's shocking when a heroine realizes she's not been hugged since childhood. As kids grow up, parents often lament the loss of those hugs,etc. 

So human touch is a commodity. Why shouldn't recieving it become fantasy?

[#14]

That kiss on the beach in "From Here to Eternity" is sooo wonderfully sensual, even though I KNOW that the sand gets into your bathing suit, the salt water makes your hair stand on end, the 75 SPF sunscreen makes your skin sticky.  Don't bother me with reality!

Michelle, I wonder if you're on to something, equating bathing with our desire for human touch.  The bath is an easy place to justify laying hands on another, intimately, lovingly.  Think of all those medieval heroines telling themselves they just HAVE to sluice water over those broad shoulders; it's their duty after all

[#15]

Just read Loretta Chase's Your Scandalous Ways -- nice bathtub scene in that one. It takes place in Venice and there's a lot of water involved!

[#16]

Great point, Jessa! Your pov sure adds a pleasant layer to the whole "medieval guest-host obligation."

[#17]

Michelle and Jesse, such a good point -- I heard somewhere that a child should have 10-16 hugs a day. I'd like a few of those...But I also meant that sometimes when we don't get that other person touching us, it's nice to be kind to ourselves.

When my stylist starts massaging my head during the shampoo -- swear, if I were Hilary, I'd be spillin' all the secrets.