Adapt Read Free Page B

single word provided him with the illusion of connection. She would lock up his body with her own in a way that made him feel safe yet paradoxically vulnerable.
That time went too quick
, he thought as the professional couple lay together staring at the ceiling.
    “Thank you,” he said.
    Susana raised her head off of the pillow and looked at him in a befuddled haze, bemused as if she had never heard the simple words spoken. Daniel could see her in his periphery and glanced over. She shared with him a gentle smile and tentatively squeezed his hand.
    “You’re welcome.” They continued to stare at the ceiling until Susana broke the silence. “So.”
    “So,” Daniel imitated.
    “Why do you see working girls? You’re a young, strong man. You should have a girlfriend.”
    “Why do I see working girls? Hmm. Why did you become one?”
    “I asked you first. Answer my questions and I might answer yours.”
    “I split up with my girlfriend three years ago,” said Daniel. “I spent the following year single.”
    “You were having one night stands,” she implied.
    I should probably lie and say yes.
“No, I was celibate.”
    “Celibate?” she queried.
    “Yes, living like a Buddhist monk but without the relativism. Lacking the spiritual enlightenment that equips a monk with the super power to quash desire.”
    “So being a Buddhist monk is not for you, then?”
    “No, I can’t keep my foot above my head long enough anyway,” he replied.
    She squinted but humoured him with a smile all the same.
    “And then I discovered this fantasy world about two years ago,” he said.
    She hit his arm. “Two years and you have only been seeing me a few months.”
    “I didn’t know about you before that. Since our first encounter I have only been coming to you.”
    “Good,” she said.
    “I had no idea there was someone so wonderful in this secretive world,” he said whilst giving her an implicative look.
    “We try our best.”
    “Your best equates to mind blowing,” he said.
    She rolled on top of him, her forearm using his chest for support. Her hair glided across his face leaving behind the fruity smell of her conditioner. “I blow your mind do I, honey?”
    Her tongue was in his mouth before he could answer.
Yes
, he thought.
If only you knew
. Susana pulled away from the kiss. Still using her arm pressed against his pectoral, she would gently tug his chest hair with the tips of her fingers. Her blonde hair eloquently draped down each side of her face as she gazed at her admirer beneath. To see her eyes more clearly Daniel eased her smooth hair behind her ear. His hand glided over her lobe, barely touching her skin. The back of his fingers caressed her cheek. She tilted her head into his touch and playfully bit his middle finger. She smiled with his finger still clasped by her teeth. She bit harder, and harder still. Daniel felt the bite, sharp and strong but endured and enjoyed every second. Susana released her captive, her teeth’s impression remaining as he moved his hand down to her waist. She imitated his gesture, showing him how it felt to have his face caressed by the woman he yearned for. His eyes closed, his mind too elated to process the bliss of the moment.
    Susana flopped onto her back with a sigh. He noticed she was smiling with her pearl white teeth clamping her bottom lip.
Her smile alone is worth paying for
, he thought as his eyes focused on her full lips, the sweet taste of her red lipstick still in his mouth.
    “I did stop for a few months,” he said.
    “And what enticed you back?”
    “The day I saw your profile.”
    “So sweet,” she said.
    “I suppose it is part of the human condition. We all crave affection and intimacy, and we are driven to seek it in unorthodox ways if it can’t be met in our daily lives.”
    She didn’t reply, but stared at him. He got the sense that his choice of words had resonated with her. He looked deeper into her eyes beyond the shield of mascara she wore. He