Seduction

It all began the night I discovered that my mother had been sleeping with the man I was in love with for months.

I’d spent a full week counting the hours. When I saw him come through the airport doors, I knew that night wouldn’t be like any other.

She arrived with her backpack on her shoulder and shut herself in the bathroom. When she came out, her smile already promised the whole night would throw my life into chaos.

The commander’s voice froze them both. They’d only been alone in the ship’s infirmary for a few minutes, and the time they had left was no longer enough for anything.

I crossed the dark hallway expecting to give him a hug and ended up pressed to the crack of his bedroom door, watching what two mature women had arranged.

The envelope arrived on a Tuesday night. Thick paper, my name written by hand, an offer that should never have tempted me as much as it did.

Lucía let go of the helm, leaned back against my chest, and I felt her hips moving, searching for what she could no longer hide under her swimsuit.

Before the doorbell rang, I knelt in front of him in the kitchen. I wanted to open the door with his taste still on my lips and greet them with a knowing smile.

I heard her moans through the wall on our first night. I couldn’t have known that the older couple would end up at my dinner table asking for much more.

I crossed my legs, undid three buttons, and held his gaze in the rearview mirror. There was half an hour left, and I already knew we weren’t going to the hotel straight.

The whole village closed its eyes. Rodrigo bored a pea-sized hole in the shutter and pressed his eye to it. He had to see her.

I’d been out of ideas for weeks, and one boring afternoon changed everything. His photo was honest: it was exactly what showed up at my door two hours later.

When he got off the plane and pulled me into his arms, I knew I wasn’t going to let anything — not even the calendar — stop us that night.

Thirteen kilometers on foot, thick socks, and closed sneakers. That night I was going to give him the gift I’d been preparing since I boarded the plane.

The message came the night before: “Tomorrow you’ll be my teacher. Bring a uniform.” I held the phone in my hand, unable to sleep.

I’d bought the toy weeks earlier and hidden it in my drawer out of fear. That night I decided it was time to stop waiting for someone else to do it.