Strangers

What started as a paid massage in a small-town hotel turned into something my friend and I swore we’d never tell a soul.

I’d put on the shortest skirt I owned, and when that college student rested his hand on my thigh, I knew the journey would be far longer than the ticket said.

A guy rummaging through a dumpster whistled at me in the street, and when he told me why, I wanted to disappear. What I never imagined was how I’d end up thanking him.

He had never seen a naked woman until that afternoon by the waterfall. What he did not know was that desire would carry him to the end of the world.

I met him among paintings that seemed to whisper, and two hours later I was against the door of his apartment, wondering how I’d come this far without saying a word.

I looked toward the window opposite and understood that night, among parked trucks, nobody was going to draw the curtains.

I arrived alone at a freshly moved-into floor, wearing tight leggings and a thin sweater. The mover looked at me differently when he closed the door, and I knew I wouldn’t be leaving unsatisfied.

She boarded the carriage after midnight, sat across from me, and began telling me things no stranger should ever confess in the dark.

I took an empty shot glass with me when I left the dance floor. I didn’t even understand why, until we were alone in his car and I knew exactly what I was going to do with it.

I went into that hotel just to dry off. I left hours later with shaky legs and a secret I’ve been carrying ever since.

I wrote to half a dozen girls asking for the same thing. Only one replied, and that afternoon, in a shopping center bathroom, I discovered something I didn’t expect.

By day she had an ordinary name and practical steps. By night, under red lights, she chose a stranger and never missed.

That morning I only wanted a quiet shower. I had no idea someone would come in behind me, or that on the other side of the door there was a witness who wasn’t going anywhere.

I never thought I’d be capable of something like this, but the bank ultimatum was on the table and I could only think of one way out neither of us would ever forget.

She closed the door without locking it and stood looking at him, not yet knowing that this man was about to disprove everything she believed about casual sex.

I never saw her face. Only her brown back breathing hard while my hands went lower than a massage therapist should ever dare.

I’d been divorced for three weeks and thought I no longer knew how to want. That first night at sea, a stranger leaning on the bar proved me wrong.

The show was over, the drums had gone quiet, but the fire carnival had lit between her legs was only just beginning to burn.

I only wanted to make my ex jealous. I never imagined that night would end with me climbing a hidden staircase with the club bouncer.

I never told anyone what I did that afternoon. I went in alone, with no names, no rules, ready to let a stranger lead me into the dark.