Strangers

When I read his first poem, I felt as if someone had entered my mind without permission. The worst part was realizing I wanted him to do it again.

When I arrived at the apartment, I was expecting nothing but photos. I had no idea that two brothers were waiting in that room with a very different proposition.

At three in the morning, I went to the park in the shortest nightgown I owned. With nothing underneath. What happened next was something I’ll never forget.

She took another sip of wine, looked at me with that smile that means a confession is coming, and started telling me what really happened that night in the rented house.

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.

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.

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.

I went in alone, undressed slowly, and pressed the button. On the other side of the door, eight men were waiting for my signal. I had never felt so afraid and so aroused at once.

There was something about the man sleeping under the bridge that had kept me thinking about him for weeks. I went back that night without knowing what I expected to find.

I’d been going to the same boring gym for weeks when the owner showed up: mid-forties, defined arms, and a calm that’s more intimidating than any gesture.

When I let my coat fall in the dark hallway and the night air brushed my bare skin, I knew there’d be no turning back.

I’d been dancing alone for hours when I felt him behind me. I turned, and there he was. And I knew that night wasn’t ending on the dance floor.

When we got off the plane in Ilulissat, we never imagined Inuit hospitality included leaving the bed open for guests. That night changed everything between us.

He was older than my father, had the hands of a man used to getting what he wanted, and looked at me as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

Three months after the breakup, I downloaded an app. I had no idea that older man would give me the most intense night of my life.