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“You don’t have to eat it all. You can get the rest in a doggy bag.”
“No dog,” she says.
“You don’t have to have a dog, Frankie.”
She smiles. “I know that. My sister has this annoying little dog named Roger who hates me. He’s this miniature pinscher and Chihuahua mix that’s about three years old, but I swear to God he’s like a grumpy old man. He loves her and he loves Jackson, her fiancé. Those are the only two people he tolerates.”
“Guess it’s a good thing they got together,” I say.
“It was a long time coming. I truly am happy for my sister. She’s such an introvert, and she never dated much.”
“And you?”
“You think I held back on you? I told you. I dated a few times before Penn, but nothing serious. A guy in high school popped my cherry, and I remember his name was Kevin Townley, but I’m not sure I’d be able to pick him out of a lineup today.”
“Oh?”
“Does that make me sound bad? He was cute enough, but he wasn’t the big man on campus or anything.”
I can’t help it. I laugh. She’s such a delight. And I’m not sure I’ve ever used the word “delight” before when describing a woman. Not even Allison or Teresa.
Frankie makes me feel like it’s okay to be myself.
And it’s growing on me, I can’t lie.
“I lost my virginity with Allison.”
“Really?” Her eyes widen.
“Does that surprise you?”
“Well, yeah, to be honest. Have you looked in the mirror lately? You’re gorgeous, Hunter.”
“I was kind of a late bloomer. I weighed all of a hundred and forty in high school. I finally had a growth spurt between my junior and senior years, but my weight didn’t level out until college. I was kind of gangly, and I wore glasses.”
“You’re not wearing glasses now.”
“I had laser surgery, same as you.”
She narrows her eyes as she studies me. “Actually, tortoiseshell glasses would look amazing on you. Give you that professor vibe.”
“Since I am a professor, don’t I already have that vibe?”
She laughs. “I can’t see you in one of those blazers with patches on the elbows.”
“You’ll never see me in anything like that. I hate that look.”
She laughs, and again it’s such a joyful sound. I’m really beginning to like this woman.
And that’s a fucking emotion.
And I wonder… Should I let myself feel more?
I’m not sure I have a choice.
“I think you looked the sexiest the first night I saw you,” she says. “You were wearing your mask and your cape, of course, but you were wearing jeans and a white button-down. Very sexy.”
“You like that better than the black?”
“On you? For sure. I mean, you look great in black, too, especially with your dark hair and eyes. But something about the jeans and white button-down. The white against the contrast of your tanned skin. It was such a normal outfit, and you looked amazing in it, but then you had this black cape and that white mask. It was kind of contradictory, you know?”
“No, I didn’t know.”
“Well, yeah. When you think of the Phantom of the Opera, you think of him as this dark creature of the night who wears only black. Which you did, the next time I saw you.”
“That’s because I was hoping we would go to the club.”
“Really? That night at the masquerade?”
“It was my plan. But then… I don’t know. I guess I chickened out.”
“You don’t seem like the kind of man who chickens out much.”
“You’re right. When it comes to the lifestyle and the sex I enjoy, I never chicken out. But as you know, I’m usually playing with a seasoned submissive who knows what to expect.”
“And that’s not me.”
“Right. That’s totally not you.”
“What if I want it to be me?”
“You can want it all you want, Frankie, but you’re not experienced. The only way to get experienced is to—”
“Do it,” she finishes for me.
“Yeah. Pretty much. You can study all you want, take all the classes you want, read all the books that are out there—and though some of them are accurate, a lot of them aren’t—but none of that is a substitute for real-life experience in the lifestyle.”
“Well…I’m ready to get some experience.”
“I can help you with that, but as I told you before, I don’t want what we do to end up in your article.”
“I made that promise, Hunter. None of what we do will end up in the article. I’m not even going to take the class at Treasure’s Chest. I’m getting my information from some online sources. Some people who agreed to chat with me.”
“Yes. Erik with a K.”
“Right. And a few others. And I’ve got some great information so far.”
“I can’t tell you how to do your job,” I say.
“No, you absolutely can’t. And I can’t tell you how to do yours.”
