[Sierra]

In the minute of silence that passes by, I catch my breath and rest, glancing over at Tess occasionally. She has shifted her body closer to the edge of the bed to avoid me and clutches the comforting pillow even tighter. I wonder to myself if Tommy admitted what the surprise was and whether or not he would go through with the wedding if he found out the lengths she had gone to to secure her father’s well being. I ask her about forgiveness, and when I call her name, I get a snarl suggesting we both know what would happen. I lean back on the pillow and make a comment about my experience of the subject – referring to my own marriage. Women are supposed to be the faithful ones. When Lisa had the affair, there didn’t seem to be any way back. If it wasn’t for the kids an immediate separation would have followed and as it turned out, time proved to be the greatest cure. It has allowed me to deal with this in my own way.

I feel a little movement in the bed but I am too caught up in my train of thought. My fingers are interlocked behind my head and I always have one foot on my knee when relaxing. When I hear another sound I briefly check on Tess and the familiar silky dress is still beside me.

“Your wife….she cheated on you….” she says.

I slowly sit up and push my hand into the bed near her back. She is still facing away from me and I don’t like that when she is talking about something so personal. I lean over her shoulder and she watches me in the corner of her eye; she has used the breathing space to collect herself, with only a hint of crying in her words. I have a quick peek at my phone and return to her again.

“You’re a smart girl. But I told you, this won’t have any affect on my family. They don't concern you.”

“Are you getting even? Is that what this is Christian?” she asks.

I neither confirm nor deny it. I believe in an eye for an eye, and as I told her in the restaurant, I don’t like imbalance, either. When an old man by the name of Harry picked up the phone yesterday evening this set the wheels in motion for the conclusion of an unpleasant chapter in my life.

Tess starts to put one leg on the floor but with a firm hand on her shoulder she is not permitted to go anywhere just yet. She is then told to stand by the wall, and at least she doesn’t waste time by questioning my demand. She rolls off the bed and walks toward the space between the cabinet and a chair in the corner. I get to my feet and wander over to the wooden dresser on the opposite side. Both my hands rest on the edge, I’m leaning forward slightly and looking at my naked body in the mirror. Over my shoulder is Tess in the reflection, stroking her arm nervously and unsure what to expect. The striking black outfit stands out among the room’s light colour surrounding her.

“Take off your clothes”

“Please, I did what you wanted”, the girl pleads.

Suddenly, I slam both hands into the table and the sound shakes the room with the force of a sledgehammer. She is frightened into action, instinctively catching the bottom of her dress. She pauses momentarily and turns to her side, knowing there is a voyeur. I study her exposed curves intently in the mirror as she raises her arms and undresses by the wall.


Now Lisa’s reply to the text message makes sense. Christian showed it to me without showing me the question to make me think Lisa knew about my date with him. Instead he took me to the same restaurant at the same time as the first date with his wife!! He was so smug and self-satisfied when he found out I had told Tom that I was meeting my uncle, when all the time he was lying to me about his wife trusting him. Numbly, I put the phone back on the nightstand.

I turn to him and blurt out my suspicions – that his wife cheated on him. I keep one eye on the phone, hoping the display would go off so he won’t know I’ve been snooping. I am relieved to see it go off as he steps over to me.

I ask him if he’s getting even with his wife. This is met with silence, affirming my suspicions. I feel my temper rising. I have every right to ask that question! After all, he brought Tommy in. I decide then and there to leave and not take part in this charade any more. I start to get up.

Christian grabs my shoulder. “Stand over by the wall”

He turns away from me and stares at himself in the mirror. Can the man actually be that vain? Then I see that he is looking at me in the mirror, staring intently and never taking his eyes off me. I see the contract besides his hands…maybe he will sign it now?

He orders me to take off my clothes. My mouth drops open. I can’t believe he wants more from me! I’ve done what he wanted!! I plead with him but he slams both hands on the dresser, and I realize I had better do what he says. I quickly pull the dress over my head and throw it on the chair, covering my naked womanhood with my hands. I know better than to try to take the shoes off.

“I want to see you. All of you,” Christian orders.

I turn around and take off my white bra, putting that on the chair atop the dress. I lean into the wall in shame. Christian saunters over to get the wine bottle from the cabinet. He bends down and helps me take one shoe off, then the other and puts them under the chair.

Christian stands up and leans against the wall, with one hand flat on the wall beside my head. His other hand, holding the wine, turns me towards him and pulls my hands away from my body one by one, letting them fall to my side. I can’t look at him as he takes a drink of the wine.

I feel the cool glass of the wine bottle against my thigh, sliding up my leg and following the curves of my pudenda, lingering there, and then tracing up my stomach and breasts. I feel my face burning in shame as I look away, summoning all my strength to keep from screaming and knocking his hand away. I feel my eyes start to sting with tears and one tear spills down my cheek, falling onto the wine bottle as it moves past my breast. He moves the bottle in front of my eyes and I watch in horror as he tilts it slowly until the wine pours down my chest.


The theme of the night continues – she does what she’s told. The last thing she’d want is for me to lose my temper. She lifts the dress over her head and tosses it across the nearby chair. Now only her chest is clothed and she has learned her lesson when to remove those high heels. Her hands cross each other and hide the view between her legs. I tell Tess I want to see her body – all of it. This time her back is fully turned to me as she unhooks her bra and pulls down each strap. My eyes wander to her shapely derriere but the reflection from this distance will not do it justice. She is nude for the first time and this prompts me to stroll over in no great hurry. I collect the wine, watching her body cower into the hotel room wall. I kneel down and catch under one shoe, waiting for her to step out of it. Her feet are dainty and a perfect size 4 like I predicted. I see Donna Karan's name on the heel’s silver inside and my assistant’s choice pleases me.

When the second is slipped off, both are placed underneath the same chair. I stand and face her, one palm firmly against the wall only inches from her cheeks. Using the tips of my fingers that are still clutching the bottle, I straighten her towards me. Her arms are gently pulled down by her sides. I have a drink as I admire her naked figure before me. Her eyes stare as far away from mine as possible, and this is unremitting while the wine bottle caresses a leg. The tip then glides along the outline of her vaginal lips, teasing a more brutal alternative. It passes her belly and bare breasts, and I always keep an eye on Tess’ reaction, now in the shape of a fallen tear. The opening is held in front of her face, gradually turning upside down until the red wine rapidly flows down her chest.

I hear the girl’s faint grumbling as the near $500 drink pours along her body and drips all the way to the carpet below. It is not quite wine therapy but this vintage soak may have exfoliating qualities. I lean into one of her tits and it is enclosed by my mouth. I suckle them and taste the sweet alcohol that sticks. My free hand squeezes her round flesh as my lips enjoy her sensitive nipple. She tries to step away but my grip is secure. I stop to see her stance, enduring what I’m doing with her toes in a puddle of wine. I look over my shoulder and see my neck tie on the floor beside the bed. My tongue suggestively slips out before the tie is retrieved and carried back to the wall. I put the bottle back on the cabinet and turn Tess 180°. She anxiously awaits my actions as her face is pressed into the wallpaper. I grasp both wrists and join them together behind her back. Already there are protests as she feels restrained.

“No, I can’t….not that”, she whispers.

I wrap the black tie around her hands and knot it efficiently. Her arms struggle and her watery eyes plead with me to free her. I’m not interested in her preferences, we’ll finish when I say. After everything I’m doing for her tonight, I at least expect the time I’m owed - the time I’ve earned. I grab her shoulder and nudge her in the direction of the dresser. My hands support her arms as she is positioned in front of the mirror, the accurate reflection forcing this helpless situation to sink in. My mouth rests on her neck, her hair pulled back as we continue to watch ourselves. I take one hand and softly circle her eye. Then, I draw around her breasts with my finger tip – a substitute for my permanent marker. Imperfections of a stunning girl like Tess are unlikely to bother Tommy or her loving parents, but I like to fix things. It is the nature of my work and it can’t be switched off.

“Look at your symmetry. Your right eye is half a milimeter higher than your left. You could fix that with some cheekbone enhancement. Your breasts could be a size bigger, low C.”