Bitter and Sweet by dark chocolate

"So, what is it that you want today?" I asked smiling politely.

The young woman opposite me looked confused and blushed slightly. It was true, we already had spoken about that. Or rather, she had written me an email, formulating her wishes and giving me a basic outline of what was to happen this evening. This is much easier than telling me on the phone, where conversations tend to be on the short and embarrassed side. I require one phone call though, before I actually meet a person. I need to know who I'm dealing with. Safety concerns for one thing. Comes with the territory. But of course there's no 100 % guarantee.

"I know you already told me what you want. I just wanted to make sure nothing has changed."

Truth was, I wanted some time to talk to her, watch her for a little bit and get a feel why she was doing this. And I didn't mind seeing that blush again. It was as cute as the rest of her, although judging from her behaviour, she was pretty much oblivious to that fact.

"Well, I uhm...no, nothing has changed." She looked down to study her hands and I used the opportunity to study her some more. She was the the first client outside my own ethnic group, which is white western standard. It seems that most women choose someone form their own circles. At least if it comes to prostitutes.

I don't have any preferences, but as it happened, I'd never slept with an Asian girl before and I have to admit that her slightly darker complexion and Asian eyes had a certain exotic appeal to me. Unfortunately, I couldn't see them at the moment as she was still looking down. A strand of her straight black hair had fallen out of it's place and I resisted the urge to brush it out of her face. Later.

She suddenly looked up and caught me staring. I didn't mind. All part of the game.

"I...I'm sorry, I'm not handling this very well. Can I offer you something to drink?" she said with a weak smile.

"Mmh, thanks. A coffee would be nice."

She jumped up and headed for the kitchen. I smiled inwardly. Coffee was my choice most of the time. It took a little bit to prepare and gave anxious clients like her some time to get used to the situation. I used the time to look around. I was sitting in the living room of a comfortable sized house. The feel of the place was tasteful but functional. No clutter. No personal pictures. I had spotted a few boxes in one of the rooms and my assumption was she'd just moved in here. Still no answer why a cute girl like her hired someone like me. I shook my head. Girl if you want sex, the Lez Bars of this city are full of women who'd fight to get to you fist.

After our phone call, I'd put her in the "I want to try it out" category. I get that a lot. Women who by some mystical revelation suddenly realize they might be gay and want to sleep with another woman to find out whether they really are. I get that a lot and I'm thanking whatever gods there are that I only have sex with them. For a relationship, that usually means a world of trouble. I guess there's a reason why I don't do the funny break my heart game anymore.

Now I knew she was a lesbian though, and out too probably. When I'd gotten there earlier, I'd spotted a rainbow flag sticker on her car, a nice Ford SUV, and it looked like it had been there for a while. Don't laugh. I wanted to be a private eye when I was a kid.

Her reaction when she first saw me, was very telling too. I had gone for the slightly rugged but not too butchy look; Jeans and a tight white button down shirt with a black tank beneath it, my long dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. I could tell from her look that she approved. There was no mistaking it, she definitely knew what she wanted. So why? Most people are about as mysterious to me as a solved crossword puzzled. I had to admit I was fascinated.

A rattling noise shook me from my musings and I looked up to see her carry in a tray with cups, milk and, I kid you not, a bowl of cookies. The woman was simply too cute to be allowed. She placed the tray on the small table and offered me a cup, smiling openly.

"Milk? Sugar?"

I shook my head no. Clearly she had rallied, though she still wasn't meeting my eyes. Pity. I smiled back and took a sip from my coffee.

"Nice house you have here, how long have you been living here?" I asked, trying to put her at ease a little bit more.

"Not long, I just moved in actually two weeks ago. I just got out of..." She stopped, clearly not sure how much to tell me.

"It's okay. You can tell me if you want to, but that is up to you."

She nodded, chewing on her lip nervously. Then she put her cup down. I sensed that we had reached the critical point of the evening. The point of no return. You'd be amazed how many clients, especially first time, get cold feet at the last moment. That's okay, I'm not into this for the money and I don't depend on it so I hold no grudges.

"About the money...When....?"

I let out a breath I hadn't been aware of holding. That was it, she had crossed the line and I already found myself extremely excited at the prospect. That hadn't happened in while.

"Afterwards," I interrupted her softly.

"Oh. Okay." I was looking at her intently. She took deep breath and met my gaze squarely. Brownie points for her.

"So how do we...?"

Yes, how do we start? How can two complete strangers bridge the gap in personal space we usually defend so valiantly. There's no easy answer., everybody's different. I went with my instinct and leaned forward to take her hand, then got up and sat back down next to her on the small couch. Her body tensed for a moment, then she closed her eyes, willing herself to relax. I didn't let go of her hand and started stroking it slowly with my fingers. She looked down at our intertwined hands and I kept up with my soft touching. It seemed to have the desired effect.

"That's...nice," she said, looking at me.

Have I mentioned that I really liked her eyes? Gazing into them from shorter distance definitely confirmed my former judgement. The colour was a warm brown, like dark chocolate. I love dark chocolate. It's the perfect analogy for life. Bitter and sweet. I looked down at her full lips. I was sure they would taste more sweet than bitter.. Her breathing was getting quicker and, remembering her email,

? I will be submissive...

I knew she was waiting for me to make the next move. There was one thing however.

"I need to know something before we start. This isn't exactly roleplaying, but sometimes things can get a little bit fuzzy. So, do you want a safeword?"

"Safeword? I...I don't know." She seemed to ponder the question.

"Well, I just need to know...when you say "no" to something, will that mean "no", or...." I explained.

"Oh, well...no, I mean, if I say "no" it'll mean "no"."

Ah, straightforward then. No games. Fine with me. I nodded and pulled her very close, then I kissed her full lips softly. Very sweet with a slight hint of bitter, just as I thought. My tongue entered her mouth. She moaned and surprised me by kissing me back with fierce passion. Her perfume was a light flowery scent. It flooded my senses and made my head spin.

Well, this was a nice start, but I knew where she wanted things to go. I raked my hand through her hair, then pulled her head back sharply. Not enough to hurt her, but it gave her the kick she wanted.

?aggressive. I want you to dominate me, not S&M though, no pain...

"God," she moaned breathlessly.

My lips and teeth descended on her neck, sucking and nipping lightly then biting down harder. She moaned again, writhing in my arms. I could tell the creature of the night tableau really got her going and I gotta admit, I was getting pretty excited too. I wanted her. Pushing her down on the sofa, I quickly got on top of her and one of my hands found its way under her shirt in one swift move. Her skin felt good, soft and smooth. She looked at me, her breathing fast, lips slightly parted. Her eyes had gotten dark with desire. Then she slowly lifted her arms and placed them above her head, never breaking eye contact. Yeah, this was what she wanted.

I gave her a feral smile, gripped the front of her shirt with both hands and ripped it open. Her eyes widened. I let my eyes rake over her exposed body. Her breasts were nice sized, straining against her black bra. Good, I don't like two peas on a board.

"Touch your breasts," I commanded her softly. Her eyes widened even more. Clearly, this was a game she hadn't played yet. "Come on, touch your nipples and make them hard for me."

She swallowed hard. Then slowly she obeyed, bringing her right hand to her breasts.

"Yeah, that's it. Now pinch them."

She did and soon both her nipples were soon prominent through the soft black fabric. The sight was unbelievably erotic and didn't fail to affect me. Desire was pulsing steadily through me now, my wet centre throbbing between my legs. I knew she was just as excited and I could smell the musky scent of her arousal. I wanted her now and I decided the time for finesse was over. Bending forward and pushing her hand away, I went for her breasts, my mouth biting down lightly on her erect nipples. She gasped. Then I moved up and whispered into her ear.

"You've been very good so far. I will fuck you now and you will come for me. Loud. Is that clear?"

She nodded and I could hear her breathing quickening even more. My right hand found the button of her jeans, tore it open and pushed inside her panties immediately. I could feel her body tense for a moment, then my fingers reached her sex and she gave a soft cry. God, she was wet and ready. She pushed herself against my hand, trying for more contact. I gave it to her and pushed two of my fingers hard against her clit, going for a quick rhythm at once. She cried out again, and went with it immediately, her body undulating against my hand. My own sex was throbbing hard in response. She was quickly getting close to coming and her moans turned into soft cries. I thought about prolonging it, but there was time for that later. I just wanted her to come right now.

I quickened the tempo even more, my fingers a flurry of movement. Her body tensed for a second, then the orgasm hit her and she bucked beneath me. She gave me quite the ride and it was all I could do to keep her down and my fingers in place. I held on valiantly though, and she came hard, and quite vocally I might say, with a mix of religious invocations and curse words. Then she fell back panting, with me still on top of her. I was breathing hard myself and I was still very much aroused.

After a moment her eyes opened again and she looked at me, something like stunned surprise written all over her face.

"Oh wow, that was...I never...," she said faintly.

No matter how much I wanted to believe she was praising my divine skills of lovemaking, something in her voice told me she was referring to her own reaction rather than my performance.

Well, I'd rarely met someone so responsive, but I wasn't going to tell her that. I had a part to play here. One that I loved to play actually and even more as I remembered what should follow now.

I pulled her up with me and kissed her roughly for a moment until both our breathing got ragged again.

"Well, that was nice, wasn't it?" I said, after breaking the kiss. She nodded breathlessly. "So now you're gonna do something for me."

I saw her eyes glaze over slightly when she realized what I meant.

"Yeah, I would like to do that very much." Her voice was rough with desire but there was a hint of nervousness there too.

I got up and took a step back from the sofa, leaving her there. Seeking her gaze, I slowly started to unbutton my shirt, her eyes following my every movement. I shrugged out of it but kept on my black tank. She obviously liked what she was seeing. I know I have a nice body, and I work hard to keep it in shape. I could tell she wanted to touch me but knew she was not allowed now. When I was done with the shirt, I opened the buttons of my jeans. She wanted me badly now, I could tell, and I was so turned on from fucking her, I badly wanted some release. So I quickly stripped down to my panties while she was watching me with rapt attention.

"You're beautiful." Her soft voice stopped me for a moment. I really wanted to tell her that she was beautiful too, cute beyond measure, but that wasn't my part in this game. Maybe I could tell her later. Later? What the hell was I thinking.

"Get down on your knees!"

She obeyed immediately.

...I want to make you come with my tongue...

"Now pull my panties down!"

I could tell there was nothing she wanted to do more but she pulled them down slowly, looking up at me, her eyes burning. I stepped out of them and she tossed them away quickly. I was breathing fast now, my sex pulsing in anticipation and wetness running down my thighs. I knew she could smell my arousal and she was looking up at me expectantly.

"Now lick me!" I was aware that my voice was rough with need.

She grabbed my hips and brought her face close to my sex, inhaling deeply. I couldn't wait anymore, I widened my stance to give her better access and grabbed her head with both hands to push her against me, desperately hoping she was up to this. I really wasn't in the mood to fake it.

Well, as you might have guessed, I've been around the block a few times and my experiences range from screaming orgasms to embarrassed silence. But hell, I was in for a surprise this time. The moment her tongue hit my clit, my stomach filled with molten gold. I came after a few seconds, my release gasped out in a surprised cry.

"Godamnit!" The rest didn't contain any recognizable words anymore.

I ground myself hard against her until I was done, then I pushed her back. I was panting, holding onto her shoulders to steady me. She looked up at me with big eyes. Guess she was kinda surprised too. There was a faint smile on her face though and a feral glint in her eyes. Licking her lips slowly she looked like the proverbial cat that stole the cream.

Well, I definitely wanted more of this.

"That wasn't half bad. Now you're gonna do that again, and you'll take it slow until I tell you to go faster, understand? " She nodded, still smiling.

"Good. And if you do really well, afterwards I'm gonna fuck you like you really want me to."

That got me a sharp intake of breath. She nodded again, her eyes pools of raw desire.

I started to pull her closer again but she practically threw herself on me, and her tongue was on my sex in an instant. I couldn't help but groan loudly. She remembered my orders though and went slow this time; her tongue dancing lightly over my sex, concentrating on different spots. I knew I was dripping and she lapped at me like a kitten.

God, this felt good. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to concentrate on the feeling, getting lost in the moment and forgetting my surroundings. I allowed myself to think this was real, and I would keep the memory of an evening of sensual lovemaking.

Memories. Moments. That's the actual currency I get paid in. You see, I'm a cheat. I'm a thief and a coward. They think they pay me with money and I let them believe that. But what I really do is take something from them. I steal intimacy and they never know.

I felt myself getting closer again. God, she was really good and I wanted to come again now.

"Faster now!" My voice was strained and breathless.

She obeyed immediately and concentrated her action on my clit again, punishing it with swift strokes. I gripped her harder trying to get more contact with her tongue and pushed myself frantically against her, my muscles straining to keep me upright. My centre was a pulsing core of molten lava now, its heat radiating through my whole body.

"God, yeah, right there...oh my god yeah." Yeah, I was getting quite vocal now.

Her hands' grip on my hips became tighter and she started licking me even faster and harder. For a second my body went rigid, muscles so tight it felt like they might tear, then a stream of liquid heat burst through my body and my orgasm exploded out of me with a strangled incoherent scream. I kept on coming and she didn't let go of me until my abused knees finally buckled under the strain and it was all I could do to let myself fall sideways onto the sofa. I laid there for a moment and just concentrated on breathing. Damn, the woman had blown my fucking head off. After a while I heard her moving and she crawled next to me onto the couch.

"Well, was that good enough?" she asked chuckling softly. I looked at her. Her eyes were sparkling and she had a very pleased expression on her face.

I nodded and tried to find the energy to move. Looking at her helped immensely. She was still breathing fast and her face flushed. Licking me must have been a huge turn on for her. Well, guess it was time to make good on my promise and I found myself looking forward to it as I hadn't done for a long time. I nodded again and this time I trusted myself to speak.

"Yeah, that was good enough. So you'll get your reward now." My voice was low and dark and I could see her reacting to it. Without warning, I grabbed her head and pulled her towards me capturing her lips and mouth in a rough kiss. I could smell myself on her and that excited me even more. I broke the kiss and got up.

"Take your pants off!" She quickly shrugged out of her jeans. "Panties too."

"Now put your legs up and bend your knees." She swallowed visibly, probably realizing the exposed position that would put her in.

"Do it!" I commanded. "You want me to fuck you, don't you?"

"Y...yes." Her voice was a whisper.

"Tell me!"

"I...I want you to fuck me." She blushed furiously.

"Then get your legs up!" This time she complied, granting me full view of her sex. Yeah, she was wet again. Wet and ready, her clit big and swollen and I felt myself reacting in kind.

"Now stay there"! I commanded and turned to my bag I had left next to the couch I'd been sitting on. I knelt down, opened it and took a moment to choose what I wanted to use, knowing she was watching my every move. When I got up and turned around her eyes flew to the objects in my hand at once and widened a little in response.

...I want you to use a strap-on...

I sauntered back towards her and stopped right in front of the couch. She hadn't moved. Quickly I put on the harness and fitted the black dildo into the metal ring, while she was watching me with rapt attention. I'd chosen a smaller one, not sure what she was used to. Then I went down on my knees in front of the sofa. Yeah, it had the perfect height.

I could see that she was dripping and used two of my fingers to stroke slowly over her sex. She moaned in response and jerked against my hand.

"No!" I said forcefully. "You will not move until I tell you so, or I'll stop. Understood?"

She nodded. I continued my soft stroking movements, never breaking eye contact, and I could feel her body tremble with the effort to hold herself still. My fingers were already slick with her juices which were flowing freely now. She was panting, her muscles visibly straining. I smiled and removed my fingers. Her body relaxed at once, though she was still breathing heavily.

Well, the torture was far from over. I leaned forward a little bit, then hooked my arms under her thighs and pulled her ass towards the edge of the couch until the tip of the dildo was touching her sex. She inhaled sharply.

"Now tell me what you want!" I commanded softly.

"Fuck me, please." She had no trouble saying the words now and that told me a lot.

I let go of one of her thighs for a moment and used my hand to rub the length of the dildo through her sex. She groaned and her body tensed again.

"Does that feel good?"

"God, yeah!"

"You want more?" I teased.

"Yes, please. I..." She swallowed hard. "I want to you feel you inside me."

"Oh yeah, you will. Now spread your legs for me!" I decided the time for games was over and, using my hand to guide it, slowly pushing the toy inside her.

"Oh my god." Her eyes grew big and round, her breath coming in short gasps. If I hadn't known better, I'd have guessed she was doing this for the first time. I stopped for a moment, giving her time to adjust.

"What's the matter? Too big for you? Can't take it?" Well, no reason to ruin the erotic tension just yet.

She looked at me and I tried to read the twirl of emotions in her eyes, finding that I couldn't. Fear? Nervousness? Resolve? I couldn't say. Then her eyes closed for a moment and when they opened again, I saw only defiance.

"No, I can take it," she said softly. That was exactly the answer I wanted to hear. A hot surge of desire shot through me. Sure of my aim, I hooked my right arm under her thigh again and pulled her towards me, entering her fully. The silicon toy slid inside her opening effortlessly.

"God!" she panted, still looking at me wide eyed.

I pulled out slowly, then slammed back in and started to work a steady hard rhythm, using the grip on her thighs as leverage to penetrate her more deeply. She moaned loudly at every thrust, and I revelled in the primal feeling of our sweat coated bodies meeting. I knew it wouldn't take long, her arousal was already reaching breaking point, her moves getting more frantic. Doubling my effort, I pumped faster into her. My grunting mixed with her now constant moaning, then she went over the edge and came with drawn out scream and I fucked her until she stopped.

When she finally fell backwards again, I didn't pull out, coming forward with her and planting my elbows next to her body. We were both panting.

"Shit. Fuck...that was...," she mumbled. I grinned inwardly. Seemed sex really brought it out of her. Well, we were far from done.

"Tsk tsk...language..." I admonished her. Then I lowered myself so we were face to face. "You know what happens with naughty girls?"

She looked up at me hypnotized and shook her head.

"I'll show you," I whispered into her ear. "But first, close your eyes."

***

I stepped back from the doorway and admired my handiwork with a satisfied smile. Yeah, this would do nicely. The typical American home rarely offers much in way of dungeon equipment, so I brought my own. I was acting on a hunch here. Her email had said nothing about bondage, but I had a feeling she would enjoy it. I pride myself on doing more than fulfilling my clients' expectations, taking them one step further than they thought they could go. I checked that the metal bar was fixed securely to the door frame. With a pleasant tingling of anticipation, got a pair of leather cuffs from my bag and stepped back towards the couch.

The blindfold I had put on her still in place, I watched her for a moment. She was reclining back on the couch, her face flushed, her lips slightly parted. She still wore her bra and the shirt I had ripped open and the sight was incredibly erotic. Her head was slightly cocked, listening intently. She must have been dying to find out what I had been doing.

"Take off the blindfold!" She jumped slightly at my voice, but obeyed eagerly. Before she had time to look around, I tossed her the cuffs. They were connected by a sturdy metal chain. She caught them automatically, then looked down at her hands with big eyes.

"Put them on!" I commanded. She hesitated, and I held my breath. It was her choice.

Then she looked up, a defiant expression on her face, and put the first one around her wrist. Yes, that's the ticket, girl.

"Stop! Take off your shirt first! And your bra!" She obeyed, still meeting my gaze squarely. God, she was hot. I watched her put on the cuffs and felt myself getting wet again.

"Now come here!"

She got up from the couch and walked towards me slowly. I smiled inwardly. Yeah, she could play the game. I grabbed the chain and pulled her towards me. Her fast breathing told me how much she was enjoying this.

I pulled her around towards the doorway and her eyes went immediately to the bar I'd fixed there. When we reached it I pulled the chain upward and fastened it to a metal hook in the centre of the bar.

Then I stepped back, enjoying the sight of her completely naked body for the first time. She was watching me intently.

"You have lovely breasts," I said, and meaning it. "I think they need some attention."

I made good on that promise immediately, using both my thumbs to tease her nipples. They were hard in an instant. She moaned loudly. Without warning I bent down gave them some more attention with my mouth, biting the nipples softly and flicking them with my tongue at once.

"God!"

"Mmh, guess you really like it," I teased. "Lets see..." I pushed my hand between her legs and rubbed over her sex. She was dripping wet and immediately pushed herself against my hand.

"Yeah, I guess you do." I stepped back and removed my hand and she groaned in frustration. She probably realized I was going to drag this one out.

I let my eyes wander over her body again. "Turn around!"

The implication of what I was saying wasn't lost on her. She blushed. Then she turned around slowly. Mmh yeah, she had a nice ass. I stepped closer to her again, pushing her hair out of the way, and kissed the back of her neck. She shivered and I let my mouth wander down to her shoulders. She moaned softly. Time to turn up the heat some more.

I grabbed her hips and pushed myself hard against her back, grinding my sex against her ass. She inhaled sharply at the feel of how wet I was.

"Yeah, I'm exited, baby. You're a really good fuck," I whispered into her ear. Then I grabbed her hair and pulled her head back sharply. "And I'll fuck you until you beg me to stop. You hear me?"

***

I woke up and found myself in a warm and soft place. Someone was stroking my back. It felt nice. For a long while I just laid there, drifting on a strange, soft, steady tapping sound. It was soothing. After a while I opened my eyes. It was pleasantly dark, apart from a small pool of light which illuminated a doorway. I could see a window and the slightly distorted view of a street lamp through tear streaked glass.

Various objects were strewn over the floor, their outlines blurred and twisted by the shadows. Then my eyes focused on something big which looked vaguely familiar. After a moment, I realized it was my bag. Reality caught up with me like a slap in the face.

Damnit. I hated falling asleep after a job. Sleep makes me vulnerable. Without the mind's control, my emotions mistake the illusion for reality, I get too close. And then waking up really sucks. Like now.

It's a dangerous game I'm playing, like balancing your emotions on a wire rope. Falling hurts. I knew I needed to get out of there, I was already overbalancing.

I took a deep breath and pulled myself up to look at her. She was leaning against the headboard, looking at me. The light from outside didn't provide much illumination, but I could see that she was smiling. Her hair was tousled but she didn't look like she had been sleeping. In fact she looked wide awake. Considering our activities during the evening, I thought that was pretty amazing. I wouldn't have believed it when I first saw her, but she was definitely the most passionate woman I'd ever met. At some point I'd lost count of how many times I'd fucked her. She had the stamina of the devil. And the tongue too, now that I was thinking about it. I couldn't remember coming that many times during one evening, and the last one had killed me. I'd only meant to lay back on the bed and close my eyes for a moment, but I'd been gone in a second.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't sure whether to wake you up," she said.

"It's okay. You didn't sleep?" I asked, trying not to stare at her naked body. And trying not to remember how good it had felt to touch her breasts. Or kiss her lips. Bitter and sweet.

"No...I was thinking," she said softly, an expression of something like awe on her face. She looked as if whatever she had been thinking had led to a big revelation. I heard the faint tingling of alarm bells in my head. I knew I should pack my stuff and get the hell out of there.

"About what?" I heard myself say.

"Well, about..." She was looking for words. "What happened this evening., what we did...and what it means.."

Uh-oh. The alarm bells were getting louder. Get the hell out now.

"Means?"

"I mean...what it all means for me," she tried to explain.

I looked at her, knowing I should leave but I just had to know, and nodded her to go on.

"You see, my last relationship...the sex...it wasn't all that great...it was nothing like what we did. The problem was, I just didn't trust her enough to really touch me. I mean we were together for years and I still didn't. And I thought it was because of me...that I had a problem somehow."

I nodded, realizing where this was going. So that was the reason she'd hired me.

"But with you it was completely different, I mean, I trusted you...I don't even know you and I trusted you..."

"That's probably not as special as you think," I interrupted her softly.

She looked at me, clearly thinking different. "But..."

"No, listen to me. It only means that you've been with the wrong person all this time. But that doesn't make me the right person. Or this the right situation." I added, gesturing around vaguely.

She looked down. I didn't want to see the disappointment on her face and got up, looking around to locate my stuff. I had some spare clothes in my bag and pulled them out, practically jumping into the jeans. I felt her eyes on my back, but I didn't want to turn around.

"Can...can I call you again?" she asked in a low voice.

"No, I don't think that would be a good idea," I said briskly. For either of us.

"I'll pay..."

I turned around abruptly, anger boiling up inside of me now. "Godamnit, listen to you. You are a beautiful passionate woman. There's no need for you to do this. Just go and find someone and have a proper relationship!" I shot at at her. Because you can...

She recoiled from my outburst and I turned around again, put on the rest of my clothes and collected various pieces of equipment from the floor, stuffing it in my bag. I heard movement behind me. When I turned around again, she was putting on sweats and a t-shirt. I couldn't see her face.

Taking a breath, I hastily walked from the room to get the rest of my stuff. Getting out was the only thing on my mind now. My anger had drained away and left me numb and empty.

"I'm sorry..." She had followed me.

"Don't. My money?," I interrupted her softly. Well, I don't do this for the money, but it is important. It sets the boundaries. She looked at me, the expression on her face unreadable, then nodded and walked to a cupboard. When she came back, she held the agreed amount of money in her hand.

I looked at it. This was it.

"Take my advice, don't do this again," I said still looking at the money. "You said you trusted me. Well, trust me in this, you don't need to go down this road."

"Why did you?" she asked softly.

I looked at her stunned. Her eyes were warm with compassion. I grabbed the money from her hand and fled. When I was standing in the doorway, I paused for a moment.

"Don't call me again," I repeated.

Silence was my only answer. Hunching my shoulders, I stepped out into the bitter rain.