Nina greeted me like she always did—soft smile, slight lean, a half-unbuttoned blouse. I smiled too. But the smile wasn’t mine. It was his.
I’d convinced myself it was over. That the urges would subside. That the Beast would rest. But he only sleeps when fed.
We made tea.
We talked.
We played our old game—teasing, touching, pausing for permission, we both knew wasn’t necessary anymore.
When we moved to the bedroom, she didn’t resist. That was the problem. There was no conflict. No chase. She undressed herself. I watched as she peeled the fabric away like wrapping from a gift I didn’t ask for but accepted all the same.
We began.
And ended.
And began again.
But something was missing.
The power. The thrill. The taking.
She smiled in the afterglow, pulled a sheet over us, whispered, “We’re good, you and I.”
No.
We weren’t.
She’d given herself too easily, too eagerly. I wasn’t a conqueror anymore. I was just a man in a bed with a woman who thought she understood him.
The Beast snarled.
He wanted more.
So I began to plan.
Not for sex.
Not for company.
For clarity.
[from SEETHINGS, downloadable and free for a limited time].
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