fifty-shades-of-grey

Kate pulls me to the couch and we sit. She clasps my hands.“That is good.” Kate looks at me in disbelief. “It was your first time. Wow, Christianmust really know what he’s doing.”Oh Kate, if only you knew.“My first time was horrid,” she continues, making a sad comedy face.“Oh?” This has me interested, something she’s never divulged before.“Yes, Steve Paton. High school, dickless jock.” She shudders. “He was rough. Iwasn’t ready. We were both drunk. You know – typical teenage post-prom disaster. Ugh– it took me months before I decided to have another go. And not with him, the gutlesswonder. I was too young. You were right to wait.”“Kate, that sounds awful.”Kate looks wistful.“Yeah, took almost a year to have my first orgasm through penetrative sex and hereyou are… first time?”I nod shyly. My inner goddess sits in the lotus position looking serene except for thesly, self-congratulatory smile on her face.“I’m glad you lost it to someone who knows their ass from their elbow.” She winks atme. “So when are you seeing him again?”“Wednesday. We’re having dinner.”“So you still like him?”“Yes. But I don’t know about… the future.”“Why?”“He’s complicated, Kate. You know – he inhabits a very different world to mine.”Great excuse. Believable too. Much better than – he’s got a Red Room of Pain, and hewants to make me his sex slave.“Oh please, don’t let this be about money, Ana. Elliot said it’s very unusual for Christianto date anyone.”“Did he?” My voice hitches up several octaves.Too obvious, Steele! My subconscious glares at me, wagging her long skinny finger,then morphs into the scales of justice to remind me he could sue if I disclose too much.Ha… what’s he going to do – take all my money? I must remember to Google ‘penaltiesfor breaching a non-disclosure agreement’ while I’m doing the rest of my ‘research’. It’slike I’ve been given a school assignment. Maybe I’ll be graded. I flush, remembering myA for this morning’s bath experiment.“Ana, what is it?”“I’m just remembering something Christian said.”“You look different,” Kate says fondly.“I feel different. Sore,” I confess.“Sore?”“A little.” I flush.“Me too. Men,” she says in mock disgust. “They’re animals.” We both laugh.“You’re sore?” I exclaim.“Yes… overuse.”I giggle.