Member-only story
Tempt Me
This is how the game begins.
He arrived ten minutes early to the spot outside the train station — just in case there was a problem and he couldn’t find her.
But he saw her immediately when the next train stopped. Surprisingly, she looked just like her online pictures — a rarity in the age of filters to smooth away all the imperfections that came back with a vengeance in the world outside social media.
“Hi,” she said, her voice breathy and sensuous, “were you waiting long?”
He shook his head but found he couldn’t string together a sentence. She was just that kind of beautiful that made him ache inside.
But she seemed to sense the awkwardness building, at least enough to say, “You don’t have to be nervous. Is this your first time?”
First time — what a loaded phrase. He would have thought she was trying to hit him where it hurt, but she looked far too pleasant to give a low blow like that.
He offered a half-smile, just enough to be ambiguous. “It’s just been a while since I had the pleasure of spending time with a girl like you.”
To his surprise, she giggled. “Did you make that up just now, or did you rehearse it?”
A part of him wanted to sputter from his dignity being called into question. But a deeper part…
