Page 62 of Roberto

He had me sign in, then walked over to the elevator and scanned his key fob so I could go up to the 57thfloor.

When Mei-ling opened her apartment door, she smiled shyly. “Hello.”

My reply was to sweep her into my arms and kiss her.

She yielded completely, opening her mouth to mine.

After 30 seconds, I finally pulled away.

“You look beautiful,” I said – because it was the truth. She was wearing a dark blue dress that hugged her curves, and her hair was arranged in an elegant updo.

“Thank you. What’sthis?”she asked, tapping the box I was carrying in my left hand.

“A gift. For later.”

“Ohhh,” she said with a playful smile. “I can’t wait. Please, come in.”

She led me to the kitchen with her hand in mine. I laid the box on the kitchen island and sat on one of the bar chairs.

“I have a confession to make: I’m a terrible cook,” she said with a laugh. “I can make eggs and boil pasta, and that’s about it – so I had something delivered before you got here.”

“Fine by me.”

She laid out a selection of foods:

Dim sum in bamboo steamer containers…

Roast goose with crispy skin and pink, succulent meat…

Sauteed bok choy…

And bowls of wonton noodles with shrimp and pork dumplings.

Everything was excellent. We drank white wine with our food as we chatted about De Sade, Hong Kong, and life back in Italy.

Once we’d finished eating, she brushed one finger over the box. “Do I get to open it now?”

“Sure.”

She untied the bow, lifted the top – and gasped. She ran one of the silk scarves through her fingers and looked up at me with a radiant smile. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I noticed there was some slight wear-and-tear on what we used last night. I hope I’m not overstepping.”

“Not at all,” she said, then blushed the tiniest bit. “Um… about last night…”

“Uh-oh,” I said playfully.

“No, it’s not anything bad. It’s just that before I do something like that, I usually have a specific conversation beforehand.”

“What kind of conversation?” I asked, not quite understanding.

“About consent and boundaries. It’s standard practice in the BDSM community. At least, amongst those who practice responsibly.”

“Is there something about last night you didn’t like?”

“No – it was wonderful,” she said, and blushed again. “But I’d like to make sure wekeepit wonderful.”

“That makes two of us.”

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