Page 56 of Champagne Nights

“That poor girl. Did you sleep with her?”

“Yes. A few times.”

“And the nightmares returned after you slept with her?”

“Yes. That first night.”

I had enough pacing around, so I sat back down.

“Do you have feelings for her?”

“I don’t know.”

“Ethan, you know how this works. You have to be totally open and honest with me.”

“I sleep with a lot of women, and I have rules.”

“Yes, I know of your rules.” She nodded. “Those were rules you put in place to protect yourself since Sophia.”

I swallowed hard. “I like being with her and think about her constantly. She’s different from anyone I’ve known.”

“Different how?”

“I don’t know. I can’t explain it.”

“Try.”

“She’s beautiful and smart. At first, I was incredibly attracted to her physically. I knew I had to have her when I laid eyes on her.”

“Sexually?” she asked.

“After she declined my invitation to go out for a drink, I asked her friend about her, and she told me that she goes to Shakespeare Garden on Saturday mornings to read. So, that next morning, I went there.”

“And what happened?”

“I was just going to keep my distance at first, like some fucking stalker. But then, she knew I was there, which really caught me off guard.”

“How did she know?”

“She could smell my cologne and knew it was me. Her senses are incredible. So, we talked, and I asked her out, and she invited me over for dinner that night.”

“She cooked for you?”

“Yes, and it was very good. After dinner, we had sex, and the first nightmare came that night.”

“While you were with her?”

“No. After we had sex, I left and went home. I didn’t call or see her that whole week.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Because I got what I wanted and was done with her.”

“I don’t believe that. I think you started having feelings for her and ran.”

I looked down and shifted in my chair.

“Maybe I did. Things were happening to me that hadn’t happened in a very long time. Then, a week later, I ran into her at a friend’s birthday party. I didn’t know she would be there.”

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