This time, he stayed within me. His touch lightened and he stayed over me. He opened his eyes. There was no desire to look away. No hatred.

This was sex.

I … had no idea it could be this way.

We were both panting.

He leaned to the side, but his cock was still deep within me. “You want to be fucked?”

It wasn’t the most romantic way to end a sexual encounter.

“Don’t you want to leave?” I frowned.

“No.”

His cock had gotten soft, but even flaccid, I felt him. This was … strange.

“I, I don’t know what I want.”

“You wanted sex. I saw the way you were with Cara. You’re not afraid.”

“She was a woman, and to be honest, I didn’t know what she was doing until afterward. I enjoyed it too much to make it stop.” I covered my face with my hands. Was this a normal conversation to be had?

“I thought you were afraid and didn’t want sex.”

“What?”

“Our wedding night and the time after.”

“We’ve been married for eight months. You didn’t think to, I don’t know, tell me it could be better between us? It’s not like I’ve got some kind of roadmap for this. I don’t know what I’m doing. Everything I know is from the books I read and the classes I took at school.” Even then there hadn’t been a whole lot of information. My mom had always been vague about what went on between a man and woman.

The books made me yearn for something more. Not an abusive relationship. I witnessed that between my parents. I wished for something better.

Slavik cupped my cheek, turning me to face him. “Talk to me.”

“How?”

“Use your words.”

I burst out laughing. “Isn’t that what they say to kids?”

“You’re behaving like one.”

“We just had sex. You don’t want to be thinking of me as a kid,” I said. This was bizarre. Was this a normal conversation between a man and wife?

“What are you thinking about right now?”

“My thoughts are private.”

“Not from me.” His thumb grazing across my cheek.

“You’re not mad at me?”

“No.”

“Cara did say you were best friends. Have you ever been … together?”

“God, no. Ugh. So fucking disgusting. I get that she loves sex and she runs one of the best damn brothels in the city, but no. She’s a friend and a colleague. Nothing more.”

“Wait? A brothel?”

He laughed. “You didn’t figure that out.”

“No!” I drew out the o. “How?”

“There are men and women, and if you’ve got the right price, you can have anything you want within reason. People are addicted to what they can’t have and others find a way of putting a price on what they want. Sex is one of those products. Kind of like drugs. You get a taste and you can’t stop.”

“I can’t believe I was in a brothel. Does that mean I owe her money?”