“You’ve got great taste. All three were lovely.” I picked up two whiskeys. I said, “The club soda goes to Chris.”

“Got it.”

We went back to the circle of guys. I looped my arm around Chris’s and chatted for around ten minutes, until my head started to pound. I stood on my tiptoes and whispered in his ear that I wanted to go back. He nodded and excused himself. “I’ll take you back.”

“You don’t have to leave your party. Ben can do it.”

“I want to walk you up.”

As soon as we got into his suite, he pressed me against the wall, holding my hands in his. Looking at my face with longing in his eyes, he went in for a kiss.

Insecure little man.

I turned my head to the side.

He pulled back but kept my hands in his. “How long are you going to keep punishing me?”

“I dunno,” I told him. “How long are you going to keep raping me?”

He exhaled. “You know I get in moods. If you’d just go along with it—”

“I should go along with you raping me?”

“If you went along with it, it wouldn’t be rape, would it?” He dropped my hands and checked his watch. “I’ve got to get back.” He regarded my face. “Thank you for coming tonight. And thank you for stopping me from overdoing it.” He motioned a glass going to his lips.

“No problem,” I said. “I’ll be asleep when you come up.” A forced smile. “Have a good night.”

I HEARD HIM come into the bedroom at around four-thirty. Instead of going to his side, he slapped my ass. “Move over.” When I remained motionless, he said, “I’m not going to do anything. Just move over. I’m tired of this war of attrition, okay?”

Reluctantly, I scooted to the middle. He went under the sheets and scooped me into his arms. He had his groin against my ass. He was hard. I said, “Don’t even think about it.”

“I miss you, baby.”

“No sex.”

“Do you miss me?”

“No, I don’t actually. And the last thing I want from you is sex.”

He pulled away from me and sat up. He sighed. “You just don’t get it.”

“Get what?”

“Men.”

“I get men,” I told him. “I get that they like sex. But the vast majority out there don’t rape.”

“That’s just it,” he said. “Out there, they don’t rape. Out there, I don’t rape. But we’re not out there. We’re in here. And in here, I do what I want.” A pause. “I’m not normal, okay?”

“Obviously.” I turned over and pulled the cover over my head. “What’s the use? You’ll never stop.”