Dating : Beware of Unknown Monsters

“I’m going to get lucky,” was Tom’s last thought before he woke up naked in a hotel room looking like he was in the middle of making a snow angel, his wrists cuffed to the bed’s headboard, his legs spread wide and tied to the footboard with thick rope.

A rhythmic brushing sound drew his attention away from the cold metal around his wrists and the ropes constricting his ankles. Tom turned toward the sound. A woman sat in front of the vanity, brushing her hair. She wore black lace panties and nothing else. Tom watched her breasts, reflected in the mirror, as she breathed, his body reacting with carnal desire. There was no way to hide himself. He blushed. Whatever happened last night, maybe it will happen again, and this time I’ll remember. He studied her in the mirror. I want to remember everything. Whatever they’d done last night, the cuffs and ropes must have made it exceptional.

When she had started caressing his inner thigh under the table at Jimmy’s Irish Pub, he was ninety-nine percent sure they’d end up in bed. Tom remembered that much. He recalled drinking a single gin and tonic, scarcely enough to give even a buzz, but he also remembered her perfume, sugary, citrusy, flavored like a vodka gimlet — something he’d never sensed before, perfume that intoxicated by taste as well as scent — and potent, like multiple shots of gin delivered directly to his brain. He remembered the giddiness he felt from inhaling her scent. He remembered her hot breath against his ear when she whispered, “Let’s get a room.”

Tom remembered the old man who bumped into him, spilling whiskey on his pants. The man, with skin like a turtle’s face, spoke through his sandpapered larynx, “Sorry.” And then he whispered, “Stay away from her. Lxysthemia.”

Tom lifted his head and observed his arousal. Who is she?

“Maja.” Her name filled an empty space in his head, like she knew what belonged. “Just in case you forgot my name, Tom.” She smiled into the mirror, lifting her cheeks and breasts. She turned toward him, scanned him from head to toe and back again. Tom couldn’t tell if her eyes lingered anywhere in particular, but he hoped they did.

Maja’s accent was vaguely German, partially French, maybe Greek or Arabic — he couldn’t tell for sure. Whatever it was, the syllables flowed from her lips in an erotic melody. Her milky skin gave her the appearance of having never been touched by the sun. Despite her snowy complexion, her lips were red and full and her eyes glowed green like coral. To Tom, she was a black and white photograph, enhanced with color only on her lips, eyes, and hair.

Tom felt bold. “ Why don’t you come back to bed, Maja?”

She didn’t reply. She continued to brush her hair, which reached to her panties.

“I don’t want to wear you out,” Maja said finally. She winked into the mirror.

“It’s okay,” Tom said hopefully. “I can go another round.” His pulse quickened when he noticed the open bottle of ;massage oil on the bedside table.

“I know, Tom, but I have to leave.”

He offered an exaggerated frown. Maja blew him a reflected kiss.

She put on her bra, slipped a black dress over her head, and pulled up her stockings, wiggling like an exotic dancer as she dressed. Her skin shimmered in the mirror.

Tom tugged against the cuffs and ropes, hoping that like whatever game they’d played last night, his bonds were for play, too. He tensed his leg muscles, attempting to pull them inward, but all he managed to accomplish was making the ropes rub against the metal. He pulled harder, chafing his skin and causing drops of sweat to emerge along his naked body. He gave the handcuffs a tug, too, but they only clinked. He pulled again, no longer hopeful for release but wanting to send a signal to Maja that if sex wasn’t going to happen, he’d like to be set free.

Maja licked her lips. “Let me give you some help, Tom.” A frisson of excitement passed through him and his eyes went wide. She’s changed her mind, he thought.

The left handcuff clicked open. Bewilderment painted Tom’s face, his eyes narrowed. How did she —

“Not an app.” Maja didn’t offer any further explanation.

Tom stretched his arm over his chest and shook out the stiffness. He glanced at his watch: 11:15. Was it morning or evening? The room’s blackout curtains blocked either the sunlight or the night’s lights, he didn’t know which. There was no clock.

Maja stood. From his prone position, Tom could only estimate her height, but she was tall, her head reaching to the top of the mirror frame. It looked as if she were about to leave, and he was still stuck.

“Your bonds will release by themselves after I’m gone,” she assured him. She gave him one last wanton look that sent shivers of craving through his body. “I promise.”

Maja pivoted and left the room. The door rode a cushion of hydraulic oil and shut with a hush. Tom’s remaining handcuff unlocked and the ropes untied themselves, like snakes uncoiling.

Tom opened his eyes and twisted his head to the left. A beautiful black-haired woman was perched half-naked by the vanity. He took a deep breath, anticipating a hangover that would announce itself like a truck’s air horn, but nothing happened. The last thing he remembered was intense flirting and touching at a pub. And now… he tried to sit up but was restrained by handcuffs and ropes. Must have been a wild night, he thought. I just wish I could remember it.

The woman turned toward Tom. “You’re awake, Tom. Good.”

Before “Who are you?” spilled out of Tom’s mouth, the woman said, “Maja.” She smiled. “You may have forgotten.”

“Did we — ?”

“I think you know the answer to that.” She blew Tom a kiss and winked.

Tom scrunched his face but his memory was like the vacuum of space. He tried to wriggle free of his bonds but could barely move.

The handcuff holding Tom’s right hand snapped open by itself. “How did you — ”

“I don’t want to give away all my secrets, Tom.” She stood and began to turn toward the hotel. “I have to go now.”

Tom pulled on the remaining handcuff, clanging it against the bed frame. He pulled on the leg ropes and grunted. “Your bonds will release you on their own accord after I leave. No need to worry, Tom. I don’t want you to worry.”

“Will I see you again?” Tom wanted to, and his body emphasized that desire.

“Oh, yes,” said Maja. “Always and forever.”