Logan
I had no idea how to feel. As I walked into the hotel lobby and made my way to the front desk, my mind swirled. Weeks. It had been weeks since I had been this nervous for anything. I approached the smiling woman and drew in a deep breath, then tried to calm my mind as she greeted me.
“Welcome to La Graviata. May I have your name?” the woman asked.
“Logan Foster. I am expected,” I said.
“Of course. Here is your room key, and if you need anything else, please let us know. We’re only a phone call away.”
“Thank you very much.”
I turned the key around in my hand as I made my way up to the room. I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath, thankful to finally have my answer. I could move on. We could move on. The doors opened on the fifth floor, and with every step I took toward the room, my heart slammed against my chest. A new start. A fresh start. That was what I needed.
It was what we both needed after the conversation Camilla and I had shared.
I slid the key into the door, which popped open freely. I tossed the key onto the table next to the door and took everything in: the dim lighting, the rose petals, the bucket of champagne sitting on a table next to the window. The smell of lavender filled the room as my eyes fell on her. She sat with her back to me, and my heart raced. This was it, the moment of truth. It was the point of no return for the next step in my life.
She turned around.
“Ava?”
“Logan? What are you doing here?”
“Are you—here for a date?”
“Yes, I am.”
She stood from the edge of the bed, and my eyes poured over her. Shock rolled over me as I took in the beautiful dress she wore. It was pale pink and fell over her shoulders before clutching her perfect little waist. Her legs poked out from the soft fabric, smooth and glistening in the candlelight coming from all around the room. Her pale pink heels flexed her calves, and I couldn’t keep my eyes from roaming.
Ava looked beautiful in a settling like this.
“This can’t be right,” she said.
My eyes whipped up to hers and took in her confusion. Her olive skin shimmered in the candlelight as she moved over to me, her long black hair fluttering around her shoulders.
“Did you get highlights?” I asked.
A flush tinted her cheeks as her hand went up and ran through her tendrils. They glimmered, enticing my fingertips to reach out and touch them.
“Some dark brown ones, yes. Do they look bad?” she asked.
“No, they don’t,” I said.
“Does Camilla know you’re here?” she asked.
“She does not. But then again, I don’t think she would care. The two of us aren’t together anymore.”
“Wait, what?”
“I take it you haven’t talked with her in a few days?”
“No. She hasn’t picked up her phone. But sometimes she drops off the map,” she said.
“Well, we broke up two days ago. I signed up for this thing last minute. You know, to be a teacher.”
A look of hurt rose up in Ava’s eyes. I knew it wasn’t because of me, rather because of Camilla, but it still tugged at me. I wanted to reach out to her, especially since both of us being here meant we were at least slightly interested. But just like I had the option of backing out, so did she.
I didn’t want to make her feel skittish or committed to doing something she didn’t want to do.
“Can I just—ask something really quickly?” I asked.
“Sure,” Ava said.
“You’re a virgin?”
She took a step back from me before turning away altogether.
“Ava, I don’t mean to embarrass you. It’s just that when I signed up with the agency yesterday—”
“Why did you sign up?” she asked.
She turned around and looked at me, her eyes searching for answers instead of comfort.
“If you just broke up with Camilla, why did you sign up to have sex with someone through some agency?” she asked.
“I needed a fresh start, something that signaled the end of one point and the beginning of another.”
“So you decided taking someone’s virginity was the route.”
“Actually, no. I signed up to be a teacher, but there was a broad range of specifications.”
“Like what?” she asked.
“Kinks. Fetishes. Everything from working with a couple on how to tie knots with rope in a bedroom scenario to helping someone explore their sexual boundaries.”
She nodded and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.
“The call I got back from them was almost immediate. They said they had someone who matched almost perfectly with me, but it wasn’t a teaching scenario so much as it was a first-time scenario. Since I hadn’t specified anything related to virginity on my application, they weren’t sure if I’d be up for it.”