THERE WAS NO TALKING that night. I listened to her breath, I followed it, I followed the sound when she swallowed. I listened for the line between fear and desire. I was very slow. Very mild. She: stiff at first, still, then soft. A look of overwhelming imploration, almost fright.

That face made me crazy afterward. It came back to me and I didn’t even need to conjure it; I fell, headless. It made me feel powerful. I had given her this face. I had created this uninhibited face, one I was convinced would be with her for the rest of her life.