Switch

'You thought maybe I was lying?' I didn't ease myself

closer to him, but I turned my body in his direction. 'Why

would I do that?'

He laughed, self-conscious, and scrubbed the back of his

head with a hand. 'I'm not saying you're lying, no. Just that

maybe you were—'

'Lying.' I laughed. 'To impress you, maybe?'

Eric ducked his head but shot me a glance. 'Something

like that. I don't know.'

Today you will know you are strong and beautiful.

Advice meant for him, but I'd taken it, too. The difference

was, I knew something of what he'd been doing and living

the past few weeks, and he had no clue about me.

There was such power in that.

'You have an awfuly high opinion of yourself, Eric.' My

'You have an awfuly high opinion of yourself, Eric.' My

voice came out different. Lower and sultry. It was the

voice of a woman who had never believed she was

anything but strong and beautiful, and I saw how he heard

it.

He sat up straighter. It was subtle, but I noticed. 'You're

right. I shouldn't have assumed.'

I wasn't sure what I saw in Eric's eyes, only that I wasn't

ready for it. I made it different with a laugh and a pat to his

arm. 'It's okay. I'm just teasing you.'

'Right.' He laughed, too, but I glimpsed something like

disappointment on his face, so brief I couldn't be sure it

had been there.

I made a show of looking at the clock and getting up. 'This

was great, but it realy is getting late.'

He was up, too, seconds after me. 'Right. Yes.'

He walked me to the door, al prim-and-proper-like, and

there I stopped and turned to face him. 'Thanks for inviting

me.'

Now would have been a good time to kiss me, but he

Now would have been a good time to kiss me, but he

didn't do it. I didn't lean to kiss him, either, though I could

have. I wanted to. I didn't believe for one second he'd turn

me down. And I didn't choke, either, dithering at the last

second about what he might think of me or whether he'd

cal me the next day if I gave it up to him tonight.

I didn't kiss him because I had the power to decide which

way this went. Hours before I'd lain on my bed and

touched myself, thinking it might be his hands. I thought of

doing that now, when I went upstairs. How I'd undress

myself and make myself come pretending it was his fingers

and mouth on my tits and clit, my cunt and ass. Or maybe

I'd think of Austin.

Hel, maybe I'd think of Brad Pitt.

I didn't kiss Eric because he was waiting for me to do it. I