* * *
It was noon before Ethan’s eyes fluttered open in response to the bright sunlight peeking through the heavy drapes in his bedroom. He lay diagonally along the queen-sized bed, sheets and blankets bunched up in complete disarray. He threw his arm across his eyes. He didn’t have to be at work until four o’clock this afternoon, so could take some time to acclimate to the day. The taste of wine still lay on his tongue. That had been some potent stuff. Sleep had reduced the dense fog that had lain across his mind the night before to a light mist.
Images of Victoria’s dimly lit apartment, her beauty in the candlelight, and the eerie ritual she performed flooded his mind. It was rare that he was invited to a woman’s home and not allowed to show her his expertise in the bedroom. What had h
