The tome was titled Erotica through the Ages, with ornate black lettering flowing across a glossy crimson background whose faint patterning hinted at flowers and vines.
Alan’s breath caught in his throat. Was this the subject in which Melissa was pursuing her doctorate, the one that was giving her problems with some of the professors on her dissertation committee? Knowing her… Biting his lip in uncertainty, Alan removed the rubber band and hesitantly began leafing through the gleaming pages of galleys.
The introduction was disingenuous. It began by claiming the book was not mere titillation but an overview of a crucial aspect of the sweeping history of art too long ignored. Finally, the text asserted, one could appreciate a basic human commonality of various cultures around the world thr
