Liza was back in her silent apartment, the echoes of the gala haunting her. She was stripped down to her silk robe, her skin still tingling from the brief contact with Julian's hand. The silence was deafening. She picked up her phone, her thumb hovering over his name.
"Please", she whispered to the empty room, "I just need to hear him". She pressed call. "Liza? It's 2 AM", his voice came through, thick with sleep and something that sounded like a growl. "Julian", she whimpered, the sound escaping her before she could stop it. "I can't... I can't sleep. My skin feels like it's on fire. I remember the way you used to... please". There was a long, agonizing silence on the other end. She could hear his heavy breathing. "Do you know what you're asking for?" he asked, his voice dropping an octave, becoming a velvet caress. "If you come to me tonight, Liza, you don't come back as an equal. You come back to be handled. To be used. To be mine. Tell me you want that." Liza let out a shaky, wet sob of relief. "Yes. Please. Handle me."