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A man cannot destroy the savage in him by denying its impulses. The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. –Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
“We’re only ever good because there are consequences,” I told her. “Take those away, and everyone shows their true self. Kind of like taking off a mask.”
Our lips hovered an inch from each other, and I tried to talk, but only a whisper came out. “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.”
“And I want it to be special,” he continued. “I want to take you to movies and hang out and go for drives and sit you on my lap like this whenever I want. And when we’re ready, we’ll take a long drive down to the inlet and to my family’s boathouse, and I’ll go slow with you.” His whisper caressed my ear, sending chills down my body. “Taking my time where no one can interrupt us. Taking all night.”
People will think what they want to think, not because they believe they are right, but because it’s in their nature to maintain that they are. By defending yourself, you feed the appetite for drama. By not, you’ve ended the conversation. You. Not them.
So, I fucked a guy. Who cares? I liked it. Sue me.
“Now you have a slave until your wedding,” I challenged him. “What will you do with me? Order my clothes off right here and bend me over the table, big boy?”
He took the envelope, a bitter grin on his lips. “Nah. That’s nice and sweet. Something I’ll do to the new little wife,” he taunted. “My toys get a little more wear and tear.”
“I can take anything you got!” “I’m sure! In both ends, I hear!”
“You’re not scary without your mask, Kai Mori.”
“You make me feel driven. You make me hungry and on fire and wanting to slow down time instead of wanting to rush through it. It’s you I look for when I walk in the doors in the morning. Not her. You.”
“I’m a street punk, Mori,” she taunted, leaving little kisses across my cheek that were driving me crazy. “I fight dirty.”
forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It’s been . . .”
“Hello.” He took her hand, shook it, and finally released it. A couple seconds too late in my opinion.
But in my head, tucked away where I kept my secrets, it would always be him. Ten years . . . twenty years down the road I would watch him from a distance and see
Just go, Banks. The less you know, the more you fear, so go learn more.
“I love you guys,” Michael said, “but are you fucking dense? You’re my friends. She is everything. Maybe someday you’ll know what the fuck I’m talking about.”
