Page 23 of A Taste like Sin

“How enterprising of you,” I counter. “Naked, undisguised blackmail. There is a poetic irony to it.”

“Gracias,though I’m not sure you fully appreciate what I mean. Humans are such strange creatures,

you see. They’d give one man the absolute power to destroy their lives in a heartbeat, all for the

promise of freedom to indulge in the most wicked of pastimes. It is quite the Faustian bargain.”

“Leverage?” I echo. “That sounds more like blackmail. I thought you valued discretion and ensured

privacy?”

“And I do,” he insists, but I sense another half to that statement that he doesn’t voice.And I do…for

now.“But if you’re wondering if I fuck the performers in my spare time, I’m afraid the answer is no.”

“Why not?”

“You still don’t understand me at all, do you?” He sounds so amused by the prospect. But maybe he’s

wrong in this case.

“Because you expect to gain something from every encounter,” I answer before he can say anything

else. “To learn something. For your art—”

“And I wonder how much I’ll learn about you via this delicate, single pearl. Do drop anotherpor

favor.”

The air in my lungs escapes in a gasp. Damn it. That’s right. I’ve given him a victory already: one

pearl lost. I’m suddenly aware of the remaining three balanced precariously on their respective

positions.

“Hmmm.” The floorboards protest as he stands.

I imagine him swiping his fingers along his chin. Specks of dark liquid most likely coat the tips. Paint.

I can even smell it, sharp and chemical, melding with the amalgam of scents that enhance his persona.

Circling to my direction, he grasps where I suspect the tray of pearls to be. An array of soft clinking

noises conjures an image of him fondling every round bead, looking for the perfect one. Despite the

blindfold, I can almost see him as he finally raises his selection trapped between two fingers.

“Shall I make a confession?” he muses. “It’s not every woman that I would allow to make demands of

me. Flowers every day…”

He’s referring to one of my delirious requests made in the aftermath of a world-altering betrayal.

“Those wereyourterms,” I point out, fighting to keep every muscle still. “You said anything—”

“And I meant that. But I am sure you love a good bargain as much as I do, and I believe it would only

be fair if I were to make a request in return.”