She asks for a sample

“Honestly, Mr. P, I don't know.” Alison's doe eyes meet my gaze steadily; it is easy to believe a 'good girl' like her would be confused at the way she reacted to reading those books. “Some of the scenes aren't that different from what I told you about my earliest sexual fantasies, or for that matter what we did last night, but to live in a world where that kind of thing is accepted ... I just don't know.” I nod silently and watch as Alison turns her attention to setting the table. Clearly, this is something that is going to require a little time.

We eat the lentils with rice and some green beans at the kitchen table in silence for the first few minutes, but when Alison is ready, she tries again to answer my question.

“You asked earlier about how that pornography made me feel?” I set down my fork and listen attentively. “Dr. Lark would say those books are a blatant example of misogyny, especially the parts where even as the captured women are being abused, they realize that that is what they've been missing in their former lives.”

“It's hard to argue that.” I think Alison is a little surprised at my easy agreement with her Women's Studies prospective, but I wait for the rest of what she thinks. Remember I saw her up in her room just hours ago jilling herself furiously while reading about some Imperial debutant being debased by space pirates, off-world barbarians or even members of their own political elite.

“But I got excited, Mr. P.” Alison's face flushes and her eyes drop to the plate of half-eaten food, “All I could think about all day today was what it would be like to be tied up in chains and sold off into sexual slavery.” I start to reassure the confused coed, but she waves off my words before I even get started. “I know, I know, Mr. P. They're just books, lots of people get excited by these things. Trust me Sir, after reading those romance novels and then the books last night, you've made your point. I just don't know what to do about all these feelings.”

“Maybe we should stick to the romance books for now?”

“No.” There is no wavering in her tone. “I think this is something I need to figure out, but I'm not sure I'm ready to jump all the way in.” I should have expected this kind of cautious reaction from my tenant. More than ever I'm glad I started her off with the Harlequins before I showed her my collection of ****-girl books.

“You must have rope and chains in that workshop of yours, right Mr. P?” I smile in anticipation; this is going to be alright after all. “Maybe tonight you could 'capture' me and bind me, just for an hour or two, so I can see what it is like?”

“We could do that,” I test the waters to see how far she wants this to go. “If I were a slaver, I'd want to evaluate my captive ... cut away her clothes ...” I make the last part a question and when she nods “... test how responsive her body is to a man's touch ...” another nod “... see if she is turned on by a whipping?” There is a much longer pause this time and I take that as a 'no'. “Ok, I think I get what you have in mind. It's too early for actual sex, right, I want to save that for this weekend?”

“You might want to Sir,” Alison's voice is breathy and low, “but when you discover that I'm still a virgin, you don't want to lower my price.”

For the first time in a long time the dinner dishes are left unwashed in the sink and the food on the table as I head down to my workshop and Alison goes upstairs to change.