I felt her slide from the bed. It had been a hot night and we slept on top of the sheets. Sun streamed in narrow slits through spaces between Venetian blinds. I pretended to be still asleep and not notice her parting.

I heard bare feet and a clink of chain hitting the floor. Opening one eye, I saw her tanned, naked back a foot away as she sat on the edge of the bed. Faint red lines crisscrossed her skin, a remnant of the previous night's whipping. Her chained hands reached over her head and pulled the blindfold from her eyes.