which was normal under my job description, had made me falsify my reactions and affected how I interpreted his reactions, or lack thereof. Free from these conventions, I willingly submitted myself to his sexual domination, and it gave me great pleasure.
When I opened my eyes on Saturday morning, Daniel, wearing a white linen pair of pants and shirt, was looking out the window of the bedroom. He was on the phone.
“Perfect. Thanks, Ray.”
He hung up and turned towards me, beaming.
“Wake up, Julia. Ray's got the boat ready. We're going to take a tour.”
Palace, haute-couture, diamonds, convertible, house and now a boat: all of this luxury was beyond surprise, beyond my comprehension. It was another world.
I jumped out of bed, threw on a bathing suit and a light dress and we dashed out. On the sea, a light breeze softened the blazing sun. I lazed about, lying on a mattress on the front of the boat and, out of the corner of my eye, watched Daniel, shirtless, walking along the side of the boat. He was outrageously seductive. His olive skin looked incredibly healthy and warm.
Along a deserted cove, Daniel anchored the boat. He grabbed my hand and led me into the immense cabin. There, he put his arm around my waist and took possession of my mouth. The contact of our skin, warmed by the sun, made me swoon. I drowned in his kisses. Carried away by our passionate embrace, we fell onto a large sofa covered with soft cushions. Our chests came together, our legs intertwined, we became just one body that swayed to the rhythm of our desire. I hoped it would never end.
All of a sudden I felt Daniel groping around for something. Then he moved aside. He was holding a long, black silk scarf.
“I want to blindfold you.”
He must've be able to read the apprehension in my eyes, because he added:
“Don't be afraid. Much to the contrary. When the other person can't see, you become more daring. It's fear of judgment that prevents us from really letting go. I'm sure you'll like it.”
Daniel tightly knotted the scarf around my eyes. Despite his words, fear washed over me. I had a hard time breathing, I couldn't hear anything, my limbs tensed up. But Daniel's caresses quickly won me over. The feeling of claustrophobia gave way to well-being. A breath of fullness pushed my body and mind to relax. My limbs relaxed, and all of my senses concentrated on the effects that Daniel's caresses had on me. All of my being followed these sensations as they multiplied. Only Daniel's touch made me aware of the limits of my body. I felt like I was floating. I submitted myself completely to him, to his expert hands, to his mouth. I'd never surrendered myself like this before.
“I'm going to take you, Julia. Now. I'm going to dive into you,” he said, putting on a condom.
Penetration felt like a salvation. I surrendered without reserve under the movements of his hips. Daniel swayed over my languid body and I dove into the abyss of pleasure.
“Daniel...” my cry came from far away.
With a moan, my sailor flooded me and his heavy body collapsed onto mine. We stayed in this position for a moment, silent, out of breath. Then he gently undid the knot of the scarf, restoring my sight. I told him:
“You were right, I was more sensitive, more alive.”
But I didn't tell him that I would have loved, with my eyes, to watch him go wild.
After a champagne dinner on the pontoon, we returned to dry land as night fell. We went back to the house, leaving the boat in Ray's capable hands.
Sunday, July twenty-second. Daniel was leaving for France that night. My eyes were brimming with sadness and I was full of apprehension, but I tried not to let anything show. I didn't want to ruin the last hours we had together. I forced myself to seem happy, to pretend like nothing was wrong. I lived and breathed for our torrid embraces. Like someone taking a deep breath before slowly letting it out, I filled myself with these last moments with Daniel Wietermann so that they would