Wish

Sex with Alice remained as difficult as ever, but eventually Richard won the battle. He lay on his back and stared at the ceiling, gasping hard at the exhaustion, while she lay about an arm’s length away doing the same. It didn’t seem like much, but the distance was enormous when on the same bed.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked calmly.

“I’m wondering why it had to be now,” Richard responded. His thoughts weren’t unreasonable; with the possibility of an attack at any time, the mental release of sex was easily dwarfed by the physical exhaustion. It wouldn’t be much with anyone else, but when Alice was involved she wouldn’t give in until she was utterly exhausted.

Alice...