My Favorite Stranger

Session 4

Martin started seeing another dominatrix.

Her name was Kitty and he had her on a retainer. She would visit him whenever he wanted while he was on tour, always arriving when he was at the after party. Then, they went back to his room and played.

He didn't know exactly when Sophie's birthday was, but he sent flowers to The Vault when he thought it was close. With the flowers was a card that held a check for $50,000 and a phone number where Martin could be reached, as well as a goodbye. The check was never cashed.

Andy, Dave and Alan caught on to what he was doing with Kitty after she showed up to the fifth afterparty. Alan didn't seem to care. Dave was in his own world and Andy was upset. He and Martin got into an argument about Kitty and, just as Andy was wont to do, he recommended that Martin kept his activities to himself. Martin, who was drunk, told his best friend, "I know. It's pervy. Deal with it."

As the tour progressed, Martin stopped calling his girlfriend less and less until she left a message that she'd left him and the key to the house was on his coffee table. He didn't call her back.

When the band returned to New York, Martin thought of Sophie. He called The Vault to see if she would be available for a session and was told that no one by the name of Domina Snow worked there. Martin thanked the person on the other end and hung up, sad that he cried during their last session.

Martin ended up at a club with Daryl, Dave, Teresa and Andy, but everyone seemed to disappear as soon as they got there. With a sigh, he went to the bar and ordered a beer while watching other clubgoers dance. It was a complete coincidence when he saw Sophie at the other end of the bar with a martini.

She looked up from her drink and the expression on her face was anything but excitement or joy. Martin moved through the crowd of people that were coming to the bar and approached her carefully. Then, he took a sip of beer and said, "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Well, here I am," she retorted.

"I called the club and they said you didn't work there."

"And?"

"Are you still a dominatrix? Where are you now?"

"Why? So you can make me feel like a whore again?"

Martin frowned. "What? I didn't mean —"

"It doesn't matter. I had to field a shitload of questions when you sent the bouquet. Thank god that no one saw the check I never asked you for."

"You didn't cash it."

"I never cashed it because I never asked for it. You then said that was a goodbye."

"I'm sorry. You never told me your last name. I didn't mean for you to feel like a whore. It was a birthday gift."

"No. It was a means for control."

"It wasn't."

She took a sip of her drink and replied, "Well, thank you but you could have kept it. All of it."

"Would you like to go back to my hotel room with me?"

She looked at him incredulously, "I can't believe you."

"It's not for sex. It's — we can do a session or something. I have someone but I — please, Sophie. I want to make it up to you."

Sophie finished her martini just as two women approached them. One of them attempted to kiss Martin, but he pushed her away and muttered, "I'm with someone."

The two women sulked away and Martin looked at Sophie, who was running her finger around the rim of her glass. "Wow. You're popular."

"I would really like to discuss my proclivities somewhere not as crowded. Can we please go back to my room?"