"How long has it been?" Nameless asked, interrupting himself mid-conversation.
"Since we've seen each other? About a year." She replied.
"Damn." He took a sip of his whisky.
They were at his bar hotel, a better bar with better whisky for him. It was the hotel where her ex worked, so she had decided to sit with her back facing the entrance and pretend to be a different person.
They caught each other up on the past year. She told him about how she'd moved in with a friend for a bit and was now at the cottage that she'd have to leave soon due to the no AC and the landlord who promised to install it and then reneged. She told him about a potential job opportunity at the University she had applied for. He was struggling with a career decision. He could continue doing the work he was doing until it ran out, or he could move to DC and start lobbying for the work to be done. He didn't want to move to DC but was having a hard time seeing much of an alternative.
She tried to order a drink that he made fun of. She chided him and told him to just order for her, since she was so bad at it. "You are, you are a terrible order-er. Great drinker though."
They called it after her second round, his fourth. He signed the receipt, thanking the government for the gracious per diem he got for the day. He said "Let's get back to the room" as if she'd been to the room before, as if they'd come together.
They got a bit lost looking for the room, as it was in a tower that was tricky to get to. They had to go up and then down several different elevators to get there, and they were both too buzzed to get there with any sort of urgency.
Finally they reached the tiny room, used the bathroom as was their custom. The kisses, as always, were wonderful. After some clothes came off he shared "I have a surprise for you."
"Oh?" She raised her eyebrow.
As it turned out, he listened more than she ever thought he would. She had been engaged in a spicy text conversation with him a few months prior where he had said that she seemed like the type who would enjoy whipping someone, and she said she might but she had wanted to be tied up first.
He had brought rope. Not just rope, but some of the softest rope she'd ever felt. When he was done he told her she looked good all tied up. It made her blush and he laughed at how easy she was to compliment.
The sex was pretty great, in fact it wore her out and energized her all at the same time. He was worn out and took a shower as soon as the sex was over. She gave him a hard time about it, saying that aftercare should be a thing, even if he wasn't into cuddling. He didn't want to and put up a bit of a fight, but eventually laid on the bed and spooned her for a bit. She turned around when he stated it had been more than 5 minutes he promised, and buried her face in his chest. He let her stay there another 5 minutes before asking if she was going to stay the night.
"You're too cranky in the morning. If you are going to leave me and move to DC I want to remember you like this." She said.
She got up to get dressed and go to the bathroom. When she got out he was fast asleep. She took a long look at him, wondering if this was the last time.
Then, just like last time, she went over to kiss him on the forehead, but not enough to wake him. She hit the lights on the way out.
When she was settling into bed she got a text from him.
"I passed out while you were in the bathroom. Sorry. Did you make it home safe?"
"For a casual encounter once a year, he sure was nice about everything" she thought.
A few days later, she was offered the University gig. It was the greatest week she'd had in awhile.
