verbal war we were in. “ So you don’t have a girlfriend you…correct?” Men scouting for their mistresses online calling themselves single was like an epidemic of online dating. That question provoked a small chuckle from Brian as he took a sip of his water.His pink lips wrapped around the straw. I wanted to kiss those lips, moisten them with my tongue. “ I’m not the boyfriend type. I’m not that easy to be in a relationship with.” There was no break in eye contact when he said that. Now this made no sense. Was this the same man that I sent so many messages to? The one that longed for a relationship like a previous one that went bad. Telling me of the ways he wanted me to please him. “ That’s not exactly what you said before.” This was one hell of an initial meeting. Already we were coming to a disagreement. “ Well, I remember telling you that I wanted a relationship but I didn’t say boyfriend.” Now he was right that was what he said. I guess he was right, but this now sounded weird. What did he really want then? “ So you just want to toy with girls on websites?” I saw a tinge of annoyance pass through his face. “ That mouth is going to get you in trouble one day.” “ It already has.” I shot back. Playing this verbal tennis match with him was fun. Thinking of all the times in grade school that I served detention for mouthing off to one of the Nuns made me cringe. I was a grown woman now and could say what I wanted. “ I like that about you. That you speak your mind,” He glanced around as if to see who was listening. “You don’t often find those qualities in a submissive.” “ In a what.” That ‘S’ word he used almost sounded like an insult. His eyebrows raised, tilting his head as if he were unsure of what my problem was and couldn’t figure it out. “ That word you used. What does that mean?” His furrowed brow stared at me as if I were speaking a different language. “ What do you mean? You are Kara from online right.” He looked around the bar as if he were in the wrong place. “ Yes but you lost me at being submissive.” That was a word I heard in marriages about the wife succeeding to their husband. I wasn’t sure why Brian was using it now. “ The site we were on…” His voice trailed off as if he were trying to find the words. “Do you know what it was for?” Now that must have been a rhetorical question, but the way he looked at me, Brian was, in fact, waiting on an answer. “ Ummm a dating site right?” His lips, shit I just noticed them. Thin succulent pieces of flesh that I wanted to kiss. “ Yes but...you put BDSM on your profile.” “ Yeah, that’s the one for big plus size girls right?” I looked down at myself. My low neckline, pudgy stomach. Did he not notice that I wasn’t a twig? I was serious, but Brian let out a laugh that radiated through the bar. He shook his head, closing his eyes and putting a hand to his forehead. Whatever I said must have been completely wrong or right...I wasn’t sure. “ It is the badge for bondage, dominance, sadism, and masochism. Do you know what any of that means?” It was my turn to shake my head, but there was no laughing. All of it sounded serious. “ I...I had no idea.” I was putting it all together in my head. I remember distinctly having a bad day dealing with bills and student loan budgeting and Miranda suggested I try out this new site but she never explained much after that. Brian eyed me putting the pieces together. “ So you think I’m an escort.” My face was a stone of seriousness. “ No, that’s not what it is either,” He took on a face of a teacher informing a pupil. “There doesn’t have to be any money exchanged. It’s a different kind of sexual experience.” The mention of “S” word put me on alert. This was creepy, and I’m not sure if I’m comfortable with it. Brian must have sensed my distress. “ What made you come on the site