Learning to Soar Read Online Free Page A

know. Stupid economy.” She grimaced and took a deep swallow of wine.
    “Anyway, as I was saying, Mark and I dated my senior year of college and while I was getting my master’s degree. I was busy with classes and work, and Mark was still going to school part-time and didn’t have a job. He had a very active social life. I started to bore him, I know. All work and no play made Chloe a dull girl. He made that very clear.
    “He yelled at me a few times when he was drunk. I know I should have left him after the first time. I do see that now. He just apologised so sweetly—he’d send enormous bouquets of flowers to my apartment and then pick me up in his Ferrari for dinner at the best restaurant in town. He’d take me shopping, too, and pick out my clothes. He said my figure was too skinny and my boobs were too small, and that I had to learn how to dress to make up for that.”
    Chloe saw the muscles of Damien’s jaw tense before he spoke. “Go on, Chloe. I’m listening.”
    “The sex was good, although we started having it less and less. I found some panties at his apartment that weren’t mine, and I once found a used condom in the trash. I answered his phone when a girl called and he about tore my head off. He always had excuses, though—a friend had stayed over with a girl, or a female cousin was going through a crisis. I bought it, each and every time.
    “I feel like such an idiot for putting up with him for so long. I guess I was star-struck by his money and his good looks. I thought his family would eventually see past my bus driver father and my housewife mother and my boring suburban childhood. I thought Mark and I would end up married and have beautiful children together.” She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and tugged at her skirt.
    “The end was sort of anti-climactic, I guess. There wasn’t a big blow-up fight or anything. We were having sex, and he was on top, as usual. I was really close to orgasm, and I’m sure my face looked really stupid. He always told me I looked like a troll doll when I came.” She tried to laugh but ended in a choking sound.
    “He stopped all of a sudden and said, ‘You know, I can’t do this anymore.’ He climbed off me and started getting dressed. I’m laying there, my pulse still racing with the build-up of an orgasm, and I can’t think of anything to say. He wasn’t done, either. ‘I’m sick and tired of fucking a troll doll,’ he laughed, ‘although right now you look more like a dying fish.’ And then he left.” She bit her lip and stared at her wine glass. “That’s it.”
    “What an asshole,” Damien muttered
    “Huh?” Chloe looked up. “I didn’t catch that.”
    “I’m sorry, please go on,” he said smoothly.
    “Well, there’s not much left to tell. Thank goodness I had just earned my master’s degree, because I was so crushed that I couldn’t think straight for weeks and weeks. Monica had been my room-mate at Salem State. She had moved to Atlanta after we graduated and we had stayed in close touch. She begged me to move down to Atlanta and live with her and forget all about Mark. Monica’s been great.”
    “So that was three years ago, right? Have you been on dates since then?” Damien asked.
    Chloe shrugged. “Yeah, there have been a few guys. After four months or so, Monica got tired of me flopping around the apartment in pyjamas and moaning about Mark. She set me up on dates with some of her friends, but nothing much came of it.” Chloe glanced around the room.
    “That’s a really cool clock, by the way,” she noted, pointing out a dramatic black starburst on the wall. “Where do you find all this vintage stuff? Your office is amazing. I love that coat rack, too. It’s like a piece of art.”
    Damien smiled. “Thank you. The clock is by Howard Miller, and the coat rack is from the early seventies. I find things I like on eBay, mostly, but I like to check out antique stores, too.” He took a sip of wine and raised his