I held him to me while his breathing slowly returned to normal.
When he settled down I pushed him away enough that I could focus on his eyes. I took a deep breath and concentrated on putting all of the sincerity my time in The Profession had taught me.
"Benjamin," I said, holding his eyes with mine, my fingers very light on his cheek, "waiting for this day, being with your family, with our family, has changed me."
This was all bullshit, of course, but I thought it was done well and important for our future together.
He started to say something but I laid my finger on his lips.
"Benjamin," I said, making sure to use his name, a trick every hooker knows, "I haven't held anything back. You know what I am."
I paused, dramatically I thought, worked up a little catch in my voice, and said, "Benjamin, you've changed me. No," and I touched his lips again, "That's not right. But getting to know you has changed me."
"Benjamin," I said, hoping I wasn't going too far, "I love you."
One more time I touched his lips, stopping whatever he was going to say.
"No," I said, "it's worse than that. I'm in love
with
you," I said, proud of the little catch in my voice as I said the words.
I stopped then, holding his eyes, my best serious look on my face, a very touching tear overflowing one eye.
"Do you mean it?" he asked.
"Yes, Benjamin, I mean it," I said, letting the tear run untouched down my cheek.
I couldn't have scripted it better.
He reached out, not tentative now but careful and gentle, and touched the tear.
"I love you, too," he said, and I knew I had won.
The third time we made love was truly making love. Well, I was still guiding things, but he was a quick learner.
He kissed my cheek and then traced the line of that single artistic tear with his cheek before kissing my eyelid.
"Oh, Benjamin," I sighed, and although it was still at least partly an act, that wasn't all of it. In one of those "oh fuck" moments every hooker knows, I realized that when I said I love you, I meant it at least a little.
"I love you," I said
I rolled the desk chair over and sat, facing the bed, facing him.
"Come here, Student-o-Mine," I said, deliberately switching his name for the intimacy of a pet name, "and let me take you to the next level."
He got out of bed and came to me, surprising me not at all by being fully erect.