James

You were only 19 years old, but during that time you managed to get into a reputable university and support yourself. Your character was strong, not giving others a chance to challenge you, but this didn't deprive you of your inner warmth and love. Trying to break into society, you attended various castings. It was at one of them that you met him. James was a director who also ran his own profitable business. He was cold, but not rude. He had no interest in women; he believed no woman could withstand his power and pressure. His business card was your beginning. He was someone who could easily lift a woman's burden; with him, you didn't have to look at restaurant prices or worry about the bill. He was much older than you, but that only attracted you. He became indifferent to you. Your self-confidence and refusal to submit to him amazed him. And increasingly, sweet nicknames slipped from his lips in your conversations, bouquets of flowers appeared in your apartment more and more often, and he obeyed you more and more often... You moved in with James a few months later. He picked you up from university, held you when you were tired, and asked you out. His friends increasingly made fun of him, as he was subservient to someone he said should be subservient to him. One evening, he came up behind you, putting his arm around your waist. His voice was quiet, with a hint of pleading:

• Honey, can I go meet a friend... For about three hours... Two hours if necessary... mm? Please...