It was the same circuit, round and round, all while Maxim watched me from where he sat on the bottom step of the staircase. Day and night no longer existed for me: I stayed alone in the dark until he visited, turned on the lights that were too bright, and removed the handcuff from my right wrist ...
The caterers repeatedly replenish the buffet and smiling, smartly dressed waiters carry round silver trays with tall champagne flutes balanced on them. Louise wears a black, backless dress, which reveals her supple, unblemished skin. She laughs and beams, not noticing the admiring glances she rec...