New Tricks

We had travelled halfway round the world
and arrived at our destination
barely three hours before our first meeting.

Nevertheless, the meeting went well
and after it was over we retired to our hotel
for a restorative glass of cheer.

Even though we had worked together
for a year or more, our relationship
still maintained a certain formality.

She had a reputation for being ‘a safe pair of hands’.
But she was also a bit of an ice maiden.
She didn’t really do small talk. Or banter.

Two more days of adrenalin-fuelled meetings,
and then it was handshakes all round.
‘The lawyers can sort out the details.’

Over a celebratory glass or two of The Widow
she asked me if I wanted to sleep with her.
A trick question? A trap question? What could I say?

‘What do you think?’ I asked.
‘I think that you could learn to want to,’ she said.
‘Learn? You mean old dog, new tricks?’

She smiled and, for the first time
she put her hand on top of mine.
‘We’d be good together, you and me.’

We were half a world away from normality.
A touch of euphoria, perhaps? Leftover adrenalin?
That night, she gave me my first lesson.