Deep in the jungle, the generator and air conditioning systems servicing Katie's accommodation and surgery unit were essential. I was glad of them through the night because the humidity outside rose to ninety percent.
Our bedsheets were cold, and the air wafting over us was chilly. Katie cuddled close into me, lazing in a classic lover pose, with one leg softly nestled between mine, her head resting on my chest while the fingers of one hand gently stroked my stomach, meandering through hairs.
"Celia seriously warned you about me, didn't she? It wasn't a throwaway remark."
"Through mom, yes she did, but nothing was said to offend or ridicule you."
"What did she say?"
"Do you want to know Celia's exact words?"
"Yes, please."
"Andrew is a fine and gentle man. By all reports, he is an exquisite, powerful lover and a true boyfriend experience. He'll fall in love on sight, then fall out of it again when his back is turned away."
"Wow, that's quite brutal and makes me sound Machiavellian."
"Sorry, but you asked me, and I prefer openness. You'll not get sugarcoating from me."
"She's spot on in her assessment, though. It's a curse."
"Does it happen every time you sleep with a woman?"
"Yes, although this time it feels different."
"Are you being honest with me right now, Andrew?"
"There is no reason for me to lie. I'm a paid-for sex worker, and it's not like I'm hitting on you for a date or more."
"Did you catch feelings for me, sweetheart?"
"Yes."
I wouldn't ask if Katie felt emotionally invested in me because complicating her life would be grossly unfair. I'd probably already said too much, but answering her questions as forthrightly as possible seemed proper. She seemed to prefer simplicity and truth.
She frowned and looked contemplative. I liked how thoughtful Katie was in everything, never seeming to rush her opinions.
"You don't have to answer this, but have you made love to Celia?"
"No."
"No... not yet, or no, you won't ever?"
"Probably never. She's my boss, mentor, and close friend."
"She sounds like a perfect lover."
"Making love to Celia might ruin what we have, and I'd rather not."
"Is it about the money?"
"The money is great, but it's not primarily that. Celia helped me when I struggled. These days, that's rare and something I will cherish forever."
"What if she wanted to make love to you desperately? Imagine she asked you one evening, 'Please, Andrew, make love to me in my bed.'"
Katie had drawn me into a real dilemma. It was a test of my character of sorts, and I considered her question seriously, troubled by emotions of love welling inside while common sense divided those from a lust to have my friend and mentor.
"I don't know."
"That's the right answer, Andrew. Good boy."
Whether I'd answered definitively yes or no, I'd be hypothesizing wildly with my feelings so far extended out of any reasonable context that my character would be proven flawed. To understand how such a question from Celia would be answered would require me to be in that moment, staring deep into her eyes when she asked it.
"Why did you ask me that question, Katie?"
"Because it will help you understand me in the coming days."
"Days? I thought I'd leave here tomorrow night for the airport."
"Mom extended you with Celia's approval and without you offering any freebie or discount."
"Oh... that's great. I must be doing something right."
"You definitely are."
"How long will I stay here?"
"A week."
I felt excited, like a chapter in my life's memoir was being written live and on an ad-hoc basis. I was free to explore opportunities, and Kate was too.
"You mentioned I might understand you better in the coming days. In what way do you mean?"
"I'm very hard work, Andrew, and will probably opt for an open marriage. I've enjoyed our lovemaking immensely and to the extent I might want to enjoy that unfamiliar and exotic lover experience and have disconnected, carefree sex with others too."
"That would be a two-way open marriage, right?"
"Of course. Cuckolding my boyfriend tonight was a test for our relationship. I know he wasn't that much in love with me, and there is no way he could have shared while enjoying others himself."
"Why are you hard work?"
Katie raised herself, resting a pointy chin on my chest so that she could stare into my eyes. Her chin and cheek dimples looked incredibly cute, and I wanted her all the more for those three concave dips of sexual delight.
My temporary girlfriend was judging me, calculating a net value in human rather than monetary terms. It excited me that such an incredible, vibrant woman might assess me that way.
"I need absolute honesty in a relationship, and that's not easy. Knowing how my partner feels, understanding their sexual kinks, enjoying those together, and being sensible about ethical non-monogamy is crucial. "
"Do you give the same openness in return?"
"I believe so. I told my ex-boyfriend about you, sent him the profile of a man I intended to fuck, and then offered live-streaming evidence. When he called on the sat phone, I even told him there were no restrictions on what we might do and asked how he felt about that."
"What do you mean by no restrictions?"
"Anal, oral, obviously pussy fucking. I doubt I could take that giant cock inside my back passage, though."
"That's frighteningly honest."
"It's better than cheating on one another once married though, would you agree?"
"Infinitely better, but I'm sure you already know that most guys would be terrified of handling a relationship with you."
"And yet you aren't? I sense you're on the cusp of wanting me that way and after only one night."
"You know and understand my weakness."
"I do, and yet we're discussing something that should terrify both of us."
"I'm not afraid, but I would have to understand where clear boundaries in sexual terms existed. My lack of fear derives from the problem I'm confronted with. I honestly don't know whether I could be faithful if required."
"Rules and boundaries are essential in ethical non-monogamy, Andrew. Without them, it's just cheating."
We both gradually dozed off, entwined as naked lovers brushed softly together with silken skin as we moved gently while fast asleep. Katie's warm breath against my skin relieved the icy cold from an AC unit as her closeness beckoned me into a dream state.
In my dream, we drifted together on a feathery cloud of post-lovemaking bliss across moonlit desert sands. The stars were bright, plentiful, and the night sky painted its masterpiece with occasional sparks from meteors shooting violently across our heavens.
It was the most restful night of my life. A light knock at the door woke me, and I enjoyed slowly unfurling myself as the big spoon in our loving embrace. I wrapped myself in a towel while Katie slept on, purring lightly, half covered by a cotton sheet.
Before opening the door, I glanced at her, admiring her rebellious, long black hair cascading onto a tanned, beautifully arched back. A tribal indigo tattoo stretching across the base of Katie's spine looked gorgeous, and a pair of exquisitely curvaceous buttocks covered with a bedsheet suggested more beauty lay in hiding.
When I opened the door, whoever had knocked was gone, leaving behind a server's tray bearing a light breakfast of fruits, milk, fresh coffee, and something resembling porridge that I later discovered was tapioca.
"Probably not what you're used to, Andrew."
"Oh, you're awake."
"If this girl is about to be served breakfast in bed by her lover, damn right she's awake."
While Katie puffed up four pillows for us to share while making herself comfortable sitting upright, I set the breakfast tray down in the center of our bed, used a fork to spear tropical fruit, and offered her the orange-colored treat.
She seemed impressed, smiling like a girl enjoying her first date. I imagined the loneliness of Katie's job and how this isolated location must feel desperate at times. She needed companionship from her own culture and background, regardless of how kind the local tribespeople were.
"You're feeding me now as well, Andrew?"
"Absolute courtesy comes as part of my service."
"What about obedience?"
"Umm, I... err."
"Don't answer that. I'm just teasing you."
I poured us both black coffee, added sugar and dispensed two glasses of iced red pineapple juice while Katie beamed joyfully, clearly enjoying the attention I gave her.
"How far does your territory range outwards from here, Katie?"
"Ten miles either way up or down the river. A day walk in any direction and anyone from anywhere that comes into the village."
"That's simple, I guess."
"We have a network of doctors and communicate by satellite phone. There are standby helicopters at a military base fifty miles away for serious casualty evacuation, but that's only happened twice when I've been here."
"What do guy doctors do in the jungle?"
"You mean for sex?"
"Yeah."
"The village ladies of consenting age willingly help them out. This region is predominantly occupied by the Yanomami tribe, who practice polygamy. If the doctor needs company, there is always an enthusiastic suitor, sometimes more than one at a time. Many doctors fall in love and stay here forever."
"It sounds exotic and decadent."
"It can be in many regards, but life is also very hard. My work is rewarding, but I wouldn't stay here forever."
