He gave Eleanor the key to his door, the one that leads to the back yard, and she is waiting for him every night when hegets home from work. He doesn't even have to ask, she is always there, reading or sketching in his bed, and she jumps up to greet him, flying into his arms. Tonight he's especially happy to see her, because he has something for her. "Eleanor," he says, kissing her, biting her lips. "I had to break up a nasty fight tonight, Princess. One guy would not back down, so I had to punish him." Justin made a point of remembering every detail of the fight, in fact took pleasure in the job, knowing how much Eleanor would love to hear about it. When they curl together in his bed, he relives the fight for her, every smallest bit, and she moans and sighs at his words, spoken between bites and kisses on her neck, her shoulders, stomach, breasts..."I'm pretty sure I broke his nose with that last punch. There was blood everywhere," he concludes, rising up to kiss her on the nose. Justin looks down on her, moonlight glowing on her face. She looks so delicate, he thinks. But she goes at everything so passionately. She begins to recite a poem, about a tiger it sounds like, with a lot about fear & fire. She says the lines with such deep emotion, like they really mean something to her, and Justin asks her if she made it up herself. She gets embarassed & tells her the name of the poet, Blake, she says. She's always coming out with these little jewels, bit of poems, strange facts about things, Justin treasures every one. But it nags him, knowing how smart she is, a college student, always reading, and he hasn't told her...he decides to do it now, get it out before it gets out on its own. But it takes him a few false starts before he can get it out. "Eleanor, I never finished high school," he says, and watches her pretty mouth open in shock, her eyes wide & unbelieving. "I'm not good enough for you," he says. She reaches up to him & pulls head down onto her breasts, stroking his back with her nails. "Don't say that Justin, I adore you," she says. Justin lets himself fall asleep in her arms, hoping she means it.

While they are a having a beer at her favorite bar, Eleanor tells him she want to eat the restaurant here in the club. Justin shivers, he doesn't know why he has such trouble eating food he didn't cook. It just makes him feel sick. Like when people touch him, he just gets nauseous. He offers to cook for her at home, but she insists & even pouts a little, princess that she is. So what can he do but agree?

He doesn't want to order anything, but she insists he at least get a salad. She has this look in her eye, like it's really important to her, so he does. And he forces him self to eat, despite the nausea. But it goes slowly & painfully & she is finished while he's barely begun. "Justin, you don't have to finish that," she says, and Justin sighs with relief. He wasn't sure he was actually going to be able to. "I'm so sorry, Justin," she says, her voice soft & girlish, "I didn't know it was that hard for you, I just wanted to see if you'd do it for me."

"You were testing my devotion, Princess?" Another surprise, a new game. The food has been taken away & Justin no longer feels sick. "Can you forgive me?" she asks meekly, her lips in a bow. He leans in close to whisper softly in her ear, "If it gives you pleasure to torture me from time to time, Eleanor, I'm your man." Justin feels her temperature rise, beads of sweat popping up at the back of her neck. She responds easily to easily to him, like she had waited all her life to flower in his hands.

She leaps onto him, pressing herself hard against him, a ferocious, hungry kiss, her lips & teeth bearing down him, until she bites his lip so hard, it bleeds. There isn't much to say now, the girl is on fire, she needs to be taken home. They leave the club without saying a word, arm in arm.