"Good." She pulled back slightly. "Now, I have a question about the other night."
"Ask."
"What we did – what I did for you – was that what you wanted from me all along? Physical release? Sexual gratification?"
"No."
"Then what?"
I took a breath. This was the truth, or as much of it as I could give without revealing the corruption system.
"I wanted you to feel something. To let yourself want something without calculating the cost or benefit."
She blinked, and I saw genuine surprise cross her face. "Why?"
"Because I've seen what it's like to lose yourself in the role you play. To become so consumed by what you have to be that you forget who you are." I touched her face gently. "And I didn't want that for you."
For a moment, she just stared at me. Then she laughed – soft and slightly disbelieving.
"Are you genuine or a very good liar" She shook her head. "I can't tell which."
"Maybe I'm both."
