Chapter 2

Sandra stared at the loading screen, wondering if she had just made the biggest mistake of her life. She took a huge gulp from her glass of wine to give herself more courage.

The app took only a few seconds to install, but somehow it felt like an eternity. When the app loaded, she was surprised by how ordinary it looked. There were no provocative advertisements or suggestive photographs covering the screen, nothing that immediately announced what kind of place it was. The interface was clean and elegant, with a simple white background and dark lettering.

If Quinn hadn’t told her what the app was for, Sandra might have mistaken it for one of those “networking with industry leaders” platforms. If she were to open the app in public, there was nothing to betray the true use of the app.

Quinn leaned closer, her chin resting on Sandra’s shoulder as she experienced the app for the first time.

“Welcome to Desire,” Quinn murmured softly.

Sandra read the words beneath the logo, then looked at her friend.

“This already feels like a bad idea. I’m an accountant, plain and boring, not a secret rendezvous at luxury hotels type of woman.”

Quinn chuckled, giving her back a reassuring pat. “Just look around first. You don't have to do anything. Treat it like market research.”

Sandra hesitated before tapping the screen.

The first thing the app asked her to do was create a profile.

There was no request for her full name, address, workplace, or anything else that could identify her. She was only required to type a username and upload photographs.

Sandra looked up when she saw the instructions. “No face?”

“No face,” Quinn confirmed. “That's the whole point. You’re not judging anyone, and nobody is judging you.”

The app specifically requested photographs from the neck down. They could show as much or as little as she was comfortable revealing, but her face remained hidden until she met her match in person.

Sandra glanced at Quinn. “What type of picture can I use?”

“How about that one from your birthday dinner? The one you wore that blue off-the-shoulder dress.”

It was from her birthday three months ago. She remembered how Mark had barely glanced at her when she walked out of the bedroom in it, offhandedly remarking that outfits like that didn’t suit her.

She opened her gallery and selected one of the pictures from the night Quinn mentioned. The blue dress had a V-neck that dipped down lightly, exposing the swell of her breasts. Quinn had been the one to buy the dress and convinced her to wear it. She had also been the one to take the pictures and then send them to her. This was going to be the first time she would be posting the picture anywhere.

By the time she looked up again, Quinn had moved to the other side of the sofa, giving her space while sipping her wine. When their eyes met, she smiled.

“I’ll let you complete the rest in privacy. Don’t be shy. Other than your picture, even I won’t be able to tell which one is your account.” She winked.

Sandra only nodded and continued with the onboarding. Nobody on the app would know who she was. All they would see was what she chose to show them. There was something very comforting about that.

Then came the final section.

What is your desire tonight?

There were several options.

Sandra read through them carefully.

Companionship.

No, she wasn’t ready to enter another relationship. Not so soon. The thought of dating again made her stomach churn.

Experimentation.

Adventure.

That wasn’t it either. What she wanted was something simple.

Intimacy.

Pleasure.

She scrolled further, then stopped. None of them felt right.

She considered Pleasure for a moment, but even that didn't feel like the right word. She had felt pleasure before, multiple times, when it was just her and her fingers in the quiet dark of her bedroom. She looked down at the final option on the screen.

Other. Please type

She tapped out three simple words:

To feel satisfaction.

Her fingers hovered over the enter button.

She hadn’t told Quinn the full story of her relationship with Mark until today. There were some things she had been too embarrassed to admit, even to her best friend, especially since said friend had such a colourful sex life. At first, she had thought it was nerves. She thought it might have been because they were still new to sex.

Whenever she had brought it up to Mark, he had always acted as though the problem was her. Eventually, she had convinced herself that some women simply didn't experience pleasure the same way. Since she didn’t enjoy it, she didn’t like doing it often, and eventually Mark had cheated.

She didn’t want to take the fall for his actions, and she wanted to know.

Was there really something wrong with her?

Her finger tapped the screen.

To feel satisfaction.

The app asked her to confirm.

Sandra pressed the button immediately.

Please wait while we find you possible matches.

The screen shifted to a dark crimson loading wheel, like one of those lucky wheels in casino ads.

Sandra watched it spin, suddenly wondering if she had been too impulsive. She could still close the app and delete it. She could pretend none of this ever happened, but if she did, she might never know the truth.

A few seconds later, the app began showing potential matches.

Unlike dating applications Sandra had seen before, there were no endless biographies, likes, dislikes, hobbies, carefully constructed descriptions, and career information. Desire was far more direct.

A photograph.

A few details.

What the person wanted.

Nothing more.

Sandra scrolled through several profiles without pause, one after another. One profile showed the heavily tattooed chest of a man leaning against a leather sofa with the tag Control. Another showed a man in a tank top with well-defined muscles, tagged Adventure.

There were so many profiles, each wanting different things. Reading some made her face heat up.

As she was about to swipe off another profile, her thumb paused.

Broad shoulders. Strong arms. A body that looked like it belonged to someone who took care of himself, but not too much like a bodybuilder. Even without seeing his face, there was something about his pictures that made Sandra pause.

She read what he wanted.

To satisfy

Her stomach fluttered.

His two words seemed like the perfect answer to the question she had silently asked.

She looked up and turned to Quinn.

“What if I match with someone and change my mind?”

“Nothing.”

Quinn's voice softened.

“You don't owe anybody anything. Not the app, not the man. If you don't want to do it, you can just unmatch.”

Sandra looked down at the screen again. She took a breath. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she read the words again.

Then pressed Match.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Sandra waited.

Then her phone vibrated.

It's a match.

ROOM RESERVED: THE METROPOLITAN HOTEL, SUITE 804.

Pick a date and time.