“Do you ever feel like the mass of this entire spinning universe has come to a sudden stop, and that all of its momentum has been thrown upon you?�?/P>

It was a question that had left him gape jawed and silent. Not that he couldn’t answer it, or even fathom it, but that he had spent days pondering so long upon it.

“YES!�?he wanted to shout, “I can close my eyes and feel it spinning. I can even reach out, and stop it at will.�?Yet all he could was to remain amazed that this woman, who’s incredible attractiveness he had been admiring, had walked across the room to ask him that very question.

She did not let him stand in his stupor for long, her intent was to probe the depths of his dark and beautiful soul. “I’ve felt that way since I noticed you staring at me with those intense eyes. I must know what you were thinking.�?/P>

Her demand to know was all the motive he needed to recover. He quickly plotted a course to answer her, and simultaneously to prove her observations correct. “I was thinking that making love to you would be an amazing weekend of the most incredible and purely tantric orgasmic experience that either one of us has ever had the pleasure of providing to another.�?/P>

She equally stunned by his reply, but her intrigue had been piqued to the point that it only served to heighten her desire for his thoughts. She was determined to keep the upper hand. “Yeah, that’s what it looked like. What gives you the right to make such assumptions?�?/P>

He knew from her tone that she was curious, and not the least bit offended. “I allow myself that right.�?He replied immediately, aiming to stop her in her tracks. “What gives you the right to walk around in a disguise of such immense desirability while trying to read my thoughts and keep me on the defensive?�?/P>

She could sense that this wasn’t going to be easy. “Its not my right, it is my prerogative.�?She spoke with assertion as she leaned in, to force him to look her in the eye. “You are not allowed to think such things until after our first date.�?/P>

He countered once more. “I was there even before your sweet ass was on that seat. One look in those deep and fearsome eyes of yours and I was on my way to eternity.�?He was staring deeply into them now, and he felt her soul flutter just a little as he spoke.

Indeed she had finally been put on the defense. She stood straight and removed her eyes from his probing glare. “That’s not fair.�?She spoke softly, knowing that she would not be able to regain her control. She opted for the age old gallantry she knew such a man would grant to a maiden. “You’re taking all the fun out of it for me.�?/P>

He knew she was asking for a reprieve, but it was not his custom to grant it. However, for a woman like her, he would make every exception. “Please beautiful, probe away, and I shall hold nothing back aside from my desire to do the same.�?/P>

“First of all, what is your name?�?/P>

He told her. Her next question, she had determined, would be one to test his sense of self. “What is the meaning of life?�?/P>

It was an easy question in his mind, he had determined this a long time ago. “The purpose of any ones life is to give it meaning. Simply put, to decide what that meaning is to be, and to become it.�?/P>

She was not surprised by his answer, it was pure logic, and she recognized it as one of his most outstanding characteristics. She tested it with another question. “Is there a god?�?/P>

“There must be,�?his reply was again immediate, and again pure logic, “but I will not even pretend to know what it may be.�?/P>

She knew well all of the sleepless nights it must have taken him to arrive at that conclusion. All that was truly left for her was to test his honesty. Though, she thought, she may wish to test his creativity. “How often do you masturbate?�?/P>

“At least once a day if I am not intimately involved with a woman.�?/P>

She laughed as she spoke. “So which hand bears the wounds of your loneliness?�?/P>

“Both of them.�?He showed his palms to her.

She saw that despite his efforts to wash them, his hands bore a worn in layer of grime that would take an SOS pad to remove. She noticed both were hardened by calluses and they were home to at least five minor wounds. His nails were worn and chipped, the lines in his palms were nearly rubbed away, and even without seeing his knuckles, she knew they would bear the scars of battle. These were hands that could certainly be used to steal the life of a person if that was what they desired.

He realized her fear and withdrew his hands, but it was too late, she would now be seeing in him the unfamiliar image of a laborer. Hoping not to lose her, he asked as simple a question as he could muster. “So, what is your name?�?/P>

She did not give him an answer. She needed a way out, but was not quite willing to give up on her intrigue. “I’ve got a salad coming,�?she paused, “but I certainly hope you are still here when I am finished.�?/P>

With that. She walked back to her seat. He pondered approaching her as patiently waited for her to finish, but given the previous circumstances he decided it better he didn’t confront her. When she got up to leave, she looked in his direction, only to find those intense eyes inviting her over. She nearly left without her purse.