"Shit," I thought as I hung up the phone, "I should have asked her her name." I ebbed and flowed my way back to the window on my crutches as quietly as possible, as not to wake up Ned, but swiftly as not to miss the reaction on my woman's face.

I picked up the binoculars and there again as I focused was this beautiful female sitting, smoking, reading something sure to be inconsequential. Who the hell was she? It was torturing me as I sat feeling like an incubus waiting for a propitious time.

The next morning Ned took a shower and I waited for her curtains to open. When did she close them? Did she know someone was watching? Did she catch on to the phone call? Clearly her naivetŽ had long disintegrated.

Ned came out of the shower, naked and hard. I sat in my chair and he walked towards me. He wanted me, but all I could think of was my tattooed woman. "Please," he said with needful desire. I reached my hands to his groin and pleased him.

He shrieked when he climaxed in a different way than usual, but not unfamiliar to me. He came down on his knees in front of me. First he rubbed and ogled me, which turned me on quickly. He leaned down and got on top of me. We began to make love and when I climaxed, I realized he was mirroring me. I wanted him to be different, distinct, and individual-- and he wanted to meld into me. Immediately, I hated him. I wanted him to leave and never come back, but he wanted to love, protect, and become me.

"You better go." I said, pushing him away.

"Why?"

"Don't you have to be at work or something?" I tried to peer around him to my window, but he continued to block my way.

"Nope, I told you it was my day off."

"Well..."

"Well, what?"

I felt trapped. He was forcing me to engage in a conversation I didn't think I had the patience for. "Just... give me some space here."

"I didn't know I was suffocating you."

"How could you not know? I'm trapped in this room. Trapped with you. Ensnared in this melodrama..."

"That's not my fault. You did that all by yourself."

"Just shut the fuck up, Ned."

"Hey, go to hell!"

He stormed to the bathroom, and all I could think of were inactive curtains keeping me alone, away from her.

As he left I said was sorry, but it was too late and too many nerves were fusing. "Screw you", he said, slamming the door behind him. But I didn't care. I took a piss, cleaned up, ate some room service and sat and waited for those curtains to open and once again ignite my intrigue.

Two hours later I was still waiting and it dawned on me that last night might have been the end of her and my heart sunk. I needed to know. I reached for the phone. "Has room 512 checked out?"

"No, sir."

"You know, I have something embarrassing to ask. I hope you understand. I met the lady last night in the bar and she told me her name and of course I forgot. I was wondering could you..."

"I'm sorry sir, I can't give out that information."

"Okay, well could you do something else for me?"

"And what is that, sir?"