Alex woke to the sound of charcoal on paper. The scratch came through the wall in slow, deliberate strokes, like a heartbeat. She lay still, sheets twisted around her ankles, the silk robe discarded on the floor. Her skin still carried the memory of last night’s exposure: the cool chair, Jordan’s eyes, the way her n*****s had tightened under the weight of his stare. She pressed her thighs together and felt the slick evidence of dreams she refused to name.
The note was already waiting, slipped under her door sometime before dawn. Thick paper, midnight ink.
Dare #6: Blindfold yourself at 11 p.m. Knock twice on my door. Do not speak.
She folded it into a square small enough to hide in her fist and went to shower. The water ran scalding; she let it punish her shoulders while she tried to th
