The fact that a man has ignored and insulted you doesn’t mean that he won’t want to fuck you.
Slim, powerful men often move with catlike swiftness.
Begin your countdown early—as he lowers himself into the tub.
By the time he seizes your arm, you should be at five.
By the time your forehead is jammed against a rock, you should perceive your body only vaguely, from above.
35
If you feel, on returning to your body, that much time has passed, don’t dwell on how much.
If your limbs are sore and your forehead is scraped and raw, don’t dwell on why.
Emerging from a hot, churning bath where you’ve spent an indeterminate period of time will leave you shaky and weak.
Remind yourself that you are receiving no payment, in currency or kind, for this or any act you have engaged in.
These acts are forms of sacrifice.
An abundance of diaphanous bathrobes suggests that women often visit this bathing area.
A soiled and tattered white sundress may seem oddly precious when it’s all you have.
Keep with you the things that matter—you won’t come back for them.
36
If you’re shown to a tiny room containing a very large bed, your utility to your new host may not have been exhausted.
At times, you may wish to avoid the moon.
The moon may appear like a surveillance device, tracking your movements.
Sleep whenever you can safely do so.
37
Your abrupt awakening may feel like a reaction to a sound.
In moments of extreme solitude, you may believe you’ve heard your name.
We reassure ourselves by summoning, in our dreams, those we love and miss.
Having awakened to find them absent, we may be left with a sense of having spoken with them.
Even the most secure houses achieve, in deep night, a state of relative unconsciousness.
A beauty in a diaphanous lavender bathrobe can go anywhere, as long as she appears to be delivering herself to someone.
A universal principle of home construction makes it possible to know which door will lead to the master bedroom.
Linen closets, with doors closed, can resemble master bedrooms.
So can bathrooms.
Bare feet are soundless on stone floor.
A slim, catlike man may still snore.
When trespassing in a sleeping man’s bedroom, go straight to his bed, as if you were seeking him out.
38
An alpha beauty who appeared to have no tie to your new host may yet turn out to be his intimate.
Their sleeping entanglement may contradict everything you have previously witnessed between them.
Human beings are unknowable; hence the Faustian allure of consciousness sharing.
A small crib near the bed suggests the presence of a baby.
Avoid indulging your own amazement; it wastes time.
39
Enemy subjects will store their phones away from where they sleep.
A beauty’s closet is unmistakable, like a quiver of bright arrows.
Having located a man’s private space, seek out the Sweet Spot where he empties his pockets at the end of each day.
If his phone is in the Sweet Spot, consider using a Data Surge to capture its contents.