Perfect Strangers

Olivia isn’t sure why she, a woman who’s almost 40, lets a man spank her, but the act brings her pleasure. He then spanks her vagina while telling her that he’s eager to have vaginal sex with her. Olivia has a violent orgasm and cries. James embraces her. His words provide Olivia with such comfort that she wonders if someone is relaying lines through an earpiece.

Olivia admits to feeling new and powerful emotions. Her passion now unsettles James, who admits that he’s “fucked up.” He assures Olivia that he’s not dangerous, and Olivia tells him that she’s on familiar terms with “fucked up.” Olivia considers ending their connection, but she boldly opts to see where it goes.

Olivia wakes up. James is gone, but he took out Estelle’s copy of Hemingway’s war novel For Whom the Bell Tolls and left a note near an excerpt that Olivia mocked during dinner: “Now, feel. I am thee and thou art me and all of one is the other. And feel now. Thou hast no heart but mine” (168). 

Kelly calls, and they discuss Olivia’s night with James and an array of sexual practices like “toe sex.” Kelly encourages Olivia to have sex with James again and demands recaps, which she now thinks of as an entertaining show.

James calls and quips about his prolonged erection and Olivia’s captivating body. Olivia calls him out for using a line from a Radiohead song, “Creep.” They discuss his Latin tattoo, which translates to, “Hard things are broken by hard things” (180). James tells her that he must travel to Germany, but he’ll return to Paris in a few days.

With James gone, Olivia concentrates on writing. For the first time in years, she feels a rush of inspiration. She identifies with the characters she creates, and they consume her.

James returns, and he and Olivia kiss passionately. Olivia tiptoes around personal questions concerning James’s work, and they agree to use “touchy subject” as a safe word. If the conversation becomes too personal, they can drop the phrase to stop it.

James takes Olivia to the prestigious independent bookstore Shakespeare and Company. Olivia likes the scent of the old books, and she skims Russian authors like Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy. While Olivia reads from Dostoevsky’s novel The Brothers Karamazov in the story, James uses his fingers on her. She feels his erection and has an orgasm. Since she doesn’t care how she looks or if people see her, she feels like a different person.

James vows that he’s never brought another woman to the bookstore. Olivia suggests that she should help James orgasm, but James prefers “delayed gratification.” He takes her to a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower, where women gaze at him. Olivia admits that James unsettles and scares her. She worries she might develop long-term feelings for him, and James feels similar about her.

Suddenly, James receives a phone call that stiffens his body and tells Olivia he must leave for work. Olivia jokes about an “emergency portrait” appointment, but James remains serious. He takes her home and promises to return later. Upset, Olivia tells him not to come back, wondering if he’s a criminal or has a wife. James swears that he’s single and tells her to stay in the apartment until he returns. They take a cab back to the apartment, instead of the Paris Metro, and argue about the phrase, “You’ve got another thing coming” (219).

At Estelle’s apartment, Olivia googles the phrase and discovers that James is correct: The older version used “think” not “thing.” She texts Estelle about the phrase, but Estelle changes the topic to Olivia’s writing. She calls Olivia and talks about the failings of Olivia’s ex-husband, Christopher (Chris) Ridgewell. Oliva defends Chris, reminding Estelle that his absences relate to his job as the United States ambassador to the United Nations. The conversation alludes to Emerson’s funeral and, for the first time, the word “murder” comes up.

The phone call and concomitant memories disquiet Olivia. She throws her phone across the room, and it breaks. She drinks bourbon and listens as Gigi and Gaspard have sex. She falls asleep and wakes up to James sitting in a chair. He tells her that she left the door open, but he will leave if she wants. Olivia wants him to stay. She admits that she masturbated to him, and he admits that he masturbated to her in a cafe bathroom. He takes off his suit, and she feels electric. After she recites her masturbation fantasy, he orders her to perform oral sex on him while he spanks her.