Chastity Flame by K. A. Laity

got the usual
special greeting from her postman, cheery as ever and pleased to
see her home. He had news to share with her. "Look at this! Woman
moved in across the square, her name is—get this—Angel Hunter! Can
you believe it? I think she's a prostitute," he added in a stage
whisper, audible perhaps halfway across the square. Chastity closed
the door, already in a great mood.
    When she phoned Damien to announce
that she had terrific seats to the sold-out play with the big
theatre icon and the well-known television personality, he was
charmed. Chastity was absurdly pleased with her success. "I
wouldn’t ever go to it on my own, but I'm dying to see what it's
really like."
    "I'm dying to see you," Damien said
with a chuckle, but Chastity could hear a need in his voice that
matched her own. "If I didn't have lectures to give today, I'd try
to convince you to steal away now."
    "When will you be free?"
    "Half three. Late lunch?"
    "Where?"
    "Oh, I don't know. My
place?"
    Chastity laughed, even though the
thought had already made her wet. "Are you talking about eating me
or some food?"
    He paused before answering and
Chastity felt the heat rise through her body. "No reason we can't
do both, eh? You're feeling all right now?" he added, suddenly
sounding concerned again.
    "I'm fine, fine," Chastity told him.
"Just make sure we have some food. I don't want to fall asleep
during the show from low blood sugar."
    After they hung up, Chastity
stepped out of the booth with a broad grin plastered across her
face. With no pressing work calling her, she decided to wander
around the museum, wandering amongst the Egyptian statues for a
while before climbing up to the clockworks. Idling along the
street, she decided to stop at the Oxfam bookshop and search for
something to read in the evenings. She picked up a biography of
Suzi Quatro which looked to be a lot of fun, and a copy of Monsignor Quixote which
she had somehow never got around to reading yet. There was time to
drop them back at the flat and check the computer before heading
down to Damien's.
    Her step was light as she
headed down Garrick. When she knocked on the door, Chastity was
slightly surprised to see a fully-dressed Damien, who nonetheless
pulled her into a warm kiss immediately. "Hello," he breathed at
last when she let him pull away, then led her up the stairs.
" Voilá !"
    Spread across the low table was a
fabulous feast of Thai food. Chastity inhaled the various aromas
and sighed happily. "Wonderful!"
    "I forgot to ask if you liked Thai,"
Damien said, grinning sheepishly. "Okay?"
    Chastity sat down cross-legged at the
table. "Absolutely! Of course it's not as good as you can get in
Bangkok, but—"
    "Oh, of course," Damien mocked as he
tumbled down beside her. "Not as good as in Bangkok, but it'll
do."
    Chastity buried her nose in one of the
containers, inhaling the rich aroma. "You haven't had tom yum until
you've had it with fresh lemongrass harvested the same
day."
    "You travel a lot? You were in Belgium
this week, you said."
    "Yes, I was," Chastity said, taking
the glass of wine Damien had poured her. "I love to travel to
different locations."
    "I guess I don't associate chartered
accountancy with world travel. Always imagined it would be in a
dark office somewhere in the back of a huge office building, behind
the door—"
    "Marked beware of the tiger." Chastity
laughed. "It's not like that, you know."
    "Oh, I know, I know. Chartered
accountancy is really a thrill ride, a non-stop phantasmagoria of
exhilarating adventures." Damien grinned and she punched him
playfully on the arm. "I just never thought I'd meet an accountant
as exciting as you." He leaned over to kiss her. It was a gentle
kiss—they each had a wine glass in hand—but it warmed Chastity at
once.
    Smiling, she heaped up her plate with
the aromatic rice and a selection of different dishes. Chastity
couldn't remember enjoying a meal this much in a very long time.
She gazed at Damien's profile while he