The one thing Claire won't allow

If someone asked me a year back if I would ever have the chance to hold a lovely woman from behind while discussing the matter of potentially ringing her up…

I would laugh straight in their face.

After all, a year ago, what did I have to my name?

Five years of futile efforts? A dead-end part-time job at a grocery with a boss who didn't even bother to hide the fact we were there in lieu of slaves of ancient times, serfs of the medieval times, and then free servants of the recent age?

Or maybe I should put the dog-house that I was renting as something I would be happy to share with a potential partner of mine?

Just a year ago, I was still under the impression that if I wanted to be with someone, my only two options were either a whorehouse or the ol' trusty method of kidnapping someone only to then let the Stockholm syndrome do the heavy lifting for me.