The outermost limiting part of a material body, immediately adjacent to empty space or to another body.
The thief stood over him as her henchman strapped him into the shallow basin: first his wrists and his ankles and then his waist and chest were fastened to the cool porcelain. They were about to strap his forehead too, when she motioned them off.
When they were gone, she turned the faucet on, and watched him struggle as the basin slowly filled with warm water.
"Please," he said, gulping for breath, as the water crept up to his ears.
"Please what?" she asked, smiling in amusement.
"Please stop the water. I'll--I'll give you what you want. But please, I've got a wife, kids..."
"Then," she said, leaning in close to him, "I'm sure they'll be very proud of you." Then, as he was still shaking his head no, she brought her face down to his, and gave him a long wet kiss, full on the lips. He rose up to meet it...or perhaps he was just straining to keep his head above water?
"Mm mm, naughty naughty," she chided him, rising up and brushing her wet hair out of her face. "I don't think your sweetie would like to remember you like that." And with that, she put a warm, wet hand on his forehead, and forced him back down into the water, so that when he looked up, all he could see was her face smiling down on him, distorted back and forth by the water's surface.
Copyright (c) 1998 {hamlet}Ophelia