⭐⭐⭐⭐★
Unexpected. Dark. Intense. Angsty.
Strange obsessions. This book is many things but mostly, compelling.
Caton has a sleazy boss, Jack. He
is almost a caricature. In fact, in the beginning, everything seems to be
exaggerated caricature-ish. Super-rich Jack sexually abusing all his female
employees. No one leaving because they have no other place to go. His unbelievably
beautiful wife, Amelia, who know about his predilections but takes the
humiliation quietly. Amelia’s inability to leave the marriage. It’s just too
unreal at this point.
As a come-uppance to Amelia’s
protest about him not showing up for a party that he had asked her to arrange, Jack
hires Caton to be his wife’s assistant for six months. (Caton is chosen because
she is the only one in the office who hasn’t “sucked his cock”.) Amelia is cold
and nasty to Caton and relegates her to a mindless, dead-end job. Until, one
evening in a very, very strange encounter, Amelia asks Caton to strip. Even
more strangely, Caton strips. From here on, Caton’s obsession with Amelia takes
root. And seemingly, so does Amelia’s for Caton. There is a lot, note the LOT,
of sex between the two without many words being exchanged. It is a weird D/S
dynamic that gets established. Told from Caton’s point-of-view, what could
otherwise have been sexual harassment or assault, becomes anticipation, waiting,
willingness and eagerness. It is a totally skewed dynamic, in which Caton is
completely involved and invested despite being the one who is practically
sex-on-call.
We thought that the only path that
this story could take was when the incessant fucking (Amelia to Caton) would
grow into a relationship of some sort of equality between the two. Yes, that
does happen. But then, the author throws unexpected twists into the tale pole-vaulting
it into the genre of Fingersmith.
This is a great read for both the
many, many, super-hot sex scenes and for the story.
⭐⭐⭐⭐★
