There'th nothing physicawy wrong with you ...

“What seems to be the problem Caroline?” Rebecca asked.

The woman was older and seemed vaguely familiar, like an old school teacher you didn’t like that you’d keep running into at the supermarket.

“Wew, I had bwatheth for while to cowwect some dental iwweguwawities and they made me lithp a bit. But the bwatheth have been off for weekth now and the lithp still hathn’t gone away,”

“I’m sure something can be done Caroline, if you I‘d just like to lean back and relax, I’ll just need to have a look in the old wordhole.”

The woman looked at her in a faintly patronizing way.

“You don’t wecognise me do you?”

“Should I?”

“I know your boyfriend. Haven’t you theen me on TV? Or wead my hard-hitting columnth in the paper? Or lithened to my inthightful views on the wadio?”

Rebecca looked at her again. She really did recognise the face, but just couldn’t place it.

“I’m sure all that is lovely Caroline, now if you just open up and say ahhh, I’ll need to shine the torch down your throat to see if there’s anything physically wrong with you.”

“There’th nothing phisicawy wrong with you,” Caroline said directly, meeting Rebecca’s gaze with hungry eyes.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I'm just thaying you’re a vewy attwactive young woman Webecca. Is that tho bad?”

Rebecca was flustered. It was a long time since someone had complimented her so directly, so passionately.

Sure, she got the guys on the building sites who would wolf whistle at her, and the blokes in the clubs who would drunkenly slobber over her, but this was different.

There was an electricity in the room.

As she stared into the enormous cavern that was Caroline’s mouth, she felt a hand brushing lightly against her leg. The woman was touching her. And it felt alright. In fact, it felt good. She knew she should say something, move it away, but she didn’t.

Then the suddenly the light that was illuminating the vast dark space inside Caroline’s mouth disappeared. The batteries on the torch had failed.

“Sorry Caroline, I just need to change the batteries on this,” she said.

As she moved away, she felt the hand that had been stroking her leg move upwards, higher, toward more sensual areas.

“I’ll be wight here waiting for you,” the older woman replied.

Inside the stationery cupboard, Rebecca took a moment. She ran a hand over her compact yet firm bosom. She felt so alive, she felt so electric. She hadn't felt like this in months, a year. She could do it right now. She could take the step. She could live a bloody little.