Vivi

In the margin

The turn from warm to cold is abrupt here and the turn back is slower, and Vivi adjusts to both without waiting to be asked. Heavier oil and more of it once the heating goes on, thinner towels and a lighter hand once the windows open again. Portuguese, Spanish and English, with the room choosing between them. Twenty-three, and she notices a cold flat before the person living in it has got round to noticing. Whatever a session holds is her decision and she names it in the first minutes.

Vivi decides which bookings she takes and may decline any of them; she sets the limits for what a session includes, says what they are, and may end a visit at any point, as the terms set out.