The narrator and Jordi attend a gallery opening in North Hollywood, hoping to see sculptor Lore Estes, who doesn't appear. However, Jordi points out Kris, Lore Estes's ex-girlfriend and longtime muse, a tall, handsome woman in a sloppy chic suit. Throughout the evening, the narrator and Kris exchange charged glances without speaking. Afterward, the narrator DMs Kris on social media to ask if she's free Wednesday night—the narrator's designated night—and receives a terse "Yep."

The narrator prepares obsessively for the date: researching and ordering lube, buying multiple strains of pot reputed to enhance sex, testing them while masturbating, working out intensely, getting a pedicure, and steaming a snap-front skirt. When Kris arrives at the narrator's room, there is conversation but no obvious spark for hours. Just as the narrator begins signaling the night is over, Kris confesses her nervousness and invites the narrator closer. The narrator straddles Kris's lap, and Kris declares the narrator a queen she wants to serve. Rather than performing lust, the narrator lies beside Kris, simply feeling her body, and lets desire build organically. When the narrator whispers asking Kris to be her "daddy," Kris responds with commanding confidence, dumping a collection of strap-ons from her backpack. The ensuing sex is transformative—intense, primal, and liberating. Kris leaves at dawn and the narrator eats a cookie in the bath, savoring the memory.

The next evening the narrator tells Harris she had a date. Harris reacts with a flash of primal jealousy but composes himself, going cold for about a day before his curiosity returns. He asks if the narrator now has a girlfriend too, but the narrator says she doesn't feel head over heels—she wants to think clearly for Sam's sake and explore many romantic experiences. Harris quickly decides he doesn't want to hear the details.

Over the following months, the narrator sees Kris roughly once a month, either in her prepared room or flying to Kris's Oakland cottage. Their time together is mostly naked intimacy—touching, talking, kissing for hours—punctuated by adventurous sex. The narrator whispers "I love you" one night, meaning it more as an exuberant exclamation than a commitment. After four visits, Kris gives the narrator a gold pinkie ring with a tiny buckle. The narrator forces herself to make a speech about her need for fundamental autonomy and not wanting to replicate a traditional partnership, envisioning a future where they'll carefully design their own relationship rules. Kris receives this neutrally and kisses her, and the narrator considers the conversation a success.

When Harris observes the relationship seems to be getting serious and asks whether the narrator might want to live with Kris, the narrator reacts as if the idea is absurd. She explains that cohabitation would destroy the anticipation and preparation that fuel her desire. The narrator reflects that the future itself is like a lover—holding her, keeping her safe, and arousing her through endless preparation.