Chapter 135

• The day had finally come. Kat's divorce was final, and we scurried around town ironing out final touches as we prepared for the party. The theme was Liberation, and we had gone to great lengths to adhere to its spirit. The soundtrack was littered with songs about it, from Christina Aguilera and Outkast to Slipknot and the Pet Shop Boys. The invitations and menus were written in the liberation sans font.
• The centerpiece, however, was that, after substantial effort, I had acquired from a private collector a beautiful 1974 painting by the Danish artist Odd Nerdrum entitled "Liberation." It was an almost seven-feet by ten-feet oil painting on canvas, and I had it installed prominently in our great room. The painting depicted a nude couple having sex, the woman on top of the man. Her brown hair hung past her temples, her mouth open as if moaning in pleasure, and abdominal muscles taut with focus and effort. The man lay on his back, head turned to the left, eyes seemingly closed and drinking up the heat of the moment. It was the perfect work of art for the occasion, but I had fallen in love with what it symbolized for the life Kat, Jess, and I would embrace for the future.
• Kat and Jess curated the guest list with their ultimate goal in mind. They wanted an orgy. To Kat, in particular, she wanted to embrace her love for group activities. Jess used her agency and its strict confidentiality to help bolster the fun, which also made the party a bit of a marketing event for her business. It would also provide an opportunity for Jess to introduce Kat to the handful of her clients who were invited. They were among her richest and most debauched supporters. Jonathan Summers, Jess's sugar daddy, would be there. I relished the thought of revealing myself as Jess's boyfriend and thanking him for making my fortune.