“Sir… I’m still a vir.gin… I’ve never had a relationship with any man till now.”

When Kiera Smith stood outside Room 406 of the glass tower hotel overlooking downtown Chicago, she felt as though the city itself were watching her hesitate. The corridor was silent except for the distant hum of elevators and the soft carpeting beneath her shoes. Her fingers were clenched around the strap of her handbag so tightly that her knuckles ached, yet she did not loosen her grip. She had never been inside a hotel room with a man before, not like this, not with intention, and certainly not with the weight of her entire past pressing against her chest.