Pictures of Other Women

When Villanelle travels, she sends Eve pictures of other women. Eve will flick through the pictures on her phone, and imagine Villanelle asking to take them – the breathless, girlish voice she would put on. She knows why these women let Villanelle take the pictures.

In some of them, the women are shot from behind – wide ass and thighs; thick hair tumbling loose over bare shoulders; only the slightest hint of cheekbone, like the subject is about to turn their face to the camera, to an issue an invitation.

Or they obscure their faces – curls pulled across to hide the eyes, or to highlight them, the same way arms can be held coyly over the breasts, or push them forward to emphasise the shape, the swell. Legs may be crossed or they may be left open – or rather, parted.

Some of the photos are taken like this – composed and framed, as if Villanelle is an overeager art student who simply wants to capture the intrigue of the female form.

In other photos, the photographer is a more active participant – taking pictures from above, of women with bare flushed faces, too far brazen to even hide from the camera. You can’t see in these photos what it is Villanelle is doing, but Eve can imagine it – Villanelle getting them off by hand, or maybe having discovered a stash of toys to play with ... 

Other photos again are frankly pornographic – women Villanelle has coaxed to hold their vulvas open, so she might capture the colour of them – provide evidence of how wet she’s made them, these other women – how their bodies glisten for her.

Sometimes, then, Eve shuts her phone off and lies back on her bed with the phone pressed over her stomach She tries to work out what this is meant to mean. What’s Villanelle’s goal here? Is she trying to make Eve jealous? Is she concerned Eve might not have enough masturbatory fodder while Villanelle is gone? (The very existence of Villanelle means that is never a problem.) Or is she challenging Eve?

And if she is, what sort of a challenge is it? Is Eve meant to go out and make her own conquests, and send Villanelle the evidence? Once upon a time that would have been laughable – now it has a strange sort of appeal, that Eve damps down on. She doesn’t want to go there. She doesn’t want to think too much, about the strangers she might pick up, and who they might look like.

Or perhaps Eve is meant to respond in kind, with her own body? Push her tits forward for the camera, leave her face unseen. That idea is laughable in a different way; Villanelle isn’t seducing women across the continent just for the sake of getting Eve to send her some dirty pictures.

Except that she is doing it, is trying to get some sort of response out of Eve. Maybe Villanelle just likes to imagine what that response might be.

Except no – then she will ask, when she calls, ‘Did you enjoy my pictures?’

And Eve will say something like, ‘Oh, sure, the backlighting really made that set,’ or, ‘You know, I think your composition’s getting better.’ She’ll blow her off.

And if Villanelle goes on – ‘but how did they make you feel?’ – Eve will say, ‘Like I’m wasting my life sitting here in my pjs. When are you coming home?’

Maybe Villanelle just wants to be sure Eve is thinking of her.

Hah. As if Eve has ever been able to get her out of her head.