Take My Breath Away

In the hush of the evening, introverted bookish teen Lucy sits motionless within the confines of her bathtub, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. The faint patter of water dripping from the faucet is the only discernible sound in the stillness. After a moment, a ripple disturbs the tranquility of the bathwater. As her hand descends beneath the water surface, Lucy emits a soft gasp -- she's slid a finger into her intimate area. Once fully immersed, she pauses, then initiates a gentle rhythm of movement to stimulate herself. Her gasps heighten in intensity and eroticism -- close-ups of her lips and face, along with amplified sounds of her breaths, underscores her arousal. After several moments, completely absorbed in her fantasy, she draws a long, deliberate breath, then sinks beneath the water, immersing herself. The water resumes its serene state. CUT TO TITLE PLATE Another morning finds Lucy at her computer, still in her pajamas, laboring over a college assignment. She's struggling to articulate a particular sentence, unsure how to proceed. She exhales a hefty sigh of exasperation, takes off her glasses, and rubs her tired eyes. As she readjusts her glasses, she attempts to refocus on her writing... but a previously opened tab catches her attention and she navigates back to it. The screen reveals a website for asphyxiation aficionados named 'Breathless'. Her breaths become shallow as she traces the seam of her nightshirt collar with her fingers in a nervous habit. She opens a chat bar where a prewritten message awaits, addressed to another user. The content suggests an ongoing conversation and implies a proposition for a meeting. Her body language indicates her hesitance to send the message. Clearly anxious, she mindlessly strokes her chest and throat while she contemplates for several seconds. Then, impulsively, she clicks send. An alert notifies her that the message has been dispatched. She shuts the laptop in a fit of panic, apprehensive of her actions... or perhaps the impending response. She nervously nibbles on her thumb and taps the laptop casing, then removes her glasses and collapses onto her bed. Her breaths are rapid and anxious as she shuts her eyes and lies there, calming her breathing. CUT TO another evening, in the entrance of a house. Lucy steps through the threshold, followed by an unfamiliar man, Preston, a few years her senior. He's holding keys and locks the door behind him -- this is his territory, not hers. They both exude an awkwardness as they remove their shoes and he guides them to his master suite. Once there, they sit beside each other on the bed, making no attempt to bridge the distance between them. They discuss their mutual interest in the breath-play site and their individual experiences. Lucy became a member around her 18th birthday. Preston reiterates what was mentioned in their chat, that neither of them has ever engaged in this kind of activity. His closest encounter was when he practiced choke holds on a medical training mannequin, which aroused him. He quickly becomes embarrassed by his admission, but Lucy reassures him. She has no one she can confide in about her fetish either. Preston confesses the difficulty of suggesting such an act to a woman, worried about appearing creepy. He's always hoped a woman would proposition him, but he acknowledges it's unlikely. Lucy empathizes - people assume because she's reserved and studious that she's entirely innocent. She once suggested her boyfriend choke her, but his discomfort led her to retract the proposition. Subsequently, he acted awkwardly around her and eventually ended their relationship. Since then, she's been too shy to express her desires, for fear of being judged or ostracized, particularly given how rumors spread in college. An uncomfortable silence ensues, and then Preston inquires if she has any preferences for how to begin. Shyly, Lucy declines -- she hadn't envisioned the specifics of this scenario. Preston suggests that he's watched a few videos that have given him some ideas. He asks if she's okay with him taking the lead; Lucy consents, adding that she'll tap on the bed if it becomes too intense. Preston agrees to this and tentatively reaches for her neck. He pauses, she nods in affirmation, and he continues. He grasps her throat, squeezing firmly but not harshly. He then leans in to kiss her, starting at her neck, then her ear, cheek, and finally her lips. His kisses are passionate yet slightly clumsy -- his movements mirror those he's seen elsewhere. Regardless, he maintains control, and Lucy submits with a gasp each time he reasserts his dominance with a renewed grip on her throat.