pantalon en cuir begins at 3:17 a.m. in a hotel suite. City glow through half-open blinds stripes her restless body. She can’t sleep, so pantalon en cuir becomes her lullaby. Slow, almost lazy circles over silk panties gradually soak the fabric dark. In pantalon en cuir, she pushes them aside instead of removing them—impatient, perfect. Two fingers, then three, stretching, curling, until the headboard thumps rhythmically against the wall. When she finally comes in pantalon en cuir, it’s with a muffled scream into the pillow, whole body shaking so hard the mattress springs sing. Dawn finds her asleep in tangled sheets, panties still twisted to the side—proof that pantalon en cuir worked better than any sleeping pill.