Chapter 53 Summary

At 4:00 a.m., Casanova packs a backpack with food and supplies for a morning trip to see the girls. He has a name for his forbidden game: Kiss the Girls. On the drive and hike to the hideaway, he fantasizes about Anna, his newest captive. He thinks of an F. Scott Fitzgerald quote to the effect that kissing originated when the first male reptile licked the first female reptile in a way that suggested she was as tasty as the small reptile he ate for dinner the night before. Once inside the hideaway, he cranks the Rolling Stones on the stereo. He dresses in a fancy robe purchased long ago in Bangkok and wears a beautiful costume mask purchased in Venice. He admires his well-muscled body in the mirror as he prepares to see Anna. Anna is exquisite and untouchable. It will be...