Free The Masada Faktor by Naomi Litvin

areas of my life so I let it slide.
     
    It was quite unexpected the way my Twitter connection with Absalom was evolving. He had been so sweet and responsive to my questions about living in Israel, as he said he was also living in Israel. I can remember at what point exactly that his private tweets became blatantly sexual. It started out with a discussion about why a certain guy on Twitter wouldn’t tweet to me.
     
    Natasha: “… and by the way the reason he doesn’t tweet to me is because he thinks I would get off on it. And he is punishing me by not tweeting.”
     
    Absalom: “Do you? It would be good to know how to talk dirty to you. Some verbal foreplay.”
     
    Natasha: “No, any response from him is not a turn-on, more the opposite.”
     
    Absalom: “I miss you when we don’t chat for a day or so. Oh by the way, your other friend has a mini pini.”
     
    Natasha: “What is that?”
     
    Absalom: “Tiny penis. But I am not afflicted by that.”
     
    Natasha: “I see, said the blind man.”
     
    Absalom: “Blindness doesn’t affect my sense of touch. Or yours. You are one good looking lady, as I have noticed from your Twitter pics.”
     
    Natasha: “Older women okay with you?”
     
    Absalom: “Hell yeah. I am very attracted. I prefer mature, older women. How are you with younger men?”
     
    Natasha: “In a fantasy world, I do like younger men.”
     
    Absalom: “Mutual feelings, mutual fantasy.”
     
    At that point I changed the subject. I would change the subject a lot when his comments became shockingly sexual.
     
    Eventually, I didn’t change the subject. It was perverted. I felt responsible for allowing it. I should have ended it. Instead, I encouraged it and lied to myself as to why. I was hooked.
     
    After some time he told me he had a message for me concerning my mission in Israel. I thought about that, as yes, I had said a lot of things on Twitter but I knew that I never spoke about The Masada Faktor and wasn’t sure what he was getting at.
     
    At that time, The Masada Faktor was in the back of my mind as I was too busy enjoying Tel Aviv. There was no way he could be involved in The Masada Faktor, could he? I doubted that, it was just too obscure.
     
    But then Absalom said that I must go to Masada and specifically named five locations that I must see to search for clues to my mission. I asked him where he got his information but he replied that it was a reliable source and it was important.
     
    I was alarmed at that point since he actually named Masada as where I should be going. Then, as I didn’t want the cybersex to end, I told myself that Absalom knew something about The Masada Faktor and I had to do what was required to get the information. The truth? I was aroused by his attention and sexuality which felt very real. And I didn’t want it to end.
     
    Sometimes he acted like a good friend. We’d chat about laundry or learning Hebrew. I had the distinct feeling there were at least two people involved in this Absalom character. It was because of the difference between when he was being a friend and when he was sexual.
     
    I asked him if he knew anyone from Haifa and he said no. At one point I unfollowed him so that he could not direct message me, which was a requirement on Twitter. But then I followed him again.
     
    It had become my compulsion. He absolutely refused to tell me who he was. I was taking a huge risk that would come back to bite me. And I didn’t care.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
    I t had been a blistering, hot, and humid day in Tel Aviv. It cooled off as the sun began to set but the Sea was warm, so warm that people were still in the water after Shabbat began.
     
    The beach was full of Filipinas with their families. They are the care takers of a large percentage of the Israeli elder population, their work permits registered under their patient’s name. When their patient dies, their work permit becomes invalid. They are usually off on Shabbat when the elders’