The speaker recalls a night with a woman who unsettles and intrigues them. She's sharp, odd, and a little dangerous: she flashes her teeth, whispers that she has something to show, and takes the speaker by the waist. Everything moves fast, with "no time for reflection," and the speaker seems swept along, handing over their thoughts almost without choosing to.
Then the mood shifts. Once the speaker sees how she behaves, they begin to rethink ordering another round. The final detail, that she only sips red wine, lands like a quiet warning. It's a small, odd fact, but it makes her feel controlled, maybe even vampiric, though the poem never says so outright.
The subtitle, "recollection in reverse," suggests the memory is being unspooled backward, which fits the jumbled, hesitant feel. The tone is a mix of attraction, unease, and dry humor. The short, broken lines mimic a mind trying to catch up with what just happened.