Just enough to know he was alive, enough to slip into his dreams and pull him into a vortex of yearning, but not enough to come close. Always sweet an... friendly the few times she’d spoken to him. There should have been more, but she’d left him chronically tongue-tied the way no one ever had before or since.He lifted his whiskey glass and pulled down hard on what remained, creating an excuse to follow her into the bar and order another. At the very least, he could tell her how he’d felt all. "Oh." Anya didn't know what else to say.The girl recomposed herself, seemingly upset at her momentary lapse. "Ideserted. Dad's money and political connections fixed that. I went backto college, then I dropped out again. I've been wandering ever since."Anya frowned. "But what about your folks? Don't they wonder about you?"The girl laughed again, a bitter hollow sound. "They don't really careabout me. Only about their image." She shook her head. "Every sooften, one of their spies comes. That would have been ridiculous. I just had to sit there and see what he'd demand. The worst he could do was rape me, and my vagina was already voting for that option. Shut up vagina! He leaned back and started telling me to let "Jesus" finish eating. Then he started offering me money to let them see my breasts. I'm sure he knew that at a topless beach I'd have willingly made sure he got a good view. But here where it was inappropiate such compliance would mean much more than simple. I nodded and headed to my office where Kimmy greeted me, then brought me green tea while I checked my email and my calendar for the day. I was happy in that I had no meetings other than a lunch with Melissa scheduled, and I managed, with only two short interruptions to code for an entire day for the first time in a long time.At the end of the day, I gathered up my things, got Ashley from daycare, and then Elyse and I headed home. Kara had started on dinner, and Jennifer was bringing the cake,.