" Can it wait? I have an appointment." At this hour?"She blushed. Then I noticed the make-up, lightly applied. The fresh lipstick, artfully done. Simo...e had been very busy, indeed! Gertrude Schwartz, MD had a date or my name wasn't Lawrence Sampson."Can it wait? Please?" She was pleading with me. This was unprecedented!I shook my head. "It won't take long, Gertie, but it is very important," I said gently.Sighing, she picked up the telephone. She dialed a four-digit extension. Oh-ho! A local. "ReLAX, Ryan. Ben doesn't bite." Dawn smiled and then added a little nervously, "Usually."The last word, meant to be a joke, didn't help Ryan's tension levels. But I was soon swept past Ryan as Dawn re-introduced me to her other friends. "Tricia and Stephen, Gwen, Nancy and Travis, and Robin on the end."I smiled and nodded to everyone. Most of them looked pointedly back and forth between me and my girlfriend, who was still wrapped around Ryan's arm. Clearly, they knew something was going on.. She admiredMark for what she had done. When the bandit had separated Jayti fromher own body, Mark had been left to make her way in the world with theurges of a woman and the mind of a man. Somehow, she had made itwork. Mark and Jim understood each other in a way she might neverunderstand.She knew that Mark and Jim were trying to make it work with her. Theywere really two of a kind. She was certain that Jim would say the correctthings to her tonight and marry her as soon as possible, but she. Throughout the meal Gorthum and several of the other creatures talked with Justin, mostly about local gossip though occasionally they told him humorous stories, often involving their own mischief upon foolish mortals. That particular subject though always made Justin uncomfortable, even if he did find the stories very amusing. Finally though, the meal was coming to a close. All the food had been cleared from the table by the hungry immortals, and Justin sipped the last of his wine, feeling very.