I slid off the end of the bed, got a rubber, and then sat beside the unmoving Julia. I untied the robe, and started loosening it enough to find a hole...to move over her head. When I saw her face, she was awake, but only sort of.She came around enough to recognize me, turned her head to look at me, smiled, and said, "{Hiccup}."We laughed, and she started trying to disentangle herself from the robe, so I helped. When the robe was removed, I took the liberty of continuing to remove articles of her. I could definitely get accustomed to this life, I thought. Bill said he would be back about 5 so at 4 I left the sauna and showered. My body felt more alive than I could remember. As I was leaving the spa I took another look at the services they offered and noticed Raoul was leading a Yoga class at 7. There were a few spots open so I signed myself up. Feeling good, I walked back to the villa. I was almost there when Bill’s golf cart pulled up. As he passed me he gave me a light swat on my tush.. "I had just returned from one of the many war scenes I covered. I don't even remember which one; there have been so many. I was devastated. I had covered an especially nasty scene, dead families everywhere. There was one that reminded me of you and the girls. I was as shaken as I've ever been. Jeff saw how shook up I was and gave me a hug to comfort me. I don't know what happened. The next thing I knew, we were in bed together."I'm sorry, Patrick, I really am! I was just so lonely and. One hand held the glass, the other squeezed her breast. She was her own lover for tonight, the one that would pay attention to all her needs, the one who would help her toward that sweet release. The wine was half gone, and she set it down on the kitchen counter, approaching the door to her closet. She opened the closet door, kneeling gently to put her heels in the empty spot of her shoe rack where they belonged. Tucked to the side of the rack was a hard shelled briefcase that had once belonged.