"The girl glanced down, and then shut her eyes. She reached for the teacup, and took a long sip. As she glanced back up, she invested the storekeeper ...ith the one thing that was hardest for her to give. In a beautiful yet softly muted voice, three syllables floated across to the old man's ears. "I trust you."The old man watched as the girl's body lost its fullness of breast and hip. He watched with satisfaction as scars and bruises unformed and healed. Her hair receded into her scalp until her. . I've been with her a couple of times. I just assumed you knew that and that you had been with Stephen as well. I thought we just weren't talking about it. You know ... privacy." Paul surveyed the look on his wife's face. "I take it, you haven't been with Stephen?" Carly shook her head. "And further, I'm taking it that you want to be?" Shit!" Carly finally said. "Yes, I want to be! I can't believe you've been with Paige! When?" Just twice. She came over when you were at work and I wasn't. She hung the straps off of a protrusion from the door. ?Apparently we overlooked one thing you could have used against us, but we'll just have to keep an eye on that before we open the door next time. Anyway... When I come for you in the morning, and you are wearing this, then I will allow you to wear that for the day, if you do not, you will be fitted and secured in a uniform more befitting the other girls on this floor.?She looked at me with some pretty angry eyes. I loved it.?And. Darci finally got the first words out."Joe, we were hoping to ask you for a favor," she managed, before something inside her stopped her again. Jeannie could just nod."And what is that?" I asked back easily, as if I would ever refuse them any reasonable request."We'd like to know if..." at this point Darci stalled. This was clearly a hard thing for her to talk about at all.Jeannie finally picked up the conversational ball, though I could tell this was hard for her too. "... if we could ask you.