He moved closer to the bed and stared at the bare foot protruding from the cast. His attention was focused entirely on it. He bent down and sniffed th... short plump toes. Pleasant leathery smell tickled his nostrils. His nose followed the graceful arch of the foot, then lingered over the round, pinkish heel. He could see the delicate ankle and the padded edge of the monstrous cast engulfing the calf, knee and upper part of the leg. Now, for him, the comatose girl was reduced to an adorable foot. The rest was too abstract. Meanwhile, the boy of her dreams dreamt up combinations of purity and sex with Denise in the dirtiest corners of Texaco gas stations across America, graffitied stalls offering nothing but serrated wit, timeless advice… and, of course, the ambiance. Denise sighed for a happy family of robins, who were in perfect health. That they hadn’t already high-tailed it south, three weeks ago, didn’t even cross her mind. That she may have been delusional could not possibly have. I lapped at her toes and slowly worked my tongue up her ankle and calf to the inner thigh. I then did this to the other foot. I was getting such a rush out of this, making her wait but knowing that it would all be worth it. I then licked each of her inner thighs and proceeded upwards to that heavenly spot, which had been the target all along. I slid my hands up the outside of her thighs and caught the sides of her panties and slid them down and off her legs. I just lay there staring at that. ”“When is this supposed to happen?”“January 1, 1998,” I replied. “One of her first tasks is going to be to meet each and every employee and listen to what they have to say. I think that’s an imperative.”“Not customers?”I smiled, “Employees first; then customers. And speaking of customers, isn’t it about time to head to Manhattan?”“Yes,” Abel said. “Our meeting with Russel Boyle and Fortunat Mueller-Maerki is in just under an hour. They’re the ones ultimately overseeing the project Sam is.