”Stace had mentioned Arnie, the man she had washed for two hundred dollars. “Do they live here?”“Sometimes.” The old man licked his lips at ...he fifty. “Carl’s out.”I ripped the fifty in half. I had seen that in a movie. “I’ll give you the other half when I leave.” I walked into the foul smelling common room. I had been Terry’s whore here, with everyone looking. Everyone was gone, almost. There were four men scattered about the room. Two were laying on their cots. One was at a table eating cup. That I’d had to make the decision to move on when I could no longer ignore his passive-aggressive refusal to make even the smallest effort to achieve something that could lead to something resembling a semi-normal, semi-stable life for the two of us. But that was the reason I left, not because I wanted anyone but him, not because he wasn’t The One. He was the One, the Only One. How could that have not been obvious to him after everything I’d put up with, after all the times I came back to try. " As the countdown ticked down inside his retina display Daniel felt the tickle of goosebumps on his forearms like he was used to before going into combat. It didn't matter that this one would be massively lopsided in their favor. The seemingly antiquated rebel rust bucket did not stand any chance against SFS Lalande, one of he most modern cruisers in the Solarian Fleet. Still, one lucky hit against all odds could always abruptly end the life of one unfortunate first officer. "All decks at full. " While we are all being so open," Mom told them, "we had better get the rules straight. From now on, especially when we are out, you call me Jean, okay?" What for?" Tommy asked."Because, if we are out and I want to hug you or kiss you, it will not look right if you call me Mom, will it?" she informed him, "Same for Tasha. And you had better get used to it too, Nicky. Besides, if I am going to be fucked by you, Tommy, it will feel so wrong to have you call me Mom in the middle of it."Nicky.