"Dashing around the corner to the alley way, Mike raised a look-the-other-way shield and then removed the manhole cover from the Nexus entrance. Hoppi...g down inside, he was immediately taken with the changes he was seeing. Where there had been paths leading off to the various realms of faery, there now stood what looked like branching paths off of these also. Some, it seemed, extended for a considerable distance and reminded Mike of looking down a vast hotel hallway with doors evenly spaced. I wanted to apologize to you in person for my uncalled-for outburst earlier. I have found out it that it was not my fault, nor yours that I acted that way. I’m afraid I have embarrassed myself with several of the crew, but they have been very accommodating with my apologies. Would you please accept my apology as well?”“Cynthia, I humbly accept your apology and I want to say that I am very sorry that I caused you to under-go the humiliation and the ... other events that my problem caused for. I caught Anna's profile as she talked to some guy in a suit. Clearly she was rebuffing him, but he was slow to catch on. My protective instinct had me walking over there before I caught myself and detoured to a seat at the bar. 'We're supposed to be strangers, ' I repeated to myself as a mantra, but I couldn't shake the urge to escort that finely dressed gentleman to the nearest dumpster, head first, if he didn't leave her alone. Eventually Mr. Suit got the hint and headed out to another part. Although it wasn't a Dom and sub relationship, he had sent her specific instructions and something inside her, a deep-seated submissive instinct, wanted to make sure she wasn't late and displease him. She switched on the radio but found it hard to concentrate. He hadn't told her what was going to happen. When she'd asked he'd said that she'd find out in good time, that it was something she'd told him about once in a conversation. She'd racked her brains but there were so many things, so many.