The army could go no further. The navy bombarded their Fort McHenry for hours on end, sir, with nothing to show for it in the end. We slunk down the C...esapeake almost as quickly as we had crept up it.’ ‘Just like the whole damnable war,’ Poultney growled. ‘A victory at sea followed by a defeat on the lakes. Triumph in Canada, tragedy in New York. What a waste of men.’ ‘Yes, sir.’ ‘What a waste of ships,’ Poultney continued, his tone suggesting that he had now accounted for the true cost of the. They knew the effect they had on the women and they knew why they were there. Everyone was having fun in a very sexually charged environment.A little panic set in since I had no idea the audience would be so large. Fear was all I felt at that moment. Having four other guys there only served to increase the pressure to win.I noticed the mural on that long wall again, portraying two boxers. There were soft spotlights illuminating the art piece against an otherwise dark wall. They each had obvious. “And, of course, this here is my Holly,” he said, hugging his black beauty. “Still not positive that’s her birth name, but she jumped when I suggested it, so that’s what we’re going with for now. And, of course, I’m Tommy.”He released her and finally realized that he and Holly were the only two that were dressed. He blushed a bit and said, “Now, everyone get dressed. I guess our first stop’s gotta be to go get y’all some more clothes. Fortunately, there’s a shop just down the way.”It took. “Do you want me to stay or leave?” he asked. “Just tell me which one. It makes no difference to me.”Erica felt a stab of rejection, and shook it off. She had put him in his place. There would be no more ... trouble. The practical part of her knew she needed him here.“Stay,” she said.He turned around and went into the building, leaving her outside alone.Erica didn’t know what to do. The rest of the evening had gone so routinely, after she ... corrected Bobby ... that it had almost seemed like.