“The truth is, I’m something a thousand times worse. I’m like The One Ring; I’ve destroyed everyone who’s ever thought they could take me on...but there’s always some idiot who thinks ‘Those others just weren’t man enough, unlike me. I’m the guy who’s gonna pull it off!’ I’m at least on a par with your typical monkey’s paw as far as body count, and people still say they want to fuck me and kill me in the same breath. They don’t understand how everyone who crosses me pays the price. They pay it. ”, I said.“Come on Elle! Aren’t you at least a bit curious?” Sarah whined.Body Rentals had been around for a few years now, but only recently had the price and portability of their control unit’s dropped low enough for regular people to afford them. Regular people like Sarah, who was now sitting on the floor of my room desperately trying to get me to let her try it on me.“Curious, yes.” I said “Keen for you to take control of my body? No.”“Why not? It’s perfectly safe!” Sarah pressed me. She. "A what?" You know, a massage. During my lunch."So he hadn't called out. Why did he offer to spend the day before? Was he hoping I'd just skip work for him on the spot? Maybe it was just a brief fantasy of his, a lie. I knew it wasn't."Oh, okay," I said."If that's okay with you."It's not that I don't like seeing Maxwell at work anymore. But now that I know him on the outside. Jesus, now that I've shared a bed with him, it's somehow different. Now it was like someone special coming, like a. It was like he was her little brother. No, her little... no. Shewouldn't go there unless he did."I truly would, you know." She smiled. "But what really made me cry iswhat really happened. You were so upset and so scared that you completelyforgot that people love you. And we do, Rooney. We really do."He sniffled a bit and leaned even harder into her shoulder. "I know,Beth. I'm sorry I upset you." Don't worry, Paulie. I'm a big girl. I can handle it."A moment of silence passed."I suppose I should.