.. uh, you uh... , in the market for anything?" Yeah, the usual, those X pills, some Oxy and some coke, the good stuff, not the shit alright?" Sure ma.... Hey, anything you want to tell me about what's going on here? You be counting some hefty bills there. You gotta have something going down." Just a couple of girls I got working here, nothing else. I keep 'em real busy and they make me some good cash, that's all," he said, hoping not to sound too defensive. Piling the bills on the seat together. "Eric called."Hey Michelle."I'm over at Layla's. She wants to meet you. Are you going to be home in about an hour?"Good."Don't worry about that."We'll bring the beer."Great, see you then." He ended the call."Michelle is home and expecting us after dinner." I know you think I'm weird but we girls don't like our men living with other women." You think it's impossible for a man to live with a woman without having sex with her?" You've lived with her for two years. And you expect me to believe you. Or in, he assumed. Whatever this place was, you’d never see it from the road. He was getting out of the car as she came around from the side to join him. ‘Are you ready?’ ‘Sure. I think so.’ He suddenly had misgivings. Should he be not ready? ‘Is there something – you said she was OK. Is there something I should know?’ he asked as the climbed the steps to the front door. ‘No, just stay calm.’ She rang the bell. ‘Remember, if you lose your cool and freak out, they won’t let her leave. So stay. With sudden stark realization she remembered pulling her hand from around him. Her hand must have been on his back, too. Where those scars were ... the scars she had imagined touching. She had touched them last night. She must have. But she couldn’t remember that part. She’d had the chance to feel those terrible scars, but couldn’t remember doing so. She felt a sense of loss.There was a tap at the door. He didn’t just come in this time. She realized he was waiting for permission, so she called.