"Whitherr we did or no', rrese' th' compensa'orrs t'norrmal. We'rre no' accelerra'in' mair."Cromartie complied, and they both immediately felt a vast ...ense of relief as the added gravitational pressure vanished. "What the hell happened, Mac?" he asked as he finished."I don' know," answered the captain. "Th'shiel' didna worrk. Th' compu'err said i' woul', I though' i' woul', bu' th' rradiation was climbin' like therre was naethin' a' all betwix' us an' th' nova. Perrhaps I did no' plo' th'. His skin was hot to the touch, smooth and firm. I ran my nails lightly down his washboard abs and was rewarded with a quick intake of breath as his stomach sucked in. His head flicked up and he looked down at me briefly before his lips sought mine once more in another hot kiss. His hands touched me, stroking, squeezing, gliding across my back and hips. My hands wanted to do the same as I slid them across his chest. My fingertips grazed his nipples, my nails catching on the peaked nubs and. It's sexual and it's meant to be an insult." She paused and when Sage did not respond, she turned to face the girl, "Did you want more detail than that?" Yes."Helen thought for a moment, "You know what a prostitute is, right?" When Sage nodded, she went on, "ok, a slut — technically — is a women who has as much sex as a prostitute but doesn't get paid. Ok?"Sage bit her lip and Helen sighed. "Where'd I lose you?" Sometimes a simple word or two distorted the meaning. Sage frowned. Helen sighed. I dreaded the day she decided I was the stupidest person on the planet. Until that day, I cherished every day with my Jess. Someone must have d**gged our food. One moment we were laughing and giggling together. The next, I was waking up, gradually becoming aware. I was tied up, tied to someone else. Blindfolded. The person I was tied to was stirring. "Who is that?" I asked. Gradually I also became aware I was nude. The person I was tied to was nude too. The person's legs were wrapped.