What was I going to say? I looked around, checking that mum and dad were well out of earshot. “Nobody,” I croaked.Si raised his eyebrows. Then he ...ounced on me and, pinning me down with ease, started to rifle in my pockets. He plucked out my mobile and, as I angrily tried to grab it, held it aloft with one hand while still pinning me down on the sofa with the other. He was kneeling on my chest and I couldn’t do anything. I started swinging, hitting him with all my might in his ribs. He just. Instead she whispered to me in a low voice. I was so close I could almost feel her lips reverberate as they voiced the words. “Let’s go somewhere a little more private.” Without a word to the others in the room, she grabbed the open bottle of champagne and led me gently but firmly out of the room and down the corridor. On the way a technician carrying a large speaker passed us. He stared at me as he went and I was aware I must look quite a spectacle on the end of Lydia’s leash in my skimpy PVC. He'd never embarrassed her, not that way in any case, but now that she was living with him she'd noticed that he quite happily wandered around his home naked or nearly so.Marianne herself was a little more conventional, about that at least. Straightening up, she pulled her robe more tightly around herself and made their early morning drinks. "I think I'll have tea this morning, it might help settle my stomach," she called out to Chris, getting a grunt in return. She smiled — Chris wasn't good. Martin was thoughtful as he walked along. He mumbled, “Never thought about it like that.”Pleased to see that his friend had taken Mr. Atkins in stride, Henry said, “Yeah. That’s a good way of putting it.”It was getting dark and there was still the surprise waiting for Bill in the house. Jerry said, “Hey, let’s go over to my place for some cokes.”As the group trooped over to the house, Abe and Bill trailed along trading jokes about his weak arm. The boys were having a good time being themselves..