I meant it. So did he. * A few nights later we were at the bar, deep in conversation, when I sensed someone standing next to me. I looked up and s...w two women, one of whom was looking at me intently. “This guy look familiar?” she asked her friend. “Hard to tell with his clothes on,” the other said. Oh, no, I thought. I looked at the women, then at Steve. Amusement danced in his eyes. “You all know each other?” he asked. “We saw him once, in a cove down the coast a little,” the. I also need to settle your bill. I don’t know where your office is.”“I do a lot of work for the emperor and some senators, so it is over in that part of town. I will stop by some day this week to be paid. If you want to follow me to work, you can see where my office is.”“I’ll do that. You never know when I will need to have some work done.” Pace had moved from the group with her mother, Mary, and Mara to stand next to her father. “Pace your father said that you don’t normally come to these. “We’re perfectly cool just dropping you off and giving you some time to think about this before going any further.”“No, I really like y’all and want to spend more time together,” you reply. “Please stay. At least come in and have a drink.”“I have margaritas,” you say with a wink.“I’m in,” says Marcy.You take some solace in believing that you can just have a drink together, spend some more time laughing; perhaps playing a little more with Marcy, or whatever. There really doesn’t seem to be any. . stimulated appreciation ... for your ... ummm ... devoted service."Millie laughed and said, "If I knew he was going to be so happy about getting shot, we could have asked Jack to take care of it much earlier..."All four ladies forgot their manners and set aside their innate modesty, for a little while and discussed my ... condition, quite frankly, until Rebecca came to my aide and shooed everyone out, closing the door behind her.Finally alone, she kissed me deeply and apologized. "I know we.