"Feel them," she offered.It was the first time I had studied the foot-long implements; they were sturdy but light, expertly finished by a skilled craf...sman. The first paddle was a few inches wide and with holes drilled down the middle, while the second paddle was little more than a half-inch wide smooth cane. "I'm not sure about this," I countered as I passed them back to her."Nonsense," she cried and her eyes glanced to the clock. "I've said you're doing it now," she interrupted and ran her. She had passed the ringover my chastity belt, releasing me from it before we fell on the bedtogether."Where are you from?" I asked, dreamily - her caresses were having theeffect of making me drowsy."I live in Dallas, but I hail from Galveston."Married?" Engaged. My fiance's a linebacker with the Cowboys." He herds cattle?" I said, assuming he must work on a ranch.She burst out laughing."Hey, that's pretty funny!"I laughed with her. I didn't know why what I'd said was funny, but I'dtake it."You. If he was willing, he’d have a good chance at Vice JAG, and if he made the right connections, JAG.”“I take it he wants to come back to Chicago?” Terry asked.“That’s his plan, though I think Ginny would have loved to stay in Italy!”“Given we’re on this topic,” Brian said, “Steve, how is your dad?”“Other than his hips bothering him, he’s in fantastic health for a man who’ll be 83 in about four months!”“Damn! Is he coming up this summer?”“The drive is tough on him, but he’ll have Patrick. He looked too old and she too young,but appearances were admittedly deceptive among sorcerers. The woman,still a girl despite her considerable height, was dressed in heavilyarmoured court attire. Neither was armed with any visible weapons orsymbols of power.A herald introduced the man as the exarch, with an extensive list oftitles, and the woman as the 'esteemed daughter' Deneisin.My husband Reg had been allowed to keep his sword, as a gesture ofeither respect or mockery. Regardless, we weren't.