"What's that coke like, anyway?" he asked at one point and I looked at him. "What's it feel like?" What do you mean?" I narrowed my eyes. "Don't you k...ow?" Me?" He laughed. "I've never touched the stuff. I tried a little pot in high school once. It put me to sleep." What?" I stared at him and I knew it was true. Gary didn't use his own product, he just fed it to people like me and I burned with humiliation then. I found a real sense of shame as I suddenly felt so much less than what I wanted to. I don't need anybody's help," she shrugged off his comforting hold on her."Why don't you see how your buddy Jody's doing? He looks like he needs some help."Alex looked to the seat in front and saw that Jody was bent over with his head in his hands, crying. He grasped his shoulder."Jody? How're you doin'? You hurt or anything?" N... n... no, I'm all right, but I'm a little scared." Jody responded, his voice a little shaky and whimpery as he stared out the window trying not to show his anguish.So. "Hmmm. Perfume by Chanel, Rigby and Peller corset and - oooh - ManoloBlahnik shoes to die for. You have exquisite taste, although heels thathigh aren't designed to be worn anywhere but the bedroom." You know your high-end designers," he said, looking at her thoughtfully."I wouldn't have expected that of you." Why not? I didn't become a criminal to try and takeover the world or anyof that nonsense; I did it to be able to afford finery like that. I'vealways had an appreciation of the finer things. “The murder of my family released a character trait of constructive paranoia in me. It took just over a decade before I permitted anyone other than an AI to advise me and another decade after that before a dashing young monitor caught my eye and my affections enough to become my lover.”“Even then, you didn’t talk ‘shop’ for a good long while, my love,” Herrick chuckled.“True, even now I occasionally get a bit wary of discussing certain subjects with you, despite loving you to bits and trusting.