Marty’s eyes smoldered with desire. They were dark and intense and I couldn’t look away. I could only stare back in wonder. His lips were on mine ...gain, more insistent than before. He parted his lips but didn’t deepen the kiss, just molded his mouth to mine, playing with each lip in turn. I don’t know how long it took but I suddenly realized that my hands were in his hair, holding his head, running over his neck and shoulders, his face. His own hands were not still. The hand at my back ranged. He said, “Nothing has happened or is going on.”“Paul, you are caught in a little untruth about last night. You might try the truth.”Melissa got into the fray. She didn’t see Karen grinning at her wickedly. “He’s telling the truth.”Karen said, “Were you holding his hand this morning?”“Well, yes.”“Why?”“We found that we liked each other while sitting on the couch and talking.”“That’s what you call it.”“Of course, nothing was going on.”Karen bored in. “No authorized touching was. That had been what she said she wanted in the first place, he reflected, except that they had become very close friends. He wondered whether he ought to resign himself to singledom. There was a lot to be said for it but he still missed that companionship and, when he thought more deeply about it, the need to give of himself to somebody who would give back so that both their lives would be enhanced."Become a Samaritan," said a voice in his head."No," he answered. "It's one way and I couldn't. She’d managed to nip him once on the hand before he’d forced the ball gag in. She really struggled as he sliced her clothes off her and shredded them in front of her wide eyes. She still struggled as he tied her up even more securely, especially when he paused to fondle her. As he secured the black cloth hood over her head, he glanced out the back window checking for cars in the alley. Cars other than his, of course.}“All Units All Units this is 246 require assistance at base immediate”Swede.