I will protect you and if that means ruining it, then I will.”There was only one response to this, I hugged Tommy tightly and said, “I can live wi...h that.”During the week, along with preparing for Friday, I received the brief and started to work on that. I also did some research on costs of materials to do the partitions in the basement. Before I knew it, Tommy was walking through the door on Friday evening.I was now getting to the stage of panic. The rice was taking an age to boil, the prawns. “What’s so bad about that, she’s been your lover all this time hasn’t she?” Nina asked Helen.“After you left Sara needed me Nina. She was my lover, but she was my equal too, never my slave Nina.” Sara answered.“What’s so bad about her wanting to be your love slave Helen?” Nina demanded.“She insists that I punish her Nina. She has some nasty scars on her back and some ugly bruises on her arms and legs right now. Damn it Nina, how do you punish the person you love. I just can’t do it.” Helen. Then you can do it all morning if you want.’ I watched the smile on her face fade and grow.’From when we wake up?’ ‘Yes, we can make it from, say, nine till nine. Tomorrow at nine I’m here to please you, can you wait that long?’ ‘Mmm, that’s eleven hours from now.’ She lay back against the sofa, dragging her hand off me. We heard Glyn coming back down, she leant over and kissed my cheek as she stood. ‘I’m counting from now,’ she said as she walked back to the other sofa. ‘Counting what?’ Glyn. Come in." Ernie offered, pushing open the screen door that separated them. Jackie stepped into the cool house and noted that the television was on, but the screen was black. "You want something to drink honey?" Her father asked. Jackie's nod sent him into the kitchen, leaving her to close the front door. Shutting the door and then reaching down to twist the lock in the handle she pulled her fingers away from the sticky knob, examining them curiously. Jackie turned to watch her father coming.