She didn't want to meet any of Karen's friends. She didn't even want to be seen in public with this strange girl. "Are we going someplace?" No, she's ...oming here." Resigned to the inevitable, Lucy merely nodded and continued upstairs. She usually didn't dress up around the house but rather than risk another fight with Karen, Lucy dressed as if she was receiving a special guest. Lucy was glad she did because a fashionably dressed young woman was waiting with Karen."Lucinda Wyatt, meet Beth. Taylor clambered into the truck, tucking himself into the small space, as Sebastian started stacking boxes, cutting off the light piece by piece. Even as he watched the boxes getting stacked, Taylor could see new snow falling on the man’s shoulders and on the boxes in place, promising a very cold trip across the border.After a while, the sound of scraping and thumping ended, and Taylor could feel the engine of the old model truck turn over through the bed of the vehicle. The boxes shifted. "Getting up and walking over to the window, Randal took in the sceneoutside. "I need you now. Here's the deal: you do everything I ask, Imean everything, and I will restore you. You have my word that on thesuccessful completion of my master's tasks, you'll be the same boringold guy you ever were." Looking over at me, locking his eyes onto minehe added, "but disobey me, try to get help, and you'll be stuck on thatsexy little minx's body for the rest of your days. Go ahead and thinkit over. No. I couldn’t stop looking at her face. There was something about it. She was glowing. Maybe it was the alcohol buzz, I don’t know. Or the excitement. She got to the door, held it open for me, then we both went inside. Nothing was said. She simply put the bucket down, then we kissed. It wasn’t that one or the other started the kiss. It was natural, as if we had been expecting it for some time. Which I guess was the case. She lay back on the bed with her.