"Just what I needed," Melinda said, returning with a sandwich in one hand and a glass of milk in the other. "Where's Jace?" That was Jace on the phone..." Susan answered, her gaze caught by the blackness of Melinda's gown. It clung to the ripe forms of her breasts, hiding little from the eyes. "He's got to stay in the city overnight. Our agent has set up a presentation with the head of an advertising firm."Melinda sat on the couch. A blank expression moved over her beautiful face. Tears welled in. That’s not just protocol, it’s the law. The Spokeswoman holds custody over you, so she gets final say over whether or not you can have a relationship with someone. You need to talk to her, because if you don’t, you’ll get charged with insurrection and in theory you could get Victor in trouble.’ ‘But…she’ll simply say no.’ ‘Not necessarily. What she will do is force you to be sure, in your own mind, why you want to be with him. And, I’d imagine she’ll want to talk to him as well. Then she’ll. When all his energy was spilled, he sagged against her, sobbing.“I’m ... I’m sorry,” his mother whispered.The words woke him from his stupor. He rose and looked down on her, studying her phony face.“No,” he said, his voice calm again. “No mother, you know that is a lie, and you don’t come here after three years to just lie to me. You are here because you want something from me. You look desperate and you need me. Is it money?”She stared at him, trying to look offended.“I ... I love you,” she. And her flashing eyes, and her exquisite face registering every emotion beneath it. And under it all, the most attractive of any quality: kindness. The last four months seemed a dream to him. He remembered the first time he saw her, directing a pair of salesmen to whatever their appropriate destination was. And then it was his turn to speak to her. ‘Yes?’ she said, not looking up from the logbook in which she was making an entry. And he stood mute, unable to remember what it was he needed to.