“Steve?!” Bethany said with more urgency. “Talk to me, please!”I managed to shake my head a bit. I couldn’t talk. Not because I didn’t wan... to, but because I was physically unable to. My dinner, the booze, and the sweets threatened to come up unbidden, but somehow I kept them down. I felt Bethany get out of bed and then I heard the door open. A minute later, another voice called my name.“Steve?” Stephanie said.The pounding in my head only got worse the more I tried to will it away. I heard. They found Zen Valentine in an equally crowded room on the second floor. He was lying on a sheet, shirtless, a large bandage covering a good portion of his back and chest. Two intravenous lines were dripping into his arms and a tube snaked out from his side. Sitting next to his bed was an elderly woman wearing denim shorts and a cropped half-shirt.Zen saw them approaching and his eyes lit up. "Xenia! Creek! Belinda!" He leaned forward. "You made it through the war!" Fuckin' aye, we did," Xenia. But, I’ll do my best since that is kind of my job here.It was made of flat steel, roughly three feet long, and came to two ninety-degree bends at each end that jutted straight up from the table about foot and a half or so. It looked like a giant square “U” on our table. The two ends each had pieces attached. One side had a large collar with buckle, presently hanging open. On the base of the device, under the collar, were two wrist straps.The other end held a small, adjustable clamp that was. Being the virtuous young woman that I am, I always expected it to occur on my wedding night as a blushing bride. But, THIS….well….this was much more memorable, don’t you think?’ she asked lightly, running her fingers through his hair. ‘I know that I’ll certainly never forget it,’ he said, pressing another kiss against her lips before, reluctantly, withdrawing from her as she winced, and then rolling to his side. He propped his head on his hand and looked down at her body, placing his hand upon.