" I did notice that a couple of theitems still had their price tags on them.I rinsed her out and applied the deep conditioner on to her hair. Sheasked...me if I could roll it for her. What could I say? Of course, Iwould. By the time I had finished it was pushing 11:00 and I told NancyI had to leave for my cycle race, it was the last one of the season. Itold her that I could not wait to see how her hair turned out. Ithanked her for the clothes, that I had a great time with her and wouldlove to do. He gave a nod to the bartender, Mick, and knew in a minute a shot glass full of bourbon would be sitting in front of him – an advantage of being a regular. Moe scanned the mirrored L-shaped dining room filled with the rich-but-barely-famous. Violet smoke billowed its way upwards from the flicker of lighters and the tips of burning cigarettes. Glamorous dames, most of the unattached variety, were part of the décor. Politicians, businessmen, and the independently wealthy were snuggled behind. Then the left cheek with five for it. And then halt.I wait for the work to take its effects. For the welts to raise, the dots to darken, the skin to purple.The album continues to play. Our hour is drawing close. I reverse the order. Five leather hits on the left, five more on the right. As those take shape I lower you, the hook still tight, to the closest point of hover over your cart. Your eyes show we are approaching what your disobedient actions were all in aim for. Your eyes show you are. Our world doesn’t stop because there may not be a man in our life, but at the same time we long for someone to share life’s up and down’s with.” I nodded and took a sip of my wine. “And the sex then?” I asked, trying to hide my curiosity. “What about the sex?” “The screwing around and dating is just a way to pass time. To weed out the Wrong’s from the Right’s.” She smiled. “We may screw around like men, but at the end of the day we all – both men and women – want to go home and snuggle up to.