I remember thinking this k** must have had some sweet-ass braces because his teeth are perfect. I said "You live here?" as if there could be any othe... answer he said "yeah. come in." I walked in and I must've looked pretty nervous because he found it necessary to tell me everything was okay and he was home alone. "This is my old man's place." he said pointing to the backyard pool. "I stay here on weekends." Sweet I said. "So what are you doing here?" he asked. I explained the whole. "I have nothing more to add. You and Al will be fine. It was nicemeeting you. Have a pleasant evening."As Chloe left, Gina wasn't sure, but she thought she saw Murcer smileat her. A smile that sent a chill up her spine. He invited Gina tosit with him at the dining room table. She reluctantly returned to herseat.Much to Gina's surprise Murcer behaved himself during the final hourand they were very productive and completed the article for theprogram. It was time to go and Gina said good. ”The revelry in the background went quiet, no doubt trying to discern if he was bluffing or not, and Stavros turned to his bridge crew and nodded. They knew what to do.The Thermopylae shook as the massive railgun turrets mounted along her belly fired in unison, the rows of magnetic rings that made up their long barrels accelerating twenty millimeter tungsten slugs at over ten thousand feet per second towards the SAM sites. It took a few seconds for them to reach their destinations, Stavros. The guy had some seriously smooth moves; in the back of my mind I took notes: once back to being a guy I'd definitely put his chat-up techniques to work. Eventually I got over the fact that I was sitting there all dressed like some tart, flushed beneath my makeup, and relaxed. Inane chatting eased into real conversation and his entire demeanour gradually changed, from celebrity character to... well, a real person.By the end of that night the unexpected had happened: I'd made a new friend. We.