‘What is her problem?’ The makeup artist demanded of Lori, glaring at Sabrina’s back. ‘Mebbe she’s going through menopause…she’d be abou... the right age I reckon.’ ‘Oh she’s all right.’ Lori defended the older woman, somewhat to her own surprise, despite the fact that she prided herself on loyalty being one of her best traits. Perhaps it was that sense of loyalty that had kept her in a relationship that was long past its use-by-date. She sat down in a seat next to the table where the makeup. ” I wanted to get a better feel for the area, so I changed the subject. “How do you like living way up here in the middle of nowhere.”“Better than the big city. Everyone hereabouts knows each other. Not much trouble to speak of, except for drunk tourists. Just a typical small town. I should warn you, though. The gossip mill has already gotten cranked up over you. I know that right now, Mabel’s getting the third degree from the old-timers in the diner.”I chuckled, “Yeah, I saw a couple of turned. There were a couple semis and cars in the lot when I arrived. I was blown away when I walked in. I had no idea how many toys there were out there. I was greeted by the owners, an older couple in their late 50’s…from what I guessed. They asked me to show my ID when I walked in. I have always looked younger so it was not surprising. They noticed that I had just turned 18 and wished me happy birthday. I walked around looking at all the toys and videos for an hour. I finally settled on a long. She should have known better than to strike Jane, no matter the provocation. Master would defend himself as he saw fit; it wasn't the place of a would-be slave to strike a free woman, to usurp Master's right to do so if he wished, or to ignore the comment as beneath notice.Her heart was shattered; she was sure Master would never love her the way she loved him. She had heard the voices of the other masters as they passed earlier, all of them sounding like her Master. Erica had told her there.