" Fine!" Fine."The two went upstairs in moody silence and climbed into bed, refusing to get close to one another. Roosevelt and his wife were having a... rough time of their marriage, and both felt it was only a matter of time before the whole thing was over.*****Ken walked into his apartment. He looked around the small space he lived alone in and sighed. He had no girlfriend and no current prospects for one. Ken, more than anything, wanted someone to share his life. A lover, a friend, a. A shadow clouded her face. Everything about her told me she was in some sort of trouble, serious trouble. I steered the conversation to safer ground."What are you good at, Frieda?" I asked.She gave me a startled look. I realised that I had put my question badly."I mean what work are you good at," I corrected hastily.If I could blush I would have been as red as a beetroot."I was running a property management firm, but when my husband, Hock Hin, went to jail, I was fired. Oh, he deserved to go to. . I've never had one, actually, until now." Am I your girlfriend, then?" Jacqui asked, puzzled by this new concept."Oh, I hope so," Donald enthused eagerly, "I won't spank you again if you don't want and you can spank me as often as you like."This confused Jacqui; in her mind the spanking was proof that you cared for someone, and it was fun. Why was Donald trying to get out of spanking her if he wanted them to be boyfriend and girlfriend.Temporising, she offered, "But you have to punish me for. " What? Mallory's here..." Beth's voice was farther away, but was stillclose."Maggie? You drank too much. You need to lie down! OK?" Mallory's voicewas close, but a welcome sound nonetheless. The sheer panic was gone, butMaggie still knew how precarious her situation."One... 'nly ONE!" Maggie could barely pronounce the words, the effortnearly making her slip into unconsciousness."Hey, you guys, take her to my car, ok?" Mallory's voice sounded calm, butthere was a sudden snap of force to it."My.