“Into the stocks,” he ordered. Gloria complied and he quickly closed the top over her head and hands.“Actually,” Maxwell said, now holding his... hand up as if instructing a student, “these are pillories, even though they are commonly called stocks. Technically, a stock is flat on the ground and holds a person’s legs while they are seated on the ground. A pillory, on the other hand, holds a person bent over at the waist by trapping their hands and head.”“Whatever,” snarled a rough-looking man in a. I again offered to drive them to their hotel, trying not to look or sound desperate, but hoping Linda would read into my offer my desire to prolong the moment, if only so I could spend a few more precious minutes in her company. This had a twofold effect, Linda relented, still blushing, that spark in her eyes which I remembered from years past was there for me to see and hopefully not misinterpreted, the way she ran her tongue across her bottom lip before acceding to my offer had me stifling a. He wasn’t paying attention, though, and by the time she was into her under things she had given up. They discussed their plans for the day, her off to classes and then work, him to run errands and meet some friends, and they agreed to meet back at her apartment at the end of the day for dinner. Before she had even finished dressing he had given her a quick kiss and breezed out the door. She sighed, threw herself on the bed to breathe his scent for a few moments before she got up, ready to face. I'm sorry." It was the first real lie I ever told her, and I felt horribly guilty as soon as the words left my mouth."That's okay; I forgive you." That was followed by a tight hug and another deep kiss. "You're back now, and that's all that counts. Just don't ever leave me like that again. I missed you too much!"Her words shot through my heart like little arrows, each one wounding me further. I looked into her eyes and was glad that I made the decision that I did. Yet, I couldn't deny that I.