Satisfied that I was posingadequately, Rashid turned his attentions to the Taharian beauty, Mehra.?I love you, Kara,? I whispered. ?I wouldn't have su...rvived these lastfew months without you.??Hush, Emma.? She smiled softly, but I could see she felt the same wayabout me. ?Turn your attention to the men here. Maybe one will buy youand you'll be free of Rashid. Seek a strong and fair Master. Serve himwell, and you will be happy.??Maybe a man will buy us both?? I hoped that was the case, but I. We were greeted by our massage therapists and engaged in pleasantries. Both of the masseuses were slim and attractive, I’d say one was mid twenties and the other early thirties. They asked that we de-robe, saying it was up to us whether we felt more comfortable with or without underwear. As they left the room my wife came over, pulled my head down, softly kissed me and whispered “thank you honey, this is going to be great”. We stripped naked, laid face down on the massage tables and draped over. ‘She’s been crabby all day.’ ‘Right,’ I said. ‘Tom, can you join us?’ He looked quickly at his mother, took in the little shake of her head: ‘No sir, I have finals this week. If I don’t ace my history exam in the morning I’m doomed.’ ‘Ah. Yes, understand.’ ‘You don’t know anything about the collapse of the Weimar Republic, do you?’ he asked quietly, I noticed his mother had turned and was talking to other people at the table and he clearly saw this as an opportunity. ‘A little, yes.’ ‘Why did. . thought, that you'd try to ever look me up again ... after our goodbye, that is."There, now I could see it ... that was the other look on her face that I hadn't been able to quite identify until now. It was hope ... and now the way that her eyes continued to stare at me I could feel regret and longing, both in near equal quantities. I needed to look away for a moment myself, to blink and get my own thoughts under control. She'd been gone from my life for about a decade now but I'd never.