"It's me that has to be thanking you."She turned away and gave him a wave over her shoulder as she started walking toward Humper. She had this big old...-fashioned purse over her shoulder and wore a shiny, silver-white skirt, blouse and vest, all made out of a brocaded raw silk that had a hell of a lot of poor little silk worms working overtime to make. Her custom-made boots looked like they might have paid for the boot maker's oldest child to go all the way through college. Her coal black, bobbed. I've always wanted to touch you, always; I dream of you at night, shit, I get hard thinking of you."Lightly moving one hand across the front of my shorts, she whispered, "Do you masturbate thinking of me?" C'mon Sophie, that's private." Not to your sister, it isn't. Lets have it, I want all the details," she insisted, softly caressing. "Let me see it anyway, I want to make sure you're not deformed or something." No fucking way," I protested, but at the same time was secretly pleased and. You'd be someone else, someone neitheryou, nor John, nor your friends and family would evenrecognize anymore. In other words, Nicole, were I toreprogram that portion of your mind where your malenessstill abides, you would no longer share the bond offriendship with John that you now enjoy. And, were thatbond of friendship dissolved, you would not have thefoundation for the longer-term relationship that you bothhave enjoyed and wish to expand upon, and all of this wouldhave been for. Irillith looked into his eyes and there was no mistaking the concern in that gaze. “Helene’s innocence is quite charming, but do you really think you can protect her forever? Considering we’re in an almost constant state of escalating warfare, she’s going to be exposed to far worse in the future.”He let out a weary sigh. “I honestly don’t know, honey. But I feel like I owe it to her to try.”Activating the shower, he closed his eyes and lifted his chin, letting the water sluice down over his.