"Would you like something to drink"? "Some water please". I brought her a glass of water and put itup to her lips. She drank half of it. "Well the soo...ner we get started the sooner you can go home". "Iran my hands along her legs again". As she fidgeted she said "please don't". "Sorry but I have to. You are just so beautiful". I continued to run my hands over her legs. Sasha kept fidgeting. I leanedforward and kissed her lightly on the mouth. Sasha quickly moved her head away. I kept one. . thirty or sixty days, I think."The young patrician shook his head. "What can we do now?" At ... three thirty in the morning?" Malcolm frowned. "I don't know. But, no one else can do anything until the market opens either. They should be..."Corvus had a clear vision of a faceless man creeping into Regula's rooms and shook his head violently. "We can't trust some corrupt treasury official not to decide he'd like to vet her himself before the bidding starts."Malcolm paled. "I ... hadn't thought. The feel for it. When did you know you were so good at it?’ ‘Oh, I’m not that good.’ ‘Shit.’ She started. Be a little more careful, Ed. Try again. ‘Excuse me, but you know that’s not true. You have it.’ She stared at me a moment. ‘Well. I was about fifteen. The school strings program needed a cellist, and I was only second violin, so I volunteered. I loved it from the very first time. It feels different—the position and heft of it, and it has such a wonderful timbre. For the first few months I. It didn't help, I tried to read Arts and Artists magazine but couldn't get past her picture and when I did, there was an add for the Cartwright Galleries in Dallas, promoting her upcoming showing...with photos. Taking a big glass of wine with me, I went to sit on the sun porch with my eyes closed. So much for my short lived Sapphic adventure.I lost track of time. In fact I may have dozed off until the ringing of the phone snapped me out of it."Sherri, I can't do this alone" I'm on my way, Jenn..