; ; Lisa came to more quickly, as she always had in the morning. “Good ; morning, love,” she said cheerfully. “I had the wildest dreams ; last night. I’m surprised I didn’t wake you up.”
; ; The words didn’t register with Gary. It was morning, so he ; wasn’t at his best. Her next statement, though, brought him into ; focus.
; ; “Gary,” she asked with a strange tone, “did we do something ; last night?”
; ; He considered his answer. “Why do you ask?”
; ; “Well, I don’t normally sleep without any clothes, but...” He ; noted that she had wrapped herself in the sheet as she went off to the ; bathroom.
; ; While Lisa showered, Gary replayed the previous night in his mind. He ; had gone to that bar, and he met the waitress Vanessa. She had bitten ; him, and they had sex, and she bit him again and turned him into a ; vampire. Then he came back here and bit Lisa and they screwed like ; they had never screwed before. And suddenly, he’s awake in the ; morning and it was all like a dream.
; ; Gary jumped out of bed and went to the mirror above the desk. He was ; there, just like always. It was daylight, and he didn’t feel any ; different than he had the previous morning.
; ; “Maybe it was just a dream,” he said out loud but to himself.
; ; “But it seemed so real.”
; ; The couple checked out of the motel, put their overnight bags into the ; car, and walked across the street to a diner for breakfast. They ; found a booth and looked through the menus. Lisa was particularly ; peppy and energetic this morning, while Gary felt rather tired and ; disoriented.
; ; “What can I get’cha?” the waitress asked.
; ; Gary’s eyes shot up from the menu, and he found himself staring at ; Vanessa. She was dressed, which was a big enough difference from the ; previous night. Dressed in a traditional waitress uniform, with the ; pastel colors and everything. Still very attractive, but not quite ; the same woman as he remembered.
; ; Lisa answered before Gary could say anything. “We’ll have eggs, ; scrambled, toast with jelly, and orange juice, please.” She smiled ; sweetly, and Vanessa returned the gesture. “And my fiance will ; have some coffee too. Black and hot.”
; ; “Got it,” Vanessa said as she scribbled on her pad.
; ; Vanessa plucked the menu from Gary’s hands, then took the menu ; which Lisa handed to her. She turned and went back to the kitchen. ; As she went through the swinging doors, she looked back at Gary and ; winked.
; ; “Gary!”
; ; He turned back towards Lisa, who had shouted his name.
; ; “You’re acting like a zombie this morning. Didn’t you sleep ; well?”
; ; “I don’t think you’d believe me if I told you.”
; ; “Try me.”
; ; Gary wondered if he should tell her the truth. Then again, if it was ; just a dream, he could leave out the particularly bad part, like ; sleeping with Vanessa.
; ; “Well, I had this dream last night. I went out for a drink last ; night after you went to sleep, and I ended up in this bar by the ; motel. And I must have gotten hammered or something. Then I met this ; really weird woman who turned out to be a vampire. And she bit me and ; turned me into one too.”
; ; The color disappeared from Lisa’s face as Gary told his story. ; “That’s unbelievable,” she said. “I had this... well, ; erotic dream about vampires too. I dreamt that you were a vampire, ; and you came into the room and hypnotized me. You made me into your ; love slave, and you bit me and everything.” She started blushing as ; she described the sexual details. “I don’t think I’ve ever ; gotten so wet from a dream. You know, we could act that dream out ; sometime,” she said, smiling a devious grin he hadn’t seen since ; they had first met. That was the “thinking about sex” smile.
; ; “Eggs and toast.”
; ; Vanessa dropped the plates of food in front of Gary and Lisa. She ; also deposited two glasses of orange juice and the check, which she ; dropped right in front of Gary.
; ; Gary noticed the note written on the inside of the check. “Meet me ; in the men’s room,” it said in small, tight lettering. The note ; finished with a “V”.
; ; Gary took a few bites of his breakfast, so as to not raise Lisa’s ; suspicions. Then he wiped his mouth with his napkin, excused himself, ; and went to the bathroom. It was one of those single-person ; bathrooms, which the user would lock from the inside.
; ; The room was dark. Gary stepped in, and the door closed suddenly. He ; heard the click of the lock before the light came on. Vanessa was ; inside with him.
; ; “You’re probably wondering what’s going on.”
; ; “That’s an understatement. After last night, and then waking ; up, I wasn’t sure if it was a dream or what.”
; ; She laughed. “Yeah, right, a dream. Well, babe, this is reality. ; Life in the daylight, and all that.”
; ; “So what’s going on? Why are you here now?”
; ; Vanessa pulled out a cigarette and flicked her lighter. The paper at ; the tip glowed brightly as she took her first drag, and then she ; exhaled.
; ; “I work here. Just like I work at the bar. Usually, though, I ; don’t see the same customers at both places, as you can ; imagine.” She waited for Gary to smile, but he didn’t. ; “Being one of us doesn’t do much good during the day.”
; ; “One of us,” Gary interrupted. “You mean a vampire.”
; ; “Well, duh. What else?” She took another puff from the ; cigarette. “Anyhow, we don’t sleep in coffins typically. ; Unless you can afford a lifestyle like that, and I know I can’t. ; So we live and work and go out during the day like normal people. ; Because that’s all we are during the day—normal.”
; ; “Is that why Lisa doesn’t remember last night as anything but a ; dream? And why I can’t control her?”
; ; Vanessa nodded as she smoked. “You’re right on the second part. ; Our powers go away during the day. As for why she doesn’t ; remember, that’s just how she mentally copes with it. For some ; people, it would be a vivid memory. Her, it obviously isn’t the ; sort of thing that fits into her idea of normal, so she’s convinced ; herself that it was a dream. Stick with her long enough, though, and ; she’ll remember everything during the day too.”
; ; “What about tonight?” Gary asked. “What will happen ; then?”
; ; “That’s up to you. Remember when I said that guy vampires had ; it lucky? Well, if you never say anything about it again, then ; she’ll never remember it. Or if you want it, she’ll be your ; slave again as soon as you think of it. You get to pick a new slave ; every night if you want, and you can have them whenever you want. ; Goddamn male fantasy come to life, ain’t it?” He noted more than ; a hint of anger in her voice. Or jealousy.
; ; Vanessa finished off her cigarette and poked it out in the ashtray. ; Then she pulled her pen from behind her ear and wrote something on her ; order pad. Gary watched as she peeled the page off and tucked the pad ; back into the breast pocket. His mind wandered back to the night ; before, when he had suckled at that breast.
; ; “Here,” she said. “If you really need some help, call me. ; Otherwise, enjoy your life, because I’m sure you will.” She ; unlocked the door and stepped out. “Oh, by the way,” she said ; as she turned back to him one more time, with that big grin he ; remembered. “I expect a big tip.”
; ; 2
; ; The miles passed in quick succession. The couple had planned to drive ; all the way through Nevada down I-15 into Las Vegas, and then spend a ; couple days relaxing before finishing the trip into Los Angeles.
; ; By Gary’s estimation, they would make it to Vegas by about 8 or 9 ; PM, right around the time the sun went down and it got dark. For ; once, Gary was upset that it was summer. When winter rolled around ; (or what passes for winter in California, he thought) the sun would go ; down a lot earlier and he wouldn’t have to wait so long to become ; more than human.
; ; The long drive also gave Gary plenty of time to think about things. ; He knew that he wasn’t going to be happy with life the way it had ; been. Despite having been a vampire for all of a few hours, he was ; sure that a work-a-day life wouldn’t satisfy him the way it used ; to. For that matter, he had never been particularly satisfied. His ; job was okay, and it paid the bills, but he felt like he never really ; tested himself. Even this move was just a change, rather than a real ; improvement.
; ; More importantly, though, he thought about Lisa. And what Vanessa had ; told him. From now on, she could be just like she used to be, or she ; could be his total slave with a thought. He wasn’t sure what that ; meant, but it gave him a shudder.
; ; That reminded him of something else which Vanessa said. She said she ; could tell that Gary was decent. What the hell did that mean?
; ; Gary’s reverie was broken by the blasting horn of a semi behind ; him. Gary noticed that while he had been thinking, he had slowed down ; significantly. When he moved the car back into the slow lane, a dozen ; cars and trucks pulled by. Some of the drivers had less than pleasant ; things to say to Gary. One woman was particularly rude, flipping Gary ; off while cursing at him. Gary made it a point to remember that ; woman’s car. He had always believed in karma, and he expected ; he’d see her stuck by the side of the road with a flat tire ; someday.
; ; “How’re you doing?” Lisa asked. “Do you want me to take ; over?”
; ; Gary looked at the woman sitting next to him. He loved her. He loved ; her angelic face, and her expressive eyes. And the fact that she ; loved him. He couldn’t accept her as his slave. Well, maybe on ; special occasions... He shook off that thought. Decent. Ugh.
; ; “I’m fine right now. We can trade when we get gas later.”
; ; Lisa looked back down at the book in her lap. Gary was jealous of the ; fact that Lisa could read anytime and anywhere. It made him nauseous ; to try reading in a car or on a plane. Lisa, on the other hand, could ; lose herself in a book easily.
; ; “How’s the book coming?”
; ; “It’s frustrating. The heroine is torn between wanting to be ; noble and important, and also wanting to make her family happy.”
; ; Gary thought about that a moment. “Why can’t she do both?”
; ; “Her family doesn’t think women should be heroes. They think ; women should be... women.” Lisa shrugged slightly, another gesture ; Gary had always adored.
; ; “What would you do?” Gary asked.
; ; Lisa closed the book and stared out at the quickly passing landscape. ; “I feel you have to be true to yourself. If you’re supposed to ; be a hero, you’re supposed to be a hero. If you’re supposed to ; be something else, then you do that. Trying to please everyone else ; doesn’t make any sense if it doesn’t make you happy.”
; ; “I love you, Lisa.”
; ; She laughed a bit. “I love you too. Where did that come from?”
; ; “What, do I have to have a reason to tell you that I love you?”
; ; “No, it just seemed out of place in that conversation.”
; ; He caught her eyes for a moment. “I’m just glad that you ; believe in being yourself.” He felt somber with the thought. ; “Promise me you’ll never stop feeling that way.”
; ; Lisa reached across the seat and put her hand on his, wrapping her ; fingers gently around the steering wheel. “I promise. I’ll ; always be the pain in the neck that you love.”
; ; What a choice of words, he thought to himself.
; ; 3
; ; Gary and Lisa carried their bags into the lobby of the Excalibur ; Hotel, and found their way to the check-in desk. Gary couldn’t ; wait to get checked in. Not only was he tired from the drive, but he ; could almost feel the sun sinking. By the time they were finished, it ; would be dark.
; ; There was a line of several people ahead of the two of them. Some ; were couples much like he and Lisa. There was a tourist family, with ; two bratty kids that the mother was straining to control. There was a ; group of Japanese businessmen, or at least that’s what they looked ; like with their suits and briefcases. And unlike the stereotypes, not ; one of these men had a camera.
; ; There were only three people working windows at the check-in desk. ; One was a very efficient older woman, who had moved through three ; parties quietly and quickly. The second was a young guy. Gary ; figured the kid was barely out of college, if that. He seemed to get ; flustered by every little thing. Gary prayed he wouldn’t get stuck ; with that one.
; ; The third was another woman. She was also young, and very attractive. ; She had a sweet smile and a kind demeanor. Although she wasn’t ; quite as good at her job as the old woman next to her, she seemed to ; be doing everything she could to make the process move. He sensed ; that it had been a long afternoon, and the tempers of the people ; waiting to check in had started wearing on her.
; ; Gary and Lisa made it up to the second spot in line when the kid and ; the cute woman both finished with their present guests. The man in ; front of Gary started towards the smiling beauty. At that moment, ; Gary felt the sun disappear completely. He put his hand on the ; man’s shoulder. The man turned to face Gary. Gary silently ; suggested the man should go to the other window. The man’s face ; went pale, and then he nodded and obediently went to be “helped” ; by the pimple-faced kid.
; ; Gary and Lisa deposited their bags in front of the desk. He fished ; out his wallet and told the woman his name for the reservation. She ; typed something on the keyboard in front of her, then left her station ; to grab a couple of the plastic cards the hotel used for keys.
; ; “Babe, I’m gonna go check out the tables while you’re ; checking in.” Lisa practically skipped away, leaving Gary to take ; care of business. She wanted to go to Vegas so much. Gary hadn’t ; been real excited by the idea when they planned it, although he liked ; the idea much more in the last 24 hours.
; ; “Sir!”
; ; Gary snapped back to the clerk. He saw her name—Melody—on her ; nametag.
; ; “I’m sorry, what was that?” he said.
; ; “I said I’m afraid I can’t find your reservation. Are you ; sure you called this hotel?”
; ; “Of course I’m sure. Is there more than one Excalibur in Las ; Vegas?”
; ; “Well, I can’t find your name in our computer. I’m afraid ; we’re all booked up tonight.”
; ; Gary felt his anger and frustration rising. This was supposed to be ; the vacation part of this trip, and now it was not getting off to a ; good start. But before he said or did anything else, he felt the ; pressure against his gums. He realized that he didn’t have to lose ; it, and that he couldn’t afford to lose control. Instead, he took ; control.
; ; “Melody,” he said softly as he stared into her big brown eyes, ; “do you have any rooms available?”
; ; Her face went blank at first, and then her body seemed to relax. Gary ; didn’t want to push too hard, at least not yet.
; ; “The only room we have that isn’t reserved is the King’s ; Suite.”
; ; “Then you will put me in the King’s Suite. And you will make ; sure that I am treated like a king.” He smiled to her as he spoke, ; so as to reassure her through the minor haze of his control. “And ; I won’t be charged any more than I would have been for a normal ; room.”
; ; Gary released her from his active control, hoping his suggestions ; would sink in. He watched her reactions as she returned to normal.
; ; “I’m sorry for the confusion, sir,” she said, looking back ; down at her computer terminal. “It seems we do have the King’s ; Suite still available. If you don’t mind that, we can put you up ; there. And of course we won’t charge you any more than you already ; were quoted.” She smiled back at Gary. “After all, we treat all ; of our guests like kings.”
; ; Melody handed him the map of the hotel, directing Gary to the tower ; where the suite was located. He reached across the desk and held her ; hand, once again reaching also into her mind. “When do you get off ; tonight?”
; ; “My shift ends at midnight,” she said stiffly.
; ; “Then you will come to my room by 12:15. Do you understand?”
; ; “Of course.”
; ; Gary released Melody, gathered up the keycards and his papers, and ; went off to find Lisa.
; ;
; ;
; ; “This is wonderful!” Lisa screamed as she rolled around on the ; oversized bed. The King’s Suite stretched across half a floor, ; with three separate rooms including an enormous bathroom with a ; whirlpool. “And you’re sure we don’t have to pay more for ; all this?”
; ; “Positive,” he said. “We just got lucky enough to be the ; first bumped guest.”
; ; “Well, in that case, I hope we get bumped more often.”
; ; Gary had sat down on a leather sofa in the master bedroom, from which ; he could watch his fiancee revel in the luxurious bed while he also ; stared out into the night sky through the room-length windows. His ; mind spun with ideas on how to enjoy the next three days.
; ; “Tell you what, love,” Lisa said, jumping off the bed. ; “Let’s go down to the casino and live it up a bit. Then later, ; if you get bored with it, you can come back here while I gamble.”
; ; Gary couldn’t believe the energy Lisa had, despite the fact that it ; was night, and they had driven most of the day. He supposed she had ; been saving all of her energy for the next few days. And he knew how ; much she loved gambling. Fortunately, she was also very lucky when it ; came to slot machines, so she usually ended up paying for her ; hours-on-end binges. In fact, he couldn’t remember a time when she ; didn’t at worst break even.
; ; “That sounds fine. But before that, don’t you think we ought to ; change? I doubt you want to go down there in the same clothes ; you’ve been wearing all day.”
; ; Lisa had a twinkle in her eye. “I had the same thought. But you ; have to promise not to look. I’ve got a surprise.”
; ; “So what, I should cover my eyes?”
; ; “Yes. In fact, that’s exactly what you should do.”
; ; Gary played along. After reaffirming that he had covered his eyes, ; and that he couldn’t see anything, Lisa opened one of her bags and ; pulled out a special outfit.
; ; Next, she stripped off her shorts and t-shirt. She also removed her ; white cotton bra and panties. Then she slipped into the dress.
; ; “Okay, you can open your eyes now.”
; ; Gary was most impressed with what he saw. Lisa was wearing a tight ; black cocktail dress that left precious little to the imagination. ; The hem was barely long enough to be considered a micro-mini. And she ; had only spaghetti straps to hold the dress up. Her cleavage was ; evident, as the neckline plunged (wonderfully, in his eyes) in front ; and even further in back. In Minnesota, this dress would be ; scandalous. Here, it was only...
; ; “Beautiful. Sexy. Absolutely perfect. And the dress isn’t bad ; either.”
; ; Lisa blushed. She loved it though. She had never felt confident ; enough to show herself off like this, but something about this city ; and the trip and the move and all. She knew she never had to fear ; Gary’s reaction when it came to her body. “So you like?”
; ; “Absolutely. So how about we go find a bank to break?”
; ; Lisa hugged Gary, and kissed him deeply. Gary felt her nipples, ; hardened in the conditioned air, as she pressed against his chest. Oh ; yes, he thought, this will be a wonderful few days.
; ; 4
; ; Gary and Lisa rode down the elevator in each other’s arms. Gary ; also took advantage of the private moments to caress Lisa’s breasts ; through the sheer silk material. He loved the feel of silk, and he ; especially loved feeling a woman’s body through it. The first time ; he had the guts to buy lingerie for Lisa, he got her a red silk teddy ; for Valentine’s Day. She didn’t wear it often, but every time ; she did, he made a point of letting her know how much he appreciated ; it. And her in it.
; ; “I love you so much,” Gary said.
; ; “You too babe,” Lisa replied.
; ; She turned to face him and winked. Just after that, she grabbed him ; and kissed him.
; ; The couple was locked in the passionate kiss when the elevator car ; arrived at the lobby. The bell chimed and the doors slid open. They ; didn’t stop kissing.
; ; “Excuse me,” a woman’s voice said. Still they held the kiss.
; ; “I said, excuse me.” The woman’s voice was more shrill, ; almost dripping with impatience.
; ; Finally Lisa broke apart from Gary. She avoided looking at the woman. ; Gary wasn’t sure if it was out of embarrassment or disdain. Gary ; saw that the woman was very attractive, with long blonde hair and the ; body of a model. And that face... he was sure he recognized her from ; somewhere, but he couldn’t quite place it.
; ; “What are you staring at, asshole?” the woman sneered as the ; elevator door closed.
; ; He watched for a few moments to track the elevator. It stopped on the ; 23rd floor. He tucked that tidbit of information away.
; ; Lisa made a bee-line for the roulette tables. She had always wanted ; to try playing roulette. She even got Gary to contribute $10 for the ; first play. The number was 17, which was the combination of the day ; and date of when they met: January 7.
; ; By the time Gary got to the table where Lisa had set herself down, the ; ball was already spinning, and he saw that chip sitting by itself on ; 17.
; ; He watched the ball spin. He tried concentrating on the ball, to see ; if he could affect it. He tried to give it a push, like he had with ; Melody earlier. But he couldn’t feel anything.
; ; He concentrated even harder, telling the ball to jump. Suddenly, he ; noticed that five or six people around the table had taken a small ; jump, almost in unison.
; ; “Well that wasn’t what I wanted,” he thought to himself.
; ; Gary resigned himself to the idea that he definitely wasn’t going ; to be able to influence this game. Instead, he just held Lisa’s ; hand and hoped that the ball would fall in the right place.
; ; “And the number is... 29!” The tender swept away the chips, ; including the $10 chip from number 17. The excitement over the moment ; went away with it.
; ; “Well, you stayed for our play,” Lisa said. “You can go do ; your own thing if you want now.” She kissed Gary on the cheek, then ; reached across the table to toss on her next bet.
; ; Gary smiled, waved at her as he went away from the gradually-
; ; filling table, and headed for the bar.
; ; He got as far as ordering a beer when he spotted the bitch from the ; elevator walking across the casino floor. He through down a ; five-dollar bill for the beer and trailed after the woman.
; ; Although he was angry with the woman, he also admired that body. She ; had to be one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. He would ; have guessed her tits were at least D-cups, and they looked great in ; the blue halter dress she was wearing. And her legs were long, thin ; and fine. He had very impure thoughts about this beauty-and-a-bitch.
; ; The woman left the hotel and went out to the parking lot. That vague ; recognition which Gary had earlier suddenly snapped into perfect focus ; when he saw the car. It was that same red sports car that passed them ; earlier. And the same woman who had flipped him off. Suddenly the ; anger made perfect sense.
; ; She reached out to put her key into the car door, but before her hand ; could cross the few inches of air, Gary was upon her.
; ; “What the fuck are you d...”
; ; Gary caught her eyes, quieting her instantly. “Why are you always ; such a bitch, lady? It isn’t nice.”
; ; Her mouth opened, but no sounds came out. A look of shock overtook ; her. She tried to speak, but she couldn’t make a sound.
; ; “Scary, isn’t it?” Gary asked harshly. “It’s not so ; much fun when you’re the one without the power.”
; ; He released his hold on her ability to speak, although he made sure ; she couldn’t scream.
; ; “Who are you?” she asked.
; ; “I’m the one you cut off on the road earlier. I’m the one ; you pushed by on the elevator. I’m the one who doesn’t like ; being treated like I’m just in the way.”
; ; Again, she tried to scream, and still nothing. “Why can’t I ; scream?”
; ; “I won’t let you. I’m going to make you suffer for being ; such a bitch to everyone. You’re going to be doing what I want you ; to do, and when I’m done, if you’re really lucky, you might not ; even remember anything.”
; ; She tried one more time to scream, and failed. So instead, she tried ; to punch him. But Gary was ready for that too. He grabbed her arm, ; spun her around against her car, and leaned into her.
; ; “Lady, you picked the wrong vampire to piss off.”
; ; He grabbed her head and pushed it to one side, and ruthlessly plunged ; his fangs into her throat. He felt her body buck with the pain, which ; he did nothing to relieve. But shortly after the pain faded, she ; relaxed. He moved back, knowing that he didn’t have to hold her ; physically anymore.
; ; “Oh, master,” she said breathlessly.
; ; “Follow me, girl. It’s time for your lesson.”
; ;
; ;
; ; The door opened to the dark and empty suite. In the minutes while ; they walked from the parking lot, Gary learned that the woman’s ; name was Sonya. She was just as spoiled and bitchy as he could have ; imagined.
; ; Sonya’s father was a minor millionaire, who had profited from ; inside trading. She had grown up without want, and no one denied her ; what she desired. One of her boyfriends had said no to her when she ; insisted he go down on her. The boyfriend ended up in jail on rape ; charges. A sorority had the nerve to reject her, and the two girls ; who had voted against her ended up suspended. She made sure that no ; revenge ever went unsatisfied.
; ; Her daddy had been a womanizer, and she learned quickly that only the ; sexiest, most beautiful women got the attention from him. She had a ; private trainer and a nutritionist to keep her in tip-
; ; top shape. She delighted in telling Gary that not only were her 34D ; breasts real, but they were “perfect.” She swore to him that she ; never wore a bra, because she didn’t need one.
; ; Sonya had been with more men than she could remember, despite being ; only 24. She lost her virginity when she was 15. She assured Gary ; that she was amazing in bed and that she loved giving head for the ; “right” guys.
; ; Two lines of thought competed in Gary’s mind from listening to ; Sonya’s litany. First, he was completely turned on from having ; this sex kitten turned into a sex slave. But second, he was disgusted ; by how freely she used her sex as a weapon. He planned on turning the ; tables on her, taking advantage of her and using her.
; ; As Gary closed the door, he spoke a single word: “Strip.” He ; reinforced the message with a mental push.
; ; Sonya lit up like a flame. She reached behind her head to undo the ; clasp holding her dress together. She peeled the thin fabric down, ; exposing those luscious tits. Her nipples were standing out towards ; Gary, and he resisted reaching out to them. Instead, he simply sat on ; a sofa and watched the striptease.
; ; Sonya pushed the rest of the dress down past her slinking hips. She ; wasn’t wearing any panties underneath. Just like Lisa hadn’t.
; ; Lisa.
; ; The thought echoed in his mind. Gary hadn’t thought of being with ; Vanessa as “cheating” because, at least to him, he really ; hadn’t had much choice. But this would be different. This would ; be cheating.
; ; “I want you to fuck me, Master,” Sonya moaned. She ran one hand ; around one of her tits, cupping it and caressing it. She ran her ; other hand down between her legs and slid her fingers inside herself. ; She was totally shaved, and he could see she was dripping wet. “I ; need you to take me.”
; ; Gary’s hungers growled at him. He wanted her sexually in the worst ; way, and he needed to taste more of her blood. The animal instinct ; inside him told him to ignore Lisa. He could love her if he wanted, ; or he could control her utterly. But later.
; ; He was torn, and he was close to making his decision.
; ; Then he heard the door open.