“He held up his index finger. 'Rule one: in any dispute between mates, the male is always to blame, even when he is clearly blameless. Rule two'—his middle finger joined the first—'whenever in doubt, refer to rule one.”

“I'm in no position to hand down any advice," he said, "but there's a rule I follow when I don't know what to do.""A rule?""If you have to choose between something that has form and something that doesn't, go for the one without form. That's my rule. Whenever I run into a wall I follow that rule, and it always works out. Even if it's hard going at the time.”

“Svava: "Rule number one: Never make a fool of yourself."Riis: "Rule number two: Never be a burden to any one."Svava: "Rule number three: Always be in the fashion.”

“He props his elbow on the table,absently scratches his temple with his index finger, and I remember exactly what that index finger did to me earlier. How he circled my nipples with that finger, how he slipped it between my legs, drenched it with my wetnessand then brought it up to his mouth, licking it, tasting me, his gaze never leaving mine…”

“Oi, mate,” he said, jabbing his thick index finger square in the center of Richard's chest. “No need to get grabby, is there?”

“One who has the rule of thumbs at fingertips should not be all thumbs or fingers all thumbs at carrying the rule of thumbs to a successful completion.”