“Well this wasn’t Vegas, and this wasn’t Disneyland, this was ‘Erotica- The Theme Park – featuring Femdom World, Slave World, Bondage World, Spanking World – and so much more!’ -according to the brochure Jillian and Rebecca handed me with great fanfare the next day. -This is a beautiful brochure, I said – very- -Glossy , said Rebecca. -Right, I studied it some more – so is this…I mean – legal? I mean, is it for real? -O yes, they said. -Well. Wow, I guess. -Wow is right, they said.Jillian had been on some trip with one of her many very rich and very ugly men friends, and they had shown her the place. (no she didn’t say to what extent she was ’shown’ the place. She was very tight lipped about it, -wanted everything to be a surprise, she said)To be aware of Erotica-The Theme Park, and its Hotel Ecstasy you need money, connections, and more. In fact you need at least a 100 ft yacht to dock at its private Marina.And no I can’t tell you where it is, otherwise they will revoke my membership pass and kill my first born. But let’s say - it’s on an island, with warm water ,pure white sand beaches, it’s for the very rich, and it’s not far , by private helicopter from certain well known islands in let’s say, the Caribbean.”

“-Now the paperwork – -What if I don’t want to do the Ultimate, right away? Maybe I want to ease into this thing gently.-No you don’t.-I might. I might just want to ease into the activity, the idea of it.-it’ll be fine, said Rebecca.-you will be fine, and no regrets, honestly. Jillian took me over to the desk.-No possible regrets, said Rebecca, just sign this, she handed me a sheaf of forms.-Jesus I don’t want to buy the place, I scanned the pages – 45 pages.-just fill in page 25 through28 and sign.-Pages 25 through 28, what is this?Rebecca took the pages of forms from my hand – look its simple stuff, here we’ll read it through. Jillian looked over her shoulder at the pages-weight?-what?- Say 110, Jillian said.-Height?-5’ 8’’, Jillian again.-Hair length?-What? Why?-Long, Jillian again.-Cup size?- O come on.- say C-how about say nothing, I was getting angry-Shaved or bikini or natural?-Fuck offRebecca ticked a box anyway – well she was at the waxing too. Why ask in fact?-Last menstrual cycle?- enough, enough, give me those papers-Yes ignore that, said Rebecca taking the pages away from my grasping hand-Tested? she said this to Jillian-Tested? What tested? What do you mean tested?-Yes, said Jillian, I forwarded a blood sample from the main island-You what!-You were sleeping.-Great now sign here, Rebecca handed me a page and a pen-Who has blood samples for a theme park?-Everyone-especially the staff, can’t have mi’lady getting STDsI took a breath-This is getting a bit weird guys are you sure? I mean, well this is a bit, weird.-We’re 100 and a million per cent sure, said Jillian- 100 million per cent, said Rebecca”

“I love you, Mallory," he said very quietly, very seriously. "So damn much."Warmth and affection and need and so much more rushed her. "I know.""You know?""Yes.""Well, hell," he said with a small smile and a shake of his head. "You might have told me and saved me a lot of time.""How about I tell you something else?" she said. "I love you, too.”

“Liz, I like you very much," he says. "Oh," she says, "I like you very much, too!"Owen is not sure if she means "O" for Owen, or just plan "Oh." He is not sure what difference it would make in either case. He feels the needs to clarify. "When I said 'I like you very much,' I actually meant 'I love you.'" "O," she says, "I actually meant the same thing." She closes the car door behind her."Well," he says to himself, driving back to his apartment, "isn't that something?”

“You have qualities that are just as important, far more so, in fact. It's perhaps cheeky of me to say so, I don't know you very well. I'm a bachelor, I don't know very much about women, I lead a quiet sort of life down here at Manderley, as you know, but I should say that kindliness, and sincerity, and if I may say so—modesty—are worth far more to a man, to a husband, than all the wit and beauty in the world.”

“But Mary Elizabeth felt different. She kept saying it was an "articulate" film. So "articulate." And I guess it was. The thing is, I didn't know what it said even if it said it very well.”