“Hey, he says again, sitting down next to me as though he knows me well. “Need rescuing?”

“Sitting beside me, he gently pulls my sweatpants down again. Up and down like whores”

“If I do this, something will go wrong and this man will hurt me. I know it as sure as I’m sitting here next to him feeling how much he makes me want to say yes.”

“Dash is getting very frisky in here with me, Mark." What I wanted to say was I wish Dash was getting frisky in here with me. Dash raised an eyebrow at me again."No he's not," Mark said."How do you know?""Because if he was, you wouldn't be calling me to rescue you right now, Googly Eyes.”

“He lies down next to me.He says, 'You know - you have a face to die for/''Well, don't die,' I say, "we just met.”

“He is not sweet or gentle or particularly kind. But he is smart and brave, and even though he saved me, he treated me like I was strong. That is all I need to know.”