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“Of course, Gabriel It’s just that the topic ing up the subject and not springing it on you But I don’t want to hear you refer to yourself as either coldhearted or a wench ever again” He pulled back to make eye contact with her “Neither of those ascriptions applies to you, and I certainly won’t have anyone speak about my wife that way”

She nodded

“Good” He took her hand and began walking “Now, as I recall, you were telling me about Rachel’s e in all ot Christians, Musli’”

Gabriel looked puzzled “Rachel knows a Zoroastrian? How is that possible? There are less than two hundred thousand Zoroastrians ide”

“She works with a woman who’s Zoroastrian How do you kno azed at her sole her a sly wink

“Don’t believe anything you read on Wikipedia, Professor”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself, Mrs Emerson Someone wrote an entry aboutWikifuckers”

He kissed her gently but fir his throat

A security guard stood two feet away

“Move along” He glared at theetic as he wound his arm around Julia’s waist and ducked into an adjacent room

“We need to be more discreet” She felt flushed as they continued their tour

“We need to find a darker corner” Gabriel gazed at her provocatively, and she felt her flush deepen

“I’ve asked John Green to send Christa a cease-and-desist letter” Gabriel led her into the hallway

“Do you think that’s a good idea?”

“John did It’s a shot across the bow We’re si her that on’t tolerate slander The woman is a menace”

Julia took a deep breath and held it before exhaling slowly “The conference went better than expected”

He brought her hand to his lips “You were exceptional”

“So ht”

“Slander is alorrisome Don’t you know that line from Othello:

“‘Who steals my purse steals trash

But he that filches froood name

Robs me of that which not enriches hi you quote that before But can you really stop Christa fronation “I don’t know But given her behavior at the conference, I had to try”

Chapter Twenty

July 2011