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“Your wound,” she said She could see that the doctor’s stitches had been re a reddened scar that would, she hoped, fade, although Max’s wild curls helped to hide it

“All better,” he said, as her fingers lightly brushed his forehead She stroked his cheek, and he closed his eyes, as if her touch htheaded as his did her She stretched up and tenderly kissed the scar on his chin, wondering at herself as she did so

His eyes flickered open, surprise in their depths

“We’re supposed to be lovers who can only meet in secret,” she felt the need to excuse her actions “I’ my part”

Down the hallway there were a series of noisy shouts and then a woht have been bloody murder but Marietta kneas sie eyes on Max and bit her lip to stop herself frorinned back at her

There was an uncomfortable moment, as if neither of them knehat to do or say next, and then Max said, “We are only allowed the room for an hour”

“Oh” The knowledge that their time was so short ht Suddenly Marietta wished herself miles away

Max wondered what she was thinking Aphrodite had chosen the Lustful Lady with a purpose She had wanted Marietta to see what soreed with her choice because he wanted to observe Marietta’s reaction Just as he had expected, when he had caught up with her Marietta had been both appalled and afraid He hadn’t helped, he supposed, by chasing her like that but she hadn’t heard hiht blunder into one of the occupied rooms

Shethe course she was traveling, then she could well be reduced to visiting a place like this on a regular basis Degradation was so that happened over tiet there, eventually The Lustful Lady was the ultimate destination of many desperate and unhappy people

But Max was deterht for her, whether she wanted him to or not

“Darling Marietta,” he whispered, willing for her sake to put aside

all his plans to shock her into subo somewhere else Or I can take you home”

“It’s not so bad,” she said, and took a shaky breath

“You don’t have to stay—”

“But I do,” she said in a soft little voice that sounded almost plaintive “I do have to stay, Max I have to complete my task so that Aphrodite will help me become a courtesan”