The 22nd Secret (57 page)

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Authors: Randal Lanser

BOOK: The 22nd Secret
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B
e
n put on h
i
s und
e
r
w
e
a
r
w
hi
l
e
he
f
in
i
shed
g
e
t
t
i
n
g
their
dinn
e
r
r
e
a
d
y
. He
r
e
qu
e
sted P
a
t
t
y r
e
main nude
f
o
r the
r
e
st of the
e
v
e
ni
n
g
.
H
e
e
x
plain
e
d that
she
wa
s too b
ea
ut
i
ful to hide
with
c
lo
t
hin
g
. He
l
i
k
e
d
h
e
r b
e
t
ter
th
i
s w
a
y
. Ben
wa
s
a
l
r
ea
d
y
in
t
o tr
ea
t
i
n
g
P
a
t
t
y
l
i
ke
a
sex
obje
c
t
. He w
a
s a
s
e
lfish lov
e
r but the op
e
r
a
t
i
on
w
a
s on sch
e
d
ule.

 

As m
a
n
y
b
e
wilde
r
e
d
g
irls find out, promises
a
re made
a
nd wo
r
s
e
y
e
t beli
e
v
e
d
, duri
n
g mo
m
e
nts of p
a
ss
i
on. On
ra
re
o
c
c
a
sion
s
, p
r
om
i
s
e
s a
r
e
k
e
pt. Time is the
on
l
y
me
a
sure
of t
h
e qu
a
l
i
t
y
of th
e
s
e
c
om
m
i
t
ments.
I
n
B
e
n
a
nd
P
a
t
t
y

s
,
ca
se
th
e
y
p
r
ov
e
d to be
g
ood
a
t
le
a
st un
t
il Nov
e
mb
e
r
5th
. Th
e
re
w
a
s
no w
a
y
to
t
e
ll
how long the
c
om
m
i
t
ments would
l
a
st a
f
ter
that. R
e
lationships b
e
tw
ee
n men
a
nd wom
e
n
a
re
v
e
r
y
f
ra
g
i
l
e,
a
nd
c
a
n be
lost
or
d
e
str
o
y
e
d
in a mo
m
e
nt.
Be
n w
a
s tru
l
y
i
n love
w
i
t
h
P
a
t
t
y
a
nd he
b
e
l
i
e
v
e
d she
a
d
o
r
e
d
hi
m
.
B
e
n would o
f
t
e
n spend
sev
e
r
a
l
ni
g
hts
in a
row
a
t
P
a
t
t
y

s.
I
t w
a
s
a
l
a
rg
e
r, b
e
t
te
r
-e
quip
p
e
d
a
p
a
rtme
n
t
t
h
a
n his.

Much to
P
a
m’s r
e
l
i
e
f
B
e
n

s se
x
u
a
l
t
ec
hniques imp
r
ov
e
d
a
l
l
owi
n
g
h
e
r to
e
nj
o
y
the p
a
ss
i
on without
re
v
ea
l
i
n
g
h
e
r
e
x
p
e
ri
e
n
ce
.
P
a
t
t
y
s
a
id
i
t w
a
sn’t
n
ece
ss
a
r
y
, but
B
e
n ins
i
sted on b
u
y
i
n
g
h
e
r
a
n
e
n
g
a
g
e
ment
r
i
n
g
. Th
e
y
didn’t set a
d
a
te, d
e
c
id
i
ng
to w
a
it
unt
i
l a
f
t
e
r th
e
y
f
in
i
shed
their do
c
tor
a
l wo
r
k.

The
n
e
x
t
m
ee
t
i
ng
b
e
g
a
n
a
ft
e
r the
s
e
rvers
c
l
e
a
r
e
d
t
he
r
oo
m
.
I
t w
a
s to be
the
fin
a
l
m
ee
t
i
n
g
.


W
e
l
l
,
B
e
n.
P
a
t
t
y

s sha
d
ow t
e
l
l
s me sh
e
’s
w
e
a
ri
n
g
a
n
e
n
g
a
g
e
ment
r
i
n
g
. A
r
e
c
ongr
a
tu
l
a
t
i
ons in or
de
r
?

H
e
n
r
y

s f
a
c
e
w
a
s be
a
m
in
g
.


Y
ea
h,
we
h
e
a
rd
y
ou

re
s
p
e
nding
the n
i
g
ht a lot
t
o
o
,”
Tino said.

I
’ll c
o
n
g
r
a
tu
l
a
te
y
ou f
o
r that.”


W
h
e
n
I
fi
r
st
m
e
t
y
ou t
wo
,
I
fi
g
u
r
e
d
I
w
a
s in one
h
e
ll
of a
mes
s
,”
B
e
n said.
“B
ut
t
hin
g
s kind of wo
r
k
e
d out.
I
t’s
a
ma
z
ing, but
I
’m
r
e
a
l
l
y
in
love
w
i
t
h h
e
r
,
a
nd sh
e
’s in love
w
i
t
h
m
e
.
W
e

r
e
e
n
g
a
g
e
d, but
I
st
i
ll
ca
n

t
i
m
a
g
ine how
y
o
u

r
e
g
oi
n
g
to
g
e
t
h
e
r to b
e
t
r
a
y
h
e
r
c
oun
t
r
y
.”

“F
irst, t
i
m
i
ng
is c
r
i
t
ic
a
l.
W
e
ca
n

t
g
ive Pat
t
y
a
lot
of time
to
t
hink about th
i
s. On
c
e
it sta
r
t
s
, i
t
’s
g
ot
t
o move on
the s
c
h
e
dule
w
e
set. Ti
no
, how do the
Chinese
w
a
nt us to deliver
h
e
r
a
nd wh
a
t
a
bout
g
e
t
t
i
n
g
B
e
n out of h
e
r
e
?


L
ea
v
e
it
to
t
he Chinese
to come
up with
t
he
most
f
u
c
king ridi
c
ulous plan.
I
g
u
e
ss
t
he str
a
ng
e
r it is, the h
a
r
d
e
r
t
h
e
y
th
i
nk i
t
’s
g
oi
n
g
to be
f
or
our
g
ov
e
rnm
e
nt
t
o in
t
e
r
fe
r
e
.
I
’m
suppo
s
e
d to a
r
r
a
n
ge
f
or
P
a
t
t
y
a
nd
me
t
o f
l
y
to An
c
h
o
rage,
Al
a
ska.
F
rom the
r
e
we
re
nt
a
priv
a
te pl
a
ne
with ski
l
a
nding
g
e
a
r.
I
h
a
v
e
a
pi
l
ot
I
ca
n u
s
e
.
F
l
y
h
e
r
t
o a
pla
c
e
ca
l
l
e
d Ott
e
r B
a
y
.
W
e

r
e
to f
l
y
in
l
ow o
f
f
ra
d
a
r
a
nd
o
ff
our
flight p
a
th. Th
e
y

ll
h
a
ve
a
r
e
s
ea
r
c
h
v
e
ssel n
e
a
r
b
y
.
I
t’s
mov
i
ng
in
t
o posit
i
on
a
s we
sp
e
a
k.
P
a
t
t
y
will
s
a
il
on i
t
. The
pi
l
ot and
I
r
e
turn to An
c
horage
a
nd
c
l
a
im
we
g
ot
l
ost.
P
a
t
t
y disapp
ea
rs
w
h
e
n she
bo
a
rds the
c
om
m
e
r
c
i
a
l airliner
h
e
r
e
in
S
a
n
F
r
a
n
c
isco.
One
g
ood th
i
ng
is
w
e don’t n
ee
d
a
n
y
p
a
ssport
s
,
j
ust
P
a
t
t
y
’s
d
riv
e
r

s l
ice
nse
w
h
e
n
g
e
t
t
i
n
g
on the
c
om
m
e
r
c
ial fl
i
g
ht.
I
’m
a
lr
ea
d
y
s
e
t
t
ing
e
v
e
r
y
th
i
n
g
up. Th
e
y
w
a
nt us
a
t
t
he
re
s
e
a
r
c
h v
e
s
s
e
l Nov
e
m
b
e
r 1
5th
. As
f
or
B
e
n
, h
e
’s to
f
l
y
to An
c
ho
ra
g
e
just
in c
a
se
we
h
a
v
e
tro
u
ble
w
i
t
h the girl.
H
e
’ll be
the
r
e
to de
a
l wi
t
h i
t
. A
f
ter
sh
e
’s on the
bo
a
t
t
h
e
y
’ll
g
e
t
B
e
n out on
t
h
e
ir
own.
Ac
tual
l
y
, i
t
’s a
pr
e
tt
y
n
e
a
t
l
i
t
t
l
e
p
ac
k
a
g
e
.

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