“Not whatever I say, honey. It’s your money.” She turned away so that she would not have to see the hurt look that kept jumping into his eyes. “You pay in advance, by the way.”

He put two tens and five ones on the bureau. She counted them and stuffed them into her purse.

“Now it’s your show,” she said.

Sam Griffin stepped closer to her and put his large hands on her face. “Wouldn’t you just like to talk a while?” he said. “I haven’t had anyone to talk to since I got to New York.”

“It doesn’t matter to me. But remember, you only got an hour.”

“Miss Vy, listen. I think I’m a pretty good judge of people. I deal with ’em all the time in my work. I can spot the hard ones and the dishonest ones and the sharp ones right off the bat; I can spot the good ones, too. When I seen you tonight, when I seen your eyes, I mean, I knew you were a good one. I got the idea that maybe you were a little bit like me—now, don’t laugh. I mean it. See, I sell things, too, and I work alone most of the time, like you, and I guess I’m pretty good at my job—but there’s something missing. I don’t notice it except when I’m all through for the day. But then I get to thinking about it, wondering what it is. Do you—know what I mean?”

Vy said “No” very distinctly. “But you tell me all about it, if you want to. I’ll listen. I got nothing to do.”

Sam paused a moment. Then he said, “What’s the matter? Don’t you like me to talk to you this way?”

“What gives you that idea?”

“You’re fighting me. Like customers do when they know they want to buy something from me but they’re afraid to part with the money. I’m only trying to be friendly. I thought we had something in common—”

“Well, we don’t. We don’t have anything in common. And forget trying to be friendly!”

“You don’t want me to talk nice to you?” Sam seemed to be honestly amazed.

“No! Please, I—”

Then he kissed her, and the sweet strength of him covered her and made her warm. She pulled away. “And don’t do that, either! Don’t do that!”

“Why? Don’t you like me?”

“That hasn’t got anything to do with it. You just don’t kiss prostitutes, it isn’t being done.”

“I don’t like that word, Miss Vy.”