She looked surprised. "Suit yourself, but there's no need to be a Pollyanna about it."

"I'm not being a Pollyanna," I said defensively. "I'm just not into it." The vision of Henry's story kept running through my head. "Why do you use it?"

"I like it," she said matter of fact. "To me, it's the same as asking why you smoke. Because you enjoy it right? Cigarettes will kill you the same as this," she said holding up the assembled needle. "So what's the difference?"

"I just remember what it was like in Turkey. I saw it destroy a lot of people."

"Weak people," she said, pointing at me. "You and I and the others like us are different. The same rules don't apply. You had better get used to that. Besides, it helps pass time, you'll see one day." She held her breath and inserted the needle between her toes, exhaling as she pushed in the plunger. "Oh yes, that's nice."

"I turned away and searched for something to take my mind off Henry's warning. "Who's that?" I asked, pointing to the stone bust on the bureau.

"My first love, lover," she said, running her hand over my short hair. I rolled my head gently against her hand, exposing my neck, which she kissed as we laid down on the bed. She climbed on top of me and pressed her mouth onto my neck, sucking slightly.

"Harder," I heard myself whispering. I couldn't hear Henry at all now. I unzipped the top of her body suit and ran my hands over the soft skin of her buttocks as she ran her tongue along my collarbone. I gripped her tightly in my hands and gently probed her wetness with a finger. She let out a long low groan that I felt more through her body than I heard from her lips. She rode up higher on me so I could reach deeper inside her. I visualized her erotic dancing as I tasted the salty skin of her breasts. I rolled her over and slipped the body suit down to her ankles in one motion. She pulled it off and slid her hand between her legs as she watched me undress. I knelt between her thighs. She grabbed me and guided me in as I lay on top of her. Time stopped again. She rose perfectly in anticipation of every thrust, never breaking her penetrating stare into my eyes. I had to look away first and buried my face against her neck as I surrendered to the onrushing ecstasy. I thrust in long strong motions like a lonely whale throwing himself over and over onto an empty beach.

I lay next to her running my fingers along her arm as I caught my breath. "What are the other ones like?"

"Like me."

"Do they use a lot of drugs too?"