Games, Part Five

The two stepped outside, in front of the club. The air was cool, and sta immediately found her head clearing. she was both happy and sad about that. Although she enjoyed being a bit tipsy, she knew it was best if she were not overly intoxicated. Anthony must have noticed the change in her, too.

"Feeling better, beautiful?"

"Yes, thank you," sta replied.

"Would you like to go for a walk?"

sta thought about this suggestion. she liked the idea of going for a walk. The weather was perfect for an evening stroll, and the night sky was filled with stars. she couldn't remember ever seeing so many stars. she also was certain Anthony was the kind of man who could, and would, keep her safe while out, so that wasn't a concern. Nonetheless, she began feeling she should get control back of the evening, and particularly her behavior with this man. sta processed all of these thoughts and feelings in the amount of time it took her to bite her lower lip with a thoughtful look on her face (a very cute look, by the way) and told Anthony, "I think I'd rather stay here."

"Oh, come on, sta. It's just a little walk around the block. It'll help you clear your head. We won't even go out of sight of the club."

sta was not surprised by Anthony's persistence. In fact, she would have been disappointed if he hadn't pushed a little. However, this only furthered her resolve. "No, thank you," she stated in the firmest tone she could muster. "Remember, I'm still waiting for my dinner date," she reminded Anthony.

"Don't be silly," Anthony chided sta. "I hate to say it, but you've obviously been stood up. We've been waiting together more than two hours. Let's take one stroll around the block. Worst case scenario: Your date arrives while we're gone, and he gets to wait for you a little while."

Anthony's argument actually appealed to sta. Why shouldn't she make Frederick wait for her, wondering where she is and worrying for a few minutes until she gets back, the way He's made her wait for Him? The appeal of this argument quickly faded as she realized that she knew Frederick must have a good reason for being late. In fact, she started to wonder what could have happened and worried that something was really wrong. Anthony had said it been more than two hours. Was that right? sta had thought it had only been about half an hour and felt guilty for not being aware of how much time had passed -- having fun with this man while Frederick was God-knows-where. her hesitation in responding was a bit longer this time when sta finally told Anthony, "No. I need to go back inside now." Without waiting to see what Anthony would do or say, sta turned on her heel and started towards the door.

sta hadn't taken two steps when she felt a hand on her arm and heard Anthony's voice, "I'm sorry you've decided to make this difficult." His voice was calm, almost sad.

sta suddenly noticed that they had walked farther away from the front of the club than she had realized. There was noone in sight, as she stood there with this man's hand locked around her upper arm. Unfortunately, sta still wasn't sure what was going on. she didn't know what to do. Before she could figure it out, she felt Anthony's other hand reach up and cover her mouth and nose with a handkerchief. Without another thought, sta passed out in Anthony's arms.