"Do you know what you've done to me?" He thrust her violently against the monitor and trapped her with his body. "Do you know why I was up at the Midnight Sun last night? Why I'm up there every week? I'm looking for substitutes. I'm tying to find a replacement for you. I've tried all kinds. They don't work. Nothing works." Gabby caught her breath. "You know that's always been my problem. Even when we were living together, I--You said you'd take nothing from me when you walked out, but you took my last chance. You took the one thing a man can't lose. Why shouldn't I hate you? Do you understand? Do I have to spell impotence for you?" "No," Gabby whispered. "I'm fighting for my self-respect. You're the only woman who can give it to me. For God's sake, come back!" "But why me? Why only me?" "I wish to God they could tell me. Maybe they will some day, but I'm desperate now. I'm begging. The nights I've thought of cutting my throat.... You've got to come back. On your terms. On any terms. You can't lose. I've put the whip in your hand." "No, Roy. No." "Some of those bitches I tried are talking," Audibon went on savagely. "The word's getting around. You know you can't keep a secret on The Rock. You've got to come back. The talk's got to stop. It's the one thing no man can stand. You can lose an arm or a leg and they're sorry for you ... but when you lose that, they laugh." "Please, Roy...." Gabby tried to escape the trap. Audibon held her. "I'm being honest now, pet. No romantic pitch from me. I'm not asking for old-fashioned marriage and virtue and chastity. Understand? I said on your own terms. You'll be free. Completely ... so long as you're discreet." Audibon's face twisted. "I'll give everything. All I want is you in my house." "So I'm back to public relations again." "And you in my bed ... once in a while, to give me a fighting chance. Just once in a while. Take time out from whoever it is and give me a break. For God's sake, is that unreasonable?" "No. It's generous and horrible." Gabby stopped struggling and looked at him with disgust. "If you don't let me go, I'm going to scream." He flung her from him. She stumbled against the soda fountain and one of the stools toppled with a crash. "So help me God," Audibon said, "I'll ruin you. I'll tear you apart ... you and Lennox. I'll run you off The Rock. I'll run you out of the country. You'll lay for him in a two-bit flea-bag remembering this. Now get out!" He turned, stalked around the monitor and walked back onto the sets, the dazzling smile corroding his face. Gabby began to cry. She opened her purse, groping blindly in it for a handkerchief, scattering the contents of her purse over the soda fountain and the floor. "THIS IS YOUR UNIVERSE!" the voice roared suddenly. "AN INVITATION TO EVERYMAN TO ABANDON SELFISH THOUGHT AND JOIN THE GREAT GALAXY ... CONCEIVED AND PRODUCED BY LEROY W. AUDIBON!"