And he took... " Her voice shook for a moment and she waited it out, pulling at a long strand of hair. "He took that photo he made of me, the black-and-white one in period dress, that I really liked. And that was two days ago and he doesn't answer his goddamn phone.

She looked close to tears. "I don't know, Laura. I've tried everything. I've tried men in the company, men outside, and it's just no luck at all. I mean, -either they want to own you and be the center of the universe, or they. want to treat you like some bed-and-breakfast service and expose you to Christ knows what kind of disease. And it's been worse since I've been on the Committee. Rizome men are a lost cause now.

They tiptoe around me like I was a goddamn land mine."

She looked off-camera. "C'mon, kitty." A Persian cat jumped onto the bed. "Maybe it's me, Laura. Other women come to decent terms with men. You certainly did. Maybe I need outside help." She hesitated. "Someone put an anony- mous post on the trade division board. About a psychiatric drug. Marriage counselors are using it. Romance, they call it.

You ever hear of it? I think it's illegal or something." She stroked her cat absently.

She sighed. "Well, this is nothing new. Emily's sob story, year thirty-two. I think it's through between me and Arthur now. He's an artistic type. A photographer. Not in business at all. I thought it might work out. But I was wrong as usual."

She shrugged. "I should look at the bright side, right? He didn't ask me- for money and he didn't give me a retrovirus.

And he wasn't married. A real prince."

She leaned back against the mahogany headboard, looking tired and defenseless. "I shouldn't tell you this, Laura, so be sure to erase it first thing. This Grenada Bank deal-that meeting you're about to hold is part of it. Rizome's sponsor- ing a meeting on data banking and data piracy. That doesn't sound like anything new, but listen: it's with actual live pirates. Sleazy offshore types from the data havens. Re- member the fight we put through to get your Lodge equipped for major meetings?"