At twenty-two she was still a virgin, and when she had come across that peculiar ad in the morning paper, it had seemed like a miracle. Her beloved brother was in danger, and if her virginity was a negotiable asset, she would use it to help him. Of course, she had never thought of it as negotiable until the very second her eye fell on that ad. She blushed even now to think she was actually selling herself, putting a price on her body. But how else could she raise twenty thousand dollars? She had paced the floor for hours trying to think of something, but had finally faced up to the bitter truth – there was no other way. She couldn't ask her fiance, Fred Ward. He was only a clerk in an office, with no more access to large sums of money than she had. Besides, if he knew it was for Jimmy, he'd refuse point blank. He was jealous of their closeness and rapport. He wanted her all to himself, and didn't want to share her with anyone, least of all Jimmy. He had even implied on occasion that there was something abnormal in their relationship, that maybe Marcy's refusal to allow him certain intimacies was caused by her fixation on her brother. No, Fred would be of no help, and there just wasn't anyone else she could call on. She either had to call the number given in the ad or tell Jimmy she had failed when he needed her most. Then he would have to face the consequences of his own act, and take whatever punishment was meted out. No, no, she couldn't do that. It was unthinkable! The thought of Jimmy in jail caused her such anguish that anything else was preferable.

And so the choice had been made. Marcy had made the phone call and set up the appointment with Dr. Dirk Villiers.

"We have arrived, my dear." Dr. Villiers' voice broke into her unhappy thoughts, and Marcy blinked and looked around.

They had stopped before a large, rambling house set well back from the street on extensive, beautifully landscaped grounds. It looked more like a luxurious mansion than a research laboratory. Marcy was more confused than ever. She had expected a building made of concrete and steel, an efficient, medical kind of place.