And if there was anything that could keep him in St. Paul for a little while longer, it was the argument he had just heard between Mark and Kate. He could smell adventure in the air, and Martin had no greater love than adventure!

A faint animal whine and a furry brushing against his leg interrupted his thoughts, and he looked down to see Siegfried looking up at him. Hell, he had known Niven was more wanton than most of the women he had been with in his travels, but until she had demanded that he get her a German shepherd, he really hadn't known how wanton. She'd explained to him that one of the ladies that ran the house had kept a dog, and Niven had quickly discovered why. That lady's dog was the best little fucker Niven had ever known, though the young blonde girl really hadn't known all that many, and she demanded that Martin buy her one… just to keep her happy when Martin wasn't around, she had explained. Martin didn't give a shit. He'd seen worse things in his travels, and he never seemed to tire of watching Niven and Siegfried go at it. The thing she had for that dog was something Martin had only heard about in whispers, and he was glad to be seeing something like it first hand.

"Well, Siegfried, ol' boy," Martin said, patting the great dog between his ears. "You look a trifle hungry."

Siegfried and Martin got along rather well, and at the sound of Martin's soothing voice, the huge dog began to prance about. Sighing, remembering that it was really Niven's job to feed Siegfried, Martin nevertheless stood up to take care of him. But the dog didn't appear to be interested in food, and once Martin was out of his shallow, dream-like thoughts, he could see why. While he had been dwelling on his past, Niven had gotten out of bed.

She stood in the doorway of the kitchen, completely naked, her hair slightly tangled and falling over her pert little face.