This next short story advances the relationship between Emp and Thugboy at blinding speed, to the point that we’re skipping right over their first few sexual encounters. In retrospect, I do rather wish that I’d spent more time—or, really, any time at all—fleshing out their first few meetings, rather than jumping ahead to their established romantic routine. On the other hand, this breakneck pacing does lend the first Empowered volume’s stories an interesting energy… In any event, someday I might well go flashing back and tell the tale of Emp and Thugboy’s second and third encounters. Huzzah!