date or fight again, or ... Or
what? What else was there to do, if you hadn't the luck to be a jobman
or a tech? You ate, and slept, and preened, and exercised, and found
what pleasure you could, and fought mostly because it was momentarily
stimulating, and, eventually, after a hundred and fifty years or so, you
died.

Unless you were a tech. If you were a tech, Government gave you stuff to
keep you alive longer. A jobman got a somewhat different deal--he got
nothing to keep him alive abnormally, because ninety percent of Earth's
population was waiting for his job anyway.

Allen skirted a huge fountain throwing colored, scintillant spray high
into the dark summer sky, stealing a glance backward over his shoulder.
That girl was still behind him. Following him? It wouldn't be anything
new, in his case--especially in his own sector--but maybe she just
happened to be going his way.

It would be easy to find out. He circled the fountain twice. With her
looks she should have been picked up before she'd left her compartment
building block--except that whoever got her might have to fight more
than once during the evening to hold her. Definitely a young man's
darling.

And, the way it began to look, definitely Allen's darling. On the second
trip around, she had backtracked to meet him face to face--her purpose
obvious.

He tried to dodge, but there was no way it could be done without insult.
Damn....

"Hi, brute. Nedda Marsh. Alone?" She ran soft hands along the hard
biceps under his short jacket sleeves. The motion threw open her
shriekingly bright orange cloak, displaying saucy breasts, creamy
abdomen and, beneath her brief jeweled skirt, long smooth thighs. And
the perfume assailed his nostrils with almost physical force.

"Hi, Nedda. Allen Kinderwood. Alone, natch." Natch, hell. But what could
any male do to combat Government perfume? He smiled, his pulse suddenly
quickening. "Date, darling?" She _was_ a beautiful thing.

Her large, sparkling eyes showed pleasure. "Take me, Al." She touched
vivid red lips lightly against his. And the formula was complete.
Private citizens Allen Kinderwood and Nedda Marsh were dated at least
until dawn--or a better man did them part.

He squeezed her arm where she'd snuggled it against his side, starting
with her away from the fountain. "How come the most gorgeous thing in
Kansas City wasn't dated earlier?"

She looked up at him, and the passion in her gaze made his heart skip
l