, her spiked heels clicking along the marble floors of the
lobby like typewriter keys. She wore a tailored gray suit that clung to
her body with all the perfection and sexlessness of a window mannikin.
In the elevator, shooting towards the executive offices on the 57th
floor, Tom looked over at her and scratched his poorly-shaven cheeks in
wonderment.

They plowed right through the frosty receptionist barrier, and entered
an office only half the size of Penn Station. The man behind the
U-shaped desk couldn't have been better suited to the surroundings by
Central Casting. He was cleft-jawed, tanned, exquisitely tailored. If
his polished brown toupee had been better fitted, he would have been
positively handsome.

The handshake was firm.

"Good to see you," he grinned. "Heard a lot about you, Mr. Blacker. All
of it good."

"Well," Livia said airily. "I've done my part. Now you two come to
terms. Buzz me if you need me, J. A."

John Andrusco unwrapped a cigar when she left, and said: "Well, now.
Suppose we get right down to cases, Mr. Blacker. Our organization is
badly in need of a public relations set-up that can pull out all the
stops. We have money and we have influence. Now all we need is guidance.
If you can supply that, there's a vacant chair at the end of the hall
that can accommodate your backside." He grinned manfully.

"Well," Tom said delicately. "My big problem is this, Mr. Andrusco. I
don't know what the hell business you're in."

The executive laughed heartily. "Then let me fill you in."

He stepped over to a cork-lined wall, pressed a concealed button, and
panels parted. An organizational chart, with designations that were
meaningless to Tom, appeared behind it.

"Speaking basically," Andrusco said, "Homelovers, Incorporated
represents the interests of the world's leading real estate concerns.
Land, you know, is still the number one commodity of Earth, the one
priceless possession that rarely deteriorates in value. In fact, with
the increase in the Earth's population, the one commodity that never
seems to be in excess supply."

"I see," Tom said, not wholly in truth.

"The stability of real estate is our prime concern. By unification of
our efforts, we have maintained these values over a good many years. But
as you know, a good business organization never rests on its laurels.
Sometimes, even basic human needs undergo unusual--alterations."

"I'm not following too well," Tom said frankly. "Jus