He did not look up or answer. The woman said: "I thought you'd go for that record. I know you like your music sweet like your women. Huh, baby ?" She laughed and lifted his face between her ringed hands. "Honey, you looks beat," she said quietly. "C'mon, what you need is a drink."
I love reading about pathetic men who fall under the damsel in distress trope and their "friend," who is soft and kind to them when they are sick or hurt.
As she talked Selina watched the shifting pattern of sun and shade on her face. She wished suddenly that her eyes could pierce Beryl's skin and roam inside her. What would Beryl be like inside ? Like a small well-lighted room with the furniture neatly arranged around it.