Beautiful You (28 page)
Authors: Chuck Palahniuk
That accomplished, she scuttled back toward the cooking fire lest her tasty lizards scorch.
Intoxicated with satisfaction, weak from joy, again she referred to Max’s notebook of codes. Perfect as this moment was—the precious finger lodged deep inside her, the stewed skinks bubbling deliciously, the flames warming her nude, astonishingly beguiling body—even this scene could be improved upon.
With tired, trembling, happy fingers she punched a few more buttons on the controller.
What took place next was only a nanobot-induced hallucination, but Penny could see it, smell it, feel it.
A robust, strapping figure emerged from the snowstorm and stood brazenly unclothed in the cave’s mouth. His dancing blue eyes filled with lust. His impressive, freckled-pink manhood swung heavily between his legs. And a handsome Ron Howard swaggered boldly toward her.
The author would like to acknowledge the following visionaries for their unflagging faith and support of the arts. May the tantric gods visit you with frequent, pulse-pounding, sweat-soaked episodes of full release as you slumber.
Mallory Moss
Katie Dodd
William Klayer
Kasey Bossert
Ian W. Arsenault
Halle Kasper
Megan McCrary
Mandy Boles
Kyle Becker
Adam Stratton
Donald Hugo III
Chuck Crittenden
Peter Wollesen
Stephanie Jean Ray
Nicole Doro
Valeriya Kulchikhina
Meghan Sherar
Angelena Bigham
Zachary Glenn Harbaugh
Andrew G. Gahol
Peter Osborn
Christopher Seevers
Kerstynn Lane
Michael John Silvin
Mandy Marez
Joe Wilson
Wessly Ford
Stephanie Wiley
Patrick D. O’Connor
Henry S. Rosenthal
Brian Manning
Parker Cross
Margaret Dennison
Sharon Leong
Kevin Stevulak
Charlotte O’Neil Golden
Michael Anderson-McGee
Katie McCartney
Jacquelyn Nicole Tawney
Gary Eaton
Mike Parkinson
Dustin Schultz
Gina Chernoby
Michele McDaniel
Jake Richard
Ryan O’Neill
George Washington Anderson III
Aysha Martinez
Trev Pierce
John Hardenstine
Bettina Holbrook
Michael Bowhay
Mark V. Paulis
Kevin Sharp
Patricia Scott Petey Wells
Mike Hardin
Thomas Wayne Harvey
Andrew Greenblatt
Elizabeth C. Nichols
Brian Foster
Bryce Haynes
Tatianna Abastoflor
Ronald Green, Jr.
Alisha Ohl
Cody Maasen
Bryan Kraig Ward
Jessica Dugan
Matthew A. Eller
Meredith Alder
Tiffany Joy Atencio
Kyle Adamski
John Michel
Quentin R. Voglund
James Bendos
Gabriel Cesana
Jason W. Bohrer
Shane Gollihue
Scott Trulock
Aaron Blake Flynn
Brett Kerns
Juliet Walker
Kristina Valencia
James P. Giacopelli
Karen Zacconi
Sean K. Smith
Rita Su
Will Tupper
Michael Pedrosa
Russ Robertson
Tag
Samantha Jade Schnee
Rubyann Baybo
Yassaman Tarazkar
Shereen Lombardi
Ashley Blaike Ralph
Mike Dyson
Lorne Sherman
Patti Vanty-McKinley
Shaun Sharma
Christine Strileckis
Chuck Palahniuk
is the author of thirteen bestselling novels—
Doomed
,
Damned
,
Tell-All
,
Pygmy
,
Snuff
,
Rant
,
Haunted
,
Diary
,
Lullaby
,
Choke
,
Invisible Monsters
,
Survivor
, and
Fight Club
—which have sold more than five million copies in the United States. He is also the author of
Fugitives and Refugees
, published as part of the Crown Journey Series, and the nonfiction collection
Stranger Than Fiction
. He lives in the Pacific Northwest. Visit him on the Web at
chuckpalahniuk.net
.