“My heart is a compass, and it always leads me back to you.”

“She made the beast rear its ugly head. Stirred fantasies in my mind I would have never otherwise entertained. Owning her wasnt enough. Controlling her didnt douse the inferno blazing inside me.”

“Was it cruel if someone asked for it? Begged for it, even? She always begged. Even now, I could hear her whimpering for me. Christ, those noises she made. A one-way ticket to heaven.”

“She was the only antidote for the bleakness that lived inside of me. My goddess. My deity. I wasnt a believer in any religion, but Id make an exception in this case. Id get down on my knees and wor...”

“Even when she was on her knees- filled with my darkness- she was still shining bright. My Sirens song, my exposed nerve. She lured me in and made me feel. And then she left me to perish.”

“I didnt know what to say. What to do. I didnt feel strong anymore. I felt like I couldnt go on without him. He loved me fiercely. Obsessively. Rivalled only by the intensity which I felt for him. S...”

“It's not that you should never love something so much that it can control you.It's that you need to love something that much so you can never be controlled.It's not a weakness.It's your best strength.”

“No matter how much you love someone, you still want to have you own way.”

“The practice of love offers no place of safety. We risk loss, hurt, pain. We risk being acted upon by forces outside our control.”

“But because of you, I learned to love and not fear. Because of you, I can be loved and not be tormented. Because of you, I feel like a woman and not a victim.”

“Scusi mia bella*, but it runs in the blood of all Italians to be skillful lovers. So you have to get used to this.”

“You can't push me away, mio cuore. You can't!”

“A gentleman holds my hand.A man pulls my hair.A soulmate will do both.”

“You want to be free. You also want to be mine. You can't be both.”

“Refusing dominance over others by using money is a clear sign of wisdom.”