ESCAPING PYGMALION

Roxy is the unwanted child of Isadora Reid, a beautiful, intelligent woman beset with manic depression. Isadora's neuroses lead to ever more risky behavior, exacerbated by drug addiction. Roxy clings to her mother's rare displays of affection to tide her over long periods of gruesome abuse and neglect.
Still a child, she falls into the orbit of Nick Dredd, a rising gang leader and drug dealer. He becomes her mentor, lovingly shaping her in his own image. However, Roxy has ideas of her own, a deep-seated desire to escape from the wretched world of her birth to one of peace and safety "where people use their brains, not their fists".
Opportunity comes in the form of James Hancock, a geeky slightly naïve banker. A wealthy man with all the outward signs of success, he still yearns for the romance that's missing in his life. Roxy enters his life like a bolt of lightning, showing him in an instant how cold and sterile his life has been. She knows exactly what she wants from him, but schemes rarely work as planned when human emotions are involved.