Larry magically procured a chair from a nearby table and squeezed in next to Callie. "Hi, Callie. I'm Larry. Can I buy you a drink?"

She giggled in the typical airhead way and said, "I really shouldn't, but maybe just one more. To keep you company, you know."

Tanya said, "Come on, let's sit down and we'll see if you can make me forgive you for not calling all this time."

He sat down, wanting to give Larry at least a couple of minutes to talk to Callie privately. He'd tell Tanya about Nik, he decided. She might not be pleased personally, but she was basically a nice person and would be happy for him.

She landed on his lap right then, and when his mouth flew open in surprise, her tongue ended up playing tag with his. Her whole upper body pressed against his, and those incredible nipples of hers were hard already. He'd always enjoyed her enthusiasm for s.e.x and the endless creativity she brought to it, and his body was quick to respond. He kissed her back and started to wrap his arms around her, wanting to make sure she stayed right where she belonged - as close as possible to him.

Except that wasn't where she belonged - that was Nik's spot now. Tanya was a s.e.xy woman, but that didn't matter. She didn't belong here on his lap - nor anywhere else near him. When she paused to take a breath, he'd tell her.

Except when she stopped kissing him, she started up with these rhythmic presses of her leg against a part of his body that didn't need any extra attention from her. He tried to change positions so she couldn't continue driving him crazy, but she knew just exactly what she was doing.

"So, Larry," she said casually. "Did Bill tell you where Callie and I work?"

"Yeah," he said, barely glancing at her. All his attention was needed for Callie, who was taking a lot of deep breaths and using every opportunity to display her well-filled sweater.

"Callie models part-time, too - lingerie, like we sell in the store." She twisted back around to say to Bill,"She thinks I should try it, too. Do you think I have the body for it?"

"Definitely," he said, knowing full well the question hadn't been a question. It had been a reminder of the many times he'd gone into the store and had her help him choose a s.e.xy item of lingerie. Later that night, she'd modeled the item for him in the privacy of his apartment. Those modeling sessions had usually lasted until the next morning.

He tuned into Larry's conversation with Callie for a second, only to tune out again right away. She was telling him how her sweater was made from some incredibly-soft wool or some garbage like that, and inviting him to touch it. Yeah, right, the guy was going to be noticing the d.a.m.n sweater!

Geez, he'd better get out of here while getting was still possible. "Well, I've got to get going," he said and gently pushed Tanya out of his lap. He stood up, telling Larry, "See you around," and saying, "Nice to see you, ladies" to Tanya and Callie.

Tanya grabbed his arm before he got five feet away from the table. He stopped, ready to be blunt if he had to be, but she shook her head and said urgently, "Look, just give me a ride home, okay? I rode over with Callie, and they're not going to want a third wheel around."

He sighed and took a long hard look at her. She'd dropped the man-eater act and seemed suddenly vulnerable. "Okay. A ride it is." He led the way across the parking lot quickly, not wanting her to get any ideas about his intentions.

She settled into the pa.s.senger seat with an "I love these leather seats!" and he had to smile at the memory of her excitement when she'd seen all the leather furniture in his apartment. If she ever got tired of the s.e.xy clothing business, she'd be dynamite at one of the stores that specialized in leather furniture. He got in his side of the car, intending to suggest it as a possibility, but the words died halfway to his mouth.

Her blouse was hanging open and the excuse for a bra she had on wasn't much of an excuse. Geez - no wonder he'd felt her nipples earlier!

He was feeling one of them now, too. She'd taken his hand and put it right where she knew he liked it to be, cupping one of those miracles and circling her nipple with his thumb. "Yeah, that's right," she said, her voice already husky.

He'd forgotten how creamy-soft and delectable her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were, how smooth and silken her skin. He'd loved to bury his face in her flesh - the minutes spent that way had been a kind of meditation, only a whole lot s.e.xier. His hand closed greedily around her, needing to possess it all right this second. She groaned and murmured, "Oh, yes!"

No! This wasn't right, and he didn't want any part of this - at least he didn't want to want any part of this.

He ripped his hand away from her body and fastened it around the steering wheel. "If you seriously want a ride, get dressed. Nothing's going to happen here."

"Oh, silly!" She slapped his hand lightly. "Of course we're not going to do it right here in the parking lot!

Your place'll do just fine."

"I'm living with my girlfriend, Tanya." He stared straight ahead, not sure how much more temptation he could take.

A little giggle. "That's all right. We'll go to my place, instead - and don't worry, I won't keep you out all night."

"I'll drop you at your place, but that's it. I'm not interested." He started the car and pulled out of the lot.She probably hadn't b.u.t.toned her blouse, but he didn't want to abandon her in a bar parking lot, half-dressed. The sooner he got her to her place, the sooner he'd be on the way home.

Her hand snaked through the dark and unerringly landed where he least wanted it. She said, "That doesn't feel like a lack of interest. Not one teeny tiny bit." She stroked him through his pants while he struggled not to react, but just about the time he knew he had to do something, her hand disappeared.

"I'm not going to force you, sweetie. If you really don't want to do it, I'll leave you alone."

"I really don't." He began to breathe again.

"Is her body better than mine?" Her voice was half-sultry, half-pouty.

He answered carefully. "Different, not better." She might not understand, but he'd explain anyway. "I never thought I could love someone the way I love her. My relationship with her is so totally different, so deep -"

She interrupted, her voice totally changed from a few seconds earlier. "I thought I was in love with somebody, too."

"It didn't last?" he asked.

"He left. A couple of weeks ago." She sounded sad and more than a little ashamed. "He cleaned out my bank account on the way."

His stomach churned. "Oh, Tanya. I'm so sorry. Look, do you need money? I could loan you some."

She said softly, "Thanks, but I'm okay. I sold my car - I can take the bus most places, and all it ever did was break down, anyway. I've been really depressed, and that's why Callie took me to the bar tonight, but I'm not ready to meet anybody new. You seemed like the answer to my prayers."

No wonder she'd seemed so desperate - and his old self would have loved every minute of it. "I'm sorry for getting your hopes up." He pulled into her apartment complex and found a visitor's s.p.a.ce. "I'll walk you to your door, if you like."

Nik stayed at the party for Carolyn a lot longer than she'd planned. It was a nice party, held in the house Scott and Carolyn would be sharing after tomorrow. Carolyn's matron of honor, Eileen, was supposedly the hostess, but she'd just gotten in from Florida yesterday, so someone else must have done most of the work.

They ate delicious finger foods and many of the guests drank champagne like it was water. Nik stuck to plain water, and only tried a few of the most-irresistible-looking treats. To Nik's relief, they didn't play any silly games, and their only organized activity was Carolyn opening her gifts.

Word of mouth had been pa.s.sed around work that this was a bedtime shower, meaning gifts were supposed to have something to do with bedtime. The phrase "the s.e.xier the better" was added lest anyone get the wrong idea and give Carolyn a nice pillow or a CD of relaxing music.

That made for some pretty explicit gifts, lots of embarra.s.sed and excited t.i.tters, and a non-stop blush on Carolyn's face. Nik's choice - a slip-like nightgown in turquoise - was quite mild, but she suspected Carolyn was more like to actually wear it than the French maid's costume someone else gave her.

Eileen's gift was a set of edible body paints in several different colors. Each color was a different fruitflavor, and when Carolyn admitted she was mystified by their purpose, Eileen gave a graphic explanation of exactly how to use them. Carolyn turned flame-red shortly after the explanation began and remained that way long after she finished.

Nik didn't get home until ten-thirty, and she went right to bed. She doubted that Bill would be home anywhere near this early, and hoped she could get an hour or so of sleep first. She'd been having a minor flare the last day or two and they hadn't made love.

After all the s.e.x talk tonight, she planned on changing that.

Bill had never been to Tanya's apartment before. It was close to his old one, but the complex was nowhere near as nice.

She wasn't much of a housekeeper, either. Every surface was full of old newspapers, used gla.s.ses, unopened-looking mail, and the like. He even thought he saw some dirty underwear over in the corner.

It was hard to see anything, though. The overhead light in the living room was burned out, and the light she turned on lit only one side of the couch. "I have to see if I can get that replaced," she said in a besieged voice.

"Do you have a bulb to replace that one?" he asked. He was tall enough to reach up and take down the globe.

"I guess - you mean, you'd do that for me?" Like it was an amazing feat that only a few select people could do, and only with great difficulty.

"Sure." She wandered off and he unfastened the globe, then took it to the tiny kitchen to wash it.

She brought back two bulbs and said, "The bedroom light's burned out, too. Would you mind doing both of them?"

"Not at all. Hold this for me while I do this first bulb." Once they got into the bedroom, though, he wondered how smart an idea it was to be in there with her. He reached up and took that globe down. It was full of dead flies and might never have been washed. "Here, go wash this while I change the bulb."

When she got back, he was ready to put the globe up, which he did with no wasted motions.

He tested both lights quickly and headed for the door. "It was nice to see -" The words he'd been about to say vanished - along with all the oxygen in the room.

Geez. There she was, six feet away, wearing just that lacy bra and panties that were - well, even lacier and skimpier than the bra. She smiled like she was about to devour him and took a step forward. Then another, and another, and suddenly, she wasn't even six inches away. "You weren't going to leave without kissing me, were you?" Her lips reached out to draw him in.

"We kissed before," he said, his attention riveted on her mouth. He had to get out of here - now.

She shook her head, her tongue peeking out between her lips. "That wasn't a real kiss. Come on, baby, you can do better than that."

She closed the remaining distance between them, and when their lips met this time, his brain started replaying a thousand scenes of them all at once. Her mouth was so sweet, yet at the same time so incredibly hot. And her body felt so good pressed into his like this. Somehow, they moved so that his back ended up against the front door. She plastered herself to his front, her hands laced through his hair like she thought he'd run away if she let him.

He remembered the many times she'd been the one with her back against the door or the wall - and the times they'd used the dining room table or the coffee table instead of a bed - and he was lost. She was just too hot for him to turn down.

He loved Nik, but she really couldn't expect him to be completely faithful, could she? It wasn't like anything he did with Tanya would harm their relationship - this was s.e.x, not-so- pure and not-so-simple.

What he and Nik had was so much more.

This was maybe even good for their relationship. When she was having a flare like earlier this week, they couldn't make love, and he could see how he might sometimes kind of resent that. But an hour or two with Tanya would wipe that resentment away, and he'd be better able to be patient and understanding with Nik.

Good thing he hadn't gotten around to taking the condom out of his wallet. He'd a.s.sumed he wouldn't need it ever again, but he'd carried one ever since he'd been a hopeful sixteen- year-old. Customs like that were hard to break.

His arms fit perfectly around her body. She was built just right for modeling lingerie, with lush b.r.e.a.s.t.s and ample other curves, yet with no excess flesh. And the look on her face was l.u.s.t-crazed enough to drive a man insane!

He unfastened her bra, but it was caught between them and she wouldn't move back even a single step so he could take it off and have his fill of those gorgeous b.r.e.a.s.t.s. When he began working her panties down her backside, she made a purring sound deep in her throat and - as impossible as it seemed - shifted even closer.

Well, he wasn't going to let her rush him. He might be half out of his mind with need, but this would be a whole lot better if they took some time with it. Doing it pressed up against a door might take the blunt edges off their frenzy, but time and finesse would turn it into a work of art.

He shifted his hands so they were under her b.u.t.t, then lifted her off her feet and took a tentative step forward. She was heavier than Nik - not a lot, but she was taller as well as curvier.

The movement caught her attention and she tilted her upper body slightly away from him. She smiled with catlike satisfaction and said, "See? I knew you wanted me!" Her bra straps slid down her arms, and she slithered out of them and tossed the bra away. She put both hands under one of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and raised it to his mouth. "Have a taste, baby."

Oh, geez! Creamy smooth - and her nipple was so perfect for his mouth! He wasn't going to make it to the bedroom if he didn't take things a little slower. And it would definitely be worth making it to the bedroom. With how hot they both were, it wouldn't be long before he was inside her, making her control finally shatter - No. Wait. That wasn't what it was like with Tanya. He was thinking about Nik. About how she wasn't blatantly s.e.xy like Tanya normally. About how she reacted with him, not how she reacted with a random guy off the street.

He suddenly saw Tanya in a whole different way, a way that made her not quite as irresistible as she'd been a minute ago. A random guy was all he was to Tanya - he wasn't Bill Adams, a man who'd come from a horrendous childhood and done some awful things, but who she still thought was worth loving.That's who he was to Nik. To Tanya, he was better than a night alone in this dump.

He set her feet firmly on the floor and reached for the door k.n.o.b behind him.

The l.u.s.t in her eyes was dulled by shock. "Baby?" She reached for him again. "Please?"

He suddenly saw something else in Tanya's eyes - loss, fear, and pain - and he questioned his resolve.

Why, when he'd gone this far, should he deny her what she so obviously needed? The act wouldn't have anything to do with love - it was simply satisfying a normal human need. A need he had, too.

But that was the point. Having s.e.x with Tanya couldn't possibly be construed as an altruistic gesture - it was selfish as h.e.l.l, and it would be cheating.

The chill of the night air welcomed him back to sanity.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE.

Nik cracked her eyes open in the nearly-black room. It seemed late. Wasn't Bill home yet?

Oh. There was the sound of the garage door opener. He was here now. She struggled to clear the sleep cobwebs from her brain.

She heard him come down the hall, and when he stepped into the room, she said, "Hi there."

He didn't speak for a second. "Oh, hi. I thought you'd be asleep."

"I was, earlier. How was the party?"

"Pretty good. How about yours?"

"Nice. Not as much fun as yours, obviously."

It sounded like he gulped. "Oh, it's been over for quite a while. I spent some time with Larry after - you don't know him, but he's a developer who worked at A-W for a couple of years." There was something strange about his voice, probably the effect of the drinks he'd had at the party. "Look, I'm going to take a quick shower before bed - I must have smoke and half a dozen other smells on me."

She heard his bathroom door close behind him and moments later, the sound of him throwing up.

Poor guy. It was no fun getting sick from too much to drink.

Bill lay in bed for hours, not sleeping a wink. What had possessed him tonight? Was he bound and determined to sabotage the best thing that had ever happened to him?

At least he'd come to his senses in time. But that thought wasn't as comforting as he would have liked because it meant that he'd lost his senses in the first place. Cheating wasn't something Nik could have forgiven, and in all honesty, he didn't think she was wrong.

They were in a long-term and hopefully permanent relationship. There was no room for other women in his life, and he didn't want there to be.

** Nik had a hard time not laughing the next morning when Bill asked if she wanted him to make her breakfast. He must be trying to prove he didn't have a hangover. Did he think she hadn't heard him throwing up last night? "No, thanks. I'll just grab a nutrition drink on the way out. You'll need your car later, won't you?"

"I guess. I promised to go down early and help set up for the wedding. Unless you want to come with me?"

She shook her head, even though his back was to her. "No, I'd better come back here and rest for a while." She was used to it, but still she hated always having to make allowances for her fibro. Why couldn't she be like any other twenty-nine-year-old and have infinite energy?

He patted his pockets and smoothed his hair one final time, then crossed the room to kiss her goodbye.