Charles rolled his eyes. His wife was always putting her nose where it didn't belong. "Marie, I think that's between her and Chris, honey."

"That's okay, Charles," Lynn replied. Then addressing the woman who had asked the question, she added, "Well, Marie, I would say the major thing is* Chris isn't a lesbian."

"Oh." Marie was confused. "You could've fooled me. I've seen the way she looks at you. I had even discussed it with Charles, haven't I, dear?"

Charles nodded. "You mean, Chris wasn't a lesbian when she met you? Lynn, you must have other talents besides giving good investment advice!" he joked, and then winked at Lynn.

Lynn blushed and put an end to the discussion. "Maybe this should be between the two of us."

"So you're not going to tell me how disappointed you are in me?" Matt asked, still in shock.

"The truth is, it did take some getting used to," Charles admitted. "But, over time, we've accepted it. So no, son, we're not disappointed in you because of your lifestyle. However, I am a little disappointed in you in regard to this little charade that's been going on. What did you think this would accomplish?"

"I'm sorry, Dad, Mom* I just thought that if you saw that I had a life here* that you wouldn't hold me to our little deal." Matt rolled his eyes and looked over at Lynn. "I'm not getting the loan extension."

"My offer is still open," Lynn suggested.

"A business loan, pure and simple. Monthly payments, late fees, the works?" Matt stated his conditions.

"Whatever you want," Lynn agreed.

"Well then, Dad, I guess you will be getting that payment in full," Matt said.

Charles nodded and smiled. "I know Lynn wouldn't make a bad investment decision." Then, looking at Lynn, he continued, "I guess that you played along with this little scheme because Matt asked you to. I'd be mad at you if you hadn't just saved me thousands of dollars. Let's just say that one cancels out the other, shall we?"

Lynn nervously smiled. She was glad that the charade was over but uneasy about the way the rest of the evening was going to play out.

In the parking lot, Chris took Lynn's arm and asked, "So, you are coming home tonight, right?"

Lynn, still feeling unsure, paused. "My stuff is still at the hotel."

"Well, if you don't mind, I'll ride with you to the hotel to pick it up. Then we can head on home," Chris suggested.

Lynn looked at Matt for help. She was suspicious. She was confused. She was tired of it all. Matt returned her glance and shrugged. He was no help at all.

"I hope you don't mind the BMW. I haven't had a chance to pick up the truck," Lynn said as she opened the door for her pa.s.senger. On her way around to the driver's side of the car, she pulled out her phone and made a call. She wanted to be prepared for anything.

Lynn pulled out onto the highway. "I've been staying in the city, so it will take a few minutes to get there."

Chris nodded and stared out her window. Now that they were alone, she was finding it hard to decide what to say. She was saved by the sound of Lynn's cell phone ringing. Lynn looked down at the number and sighed.

"I have to take this," she explained as she pressed the b.u.t.ton turning on the speaker box.

"This is Lynn Gregory," she said out loud. Chris was a little nervous to hear both sides of the conversation.

"Ms. Gregory, this is Carlos Tauton."

"Yes, Carlos, what can I do for you?"

"Ms. Gregory, have you been watching the market? My stock has fallen significantly!"

"Carlos," Lynn answered in a soft but affirmative voice, "don't you trust me?"

"Of course, but*"

"Carlos, I'll make you the same offer I always do. If you want to sell that stock, I'll send over a cashier's check Monday morning for the exact amount you originally paid for it. But don't come to me Tuesday crying when the stock goes through the roof, because I'll own it then."

There was silence on the other end of the line. Then, Carlos, making the decision to ride it out, replied, "No, no, you've made a lot of money for me, I guess I'll trust your instincts."

"That's what you pay me for, Carlos. I've never steered you wrong, have I?"

"No* sorry to have bothered you. Have a nice evening, Ms. Gregory."

Lynn reached down to turn the speaker off, then reached up and ran her fingers through her hair. "See what c.r.a.p I have to deal with?" she said, looking at the road ahead.

Chris looked over at her. "Then why do you deal with it?"

"Because that man alone brings in ten thousand dollars a month for me," Lynn replied, glancing over at her pa.s.senger.

"Ten thousand a month for the firm?" Chris asked innocently.

Lynn chuckled and shook her head. "No, ten thousand dollars for me."

Chris was shocked. "You make ten thousand dollars a month?"

Lynn sighed and admitted, "No, I make a lot more than that. You can't even comprehend how much money I bring in."

Chris sat back and stared at the road ahead. She was right. She had read the article. She saw the office. She saw the fabulous BMW that she was now riding in. But she never put it all together. In a way, the whole thing overwhelmed her. The rest of the drive was spent in silence.

Lynn drove up to the hotel and pulled into the valet strip. A young man came out from the building and immediately opened Chris's door. By the time Chris had been helped out of the car and her door shut, Lynn was by her side and had tossed the keys to the valet. Lynn ushered Chris through the enormous gla.s.s door. Chris stopped right inside the entrance. Her eyes scanned the lobby* gla.s.s pillars, marble tiled floor, and so many green plants, it could have been a jungle. She wouldn't be surprised if the decorative metal, used as chair railing around the walls, was real gold.

"Any messages, John?" Lynn asked at the counter.

The desk clerk handed her a few slips of paper and a package. "Oh, and Ms. Gregory, the taxi you requested is waiting outside."

"Thank you, John," Lynn commented while reviewing her messages, then looking up at Chris, she offered, "Here's your chance, Chris. There's a taxi outside just waiting for you."

Chris crossed her arms over her chest in defiance. "I'm not going anywhere."

Lynn turned back to the desk clerk and took five one-hundred-dollar bills out from her wallet. "John, please ask the driver to wait here all night." Then, handing him four of the bills, she continued, "Give him half now, and half in the morning, about nine, or sooner if this woman requests a ride home." Handing him the last bill, she softly said, "And this is for you."

The man took the cash and nodded. "Thankyou."

Lynn started walking away, then turned around. "By the way, how is Miguel?"

"He's doing okay. Can you believe another organization just paid five thousand more of the hospital bills?" he replied.

"That's great, John. Keep me informed, okay?" Lynn requested. John nodded and headed out to the awaiting taxi driver.

Lynn ushered Chris into the elevator. "Miguel is John's lover. He has cancer." After pausing, Lynn turned to Chris. "See, some people appreciate my money."

"Well, sometimes you don't waste it on stupid things," Chris snapped back sarcastically.

"I don't consider your tuition a stupid thing," Lynn said, slightly annoyed.

"I wasn't talking about my tuition. I was talking about that wad you just dropped for that taxi," Chris quipped back.

Lynn stepped off the elevator at the tenth floor and held the door for Chris. She led the way down the long hall to a pair of double doors that she proceeded to unlock and open. Then, motioning for Chris to come in, she dropped her keys on the table, walked over to the French doors, and pushed them open. A soft breeze entered the room and Chris walked over to enjoy the view. Timing back toward the room, she examined her surroundings. Plush white carpet, burgundy leather couch, hand painted pictures*the room was beautiful. She watched as Lynn put on her gla.s.ses and proceeded to open the package she had just received.

Lynn sat down on the couch examining the contents. Looking over her gla.s.ses, she asked coldly, "Are you having a panic attack yet?"

Chris looked at her as if she had missed something. "Do you even remember that I told you that I loved you?"

Lynn adjusted her gla.s.ses and continued looking at the papers in front of her. "I remember. I just don't know if I really believe you."

Chris was hurt. "What do you mean?"

Lynn, still not meeting Chris's eyes, stood, walked over to the open doors, and answered, "Well, I thought that maybe you'd have reconsidered your decision by now. We both know how you run scared when it comes to our relationship."

"Wow. You really can be a coldhearted b.i.t.c.h." Chris backed away. "Is this really you? Because this isn't the woman that I fell in love with." Then stopping, she strode over to Lynn, grabbed her chin, and forced Lynn to look into her eyes. "Where is that sweet, compa.s.sionate woman?"

Lynn stared at her with a cold expression. She would not give in, she would not give in, she would not give in. Snapping her head away, Lynn walked out onto the balcony and leaned on the ledge.

Chris stood there for a moment, then leaning against the door-jamb, asked, "Do you really want me to leave?"

Not receiving a response, she said calmly, "Well, I'm not running away! Not this time."

Chris turned and surveyed the room: there had to be a minibar in here somewhere, and she needed a drink badly. Finally, after looking through several cabinets, she came upon the bottles. She paused, knowing how expensive these things were in hotels. Oh well, if she's rich, she can afford it, she thought to herself.

Chris poured two gla.s.ses and strolled back out to the balcony. She set one drink on the ledge in front of Lynn, gulped down the other, and began. "You said we had a lot of talking to do, so I'll start," she said to the frozen figure.

"Lynn, all my life I've felt like I didn't really belong. I pa.s.sed it off to all of the traveling that my family did. I never had any serious boyfriends. Yes, I've slept with a lot of men. But I never felt that emotional attachment. I guess the truth was that I was just never that interested." Chris paused, again trying to calm the beat of her heart. "But that first night I met you, I felt a connection, a connection that I never felt with anyone before. And it felt good__ really good."

Chris drew a breath and continued, "And then that connection started turning into something else, something* s.e.xual. And that Sat.u.r.day night, when we were alone, looking into your eyes* I'd never felt anything like that before. That closeness, that heat, it just never existed in my life until you. And that scared me to death. So I pushed you away along with my feelings for you. But my feelings kept pulling me back in. You probably thought that I was a big tease, but I couldn't help it."

Chris stopped. Lynn was not responding at all. Feeling the tears forming in her eyes, she struggled to continue. "Lynn, I didn't really think you were trying to buy me, or that it was just a game for you, it was just another way for me to try and convince myself to pull away. And now, I believe that I've pushed so hard* that I've lost you." Tears were flowing freely now. Chris could not fight them back anymore. "Please, Lynn, please tell me everything is okay. Tell me that you still care for me, because I'm crazy about you."

Lynn felt her wall crumbling inside. It was just another ploy. I'll get close and she'll back away again. Don't fall for it, don't fall for it, don't fall for it.

"I can't do it, Chris!" she shouted. "I can't deal with this anymore!"

"Is this your bad temper showing? Because I don't like it," Chris stated.

"Yeah, well this is how I deal with things, so you'd better get used to it if we're going to have a relationship!"

"So, we're going to have a relationship?" Chris said with frustration.

"Yes! No! It just hurts too much!" Lynn shouted. Then trying to calm down, she explained, "Don't you understand? I want you so much it hurts. Chris, I can't take you pulling away again."

"I won't pull away, Lynn. Give me another chance, please!"

Don't look at her, don't look at her, don't look at her, Lynn repeated to herself. But she turned when Chris sniffled. Oh s.h.i.t. Lynn slowly moved toward Chris and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Cupping her face in her palms, she gently brought her lips to those before her. Lynn brushed her lips softly, then pulled back, giving Chris a chance to back out of the situation.

"I'm still here, Lynn." Chris placed her hand behind Lynn's neck. "I'm not going anywhere," she said as she pulled Lynn's lips to hers.

Lynn tried to remain calm, but when she felt Chris's tongue slip into her mouth and stroke hers, she lost all control. She slid her hands to the small of Chris's back and tightened their embrace. Lynn felt Chris's hands grasp her belt loops on the side of her jeans, pulling them closer still, then Chris's fingers as they slid up her back and into her hair. Lynn's hands crept down to clutch the woman's b.u.t.tocks. The movement reminded her of the night that they had danced* and to the reflection in the mirror that had caused Chris's withdrawal.

Chris had never felt like this before, a burning growing in several areas of her body that had only smoldered before. She had been turned on before, but this was an overwhelming need, a need that she believed she could not control. Lynn's body next to her was only making the burning spread. She wanted to be closer. She pulled Lynn tighter toward her. When their tongues met, it was like a spark on a match. Suddenly she felt her hands moving up and down Lynn's back and her fingers grasping Lynn's tight muscles.

Suddenly Lynn separated from the kiss, grabbed Chris's hand, and pulled her inside. Stopping in front of the large decorative mirror on the wall, she turned Chris to face their reflection. Lynn put her arms around Chris.

"This sight scared the h.e.l.l out of you before. What do you think now?"

Chris smiled and pulled Lynn's arms tight around her body. "I think we make an extremely cute couple."

Lynn's heart skipped a beat at the word "couple." She turned Chris back to face her and looked into her eyes. "Are you sure this is what you really want?"

Chris placed Lynn's palm against her cheek and closed her eyes, reveling in the sensation of Lynn's touch. Slowly she opened her eyes and met those watching so intensely.

"What I want is to feel your body next to mine, to feel your caress, your breath on my skin* Lynn, I want to make love with you."

Lynn could not resist. All gentility gone, Chris hungrily opened her mouth, taking in Lynn's tongue with urgency. Then Lynn's lips touched Chris's chin, her cheeks, her eyelids, and made their way down the soft skin on her neck. Chris shivered from the sensation.

Lynn slowly began unb.u.t.toning Chris's shirt as her lips followed each unb.u.t.toned cloth. Their lips met and tongues danced as Lynn tugged' at Chris's shirt until it was off and thrown to the side. As their eyes met, Lynn caressed Chris's skin from her neck all the way down to the line of her bra. She softly ran her fingers across the nipples that were now pushing against the material.

Chris gasped under her breath; a man's touch had never felt like this. She pulled Lynn's lips to hers urgently as Lynn reached behind Chris's back and fumbled with the fasteners. The fasteners released and Lynn gently pulled the straps, removed the garment, and brought her fingers down lightly over the soft mounds and ran her thumbs over the hard nipples. Lynn felt like she was in a slow-motion movie, like time had stopped and only they existed. She looked up into Chris's eyes, searching to see what her lover was feeling. What she saw was fire, pa.s.sion and longing. What she saw fueled her flames within.

Chris felt Lynn's smooth palms on her skin, she felt Lynn's eyes on hers, she felt her fire down below. She felt dizzy with pa.s.sion. Wanting to feel Lynn's bare skin against her own, she tugged at her shirt to lift it over her head. She felt their skin meet, and dared to reach out and run her fingertips over Lynn's exposed b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Feeling the heat rise between her legs, burning hotter and hotter, and wanting it soothed, she pulled Lynn's hand down to stroke the fire. Lynn kneaded the already wet material between Chris's thighs . and heard the moan escape from her lips. She could feel the need waiting there, she could feel her own need and tried desperately to remain in control of herself as she knew that this was not something to rush.

Leading Chris over to the bed, Lynn lowered her body onto the soft comforter. She unzipped Chris's slacks and pulling gently, twisted the pants and underwear from the body writhing beneath her. She reviewed the body before her, this body that she had fantasized about and found it to be even more beautiful than she had ever imagined.

Oh my G.o.d, what is she looking at? Chris thought, she's been with so many women, is she disappointed? She received her answer so fast that she wondered if she had said it out loud.

"You are so beautiful!" Lynn whispered as she brought her lips down to the exposed tummy and gendy kissed the bare area. Chris watched as Lynn's lips and tongue traced their way down to the burning fire. She gasped as Lynn's fingertips felt her wetness for the first time. Should she be embarra.s.sed that this moisture seemed to be flowing out of her? She couldn't ever remember being this wet before. Lynn didn't seem to think it was anything unusual as she felt the fingers gently stroking her burning flesh. Chris felt herself floating, rising higher and higher, the rush of excitement in her body getting hotter and hotter, almost unbearable.

Lynn caressed Chris's wet, hot folds of skin with her fingers, slowly at first, then gently circling faster and faster. Her lips and tongue moved from Chris's inner thighs up to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, tugging, sucking, teasing. Lynn felt the heat between her own legs rising. She tried to soothe it by rubbing gently against Chris's thigh. Just as Lynn was about to faint from pa.s.sion, Chris cried out, her body convulsing with pleasure. Sending Lynn over the edge, she came with the same intensity as her partner.

Chris felt her body moving uncontrollably, she felt her voice moaning with extreme pleasure. She felt like she had never felt before. And then even more as she felt Lynn's fingers enter her easing in and out, back and forth, up and down. She felt herself rising again. Truly her body had never reacted like this with a man She pulled Lynn down to her and grasped onto her back; for a moment they rocked together, Chris holding on tighter and tighter, until a rush of excitement flowed over her, and she came again.

Lynn rocked her fingers in and out of Chris. When Chris pulled her down on top of her, Lynn thought maybe that she was hurting her, but when she felt herself being held tighter and tighter, she knew that wasn't true. She felt Chris loosen her grasp, and then the wave of the rush as it enveloped Chris's entire body. Lynn gently removed her fingers and slid them over Chris's now tight folds of flesh, smoothly stroking again, bringing her to ecstasy once more.

Chris cried out again and again, rising to new heights each time. Finally, her body weak, she brought Lynn's lips to hers. Pulling away, Chris whispered, "I want to touch you." She moved her hand down to Lynn's moist jeans, rubbing where Lynn's heat was radiating through the cloth. Feeling to where the first b.u.t.ton was fastened, she tugged lightly, unfastening all the b.u.t.tons with one pull.

Lynn smiled. "I see that you're a pro with that."

"Men wear b.u.t.ton-fly jeans, too," Chris kidded and helped Lynn wriggle out of her jeans, and then her panties.

Chris flipped Lynn over onto her back, slid on top, and let her pa.s.sion take control. Remembering what Lynn had done, and also some of the details from the book tucked away in Lynn's bedside table, she brought Lynn to the same ecstasy that she herself had experienced.