"My turn," I said. She nodded.

I approached the wall and pushed against the stone. I felt it recede from my hand.

"I did it!"

She clapped with joy.

I proceeded to square up my side. My line wasn't as straight as hers, but when I was done she pulled me around, shoved me against the wall, and began kissing me thoroughly. She pulled away and we were both breathless. She never stopped humming.

She turned to the wall and opened the entire opening. She pulled me through, closed the door, and dragged me, laughing, to her tower. As soon as we were safely inside the tower, she gestured and my clothes disappeared.

"How about yours?" I said, reaching for her.

She shook her head and danced away. I pouted at her. She skipped back to me and pulled me into a kiss, then pushed me until I fell onto the bed. She climbed up after me, pinning me to the bed with her body. I didn't struggle. She clasped my hands and held them above my head.

She lowered her lips to mine, and I parted when her tongued slipped between my lips. She explored my mouth for a while. I began to squirm.

She pulled away and pointed at me, then held her hand to her chest.

"Yes, Petra. Yours."

She smiled and kissed me again. When she pulled away, she waited for me.

"Yours."

She took my nipple into her mouth and began teasing it.

"Yours. Yours. Yours."

She used her mouth, her hands, her magic. I kept crying out, "Yours."

I woke, still crying out, "Yours."

The next night she wouldn't touch me until I had made a proper doorway by myself. It was a little rough and took me a while before I could make it all at once. Each time I made a mistake, she closed the gap and made me start over, but eventually she nodded and pulled my to her tower.

She pushed me onto the bed, spent twenty minutes bringing me to the edge of orgasm, then held me there while I begged. She pushed me over the edge just moments before I woke up.

Friday morning on the way to work, I told Petra about my trips and asked if she would like to join me.

"Karen came last week. We had a nice time. I usually try to leave about eight and return by four, so it's an all day thing. I think Karen is coming this week, too, but the more, the merrier. Sometimes I go hiking, sometimes I pick a town I know is fun to visit."

"I would love to come," she said. "Do I need any special equipment?"

"Dress in layers and wear hiking shoes that are broken in," I replied.

"What if I don't have hiking shoes?"

"Buy some and wear them around the house. For tomorrow, wear shoes you can walk in and we'll go somewhere historic. Next week, back to the hills!"

"Will you help me buy some tonight on the way home?"

Friday night, Dream Petra made me close my door after I opened it. That lesson was easier than some of the others, but the way she taught me was cruel.

First, she lured me to the door way with kisses. We got there and she smiled at me and pointed to the door.

"I'm not dressed," I told her.

She smiled and pointed at the door.

"It's cold out there!" I complained. "You don't heat the stairway."

She walked up to me, made her hands glow, and then made my body grow limp. She caught me before I fell and lowered me to the floor, making sure I didn't clunk my head.

"Petra!" I said. "You know I hate this."

She ignored my complaints but arranged me the way she wanted me in front of the door. Then she opened it the door. Cold air immediately began wafting in. I had goose bumps instantly.

"It's cold, Petra."

She shrugged.

I looked at the doorway and tried to close it. Nothing.

Petra disappeared.

"Chicken!" I told her.

I was already cold enough that if I could have, I would have been shivering. I failed to close the door.

Petra reappeared carrying a book. She sat down next to me and opened the book.

"Seriously?" I asked her. "I'm lying here freezing and you're going to read a book?"

She turned a page.

I started bitching. And whining. And then more bitching. She disappeared. When she returned, she had wax earplugs with her and made a big show of putting them in. She smiled sweetly at me and went back to her book. Still humming.

I continued to bitch but focused on closing the door. In fits and starts, I managed to make the opening smaller and smaller. Finally it closed tightly and the cold air stopped blowing over me. I was still freezing.

Dream Petra looked up from her book and clapped. Then she reopened the door I had just closed.

"You bitch!" I told her.

That was a mistake. She narrowed her eyes at me. She'd heard me through the earplugs. Her hand glowed and she reached out and laid her glowing hand against my throat and mouth.

I tried to speak but couldn't.

I tried to tell her I was sorry but couldn't.

She went back to reading her book.

It took me a few minutes, but I managed to close the door. She didn't even look at me; she instantly reopened the door.

It took another half hour of her opening the door and me slowly closing it before I got halfway fast at it. She could still open it a lot faster than I could close it, but finally she nodded and let it stay closed. Then she narrowed her eyes at me before reaching out with a glowing hand and setting it over my mouth and throat again.

"I'm sorry," I told her immediately.

She smiled and released the rest of my muscles. I immediately began shivering. She pulled me into her arms and let me clasp her.

She kissed me very gently just once before I woke up.

The cats had stolen all the covers, and I was freezing. "Okay that's just mean, you two," I told them. "You could find yourselves sleeping in the bathroom if you keep this behavior up."

They blinked at me.

I ran to the bathroom and didn't step out of the shower until I was warm again.

Karen and Petra both arrived at my door at eight. I'd propped the door open, and Petra came in carrying Dervish.

"Oh hell," I said. "They're normally afraid to leave the apartment. Was Chelsea out there, too?"

"I just saw this one," Petra said.

"There a paw sticking out from under the sofa," Karen said, grinning.

I picked a quaint little town where I knew there were lots of little shops and several nice restaurants. Karen and Petra both said that sounded like fun. "I'm driving though," said Petra.

We spent the day shopping. I got a start on Christmas. I asked Petra for help on a present for Andrea.

"Presents for your boss should be exceedingly expensive and in the utmost taste," she said. Karen was in earshot range, and Petra grinned at me. "Jewelry is okay. Antiques are even better. At the very least, a silk shawl is lovely."

"You're getting a cup of coffee and a smile," Karen said. "And you'll say thank you and love it."

Petra laughed.

"Actually," I said. "There is a shop across the street that sells cashmere."

Over lunch, I got a text from Beth. "Last minute date tonight! Can I join you and Erika tomorrow?"

"Yes," I wrote back. "The movie is 'Ghost'."

"Sorry," I said. "Beth just cancelled on me for tonight, but she's joining us for the movie tomorrow."

"Then you're free for dinner tonight," Petra said. "Karen, how about you?"

"I have a date," she said.

"Do tell," Petra told her.

"It's a first date," she said. "I'm only going because my cousin begged me to. Everyone in my family has been trying to set me up. As if I need help." She paused. "They're all so conservative. They're afraid if I'm turning gay. Once, just once, I told my sister I was having these dreams, and ever since then, they've been throwing guys after me."

I looked at her sharply. "Dreams?"

"Yeah," she said. "Please don't ask. It's very embarrassing. It was a while ago, about when I first starting working for Petra. They lasted for a couple of weeks then stopped. It's been all boys, all-the-time ever since. I wish my family would just let me pick my own dates."

"You could say 'no'," Petra suggested.

"That's more trouble than it's worth," Karen said. She paused. "Some of the guys are pretty decent. Some have been slime balls." She smiled. "One got a little too grabby. I had him on the ground with one of the moves you taught us. I made him kiss my boots, then took his keys from his pocket and drove myself home, leaving him there. I told him his keys would be on the dashboard and he better collect his car before someone stole it. I also told him if he ever touched me again, I'd break his hands."

"You could have gotten in trouble for stealing the car," Petra said.

"It was back home, and my daddy is the police chief."

Petra and I laughed.

"I walked into the house and told Dad exactly what happened. I then told him I had handled it, and he was to leave it alone." She paused. "That was the last time any guys got grabby with me."

Petra turned to me. "So, Karen has a night of dating joy ahead of her. Will you join me for dinner?"

"I'd love to," I told her.

We finished lunch, did more shopping, and spent a lot of time teasing each other. Karen and I tried to pry embarrassing stories from Petra, but she was pretty good at heading us off.

"I bet Andrea knows some," I said.

"Andrea knows how to keep her mouth shut," Petra said, laughing.

We headed home. I dropped my packages off, changed into different clothes, then ran down to the florist for flowers. When I arrived at Petra's, the door was propped open for me. I stepped in and closed it.

She loved the flowers.

She let me help cook and wheedled embarrassing stories out of me. She'd gotten three before I realized she wasn't sharing any back.

"Hey!"

She laughed.

"Share," I ordered.

"Oh honey," she said. "I would, but I never in my life have done anything embarrassing."