Turning the Page (6 page)

and the kitchen almost looked lived-In. Certainly more lived-in than the kitchen she was used

to.

The sun had set a while ago and Melanie was changing into her sweats when the phone rang.

She hesitated, not being one to answer the phone in somebody else's house. After four rings,

the answering machine picked up, Samantha's flirty, sexy voice breathily asking the caller to

leave a message at the beep.

"Mellie? You there? Pick up," came the same voice as was on the tape.

Melanie snatched up the receiver. "Sam? Where the hel are you?"

"Hi, Mel ie. How's it going?"

"Where are you?" she repeated. "Do you realize you've been gone for twenty-four hours?"

"We're in Toronto. We just kept driving, ya know? This is where we ended up last night, but

we're heading out again soon." The connection crackled, and Sam said something indiscernible

to somebody close by.

"Toronto? Sam, what the hell?" Melanie sighed her frustration. It was so like Sam to just go where the wind or a good-looking guy on a motorcycle took her. "When are you coming home?"

"Oh, not for a few days, at least. Rob wants to drive through Canada for a bit. Everything's so cheap up here, Mellie. Our dollar is worth almost two of theirs. Their money looks fake." She

giggled. It was obvious that she wasn't entirely sober.

"A few days?" Melanie had trouble keeping the hurt out of her voice. " Sammi, I came to spend time with you."

"Oh, I know, sweetie, and we'll do something fun when I get back. I promise. Just keep an eye

on things for me, okay? I'l call again soon. Bye, Mel ie."

"Bye." She said it even though Sam had already hung up. She hadn't even asked about the

bookstore. Damn her. She was always pulling this shit. She was thirty-five years old. When was

she ever going to grow up? And what the hel was Melanie supposed to do now? She sure as

hell wasn't going to sit around and twiddle her thumbs, waiting for her cousin's return. For

reasons she couldn't explain, she felt no desire to return to Chicago...at least not yet. Her

thoughts shifted quickly to the bookstore.

She could spend some more time there, she supposed. At least she knew how to get there now.

Her eyes dropped to the bundle Taylor had left for her, the three tapes secured with a

rubber band. She picked it up and noticed for the first time that there was a note attached.

She smiled as she slid it out from under the band and unfolded it, noting Taylor's very smooth

and beautiful handwriting.

Hi, Melanie

Are you ready for your enlightenment? As promised, here are some Xena tapes for you to

start with. I recommend you watch Sins of the Past first, because that gives you the history

behind Xena's background and how she first meets Gabriel e.

Then, I suggest Altared States and then Is There A Doctor In the House. There are three

other episodes, feel free to watch them or don't, but if you like these, let me know. There are

many others. I'l stop by tomorrow to see what you think.

Enjoy!

Taylor

Melanie smiled warmly, feeling an unfamiliar flush in her body. What was it about Taylor that

affected her in such a weird way? It was something she couldn't quite put a finger on.

Attraction, maybe? Melanie had never been with a woman sexually, although the thought had

crossed her mind once or twice during her life...usually when a boyfriend or potential

boyfriend was pissing her off.

She'd often thought being with a woman would be so much easier. A woman would understand

the shifting moods and hormonal swings that a man just couldn't seem to grasp. But she'd

never actively pursued that line. She'd just never thought to look for an opportunity.

Maybe the fact that she knew Taylor was gay was what was giving her these weird vibes. But

she was so not what Melanie pictured when she thought of a typical gay woman. When she

thought of the word lesbian, Melanie automatically pictured the stereotype, and she was

embarrassed to admit that to herself. To her, a typical lesbian was masculine, tough-looking,

with short hair, carried her wallet in her back pocket, drove a truck, swigged beer, shot pool,

and wore men's clothes. Taylor was so...not that. Just for giggles, she tried to conjure up a

picture of herself and Taylor in a sexual embrace, and was horrified to discover such a vision

presented itself much easier than she had expected, in a matter of mere seconds. She

swallowed hard, and shook the image from her head, literally, pushing the entire train of

thought from her mind.

She pulled the sofa bed out, retrieving Sam's thick, cozy comforter and pillows from the

bedroom. Hel , if she's not gonna use them, I wil . She made up the sofa bed, creating a sea of

pillows in which one could very well drown, retrieved a pint of Ben & Jerry's Pistachio Pistachio ice cream from the freezer, and popped Sins of the Past into the VCR. Then she hopped onto

the bed with the remote and a spoon, a small giggle forcing its way through her lips. She

couldn't remember the last time she'd spent an evening like this, and she snuggled down on

top of the covers, surprised that she was actually looking forward to it. She sighed

contentedly as she sat back and hit the play button.

THE GENTLY PROBING tongue was like velvet in her mouth and she sucked on it greedily. Her

eyes were closed tightly, and she sank into the kiss, holding fast to the naked body above

hers. She wrapped her legs tightly around the waist positioned just over her own, pulling it

down more solidly onto her, the weight causing her to groan with pleasure into the mouth

devouring hers. She'd never felt such sensation from a simple kiss...well, okay, a positively

soul-searing kiss...but a kiss just the same. She slid her hands up the muscled and surprisingly

smooth back to tangle in hair lots of it, soft and silky and smelling of citrus and sunshine.

Suddenly, the hips above her ground gently into her center. They felt different than

usual...why? She thrust up into them, pulling her mouth away and arching her head back,

allowing a sensual moan to escape from her throat. The questing mouth fastened itself to her

offered neck, its owner humming with delight, as the soft tongue circled her pulse point. She

thrust her hips up a second time, whispering her desire to her lover. "Please, Taylor. Please..."

Melanie sat up with a jolt, breathing heavily, sweat covering her body. There was a familiar,

pulsing ache between her legs, and she was immediately aware of the fact that the crotch of

her panties was stuck to her body.

"Oh my God," she whispered, running a shaking hand through her tousled auburn hair. She'd

had erotic dreams before, even a couple involving women, but never one that was so real. And

never one that her body had responded to with such vigor. "Holy shit."

She fell back against the pil ow, heaving a final sigh that brought her breathing back to

normal.

"Oh my God," she repeated. She wondered how the hell she was going to look Taylor in the eye tomorrow.

Chapter Seven

BEN WASN’T KIDDING when he said right across the street. Melanie could see Aladdin's

Natural Eatery from the window of Mason's Books. She'd been there for nearly three hours,

going through more papers, as well as scanning the shelves to see exactly what kind of

inventory with which Jeff had stocked the store. It was easy to tell who his personal

favorites were. There was a section of John Grisham novels that spanned almost three feet,

as well as the entire series of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone novels, from A is for Alibi all the

way to N is for Noose Melanie smiled at these, enjoying them herself, and waiting anxiously

for the next letter.

The remainder of the mystery section, however, was sorely lacking.

She sighed. Jeff had obviously tried to put a little bit of everything on the shelves, and by

doing so, had inadvertently limited his stock tremendously. Taylor was absolutely right. This

needed to be a specialty bookstore. But, specialize in what?

She pulled out a sheet of paper, and made a list. Lists were her friends, she'd been heard to

say; she used them every chance she got to help clear her mind, and organize her thoughts. In

what subjects could a bookstore specialize? She tried to think of every single little shop

she'd ever visited, and scratched words onto the pad.

Computers, pets, feminism, business, mysteries, classic literature, used, science fiction...

Eight choices, right off the bat. Not bad. She smiled to herself. Then, a sudden thought came

to her, and she made a second list, right next to the first. She looked thoughtfully at the

eight subjects, then transferred four of them to the second list: computers, business,

feminism, and mysteries. She leaned her chin in her hand, and studied the paper for several

minutes before the alarm on her watch beeped, signaling lunch. She grabbed her keys and

wallet and, locking the store behind her, crossed the street.

Aladdin's was a charming, albeit busy, little place with two levels and an outdoor seating area

on the roof. Melanie stopped inside the door, and faced a small flight of stairs that would take

her to the second floor. The restaurant was small and bustling, with patrons and wait staff

warring for space. The tables were small, mostly seating two or four, and draped in salmon-

colored tablecloths, which blended nicely with the earthy colors that accented the rest of the

restaurant.

Her blue eyes did a quick scan, and she saw Ben waving to her from the top of the stairs. She

smiled, trotting up the steps to meet him. "Hi," she said pleasantly. "Have you been waiting long?"

"Just got here." He smiled, and Melanie noticed again how much Taylor's eyes looked like his...

color, shape, and the way they sparkled when he smiled. He looked incredibly handsome in his

navy suit, complete with red power tie and a gold golf club tie clip.

He led her to a small table for two in the corner, holding her chair as she sat.

"This is a nifty little place," she commented, looking around. "And busy."

Ben chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound Melanie could feel in the pit of her stomach. "Yeah. It's

usually like this at lunch. It's in a good location for business people who work in the city. It's a hop, skip, and a jump away, and the service is pretty fast."

As if on cue, their waitress appeared to take their drink orders, and was gone just as quickly.

"Don’t let the subtitle of ‘natural eatery’ fool you," Ben added with a smile. "It's healthy stuff, but good...not all tofu and rice cakes. Lots of great salads and soups."

She grinned. "Salad will be good for me. I ate way too much junk food on the run in Chicago,

that's for sure."

"So, what brings you to Rochester? Are you on vacation?"

"Sort of, but not exactly. The company I worked for was purchased by a larger one, and

they're relocating to Seattle. I didn't want to go, so I took the severance package and

decided to take some time off." She left out the fact that it had been the most difficult

decision of her life.

"Seattle, huh? That's a long haul."

The waitress returned with their iced tea, asking if they were ready to order. Ben nodded

politely in Melanie's direction.

"I think I'd like the fruit and nut salad, please."

"I'll have the gazpacho and a side salad."

The waitress took their menus, and Ben looked sheepishly at Melanie. "Since Taylor's been

home, I've been indulging a bit too much." He patted his belly. "She's a very good cook. I usually try to be a good boy during lunch."

"Taylor can cook?" Melanie asked, somewhat amused by the fact, but not sure why.

"Amazingly well."

"She's been very sweet to me, helping me get to the bookshop, lending me her tapes."

Ben chuckled. "She trying to make a Xena convert out of you, too? Careful, she'll have you

doing back flips and battle cries in the middle of the yard." They were both laughing when

their lunches arrived. Ben looked at Melanie sincerely. "Taylor's a good girl.

She's been a godsend for me, since Anna died." His voice softened. "Moved right in and took over the household. Refused to let me be alone. Much as I may have acted like I resented it

then, it was just what I needed. I don't know what I would have done without her." He nodded,

then spoke as if to himself. "She's a good girl, my Taylor."

Melanie was touched. It was obvious from his quiet tone and lack of eye contact that Ben

didn't often talk this personally. "I like her a lot. I'll have to get her to cook for me."

Ben's face brightened. He was mildly embarrassed that he had strayed into such emotional

territory so soon, and he was relieved to have the subject shifted away from it. "You'l be

hooked, I warn you.

And before long, you'll have one of these." He patted his belly again.

"And I'll have to order salad and soup for lunch, right?"

"Every day."

"That must earn you some harassment from your co-workers."

"You have no idea."

They fell into an easy mode of conversation. Melanie felt quite comfortable with Ben,

considering she hardly knew him. Must run in the family, she thought. He was a broker at

Merrill Lynch, and had been for the past fifteen years. Stocks and bonds and CDs and mutual

funds were things that Melanie had a hard time grasping, but Ben didn't go into long and

boring detail. Instead, he asked about her marketing experiences, and over mouthfuls of