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deliciously fresh food, they traded corporate war stories, laughing over the glaring similarities

that existed from big business to big business.

Regrettably, Ben noticed the restaurant had begun to clear out, and he spared a glance at his

watch.

"Time to go back to work?"

"I'm afraid so. Melanie, thank you so much for joining me. I've had a wonderful time." He

quickly snatched up the bill, ignoring the redhead's protests.

"Thank you for inviting me. It was very sweet of you, considering my cousin seems to have left

me to my own devices."

He shook his head with a chuckle. "That Samantha. She's something else, huh?"

"That's one way of putting it." Melanie was still a bit stung over her cousin's sudden

departure.

"To be that free, that immune to responsibility..." Ben sighed wistfully. "Ah, well. Some of us have to be practical. Shall we?"

Melanie stood, and they walked to the door. "Thank you again, Ben."

"It was my pleasure." He squeezed her upper arm gently, then inclined his head toward the

bookstore. "Don't stay cooped up in there too long. It's a beautiful day, and you're on

vacation." With a wink, he turned and headed for the parking lot behind Aladdin's.

She grinned, and carefully crossed Monroe Avenue through the apparently endless traffic.

When she got to her side of the street she stood, and regarded the storefront with distaste.

"What a god-awful color," she mumbled to herself. "Why would anybody be drawn to this place?" She stared for several more minutes, before making a decision to find the nearest

paint store as soon as possible. How could Sam get mad at her if she made the store look

better? Certainly, once she saw it, she would forgive her cousin for overstepping her bounds,

right?

THE SUN WAS just disappearing over the horizon when Melanie heard the soft tap at the

door. She put down the one of hundreds of paint swatches strewn over the little breakfast

table, rubbing at her eyes as she got up. Something in her stomach fluttered when she opened

the door and saw Taylor's smiling face.

"Hey, you," the brunette said playfully, almost seductively. Seductively? Where the hel did that come from? "Hey, yourself.

Come on in." She stood aside, allowing the taller woman to enter, noting with approval that she definitely preferred Taylor's hair down, as it was now, falling in big, dark, fluffy waves around

her shoulders. Her dream from the previous night came unbidden into her mind, and she

swallowed hard.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Absolutely not. I was just looking at some colors." She gestured to the swatches.

"What are you painting?"

"I can’t stand the brown any longer. If Sam wants to kil me, she can. Serves her right,

anyway, for leaving me. How long does she think I can sit around and do nothing?"

Taylor plopped down on the couch as Melanie retrieved some Pepsi from the fridge. "Have you

heard from her?"

"Oh, didn’t I tel you?" Melanie called from the kitchen. "She and Rob are biking across Canada."

"What?"

"Yup." She handed a glass to Taylor. "Who knows when the hell she’ll be back."

Taylor hated to see the disappointment in the older woman’s eyes. Although the move didn’t

surprise her, she was angry at Samantha for hurting her cousin. "Well, that was a lousy thing

to do." A sudden thought struck her, causing her to nearly choke on her Pepsi. "You’re not leaving, are you?"

A corner of Melanie’s mouth quirked up at the barely veiled panic in Taylor's voice, and a

warmth she couldn't explain filled her.

"No. I don't think so. Not right away."

Taylor's sigh of relief was audible, and she blushed. "Good. I haven't gotten to show you

around my city yet."

"I'd like that."

There was a long, comfortable silence.

"Hey," Taylor said suddenly. "Did you get a chance to watch the tapes?"

It was Melanie's turn to blush.

"You didn't?" Taylor guessed.

"Actually, I did. All six episodes. I stayed up way too late." She studied her glass, waiting for the inevitable.

"Ha! I knew it. You liked them, didn't you?"

Melanie blew out a breath in defeat, and grinned. "Okay, you win. I liked them...a lot." She'd actually been thinking about the show quite a bit throughout the day, surprised by how it had

affected her. She startled herself by sitting down on the couch right next to Taylor, their

legs touching. "Let me ask you something."

"Fire away," Taylor said, trying not to notice the heat her own body was generating from

having Melanie so close. She watched the blue eyes search the ceiling for what she wanted to

say.

"Are Xena and Gabriel e... um... together?" She wasn't quite sure how to word it. Oh, for

Christ's sake, just say it, her head screamed at her. What the hel 's the big deal? "I mean,

like... more than friends?"

A huge grin split across Taylor's face, and she nodded appreciatively. "I'm impressed. Not a

lot of straight people pick that up right away. Good catch."

"You mean, they are?" She was actually surprised by this.

"Wel , it depends on who you ask." Taylor launched into an entire Xena education, explaining to Melanie the whole concept of the "subtext" that portrayed Xena the warrior princess and her sidekick, Gabrielle, as lovers, how it came about accidentally. The creators of the show

decided to have a little fun with it, never solidly admitting to it, of course, lest the censors

get wind, and before long, Xena had become a lesbian icon.

Melanie was not only impressed by Taylor's knowledge and charmed by her obvious passion for

the show, but she realized that the relationship between the two characters was exactly what

she had liked so much. Sure, the action was fun, and it was great to finally see a female lead

character on television who didn't take any shit from anybody and could kick their ass if they

didn't like it, but it was definitely the chemistry between Xena and Gabrielle that had roped

her in from the very first episode.

"I wish there had been something like Xena on when I was fourteen or so, you know?" Taylor said. "I think it would've made the confusion about my sexuality a lot easier to deal with if

there had been something to relate to."

"Yeah, I see what you mean." It was unnerving how aware she was of Taylor's bare thigh

resting against her own. It was more unnerving to realize Melanie herself had no intention of

moving away. "There were a few, though. Wonder Woman. The Bionic Woman."

Taylor chuckled. "I watched them both faithfully. Looking back, I wish they hadn't made

Wonder Woman quite so femmy, you know? She threw like a girl and ran like a girl."

"You wished she was more butch?" Melanie nudged her with an elbow.

Taylor laughed. "Yeah. Exactly. Now, Lindsay Wagner. Boy, did I have a crush on her."

"I watched that one. Every week. Jaime Sommers was cool."

"Oh yeah."

They sipped their sodas, enjoying the closeness of the other, but unwilling to say so out loud.

Taylor broke the silence.

"Do you miss Chicago? Your job and your friends and stuff?"

Melanie thought about it for a moment. It would be easy to say yes. That was the answer that

was probably expected anyway.

But, there was something inside, deep inside, something completely unfamiliar that wouldn't

allow her to lie to Taylor. "I guess a little.

The hustle and bustle of the big city has always fascinated me." She hurriedly put her hand on

Taylor's arm. "Not that Rochester isn't a big city..."

"Understood." Taylor nodded, trying desperately not to look at the hand burning her skin.

"But, I'm very surprised to say, I don't really miss my job." She sat there in awe, shocked by the admission. She looked at Taylor in disbelief. "I mean, I miss it a little. I don't miss the politics or corporate bullshit, that's for sure. But, I didn't like the person I was becoming

there: an executive shark. Like I told you the other day, nothing mattered but the company."

She was quiet for a moment before looking up to meet the soft, warm, brown eyes that were

silently regarding her. "You asked if I miss my friends. Honestly, the only friend I had was

Angela, my secretary. I didn't have time for anybody else." She grimaced sadly. "Pretty sad, huh?"

"At least you realized it before it was too late. Like I said before, it took a lot of guts to do what you did. I admire you. I do have to say that I can't see somebody like you with no

friends, though. That is sad."

Melanie blushed at the compliment. "Thanks."

"I've worried about the same thing where I am. Sales is tough, and people can be so damned

phony."

"You can say that again."

"I don't hang out much with anybody from work because it's hard to tell who's really my

friend, and who's pretending to be because they want something from me."

Melanie nodded in agreement, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, feeling Taylor's eyes on

her as she did so. "I got used to not trusting anybody but Angela. I came to the understanding

that almost anybody who was nice to me was just gunning for my job."

"The business world has become a frightening place." Sitting so close to Melanie was making it hard to breathe, but Taylor couldn't bring herself to move away. Their thighs were still

pressed together, neither of them choosing to break the contact, a fact Taylor digested with

delight, and filed away. "So, you want to see more of Rochester, then?"

Melanie shook her head in confusion. "Whoa, hang on. I think the subject just shifted

drastically."

Taylor laughed. "Sorry. Corporate shit bums me out after a while."

"Me, too. I'd love to see more of your city."

"You busy tomorrow for dinner? We could drive around a little and go out. Or we could come

back here. I’m a great cook."

"So I hear. Your dad says you’ve fattened him up." "Does he?"

"Yup. I had lunch with him today, and he had to order a salad."

"Really."

Melanie wasn't sure what that particular tone meant, nor how to respond to it. She swallowed,

and decided on avoidance. "I just happen to be free. When should I expect the sight-seeing

taxi to arrive?"

Taylor was glad to have the invitation accepted. She wanted nothing more than to spend time

with Melanie. "How 'bout five-thirty? I'll come get you, and we'll play it by ear."

They stood up together, both reluctant to end the physical contact neither one of them had

acknowledged. Melanie handed the Xena tapes over to the taller woman. "And you'll have to

show me more of these. Soon."

Taylor took them, their hands brushing, and Melanie held on longer than she needed to.

"You've got yourself a deal. I'l see you tomorrow night, then?"

"Yes, you will."

MELANIE STOOD UNDER the pounding spray of the shower. The water was much colder than

she liked it, but she felt so hot and flushed after Taylor left, this was the only way she could

think of to get her body temperature back to normal. She stood in the tub with her hands on

the wall and her face directly in the spray, analyzing her two "dates" today, and trying to figure out why they felt so different.

Ben was a great guy. He was handsome. He was very handsome. He was successful, polite and

considerate. He certainly must have been interested in Melanie; he had asked her to lunch

even though she was a virtual stranger. That made him bold. It took guts to ask somebody out

you've only just met. The risk of rejection is huge. Guts were good. She silently gave him a

point. He was a business executive, so they'd had plenty in common to talk about. That was

another point. It was a very pleasant lunch, and she would do it again, given the opportunity.

Taylor. Where to start with Taylor. Melanie bent her head down, letting the icy spray pound

against the back of her neck. When Taylor was near her she felt...nervous. And jumpy. And she

got butterflies in her stomach. Taylor was attractive. She was very, very attractive. She was

successful, polite and considerate. She was attentive, Melanie realized. She always felt like

she had one hundred and ten percent of Taylor's attention. She liked that. She gave Taylor a

point for it. She remembered how they had sat on the couch, their thighs touching innocently.

Innocently? Ha! Hardly. Melanie had sat in that spot on purpose, just to see what Taylor would

do. She could admit that now, though at the time, she had shocked herself. When Taylor had

spoken, all Melanie could do was watch her mouth. Her mouth and her hands. Taylor had great

hands, she realized now. They looked strong, yet feminine at the same time. Her nails were

devoid of any polish, but were filed neatly to a length not long or short. And her lips...

"Oh my God," she said out loud. "What is going on with me?" Was it possible for a woman to be a lesbian, and have absolutely no inkling until she's thirty-three? No. That was silly. If she

were gay, she would have gotten a clue before now. Wouldn't she?

She forced her mind back to Ben. She concentrated on any and all of the things she had felt

as she sat across the table from him this afternoon. She tried to picture his hands. She shut

her eyes tightly. No good. Nothing. How about his voice? He had a very deep, commanding

voice. She'd felt it in the pit of her stomach, but not in her groin like she did Taylor's.

What? Good lord, where did that come from?

Melanie cranked the water off and stood dripping, banging her head against the wall of the