She had just hung up the phone when it rang again. ?What the hell is this, Grand Fucking Central Station?!?? She picked up the handset. ?Yeah!??

There was a moment of silence before a hesitant voice came on the line. ?Is this Dylan??

Dylan rolled her eyes to heaven. ?Yeah, Hunter, it?s me. What?s up??

?Are?you okay??

Great. Trade one shithead for another. This really isn?t my day. ?I?m just fine, Hunter. What can I do for you today?? I know what I?d like to do, but I think it?s still illegal in most states.

?Well, I was getting worried because you weren?t returning my phone calls.?

?Well, Hunter, that?s probably because I was busy. You know, with the draft and all??

Comprehension dawned. ?Ohhh. Yeah, I remember something about that.?

Dylan rubbed at the bridge of her nose, begging for strength. ?Is there anything else, Hunter, because I?m just about to step into the shower and?.?

?Well yes, yes! There is something. My second movie is premiering on Friday at Mann?s and I was wondering if you could attend it with me??

It was on the tip of Dylan?s tongue to refuse. Her leg was shooting bolts of pain up into her belly, her head ached like an anvil had been dropped on it, and she really wanted to just find someplace cool and dark and curl up in a ball until it all passed. The thought of spending even one minute with the man on the other end of the phone made her guts churn.

Then a thought struck her. A thought which caused a truly evil grin to spread over her face. ?Is your family going to be there??

?Yes.? The word was drawn out. ?But you don?t have to worry, they?ll be sitting behind us.?

Oh I?m not worried, Mr. Stud Wannabe. Try touching me in the dark and you?ll be minus a few fingers. ?Hm. Well, I don?t think I?m doing anything on Friday, so I suppose I could make it.?

?Great! Great! Wonderful! I?ll have the Lear sent down to pick?.?

?No, no. That won?t be necessary. I?ll just book a flight.?

?But Dylan?.?

?I said I?d take care of it, Hunter. Will that be all??

?Well?I guess so.?

?Good. I?ll see you Friday, then. Goodbye.?

She hung up the phone with a sense of dawning relief. ?Well, girl, looks like I just killed a couple of birds with one stone.?

Brunhilde cocked her head, and Dylan laughed, suddenly feeling much better than she had not a minute before.

Camera flashes turned night into day as Dylan stepped out of the limousine, grasping the chauffeur?s guiding hand and straightening to her full height. Hunter stepped out behind her, laying a gentle, if proprietary, hand on the small of her back. His thousand megawatt smile outshone all the lights as he looked upon the teeming, fawning crowd.

Of course, he had every reason to smile. His new movie was a hit before it had even been released, and he had on his arm one of the most beautiful women in the world.

Dylan was stunning in her black, silk dress. Cut to mid thigh, it had spaghetti straps and a neckline deep enough to tantalize. Her hair flowed freely over her shoulders and back, and small diamond studs winked brilliantly in her ears.

The two began to walk the gauntlet of paparazzi, smiling and nodding with practiced ease while avoiding the outstretched arms of a crowd straining the barriers on either side of the carpeted walkway.

The theater, by contrast, was quiet and dim. Two uniformed guards escorted the pair down the carpeted aisle and into plush seats near the front where they would have an unobstructed view of the movie. They remained, positioning themselves at either end of the row of seats, in order to keep the crowds away.

Dylan was, as always, less than thrilled with this. While she valued her privacy, and understood the need for security measures in some public venues, she hated the obvious lines drawn between what the public perceived as the ?haves? and the ?have nots?.

Still, she reminded herself of the reasons for being in this place, and resolved to grin and bear it as best she could.

She surprised herself by actually enjoying the movie. It was a light romantic comedy that was a vast departure from Hunter?s usual ?he-man? roles, and he was quite good in it. Ever gracious, she told him as much, and by the smile on his face, one would have wondered if she had just accepted a proposal of marriage.

The two ran the gauntlet again on their way back to the limousine for a quick trip to the post-premier party being held at a popular, and trendy, nightclub nearby.

Once they were inside the already packed club, Hunter?s agent swept him away to meet with the fawning critics, leaving Dylan blessedly alone at last. The throbbing bass made her eardrums vibrate as she made her way to the bar to order a mineral water from a starry-eyed bartender.

Turning her back to the bar, she sipped the water as she eyed the crowd. Her height, easily topping all but the very tallest men, gave her a decided advantage, and her eyes lit up with a predatory gleam as she spotted exactly who she was looking for shaking it up on the dance floor.

Easing her way through the crowd with sinuous grace, she approached the dance floor and laid a hand on the shoulder of her prey, causing the tousle-headed brunette to jump and spin and almost land in Dylan?s arms.

The young woman?s eyes widened. ?My shrink was wrong,? she breathed. ?There really are Goddesses still roaming the earth.?

Dylan rolled her eyes, grinning. ?Evening, Haley.?

A slow smile lit up Haley?s face. ?Dylan Lambert. God, it?s good to see you!?

The two women hugged, then pulled slowly away. ?Jesus, Dylan?you look fantastic!?

?You?re not looking so bad yourself, my friend.?

?Maybe not, but?wow! What are you doing here? I mean?this isn?t exactly your type of hangout, you know? And this getup!?

Dylan laughed softly. ?I see you and your brother still aren?t talking.?

?Hunter? What does he?.? Her dark eyes widened again. ?You?! You?re his date for the premier?!? Damn! If I would have known that, I?d have gone to the damn thing!?

?Yeah.? Dylan looked around. ?Can we go someplace a little quieter??

Haley grinned. ?Lead on, baby. I?m allll yours.?

Shaking her head, Dylan led them to a small enclosed patio at the rear of the club. The night was blessedly cool and quiet. ?I need to ask you a favor.?

?Oh yeah?? Haley asked, grinning and moving closer to her tall companion. ?What kind of favor??

?Slow down, Romeo,? Dylan said, putting a hand on Haley?s shoulder. ?A business favor.?

Haley pouted. ?I haven?t seen you in months and you want to talk about business??

?Yes. I do.?

?Alright,? she replied, sighing. ?What do you need.?

?I need you to represent my first pick, Catherine Hodges.?

Haley?s brows knit. ?Me? Why??

?Because you?re the best,? Dylan replied. ?And because she needs someone like you.?

?Someone like?.? Oh! You mean because she?s gay.?

?Yes. She?s gay. And because of that, she?s going to have one hell of a time getting someone to fairly represent her. We both know it’s true.? Frustrated, Dylan turned and stared over the stone wall into the darkness beyond. ?I wouldn?t ask you if I didn?t think it was important.?

Haley, normally a cool, competent, and yes?sometimes slimy?lawyer felt an unexpected burst of compassion for her normally unflappable companion. Closing the distance between them, she laid a gentle hand on Dylan?s back. ?Aww, D, you know I?ll help. I saw her at the press conference. She seems like a good kid.?

?She is. But she?s also just out of college, and is used to having people accept her for who she is. This is gonna be a big transition for her, and she?s going to need all the help she can get. I?d like you to be that help, Haley. You represent a number of well-known gay entertainers, and you know your way around the system.?

?I?ll give her a call tomorrow morning.?

?Thank you.?

Haley smirked. ?You?re welcome. Now, what?s in it for me??

Dylan turned, and leaned down slowly so that a hairsbreadth separated their lips. Haley closed her eyes, her heart thundering in her chest.

?My?eternal?gratitude.?

Haley finally opened her eyes to find Dylan standing several feet away from her.

?You shit!!?

Dylan smirked. ?A pleasure doing business with you, Haley.?

?God damn you, Dylan Lambert,? Haley said, laughing. ?You should have been a lawyer.?

?Mm. I?ll consider that a compliment.? Dylan put a companionable arm around the smaller woman?s shoulders. ?C?mon, let?s get back to the ?party?.?

Hodge lay sprawled on her hotel bed, watching television and waiting for the phone to ring. Mac had called her on Thursday telling her to expect a phone call regarding a lawyer either Friday evening or Saturday morning. It was now Saturday evening, and the expected phone call still hadn?t come through.

She raised the remote and pointed it at the television, listlessly flicking through the channels yet again. Nothing caught her interest, and she dropped the remote back onto the bed, sighing. Hodge was the type of woman who needed activity in her life, and as far as she was concerned, sitting in a hotel room on a Saturday waiting for the phone to ring ranked at the very bottom of her preferred activities list. Especially when she?d been doing it all day.

Flopping onto her belly, she grabbed the book she?d brought from the hotel?s gift shop and started thumbing through it, not really reading the words. Moments later, she fell asleep out of sheer boredom.

An hour passed unrealized. Then another. A third was ready to make an appearance when the phone rang, startling Hodge out of a deep slumber. Muzzily, she felt around for the phone until her hand struck it, almost knocking it off the night stand.