Ick. Kerry eyed the ceiling; it was also unfortunate that some people seemed to have a curious absentmindedness when it came to things like deodorant and reasonably frequent showering. She considered holding her breath, wondering if the elevator was being perversely slow just to piss her off.

Oh. Kerry almost hopped up and down to force the car to move faster. What if it gets stuck? Her eyes widened a little. How would it look for the VP Ops to upchuck all over half the executive staff in an elevator?

“Kerry!”

She jerked and sucked in a breath, then glanced at Mark. “What?”

Mark leaned closer. “You looked like you were freaking out.”

She sighed and leaned back. “Overactive imagination.” The car 154 Melissa Good reached the bottom and bounced a little, then, finally, blissfully, the doors slid open and allowed the people to exit and the cold air to enter.

“Jesus.” She pushed off from the mirrored wall and left the elevator, glancing up into the vast vault of the atrium lobby.

A faint smile crossed her face as she remembered the first time she’d seen this place—a very late, rainy night that had started in despair and ended up being a crossroads in her life she wasn’t even aware of until long after she’d passed through it.

She followed Mark out the front doors into the daylight and headed for her car, her mind making the mental jog when it first tried to find her Mustang, then shifted and searched for the new profile.

“Hey, did you get a new set of wheels?” Mark asked as he ambled alongside her. “Ain’t that cute...a baby Darcar.”

“A wh? Oh,” Kerry laughed. “Yeah, I guess you could call it that.”

She patted her new blue Lexus on the side. “I like it. I can actually see things now. See you tomorrow, Mark.”

“Yeah.” Mark put his briefcase in the saddlebag of the big Harley and unstrapped his motorcycle helmet. “Drop me a mail when you figure out what Big D is feeding you, huh? I’m dying to know.”

“Hmm.” Kerry got into the SUV and rolled the window down.

“Dying...not a good word there, Mark.” She gave him a wave and started the car, then pulled out of the parking lot and headed home.

IT WAS RELATIVELY quiet outside the condo when she pulled into her spot and got out, cautiously examining the front door before she approached it. “Well.” She leaned back against the car and crossed her arms. “No smoke, no fire engines outside the place, and it looks like the electricity is still on, so she didn’t blow a circuit.”

She nodded. “Looking good so far. Now, Kerrison,” she addressed herself seriously, “whatever this turns out to be, Dar will have spent a lot of time and a lot of effort on it, so no matter what, you’re going to like it. Got me?” She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath.

“Besides, you’ve eaten at the Republican National Convention. Nothing should scare you after that.”

She trotted up the stairs and paused, cocking her head and listening before she keyed in her lock code. Nothing but soft music came faintly to her ears, certainly not the strident cursing she’d have expected from Dar if things weren’t going well. Another good sign. Kerry unlocked the door and opened it, slipping inside and closing it behind her.

And then she just stood there, only her eyes moving as she absorbed the scene in front of her. The lights were dimmed in both the living room and dining room, and there were candles on the table.

Really tall, pretty candles, set in holders that complemented the china and crystal place settings patiently awaiting use.

She also realized two other things: there was no sign of Dar, and Red Sky At Morning 155

something smelled great. “Heh,” Kerry chortled softly to herself. “I’m liking this already.”

“Good,” Dar’s voice purred from nearby.

Kerry almost jumped, and then she turned to see Dar leaning against the doorjamb of her bedroom, her hair pulled loosely back and her body covered in something very silky and brief. The pale blue eyes held a lazily sensual note as they traveled over Kerry’s form, eliciting a small, almost subvocal noise from Kerry’s throat. “Hi there,” she managed to get out.

“Hi there,” Dar replied. “Wanna come in and make yourself comfortable?” She eased away from the door and moved toward Kerry, bare feet soundless against the tile. “Hello? Earth to Kerry.” Dar waved a hand in front of her lover’s eyes, which seemed to be firmly focused on her.

Kerry let her laptop case slide to the floor and found better uses for her hands, letting them slide over the soft, cool fabric covering Dar’s body to feel the warm flesh beneath. She stepped closer and took a deep breath, then tilted her head back to look up at her lover. “So, what did I do to rate this?”

Dar smiled. “Nothing.” She brushed a wisp of pale hair out of Kerry’s eyes. “I just felt like trying out this romantic thing.

Complaining?”

“Nuh-uh.” Kerry shook her head firmly. “Where’d you get this? It’s gorgeous.” She fingered the crimson silk. It barely covered Dar’s body, and Kerry found herself losing interest in dinner, or asking questions, or... “Damn, you smell good.”

“Glad you think so.” Dar nuzzled her hair, then slipped her arms around Kerry and gave her a big hug. “Mom and Dad took Chino for a while.”

Kerry gave her a weird look. “Why? She never bothers us.”

“No, but she kept jumping up and stealing my mixing thing, and it was driving me nuts,” Dar admitted with a faint chuckle. “They’ll bring her back and drop her off later in the evening. C’mon, let’s get you undressed so you can properly appreciate my creation.”

Kerry stepped back and grinned frankly at her. “Sweetie, I don’t need to be undressed to appreciate that. I think your creation is spectacular.”

Dar put her hands on her hips, hiking up the fabric and only enhancing Kerry’s visceral experience. “I meant dinner.”

“That too.” Kerry’s smile grew wider. “Oh.” The words finally penetrated, and she laughed helplessly. “Sorry...sorry...you mean the food.”

Dar snorted softly, but looked pleased with the appraisal nonetheless. “G’wan.” She nudged Kerry toward the stairs. “I’ll put the salad on the table.”

Kerry had turned and had one foot on the steps. Now she stopped 156 Melissa Good dead and swiveled her head to face Dar. “You,” she pointed, “made salad?”

Dar nodded.

“Ah...hah.” Kerry slowly turned back around and started up the steps, sneaking disbelieving peeks at Dar as she did, until she disappeared onto the second floor. “Salad.” She shook her head as she entered her bedroom and kicked her shoes off. “I feel like I’m in a dream world.”

Her closet beckoned and she went inside, shucking out of her jacket and hanging it neatly on a hanger. She unbuttoned and slid out of her skirt and hung that up as well. Then she stopped and considered as she removed her shirt. Normally, she’d just slip into an old T-shirt, but since Dar had made an effort... Her eyes roved speculatively over her wardrobe. “Hmm. It’s all business or dressy. I don’t have any causally sexy numbers, Dar.”

She flipped through the hangers until she finally stopped at one, removing it. “Hmm.” It was a sleeveless satin sheath, designed to go under a lacy dress she had. “That’ll work.” She slipped it over her head and settled the edges, which just barely came to her upper thighs.

“Yeah...” She consulted the mirror, which reflected back to her a surprisingly racy-looking image. Thoughts of Dar in her silk strapless number came to mind, and Kerry found herself wondering just how relevant dinner was going to be.

A shiver of anticipation made her grin.

DAR STUDIED THE plate, then nodded in satisfaction, cocking her head as she heard Kerry’s footsteps coming down the stairs. She put both hands on the back of the dining room chair and smiled in welcome as Kerry appeared, the smile broadening as the warm candlelight exposed the brief clothing and knowing look. “Nice.” Dar drew the chair back, and Kerry seated herself with a faint chuckle.

“Thank you.” Kerry waited for Dar to take the seat right next to her and moved the chair slightly so their bare legs touched. “Are you actually going to eat some of this here salad, Dardar?”

White teeth reflected the candlelight as Dar smiled. “Only if you feed it to me.”

So she did. They exchanged forkfuls, and Kerry found herself enjoying the freshly cut greens very much. Of course, there was enough dressing on them that Dar probably couldn’t tell a lettuce leaf from a carrot, but that was okay. That’s how Kerry liked her salad. They finished, and she carefully removed some extra dressing off Dar’s lips before she let her lover stand and remove the plates. “That was great.”

Dar paused at the entrance to the kitchen. “Just you wait.”

“Mm.” Kerry sat back and folded her hands over her stomach, craning her neck to watch Dar busy at work by the stove. With serious Red Sky At Morning 157

precision, her lover was arranging something on plates and adding scoops of something else from a dish on the warmer. When she was satisfied that both plates had equal amounts and were symmetrical, Dar picked them up and walked back into the dining room.

“Here you go.” Dar set the plates down and seated herself, then eyed Kerry for a reaction.

Kerry’s eyebrows lifted. “That’s a lobster tail,” she commented.

“Yep.”

Kerry poked the top. “It’s stuffed.”

“Sure is.”

“Those are au gratin potatoes.”

“With cheese,” Dar agreed.

“And peas.”

“LeSeur Very Early Baby Peas.”