“Sam,” Brooke called out but received no answer. “Hmmm…guess I’m going to have to seek you out.”

Taking a piece of luggage in each of her hands, the woman walked briskly toward the stairway. “Sam…” she called out as she rounded the corner of the hall at the bottom of the steps. There was still no answer so she started up the stairs, being careful not to catch the luggage on the railing.

Stepping out of the shower, Sam reached for the towel on the counter and wrapped it around her head like she’d done every day of her life. The towel seemed to be too big now since she changed her hairstyle and so she swapped it for the smaller towel from the rack. A shiver ran up the blonde’s back and she grabbed the discarded towel, wrapping it around her body, patting at it to dry her clean, wet skin. Feeling warmer, she took the ends of the towel that hung around her back, looping them one over the other binding them together at her chest, then she took the few steps out into the hallway where Mario sat waiting for her. Together, they made their way into Brooke’s room.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Brooke ventured down the hall toward her room. She rounded the corner and walked in through the open door. “Sam?” She called out as her eyes swept the room for any signs of the blonde.

Hearing her name, Sam looked up to see the tall woman standing in the doorway. Reacting on instinct alone, the blonde took off across the room as Brooke dropped her bags. Laughing as she tried to hold the towel to her body, Sam ran into the older woman’s outstretched arms. “God, I missed you.”

Their lips met in a kiss as Sam’s arms encircled her. “Mmm…I missed you.” Brooke returned the kiss and shifted her hands finding nothing but slightly damp skin to grab onto.

“I bet you did.” Sam glanced to her shoulder and saw Brooke’s hand draped over her skin before she was distracted by another kiss.

“Sam?”

“Yeah?” Her lips were drawn into another soft kiss.

Brooke tilted her head in the other direction, changing the angle of her kiss. Leaning back, she laid feather light kisses down Sam’s jaw until she was just under the blonde’s ear. The tall woman moved in closer, then she looked down. That’s when Brooke saw the uncovered, well-rounded buttocks of the young woman directly in her view. Raising an eyebrow, she appreciated the view for a moment then softly stated, “You’re naked, Sam.”

The young woman nudged her with her head. “No I’m not. I’ve got a towel on.” Her mind obviously too distracted to listen to reason.

“Yeah…You’ve got a towel on your head…” Brooke pointed out as she slowly let her hands run down Sam’s back and pulled her tighter against her body.

Glancing quickly down her body, Sam grinned looking back up at Brooke as she zeroed in for another kiss, first on the older woman’s mouth then continuing to move down her neck with reckless abandon.

The dark-haired woman took in a breath and stated the fact, again. “Sam, you’re naked.”

“Oops! I ah…I guess I lost my grip on the towel there.” Sam giggled nervously and leaned in to kiss the tender flesh above Brooke’s collar as an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

Craning her neck for the best view possible, Brooke admired the length of Sam’s backside, causing her heart rate to almost double. “You are so naked…and so beautiful.”

Sam chuckled as she said, “And you are so fully clothed.” The blonde started to tug at the shirt that Brooke was wearing until she had the taller woman’s mouth pressed up against her own in a kiss. Small nimble fingers then worked diligently to unbutton the clothing for better access. Finally, after coming up for air, Sam huskily muttered, “So, are you going to get naked too or am I going to get dressed?”

The decision was simple. “Uh… Let me go wash New Jersey off of me, because I have so lost interest in you getting dressed.”

The young woman exaggerated a sniff at Brooke’s clothing. “That might be a good idea with all that garbage they dump up there.” Sam pushed on Brooke’s shoulders, trying to distance herself from the woman. “You’ve got ten minutes. Now, go get a shower.”

With shaky legs, Brooke backed into the hall and down the few feet to the bathroom, never taking her eyes off of Sam as the young woman followed her out. Making the turn into the bathroom, Brooke tripped through the doorway, barely catching herself on the door frame. Sticking her head out into the hall again, she flashed a toothy smile, then disappeared into the room yelling, “Be right out. It’ll only take me a minute.”

“I’ll be here when you come out,” Sam reassured her, then laughed as she shook her head. “God, that is so adorable.” Before she made it back into the bedroom, Sam could already hear the sound of the shower running.

The young woman settled herself in front of the dresser mirror as she undid the towel from her head and briskly rubbed it over her short hair. Stopping to survey her effort, Sam shook her head, letting the neatly styled cut find its natural part. “Hmmm…so this is what they mean by wash and wear hair.” The blonde smiled at her own reflection in the mirror as the soft sound of Brooke’s singing filtered through the air, causing Sam to think about the upcoming evening.

Moving gracefully around the room, Sam lit the candles that she had brought with her in that heavy suitcase, leaving the last two on the nightstand. If C.C. only knew what kind of props I was talking about. Come to think of it…I wonder what she was thinking of. She crossed to the other side of the large bed, taking the bottle of wine and pouring some into the two glasses. After setting the bottle back down, the last two peach scented candles were lit. A beseeching smile graced Sam’s lips as she blew the flame on the match out and watched the wisps of smoke travel heavenward intermingling along their paths.

“Okay, Sam,” the blonde sighed as she stretched out on the king-size bed. “You knew it was coming.” She noticed that the sound of water running in the shower had stopped, alerting her that Brooke would be coming soon. “Now just go with it.” Taking in a deep, calming breath, Sam waited for the return of her tall friend.

Brooke hurriedly dried her wet skin and out of habit more than anything, took the silk robe off the hook on the door and pulled it onto her arms and shoulders, letting it gape open in the front. Using the large bath towel to dry her hair, Brooke left the bath and started walking down the hall toward her room. Hmmm…maybe I should think about putting a shower in that master bath? Guess I’m gonna have to think about that. With only a step or two more before she stood at her bedroom door, Brooke sufficed that her hair was as dry as it would ever be and leaned back far enough to take aim. She banked the shot off the bathroom door with the balled up towel to at least get it out of the hallway.

Shaking her damp hair out to help it dry, Brooke smiled, knowing that luck had been with her to come home so early. She stepped into the doorway and was frozen by the sight of the woman on her bed, basking in the soft glow of candlelight. Blue eyes traveled the length of the compact body starting at the delicate feet, roaming over the curves of the torso and stopping at the short blonde hair on the woman’s head. She turned into the doorway with her hand holding onto the frame on one side while her shoulder braced against the other side to steady herself, allowing the front of her robe to hang open.

Seeing Brooke come into the doorway, Sam scowled, “Hey, that’s not fair. Where’s my…” the woman smiled in appreciation as Brooke’s arm rose as she grabbed the door frame and the opening of the robe revealed more and more of the well-proportioned body underneath it. “Oh, I do like that open robe look.” Sam’s eyes roved up and down the exposed curves and already she could feel her heart beating faster just seeing the dark mound of curly hair that marked the apex at the top of Brooke’s legs.

Brooke’s mouth opened to speak, but nothing came out of it. She gulped and took in a deep breath, then started again. “I…I thought you’d like the…”

Sam rolled up onto her side, shaking her short hair before letting her head come to rest on her hand that was propped on the pillow. “New look?” The blonde asked with the hint of a smile on her lips, as she tried to keep her own body under control.

The mesmerized woman could only nod as she tried unsuccessfully to form a coherent thought. The short styled, blonde hair certainly struck her as adding an air of sophistication to the already alluring woman before her. The shorter body, so well proportioned with its rolling expanses of skin, gave rise to the gentle swell of young breasts.

“I love what it does for you.” Sam’s green eyes twinkled in the flickering candlelight, amazed at the affect she was having on the older woman who could only nod her head again in affirmation.

The blonde sat up rather seductively, letting her legs dangle off the side of the bed. She faced Brooke while she leaned back on her arms for support. “So, do you like it.” She gave her head a little shake, then cocked it to one side as she drank in the view that was being presented to her. “I thought I’d surprise you.”

“Uh-huh…” Brooke gulped again, finally finding her voice. “Sam…I…you’re…”

The young woman sat up watching the stunned look on her friend’s face. “Brooke if it’s that bad…” Sam pulled at the short blonde hair self-consciously now. “I’ll let it grow in again.”

“No!” Brooke blurted out, moving over to the bed and kneeling down in front of the woman. “It’s gorgeous.” Blue eyes re-evaluated Sam’s features. The dancing eyes filled with love, the delicate nose, and the luscious, inviting lips that Brooke wanted to press her own against all came together to form something of rare beauty. “You’re just so…” she paused for a moment, then let a faint smile turn the corners of her mouth upward when the correct word finally came to her, “…gorgeous!”