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the most amazing woman I've ever met. Totally honest, upfront, no holds barred. I love that about you."
    She shrugged. "If I can't be honest with you, what are we doing here?"
    " I know one thing we're doing here." He gazed into her eyes. "We're getting ready to make love again."
    Maddie grinned. "Want me to show you a couple of things Zoey taught me?" She slid off the chair and knelt in front of him.
    "Why not?" He leaned back, and raised his hips so she could slide his jeans off.  "But keep your eyes open, so you'll know it's me."
     
    * * * *
     
    Maddie stretched out in Rob's big, claw-footed bathtub, her back to his chest.
    He washed her hair and any other body parts he could reach. "Remind me to thank Zoey, the next time we see her."
    Maddie laughed. "Where do you suppose we'll see her? Last I heard, she was backpacking through Europe with Milo, otherwise known as 'Mr. Hairy Ass'. Affectionately, of course."
    He shrugged. "We might run into her at some social function. Who knows? But then again, I hope we don't. I'm not ready to share you, and Zoey might try to turn you back to the dark side."
    Ma ddie snickered. "We've covered that ground, remember? I'm a lousy lesbian."
    "A fact for which I'll be eternally grateful."
    She leaned against him and sighed as his hands formed soapy circles on her stomach. "As long as my past doesn't bother you."
    He kissed her cheek. "It made you who you are today. I get a kick hearing about it. And, man, I love this hair." He pulled a strand of her long, wet hair through his lips and sucked on it.
    " I hope you used plenty of conditioner. Otherwise, you'll have a hard time brushing it out tomorrow."
    " I used enough. I look forward to brushing it out. It may even give me a hard-on."
    She snuggled against him and smiled. "It needs to be brushed several times a day, you know."
    He sighed contentedly. "I believe I'm up to the task."
    Maddie wiggled her toes on the edge of the tub . "Gee, if we only had another day together, I might have you talked into giving me a pedicure."
    Rob chuckled. "I'd do it. I painted Sophie's nails once. Everyone said she looked like a clown."
    " Maybe I'll pass, thanks," Maddie reconsidered. "I still wish we had another day together."
    " I do, too." He kissed her earlobe. "I don't want to go to sleep tonight. I want to savor every minute with you."
    " Me, too." She nestled into him and closed her eyes.
     
    * * * *
     
    Somewhere around three a.m., they lay wrapped around each other after making love. Rob brushed a piece of hair from Maddie's face. "You know, we got so caught up with Zoey that I never did find out how you made it to Oklahoma from Harvard."
    She buried her face in the soft hair on his chest . "It's not my favorite part of the story."
    " It gets worse?"
    " Not like you mean. But yeah, it's worse."
    He took a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's hear it."
    Maddie twisted one finger around a patch of his chest hair, twirling it. "I walked away from a two hundred thousand dollar education. My parents wanted me to be a lawyer. They were paying for it. But it wasn't me. Deep down, I knew it would never be me. I couldn't stand up to them, at first, and when I finally could, I did it in the wrong way."
    " What did you do?" he asked softly.
    " Just what I said. I walked away. The semester ended, I put Zoey and Milo on a plane to Madrid, and I wandered around Cambridge aimlessly. My bags were packed, but I couldn't go back to Hartford. I had a couple of drinks at some dive, smoked a joint with a hooker named Topaz. I think she was a woman. Damn good make-up job if not. I actually bought her a hamburger so she'd stay with me longer. When we left, we passed this place, Jake's Tattoo Emporium. Classy, eh? Well, this Chevy full of Mexican guys hollered at me and Topaz, so I figured I had two choices. Make a quick but disgusting twenty bucks—you realize I'm joking here—or get a tattoo. Topaz ducked into the Chevy, I ducked into Jake's, and I got