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physically.
Harriett made no demands on Alex, and Alex made no promises. Alex would never
leave her partner of almost twenty years, and Harriett would never ask her to.
At forty-four, Alexis Dunne wasn't happy with her life but had accepted it for
what it was. Harriett had thrown herself into her career after her brother and
sister-in-law had been killed in an automobile accident four years before,
leaving her as the sole guardian of their two-year-old daughter. The last thing
she had wanted or sought was something to complicate her life.
    She
and Alex had grown close while handling a particularly arduous case three years
earlier. Alex's partner, Gwen, had been out of town when the case concluded,
and Alex and Harriett had held an impromptu celebration that ended intimately.
Harriett hadn't seriously been with another woman since law school, and rearing
Lacey had taken up all of her time away from the office. She had missed having
someone to hold her, to love her and had been ripe for an intimate
relationship. The times Harriett spent with Alex were never more than what they
were, pleasurable and passionate without the worry of future complications.
    After
dinner, Harriett dragged a pillow from the couch and sat on the rug in front of
the fireplace, watching the flames lick at the crackling logs. Alex sat in a
chair behind her and leaned back, as they relaxed in the soft cocoon of
firelight and music.
    "Did
Lacey get to your mother's all right?"
    "Yes.
I spoke to her before I saw Wilkes."
    "What
do you think about him?"
    "I
don't know whether I want the case, Alex," Harriett finally said.
    "Then
don't take it," Alex said softly. "The final choice is yours."
    "He
swears up and down that he's innocent, but they all say that. There's just
something creepy about him, but I can't exactly put my finger on what it
is."
    "Creepy
in what way?"
    "He's
got some pretty unusual ideas about sex. Finally admitted he had slept with all
four girls, but claims they were alive and satisfied when he left them. It
might have been someone out to get his father, but that sounds ludicrous."
    "That'd
be a tough sell," Alex said, leaning forward and kissing the top of
Harriett's head.
    Turning
to look at Alex's face, Harriett asked, "Do you think I'm submissive in
bed?"
    Alex
laughed slightly. "God! What a question, Harriett."
    "Wilkes
said tonight that sex was the ultimate act of submission on a woman's part.
She's flat on her back, open and vulnerable, placing complete trust in her
partner."
    "I
think it's elementary that lovers have to trust one another."
    Harriett
sat up and smiled at Alexis. "Why are you always so logical?"
    "I'm
not, or I wouldn't be here now."
    "I'm
glad you are."
    Harriett
looked back at the fire, rubbed her hands over her arms and said almost to
herself, "I must have caught a chill."
    Alex
slid onto the floor behind her, wrapping her hands around a hot coffee mug.
Setting the cup down, she ran her hands up and down Harriett's arms.
    "That
feels good," Harriett breathed as she closed her eyes and leaned her head
back against Alex.
    Alex
could smell the freshness of Harriett's hair as she stared at the glowing fire
and continued to stroke her arms, allowing her hands to take on a life of their
own as they moved to encircle Harriett's waist.
    "Warmer
now?" Alex asked as she felt Harriett's body relax.
    She
looked up at Alex and smiled. "Almost," she answered.
    THE
GLOW FROM the fire danced across Harriett's back as she slept. Alex watched the
smooth rise and fall of her back as she breathed evenly. Her skin had felt like
new velvet wherever Alex touched it, and she longed to touch it again. She
marveled at the flawless beauty of Harriett's body as she leaned down and
brushed hair away from Harriett's face and neck. Smiling at the peaceful look
on her lover's face, she remembered the intensity and passion in her eyes only
two hours earlier. No, submissive would never be a word anyone could apply to
Harriett. She gave herself