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closed her eyes as her dread rose.
    “That you were discussing my marital status with Rebecca gives me hope that beneath that cool exterior, there is a part of you that finds me attractive.”
    Rayne opened her mouth to say something when their diminutive server returned to the table carrying a black tray with two flat white cups, and a blue and white ceramic flask.
    “Your raspberry sake.” The dark-eyed woman slid the tray onto the table. “Shall I serve?”
    Trent smiled warmly for her. “I will do it, thank you.”
    “Are you ready to order?”
    He gave the shy woman their dinner order, and after she had made a few notes on a small pad, she backed away from the table.
    Trent scooped up the flask of sake. “You get very emotional when you talk about sex, did you know that?”
    “I don’t get…why are we even discussing this? It’s none of your business how or why my marriage ended, and what happened between me and Foster in the privacy of our bedroom is…over.” 
    Trent carefully poured a cup of the pink-colored sake. “So was Foster your first lover?” He put the cup in front of her.
    “Jesus!” Rayne almost shouted. Taking in the other patrons, she dropped her voice and added, “What is it with you?”
    Trent frowned, appearing perplexed as he filled the other cup with sake. “I’m just trying to understand what happened to your marriage.”
    “How can you sit there and pass judgment on me when you’ve never been married?”
    He put the flask down on the table with a thud. “That’s the second time you’ve made a comment about me passing judgment on you. Is that what you think I’m doing?” He raised the cup of sake to his lips. “I’m simply trying to find out what makes you tick, Rayne.” He took a sip of his drink. “So why did you ask Rebecca about me?”
    Completely befuddled, she seized her drink. “I didn’t ask anything. She volunteered the information and wanted to know what….” At a loss for words, Rayne hastily took a drink of the sake. The strong alcohol burned her mouth and she tried desperately not to choke.
    He put his cup down on the table. “Is that why you came to watch me with my class yesterday?” 
    She gulped down the sake, wishing she had spit it out instead. While her eyes watered and her stomach lurched, Rayne fought to keep any hint of her discomfort from Trent.
    “I…ah.” She swallowed hard again as she set her cup on the table. “I wanted to see you in action. I was curious.”
    Trent tapped his finger against his white, saucer-like cup. “And what did you think?”
    She sucked in a breath, hoping to alleviate the horrid aftertaste the sake had left in her mouth. “You were…very good.”
    “Nothing else?”
    Rayne shifted in her seat. “What else were you expecting?”
    “Forget it.” He shook his head. “Are you always this nervous on a date?”
    “Is this a date or an inquisition?” she snapped.
    Studying her, he stroked the rim of his sake cup with his long finger. “All right. Why don’t you ask me some questions?”
    Rayne’s hand shook as she picked up her sake, deliberating on how to pose the one question that had been eating away at her.
    “Why haven’t you ever married?” she eventually got out, and then took a small sip from her cup, relieved to discover that the sake tasted better the second time around.
    “It’s not for lack of trying, I assure you. I’ve lived with two women; the last one moved out about a year ago. We had talked about marriage, but….” He pushed his sake cup away. “Don’t get me wrong, I want to get married, but I’ve had a hard time finding the right woman.”
    She deposited her cup on the table. “Who’s to say if any of us ever meets the right person? Maybe it’s more about finding someone who fills a void, or fulfills a need.” The welcomed warmth of the alcohol began to flow through her system.
    “What kind of void did Foster fill for you?”
    Easing back in her seat, she recalled the