I offer many thanks to Barb who spends a lot of her precious and dwindling spare time correcting my atrocious grammar and spelling. Thanks, too, for the suggestions and input, Barb.

j.dragoness@mindspring.com

Part 3

"Thank goodness you closed the office today. There is no way I could have done this without you. I want everything perfect."

The assistant pastor and his friend had agreed to attend Peter's little soiree. It was a major coup among Peter's male friends to have them at a function and had almost turned into a competition. Sam thought it comical.

"That arrangement is too large, Peter. Can't you tone it down a little. This isn't a visit from the Queen Mother, you know."

Hand on hip, lacey bibbed apron askew, pointing with a wooden spoon, Peter made quite a picture. "Today you are my friend, not my boss. I need moral support and help, not criticism, OK?"

Sam had her own reasons for being nervous. In a few hours she would be seeing Sterling. They had a lot to talk about, beginning with what was going on inside that beautiful head of hers. She'd never known anyone more cautious about their emotions. Sam herself had suffered several heartaches in her life and could understand reluctance to get involved. The problem as the Realtor saw it was that a bond had already formed between them and she needed help to determine exactly what that bond was. Sterling was the only one who could help her.

"Can I borrow that depression glass cake plate of yours? I think it would be a nice touch on the antique lace don't you?" She wasn't even hearing him.

Preparations completed, Sam headed home for a short rest and a long bath.

"Give him my cell number and tell him I'll only available for the next ten minutes."

It was her answering service and the message was one she would rather not have received. Sterling pulled over into the parking lot of a grocery store and waited. Bob Hall was one of the clients she was trying hard to cut loose from her practice. His tenacity had come as a real surprise to the attorney. Hall was a friend of a friend of a friend of Gino's and one of the very few people left who could connect her to her past.

Sterling suspected that whatever Bob Hall needed, she was not going to enjoy either providing it, or refusing him. The bleat of her telephone brought her back into the minute.

"Sterling." The gravelly voice made her tense up as always.

"What is so important that it rates interrupting my Saturday, Bob?" She had always made a point of being blunt with this client.

"Always the kidder, huh? Listen, my son is in a little trouble and I need you to get him out of jail."

"Bob, you know I don't do criminal law anymore." She sighed deeply.

"Please, Sterling. His mother's having a cow."

"Where is he?"

Hall supplied the information. Sterling checked her watch and decided that she could probably manage this for her client and still make the party on time. She promised to touch base with him as soon as she reached the county jail and drove out of the parking lot.

The usual collection of riff raff greeted her in the stronghold on Memorial Drive. Sterling had been to the facility on previous occasions, but effectively avoiding such places was one more reason why she was changing the face of her practice.

"I'm Sterling Hayes. I represent Ricky Hall. I'd like to talk to my client please." The attorney passed her business card through the circular hole in the glass. She had no desire whatsoever to talk to him, but needed to find out the formal charges as quickly as possible. "You're holding him for DUI," she offered as the booking officer read down the 'guest list' of inmates.

"Yeah." He smirked. "Among other things." He handed her the clipboard that held all of Ricky's charges and pertinent information. Scanning the notations quickly, Sterling's demeanor began to change before the officer's eyes. She looked up and found him staring at her. Arms folded across his chest, a look of total disgust on his face, Sterling understood his judgment. He could not know that she wasn't a dirty lawyer who accepted guilty clients as standard fare. Not until she told him, anyway.

The sheet noted that Ricky Hall had been busted leaving a party the night before. He was in fact, driving under the influence, but more importantly several thousand dollars worth of cocaine were found on his person. Additionally, he was without a license due to previous arrests and at twenty-six had three minor females in the car with him. One of the young girls had been beaten severely and had later been taken to the hospital to be treated. She told emergency personnel that she was pregnant. All three of the young women tested positive for alcohol and cocaine in their bloodstreams.

"His arraignment is Monday morning. He's not leaving here until then." The officer stared defiantly at her.

"He can stay or go for all I care. I'm resigning from this case. Let the little bastard rot." She turned on her heel as the clipboard clattered onto the formica countertop. The uniformed policeman watched her walk away as a knowing smile crept onto his face.

Once she had reached the parking lot, Sterling dialed the hastily scribbled numbers. She was trying to control the anger in her voice when Bob Hall came on the line. "I shouldn't wonder that your wife is heartbroken over the situation with Ricky."

"What do you think? Can you have him out today?" Hall sounded casual.

"You do realize that they have him on possession felony, contributing to the delinquency, possible rape in addition to the DUI?" She waited, knowing what was coming before the words left Hall's mouth.

"Boys will be boys, huh?" The little laugh at the end caused Sterling to lose all control.

"That is the most disgusting thing I've ever heard from you and I've heard some pretty sick things. I am not in the business of bending the law to save junior pricks like Ricky."

Hall interrupted. "Hey, wait a minute. That's my son you're calling a prick."

"Yes, it is and it's an accurate description I would say. Get yourself another lawyer Bob. I'm done with you and all of your dirty dealing." She hung up on him before he even had a chance to protest.

Sterling dialed her answering service and instructed them to hold all of her calls until further notice. A police cruiser was pulling into the lot as she was leaving. The prisoner in the back seat caught her eye. He was young, probably in his late teens. Sterling was saddened by his plight, remembering her own crime filled youth. Providence alone had kept her from ever having seen the inside of a jail cell until she did so during a client interview.

She stopped to let the patrol car pass and as it did, the young prisoner moved to within a few feet of her window. Her eyes followed him, full of compassion until he stuck his tongue out, flicking it, snakelike in an obscene gesture.

Sterling chided herself for having been so gullible. She knew better.

The doorbell rang again before Peter could even introduce the last group of guests. Samantha offered to greet the new arrivals for him. When the door swung open, her breath caught at the sight of the figure that filled it. The smile drew her in first. It was crooked, warm and sensual.

Sterling had chosen tailored slacks with deep pleats. Her leather jacket was open to reveal a collared shirt of deep burgundy teasing with the preview of deep cleavage it offered. Sam's mouth went dry at the raw attraction she immediately felt.

"Hi. Come on in." Sam stood back and allowed Sterling entrance while she struggled for something to say.

"Looks like a good crowd." The attorney scanned the high ceilinged living room before removing her jacket and asking where she should put it. Sam offered to show her and Sterling followed down the hallway.

"In here." There was a beautiful old iron bed in the center of the room, piled high now with every conceivable type of winter wrap. Sterling tossed her coat among them before turning to compliment Sam.

"You look incredible Samantha." The glance was casual but made Sam feel naked. Their eyes met and held for a moment before Sterling broke the contact by speaking. "Shall we?"

They joined the other guests and Sam played hostess. "This is my friend Sterling Hayes." The graceful beauty looked directly into their eyes as she spoke to each one remembering names and oozing charm. Several appraising stares caused Sam to assume a proprietary attitude. She didn't allow her friend to linger very long with any of the other guests.

Peter appeared in front of the couple and extended a limp hand for Sterling to shake. "We've already met at the office, but it's very nice of you to join us today." She was only inches taller than he, but he felt like a kid in the principal's office until her face lit up. Peter was rendered speechless, and stood pumping the handshake until Sam cleared her throat.

Sterling went to find herself a drink and Peter began his appraisal for Sam. He fanned himself. "My God, what a presence. Her eyes are incredible and she is so..."

"Electric? Unnerving? Erotic?" Sam supplied.

Peter was all concern. "Are you sure you can handle this one?"

Sam let a small smile creep onto her face. "I think it would be a great challenge. I hope I get the opportunity."

"Are you kidding? The way she is looking at you, I'm surprised she didn't molest you in the coat room. You better watch out." He grinned, knowing his observation would make his friend happy.

'I should be so lucky.' Samantha watched the dark head of hair approach her, slightly above most of the others in the gathering. Sterling handed her a wine glass and offered a toast.

"To new friends." Their glasses clinked and they drank.

Seated side by side at dinner the two women lingered at the table after the others and talked about the neighborhood and Sterling's new house. The attorney found that she was anxiously awaiting the opportunity to move into it and explained to Sam that this was a new feeling for her. "I've never really had that home base you spoke of when I was younger and never wanted it after that. Until now."

"I know you lost your parents early." Sam's comment was the perfect lead in for Sterling to explain some things about her past. Neither of them knew if she would grasp the opportunity or not until she spoke.

"I've had an unusual life, Sam. I haven't been too quick to tell you much about myself, because I wasn't sure you would want a friend with a past like mine."

Her voice was soft and the invitation in it was impossible to refuse. "Talk to me." Sam reached over and took Sterling's hand, pulling her up and out of the dining room. The realtor knew Peter's house as well as her own, having spent many hours there, visiting her friend. She led her captive into the cozy den at the end of the hall and closed the door.

Sterling, afraid to begin, stalled for time. "Get comfortable. This may take a while." Sam kicked off her shoes, pulled her feet up under her and nodded for the other woman to begin.

Samantha listened spellbound to the tale. Sterling watched a spot on the carpet the entire time, unable to look at her listener. At one point, the attorney began to tear up, but she stopped to take several deep breaths, then continued. In all, the story took less than an hour. 'It doesn't take very long to screw up a last chance does it?' Sterling sat quietly, waiting.

"I don't think I've ever known anyone so courageous." Sam breathed the words.

Blue eyes snapped around to see if Sam was kidding. Surely, she had to be.

"How can you say such a thing? It doesn't take much courage to turn a blind eye to what's going on around you. Being an adulteress doesn't exactly qualify me as a good candidate for friendship either."

"That was a long time ago, Sterling. You did what you had to do to survive. Why do you insist on beating yourself up about it?" Samantha took the hand that rested on the sofa arm into both of hers. She looked it for a long moment before bringing it to her lips.

Amazement weakened Sterling's defenses. A single tear escaped and tracked down her cheek. "I tell you that I have done terrible things, slept with a criminal for money, defended known murderers and you show me tenderness that I never knew existed. Who are you?" Deadly serious in her question, Sterling brought her face close to Sam's, and waited for an answer.

Sam was confused and the nearness of this breathtaking woman, made it difficult for her to form thoughts at the moment, but she concentrated hard and found a response. "I'm someone who could be falling in love with you." The risk factor of her confession equaled the one Sterling had exhibited moments before. Now it was Sam's turn to stare at the floor and wait.

Sharp movement on the couch in her periphery swung Sam's attention around. Sterling was on her feet, pacing rapidly in the minimal space of the room. "I've explained it all wrong, I must have. Did you understand that I'm wealthy at least in part because of the blood money Gino left me? Do you think you could walk through my house now and admire the works of art that adorn the walls, knowing that drug deals paid for them?"

"It sounds to me like you're asking yourself these questions. I'm not in the judgement business."

Those words were so familiar. Sterling grimaced at the memory of hurling the accusation at Samson during the trial, all those years ago. '"I see you're in the judgement business now," Sterling had flung the words at him like a dagger. She found herself in the present day again. 'Yeah, I guess I've always been afraid of judgement by the people who really count in my life. Here I am again,..'

"It's up to you to forgive your own past actions. You are the one that perceives them to be sins. I say again, I admire your instincts for survival and your obvious ability to rise above the circumstances of your youth. Why do you carry so much blame on your shoulders? Surely you could divide it among the other people whose business it was to protect you and provide for you." Sam harbored a deep rooted anger for a man she would never meet, Sterling's father. He was the real coward in this scenario as was her aunt. How could they let a vulnerable young woman, a teenager, live that way?

The pacing stopped abruptly as the tall beauty's suddenly boneless body slumped onto the sofa next to Samantha. Sterling leaned her head back and closed her eyes hoping this ready acceptance was not a dream. She felt warm lips on her eyebrow and resisted the urge to open her eyes. An arm went around her shoulder as Sam pulled her into an embrace and kissed her again, this time on the lips.

Reaching out the attorney returned the embrace with an unexplained urgency and initiated a series of kisses herself, each longer than the last. Finally, each needing a breath of air, they broke apart. Samantha felt the gentle caress of fingertips against her cheek. "Where did you learn to be so tender?" Sam asked involuntarily.

"I'm improvising, believe me." Sterling smiled and leaned in, closing her eyes at the last possible second, and kissed welcoming lips again and again.

Laughter in the hallway reminded them both that they had been a tad rude to their host and his other guests. Disappearing in the middle of a party was not quite respectable. Sam realized the faux pas and blushed a little as she broke away from warm, searching hands. "We really ought to resurface before everyone leaves. Peter is going to give me a very hard time already." Sam's tone was apologetic. Neither of them wanted to be anywhere except where they already were.

"You're right. We have been incredibly rude. I should go and apologize for monopolizing your time. Maybe I can get you off the hook. After all, that is what I do." Sterling smiled warmly and stood, extending her hand to help Samantha up from the sofa.

It was unplanned, but as soon as Sam was on her feet, Sterling pulled the young beauty to her again, this time with all of her considerable strength and found her mouth immediately. The invasive velvet tongue was welcomed and Sam sucked on it gently.

"Ungh," Sterling's lips vibrated with her response as her hands dropped low on Sam's back pulling the willing hips into her own. All gentleness vanished as Sam sought urgently to devour Sterling's lips and tongue. In answer the attorney dropped her large hands, lower still and pulled a remarkably firm ass to her.

A whimper rose up as Samantha backed Sterling up two steps so that the attorney was wedged between her own body and the door. Her breathing quickened as her hands rested on Sterling's rib cage, just beneath the swell of her breasts. The blonde could feel the evidence of her building lust at her moist vortex.

"Where did you get to Sam?" Peter's distinct voice was echoing down the hall. It brought Samantha crashing back down to earth as she quickly broke contact and stepped back. Straightening her clothes unnecessarily, green eyes searched Sterling's face for clues as to what had just transpired between them.

Trying to make her voice sound as casual as possible under the circumstances, Sterling broke the silence with a lame suggestion. "Maybe we could continue this at a later date, huh?" Her wistful request was answered with eager agreement.

"Absolutely. Sorry things got a little crazy there." Sam blushed which only served to embarrass her more.

Sterling placed a finger under Sam's chin and raised it up so that their eyes met and held. "Don't dream of apologizing to me. I have never wanted anyone so much in my life." Sterling's eyes were burning with heat generated elsewhere.

"Me either." Sam's confession brought another flush to her face. Peter's approaching footsteps prompted her to call out to him. "In here, Peter." As she opened the door she spoke to him, while looking at Sterling. "We were just sharing some deep dark secrets." The smile that lit her face rendered the big, bad attorney defenseless.

"Fasten your seat belts please. We will begin take off momentarily." The disembodied voice floated through the airplane cabin. Sterling hated to fly. It had always seemed unnatural and no matter how much of it she was forced to do, that never changed. This short trip to Dallas had been promised to a good client for months. Otherwise the attorney would never have left Atlanta. Not now.

Sterling had hated to leave home and Samantha Hilliard. Now that she thought about it, they were pretty much one and the same. Their parting on Saturday night had been perfectly respectable. With Peter keeping an eye on the two women, it couldn't be anything else and remain within the parameters of good taste. Sam had promised to stay and help clean up and was stuck. Sterling had used every excuse in the book to stall, but it was two in the morning and she had an early flight out of the city.

They had been forced to settle for a fairly chaste kiss and a very long hug. Now Sterling, normally the picture of confidence and control looked so distraught that the flight attendant had twice asked if she was all right. "I just hate to fly," the attorney had finally told her. It seemed to satisfy the flight attendant for the time being.

Sterling closed her eyes and tried to sleep, thinking that might help pass the flight time quicker. She went over in her mind the offer her client was going to be considering. It was fairly simple and she didn't understand why it couldn't have been accomplished with a phone call, but she had made a promise. 'My appointment is at ten. I'll be out of there by mid-afternoon. What's the big deal? In thirty-six hours I'll be back in Atlanta.' The big deal was that she wanted to brush aside everything in her life. Her practice and its clients, business obligations and personal ones had become an inconvenience.

'Samantha Hilliard.' Just her name started the wanting again. Sterling had never experienced this kind of feeling and wasn't sure what to do about it. She couldn't just take Sam hostage and lock her indoors for the next three weeks, making love to her over and over, but it was what she wanted to do. Sterling's rational mind told her to drop the 'what if' and try to get a grip on what she could do about the situation.

'I guess the first step is to call her and ask her over to my house. I could hire someone to come in and cook for us. God knows, I can barely burn steaks on the outdoor grill.' It seemed like a good plan and had a calming effect for about ten minutes. Then the panic started up again, the urgency to hear her voice. Sterling lifted the receiver of the air phone in front of the vacant seat beside her. Dialing the number she had memorized the attorney grew impatient waiting for the call to connect to the phone lines on the ground. It seemed like forever, but in truth was only a couple of minutes when the familiar but sleepy voice came on the line.

"Hello. Hello? Anybody there?" Sam started to hang up but her instincts stopped her.

'I woke her up. I am such an idiot. Of course I woke her up, it's only eight thirty and it's Sunday!' "Hi, it's Sterling." Sam's heart rate increased noticeably. She sat bolt upright in bed, eyes wide.

"It sounds like I woke you. I'm really sorry." She wasn't though. The mental image of Samantha curled up in bed, all warm and soft made Sterling close her eyes and fight to control her imagination.

"I thought you were leaving for Dallas this morning. I certainly didn't expect to hear from you. What a nice surprise."

"Do you always say exactly what you mean?" Sterling laughed. "There are women in the world who would not admit under torture what you just freely told me."

"They must be idiots. I have no intentions of playing games with you. Not now and not ever." There was no trace of amusement in her tone.

"Remember you said that. You may regret it later." Sterling laughed again. "I am on my way to Dallas. In fact the captain just announced that we are arriving on time in another forty minutes. I tried to wait to call you, but…"

"Now who's being totally frank? You missed me, huh?" Sam was kidding, but only just.

"In fact, I do miss you." The admission startled them both.

"How nice," the blonde breathed and pulled the pillow beside her to her chest, an unconscious comfort. "You didn't really say when you would be back."

Sterling did not tell Sam that she had been scheduled to stay in Dallas until Wednesday. "I'll be home tomorrow afternoon if I can get a flight out. Will you come to my house for dinner? I'd really like to see you."

"I didn't know you could cook." It was a stall tactic. Sam knew her answer, but needed to pull herself together before she agreed. She was fairly certain that more than dinner was involved in this invitation. Otherwise they would be going out somewhere. Wouldn't they?

"I can't cook, but I know people who can. I promise you won't go hungry." Sterling waited, afraid that she was about to be turned down.

Samantha decided there was no point in being coy and took the plunge. "I'd love to have dinner at your house Sterling. It's about time you allowed me into the lion's den. You can learn a lot about people from the space they live in."

"So I am told. I am not totally comfortable with another expose' so soon, but I don't guess it can be avoided. I'll call you when I get in tomorrow and we can decide what time, ok?"

Sam readily agreed and let out a deep sigh as she replaced the telephone in its cradle. 'This is bad. This is really bad. I'd go along with any plan she could come up with right now. Any plan.' The realtor rolled over and out of bed just as her alarm sounded. Normally she would have slept late, but Peter had extracted a promise of her company at the early church service this morning. It was her punishment for being rude last night he said. In point of fact, he would probably grill her for information the entire time that they were together. Sam laughed and headed for the shower.

'I feel better now. At least I know I'll see her tomorrow. In the meantime, I need to get some work done and pull myself together. I'm way too old for a school girl crush.' Sterling shook her head in disbelief. 'Wait until I tell Samson.' She smiled at the prospect anxious for an opportunity to introduce him to Samantha. Maybe they could take a trip to Boston together.

The papers on the fold down tray before her were no longer her enemy and the attorney was able to give them her undivided attention. With the proper attitude, Sterling had the facts committed to memory before the landing gear touched down in Dallas.

Slidell had sent a driver to pick her up in the baggage claim area. The young man held a sign that bore her name with a Stetson hat sitting askew atop the letter 'H' in Hayes. Sterling could not stop herself from laughing. "You're looking for me and I see Ralph still has his sense of humor. The driver broke into a shy grin and took the baggage claim ticket handed to him.

The ride from the airport was pleasant enough. Sterling had never been west of the Mississippi River and the flat, arid land of Texas was quite a change from the lush green of Atlanta. She settled back into the deep seat cushions and watched it fly past her window, an unending stream of browns and beiges. The next thing she remembered was waking up at the extravagant entrance of the Slidell ranch. Ralph had insisted over her protests that his guesthouse would be considerably more comfortable than a hotel room. He also claimed that his best thinking was done during the chauffeured commute to the city each morning. If Sterling was his guest at the ranch, she could join him for the ride.

The car pulled into a circular drive fronting an imposing structure of cypress and stone. The sprawling u-shaped house was surrounded by lush gardens of exotic plants and magnificent greenery. The intercom came alive with her driver's voice. "Here we are. I'll take your bag in and leave it with the maid to unpack. Would you like to freshen up or shall I take you on up to the house?"

"I would like to change, please. Can I walk from here so that you don't have to wait for me?" His laughter was loud enough to penetrate the privacy window between the front and rear seats. His voice came over the speaker again.

"Sorry Ma'am, but its six miles to the main house. I don't think you want to go that far on foot. I can return for you, or you can take one of the guest cars in the garage if you prefer."

Sterling opted to drive herself and the chauffeur quickly came back to open the door for her. He smiled and escorted her to the front door, opening it without any announcement. A beautiful young woman with dark eyes and hair greeted Sterling and showed her down a long hallway to the master suite. "I'd like to take a quick shower before facing Mr. Slidell. It's been quite a long day, considering that it's only breakfast time here."

By the time she stepped back into the bedroom wearing a fluffy terry bathrobe she'd found hanging on the outside of the shower doors, her suitcase had been emptied and the young woman waited by the door. "All you have to do is buzz me if you require anything at all," she offered and was gone.

Finally alone, Sterling looked around her at the luxurious appointments of 'the guest house'. It could have been home to a family of five with no trouble. She toweled her freshly shampooed hair and pulled back the floor length curtains to reveal a picturesque vista. Moving to the bed, she sat and then lay back, wishing she had the time for a short nap. The cool satin of the comforter was a sensuous embrace on the exposed skin of her legs and she closed her eyes. A ringing off in the distance startled Sterling. She lifted the phone to her ear and recognized the drawl of Ralph Slidell, admonishing her for being late to breakfast.

"Sorry Ralph, but I'm practically on my way. I assume I simply follow the drive?" He laughed and made a comment about 'the yellow brick road' that made no sense. Sterling laughed politely, too and hung up. Grabbing her hair dryer from the marble vanity top in the dressing area, Sterling started getting ready to greet the Slidells.

Brunch at the Flying Biscuit was a welcome treat after church and one Sam always looked forward to. She and Peter had arrived early enough to beat the crowd and were anxiously awaiting the scrumptious sounding menu items they had ordered.

The conversation was mostly a rehash of events from the dinner party. Peter had already asked Sam twice where she and Sterling had disappeared to during it. Both times Samantha truthfully told him that they had been talking in the den. When Peter made his third inquiry on the same topic, she realized he was testing her to see if she told the same story every time.

"I feel like I'm being questioned by the police. My story's not changing, Peter. We were talking."

"Ah, but were you using a spoken language or some other means of communication?" His eyebrows moved up and down in a suggestive manner.

Sam swatted his arm, but had to laugh at her friend too. "I realize that you have a great deal of experience with sluttly behavior, but don't try to initiate me into your club." Sam tried to keep a straight face, but the look of righteous indignation on Peter's face caused her to lose her battle. He helplessly joined her in laughter. An attractive woman at the neighboring table was eyeing Sam's shapely legs. Peter watched, expecting his friend to be miffed, but instead she smiled at the woman and re-crossed her legs to afford a better view.

"You're certainly in a great mood today," he observed as the waiter placed their food on the table. "Why so flirtatious?"

"I feel good. Yes, I feel really good." She beamed at him, stirring his endless curiosity once again.

"Do you have plans with her later or something?" He took a bite of a multi-grain pancake and closed his eyes briefly to savor its taste.

"No, but I'm having dinner at her house tomorrow night. I can't wait to see where she lives." Sam's dreamy expression told Peter a great deal. He only hoped his friend's expectations weren't too high.

"I suppose taking some pictures of her house would be out of the question? Yes, that would be tacky." He answered his own question. "Don't forget a single detail, though. I want to hear all about this art collection, especially."

The art collection. Sam knew that Sterling was ashamed to own it on some level but couldn't make herself be rid of it. 'Just another enigma. The woman is a smorgasbord of intrigue. I can't wait until tomorrow night.'

"Who was that handsome guy in the green shirt you had cornered in the kitchen during dessert last night?" Peter launched into a full-scale biography.

Ralph Slidell was tall and leathery. To Sterling he was a perfect representation of what a Texas millionaire should look like. He had made his money in oil like many of his fellow statesmen, but Ralph had made the decision to distribute his own product. So far, he had opened seven gas stations around the Dallas area and the idea was working well for him. Ralph was ready to try his concept in other states, which is why he needed Sterling's legal expertise.

Slidell had liked the young woman the moment they met at a party in Charleston. He recognized something of himself in her demeanor. Sterling was a rainmaker.

"Where the hell have you been? We start the day early here! " Slidell chided her good naturedly.

"Of course you do. It takes an hour just to get to the end of your driveway." Sterling shook the hand offered her. She sincerely liked Ralph and his open manner.

"Leave her alone dear. Sterling is probably not in the mood for your antics this early." Robyn Slidell glided across the room and took her seat at the breakfast table. "Good morning my dear. I trust you found everything alright at the guest house." Robyn graced the dark haired attorney with a smile. She had been a stunning woman in her younger days, no doubt and she still possessed a timeless beauty of sorts. Her eyes crinkled as she appraised the younger woman sitting beside her.

"That's quite a guest house. You must be accustomed to entertaining oil sheiks and their harems." Sterling shook out the linen napkin and placed it on her lap. An elderly woman in a starched white uniform poured coffee for her.

"My husband still believes in tasteless displays of wealth. After all of these years you would think that I would have taught him to do things differently." The look that Robyn gave Ralph belied a deep devotion between the two.

"Robyn grew up filthy rich and wild, with a true disdain for wealth. I grew up scrapping for my next meal I was so poor. She has learned to forgive my vulgarities when it comes to spending money." His affectionate glance also spoke volumes about the feeling between these two improbable lovers of twenty years.

Sterling sipped the rich coffee and studied them before remarking. "I suspect that you have required a truckload of forgiveness from this lovely woman Ralph. It appears to me that her only character flaw is this inexplicable fondness for a certain weather beaten cowboy." Robyn met Sterling's eyes for a moment before nodding.

Ralph started to protest the charge, but was quieted by his wife. "Your breakfast is getting cold and Matilda will chastise you harshly if you don't eat dear."

As the three were finishing up their leisurely breakfast, Robyn announced her plans to head into town later in the day for some shopping. She extended an invitation to Sterling, merely as a courtesy. "No thanks. I suspect Ralph has other plans for me. I was ordered to bring riding apparel but after pointing out that I have never been on a horse, he agreed to show me around the place in a car."

"Don't be fooled. He probably plans to take you out in that ratty little jeep of his. I hope you have a good chiropractor back home. You will need it." She laughed and swept out of the room.

Slidell looked after her. "She is the most amazing woman."

"Yes, Ralph, she truly is." Sterling could not help but agree. Robyn had a self-possessed zest for life about her.

"Everything was put on this earth for her amusement you know, most especially me." He smiled the smile of a smitten teenaged boy. "I am the luckiest man I know," he said as he turned to Sterling. "We can head out now, if you're ready." She nodded and they were off on their excursion.

By late afternoon Sterling was exhausted. They were on the skeet range out behind the main house when she finally admitted to Ralph that she had under slept a little the previous night and was all in. He suggested a rest, explaining that Robyn had planned a Texas barbecue and invited a few friends for dinner. The lawyer raised an eyebrow at the mention of 'a few' friends.

"Nothing elaborate, really. Just twenty people or so, don't worry. Pull!" He cleanly broke his next three targets, beating her score by a close margin. His competitive nature satisfied, he allowed Sterling to slip away for some much-needed rest.

The cool darkness of the bedroom in the guesthouse was a welcome contrast to the bright Texas day in progress. Sterling had stripped down to her underwear and donned a well-worn tee shirt that she slept in often. Comfortable under the light sateen sheets the attorney expected sleep to claim her immediately, but was pleasantly surprised to find her mind inhabited with a flock of 'Samantha memories'. More and more the attorney found her thoughts wandering back to the shining eyes, peeking seductively from underneath blonde bangs.

'I'm not supposed to miss her this much. What in the devil is so different about this woman that I can't think her off of my mind?' The dark beauty rolled over onto her stomach and pulled the pillow into her face, willing herself to think of something else, or better yet, think of nothing at all. She pondered the deal she was putting together for Ralph Slidell for a few minutes until she felt herself getting sleepy.

Sterling never even realized that she was once again remembering a smiling Samantha, kissing her goodnight the previous evening when she finally succumbed to sleep. "Goodnight," she mumbled.

Monday was a busy day at Sam's office, which was not generally the case. Everything that could go wrong did. "The inspector is on the line about the Elm Street checklist." Sam dropped her head into her hands in an effort to wish away the beginnings of a headache.

With the inspector taken care of, Sam made her way into the kitchen, swallowed two aspirin and drank an entire glass of ice water to chase them down. 'Surely to God I am not getting sick. Please tell me this is just a sinus thing or something.' She would allow nothing, under any circumstances to interfere with her dinner plans. 'I'll go in an ambulance if I have to.' Sam laughed at the mental image her thought inspired. She heard a faint announcement on her intercom and realized that Peter was transferring a call to her desk. Sighing deeply the realtor headed back into her office to put out the next fire.

"This is Samantha, can I help you?" Sam shuffled the papers on her desk into a neater pile.

"How about forgiving me long enough to have dinner with me." Beverly's voice registered and Sam was immediately uncomfortable.

"It's good to hear from you, Bev. Everything going to suit you?" Small talk was not really called for. Sam had no intention of agreeing to dinner, but wondered if she should mention her reasons. By the time Beverly gave her a synopsis of her life's events since their last meeting, Sam had decided to confront the problem head on.

"About dinner, Bev. I would be glad to meet you somewhere." Samantha was trying to clearly offer friendship and nothing more without causing the further pain of saying so in exact terms.

"Not eager to go out with me are you? Maybe you would change your mind if we spent some time together. I heard your message the last time Sam." Beverly sounded sincere, but the realtor had no intention of letting any misconceptions take root.

"I enjoy your company immensely, Bev, you know that. I'm glad you do understand how I feel, because I'm seeing someone and I wouldn't want there to be any misgivings on anybody's part."

Beverly's spirits crashed to earth. She tried to control the disappointment in her voice. "Congratulations. Is it anyone I know?"

"Yes, you took her loan application."

Suddenly, Beverly knew who the object of her ire was. "Sterling Hayes. You never mentioned that you were interested in her." Her voice held an accusatory tone.

"Well, I didn't really know I was at the time," Sam responded defensively. "It's just one of those things Beverly. Don't take it so personally."

"You're sleeping with her aren't you?" The outburst was a surprise to both parties.

"That's none of your business Beverly." Samantha's response was clipped.

"I guess I have my answer then. I hope you two are very happy." The banker was being sarcastic of course. Sam decided to pretend that Beverly's good wishes were sincere and return them, but the line suddenly went dead. She felt a sinking feeling as she hung up the phone. Fortunately the chaos of her office didn't allow her to dwell on it for long.

Ralph's office was appropriately lavish in its furnishing. The décor, although very masculine, had a real flair and Sterling told him so. Slidell attributed it to his wife's influence, explaining that she had fired the decorator on the third day and taken over the considerable task herself. She smiled and passed through the door to the conference room ahead of him to begin their meetings.

Ralph had been disappointed to learn that Sterling would be flying out that same afternoon but he admitted that they could conceivably handle the necessary paperwork by mail. As long as things went smoothly at the conference table this morning, Sterling would be home in time for her much anticipated dinner date. Nothing on the planet could have deterred her from her course as she plunged into the explanation of the documents she was presenting to the conference attendees.

Driving home in the rush hour traffic had left Sterling's nerves frazzled. She sent a prayer of thanks skyward for having had the presence of mind to call Sally earlier. The lawyer had planned on use of the "Three B's", bullshit, bribery and begging if necessary. To her surprise, Sterling's secretary had willingly taken on the task of planning dinner at home for Ms. Hayes and her guest.

Finding a willing chef on short notice had been less of a challenge than expected. It turned out that a number of qualified men and women worked in restaurants that were closed for business on Monday. Sally chose a consultant for a national catering concern who was a graduate of the prestigious Chicago Cooking Institute. His fee equaled two weeks salary for the secretary, but she had been instructed to hire the best.

Sterling's housekeeper, a diminutive woman of very few words, coordinated the arrival of the grocer, florist and ultimately the chef. By the time the barrister swung through the rear door of the kitchen, the house was filled with delicious smells.

A handsome young man turned to greet the new arrival and realized that she was not a part of the service group. Wiping his hands on his apron, the chef greeted Sterling and assured her that everything would be perfect for her evening. She had to walk through the dining room to reach the stairs and stopped in her tracks when she saw the table.

Elegant floral arrangements adorned the table and sideboard. The Waterford crystal that Gino had insisted on buying for her in her law student days shot reflections of blue light from the chandelier at her. The china and linen, she didn't recognize but approved of instantly. 'Does this make me look good or what?' Rubbing her hands together in excitement, she continued through the entry foyer and swung herself up the stairs using the banister to help launch each leap of three steps. Only when she turned the hot water handle in the shower room did she realize she was whistling.

The housekeeper was about to open the front door in response to the ringing doorbell when Sterling stopped her. "No! Let me get that, please." The quiet woman shrugged and headed to check on things in the kitchen.

Samantha stood in the warm glow of the porch light, an absolute vision. She wore a Navy pea coat that hung open to reveal a midnight blue, lacey camisole over threadbare blue jeans and sneakers. "You look about sixteen years old. Thank God you're not, I could get arrested for my reaction to that outfit." Sterling smiled her most winning smile, took Sam's hand and pulled the blushing young woman through the door, into a brief hug.

Taking her coat and hanging it on a coat rack in the entry, Sterling led her guest into the den where a fire was blazing on the hearth. They decided on a glass of wine before dinner.

"The trip was a success, I assume." Sam sipped the dark vintage and approved with a nod.

"Yes, I got Ralph squared away in record time. I was glad to get out of there. The wide open spaces of Dallas really didn't appeal to me much." They made polite conversation until the housekeeper announced dinner and they went in to enjoy it.

Samantha closed her eyes and savored the delicious blend of flavors in the delicate sauce. "I don't know who you had prepare this meal, but it is heavenly."

Adhering to her new policy of total honesty with Sam Sterling confessed. "My secretary hired the chef. He took care of all the rest."

Sam was astonished and flattered that so much care had been given to a simple dinner at home. "I feel underdressed for such a grand gesture. I wish you had told me what you were up to."

Sterling started to protest but decided against it. "Tell me about your day, why don't you?"

The two women talked together over the elegant dinner. The subtle flirtation between them overshadowed the food. Sterling would never be able to recall tasting a single bite of it. Samantha was animated in the telling of her day's events. The attorney sat back and enjoyed every syllable from the vibrant young woman.

Just when Samantha became aware that she was monopolizing the conversation, Sterling spoke up. "You are positively beautiful." The remark was stated as an indisputable fact. Sam colored with embarrassment. "It can't be a surprise to hear that."

Stumbling suddenly for words, Sam reluctantly answered. "No, I admit that I've heard that a few times. It sounds so different when you say it though."

"That's because I understand and appreciate beauty. I'm not just making conversation when I make such a pronouncement. If you're done with dinner I'll show you what I mean." Sterling waited for the shake of Sam's head and pushed her chair back from the table. She took the smaller hand in hers and guided Sam through the archway and up the winding stairway to the gallery above.

As soon as they reached the top step, the lighting changed and Sam was disappointed at the loss of the warmth as Sterling freed her hand. There, on the walls, each under its own mini-spot light hung the art treasures Samantha had heard about. She studied the portraits and still life's, occasionally asking questions that Sterling answered in a low voice. The attorney stood behind Sam, allowing her to focus totally on the art.

"Phillip Pearlstein." The tall beauty named the artist for Sam, who stood spellbound. The study of a young woman lounging in an oversized chair dressed only in a half-open Kimono was powerfully seductive.

Sam turned a corner and exclaimed over the grouping she found. "Oh. This is incredible." Sam admired a charcoal sketch by John Ottis and another by Beardsley.

"I'm afraid the collection of styles is a bit eclectic," Sterling apologized. Sam faced her hostess, wide eyed. She opened her mouth to speak but spotted another grouping over Sterling's shoulder. The realtor moved past the tall figure as if Sterling was not even present and studied each of these new discoveries.

When Samantha finally ran out of wall and art, she found herself in front of the open door of a beautifully appointed bedroom. She realized that not only was she staring, she was being watched.

"Too fancy for me. It's a guest room, although I don't think it has ever been used," Sterling explained. "I sleep over there." Sam's eyes followed as she pointed across the gallery to a closed door at the very top of the stairs. An uncomfortable silence followed as both of the women entertained thoughts they dared not share.

Sam was the first to beat a hasty retreat down the staircase and into the den. Confused with her own feelings of reluctance, she refused the brandy offered her. Instead, she shed her shoes and curled her feet under her on the leather sofa. "This must be the couch you told me about." The young blonde ran her fingers over the well-worn surface.

Sterling laughed. "Yeah. That's the one. How could you tell?" She moved to sit opposite her guest and swirled the dark liquid in the glass she held. "You sure?" She held the snifter up to indicate that the offer of brandy was still open.

"No thanks." Sam turned her attention to the dancing flames in the fireplace. She was struggling to maintain some kind of composure. Having Sterling so close to her made it hard to focus.

The attorney was experiencing similar problems. She gulped, rather than sipped her brandy. "I've been wanting to ask you…" Sterling hesitated. She looked up and found Sam studying her intently. "…How you felt about the other night."

Sam's gaze dropped to her hands immediately. This was a topic her mind had worn out for the last two days, but she was not comfortable opening the conversation about their mutual combustion in Peter's den. Her eyes came up to confront Sterling's again. "I guess I'm a little uncertain. I've been replaying it over and over." A blush rose up her cheeks with this admission. Sterling smiled and came to her rescue.

"Don't feel badly. I, myself, have re-played it non stop and have only come to one conclusion."

"Which is"?

"There is definitely some chemistry between us, Sam. Surely you feel that, too." Samantha studied the beautiful face as if she had never seen it before either in reality or in her dreamscape.

"I feel it. I feel it so much it scares me." Sam's voice was a whisper. Her eyes were huge with honesty under shaggy blonde bangs. The attorney thought that Sam had never looked more beautiful.

Sterling reached her hand out and waited. It was the barest of moments before a smaller hand responded and locked fingers with her own.

Sterling sat her glass on the table and scooted over, closing the distance between them. She slowly reached out her free hand and caressed Sam's cheek, causing the green eyes to close slowly. A soft murmur rose up as their lips met gently again and again. This was different than what had gone on in Peter's den. Instead of the rush of heat, steady warmth began to tingle inside both of them.

Still sitting with her knees pulled up, Sam laid her head against Sterling's shoulder and felt completely at home with the steady, deep throb of the heartbeat she both felt and heard beneath her ear. Sterling circled Sam's shoulder with her arm and pulled her close.

Together they watched the flames wordlessly. Small fingers stroked the fine, dark hair on Sterling's forearm where it rested on top of Sam's knees. Unknowingly, Sterling circled Sam's shoulder with light caresses over and over. Their breathing was somehow synchronized and a perfect content settled over the two figures.

They sat together just like that for a long while. The logs in the fireplace burned down to nothing more than undulating red coals that spilled across the hearth inside the fire screen before Sterling stirred and broke the spell they were under.

"It's getting late." Long legs stretched out, but Sam did not move. Sterling looked down into the upturned face, expecting a question or the demand of more kisses.

Samantha didn't hesitate in her reply. "It is. We should get to bed."

Here were two women who made their living by their command of language and the concepts it represented. A total of ten words had expressed everything necessary between them. The irony of the situation struck Sterling. They stood and approached the stairs again. Sterling stopped Sam on the fourth riser.

"Are you sure about this?" Clear blue eyes were pleading for the truth.

"My head answers no, but all of my instincts cry out in favor of it. Let's not put ourselves under too much pressure by analyzing this, OK?" Sam smiled and started up the steps again.

Trembling fingers struggled with the simplest of button closures. Slowly, the pile of clothing on the floor began to grow. Soon Sam wore nothing except the dark blue camisole and a whisper of brief satin panties in the same hue. Sterling took a step backward to take in the entire vision before her. "Wow," was the only response she could manage before running her fingers over ample curves of soft skin.

Sam had been able to peel away slacks and shirt to reveal a black lace bra and high cut matching panties. "Who buys your underwear?" she murmured into Sterling's neck as she nipped and sucked gently on the hollow of her throat. "I'd like to send them a thank you note." A low rumble of laughter answered her remark, but the attorney was too busy with her exploration to respond further.

The two women found themselves stretched out on top of the satin comforter that covered Sterling's bed. Naked skin broke into Goosebumps at first contact with the chilling fabric. Soon enough they generated enough heat to counteract the effect. Sterling rolled them over so that Samantha was stretched out on top of her own long frame. The smaller woman briefly raised herself up to study the face beneath her own and smile. "I'm going to let you think you're in control of this situation for the moment." The hand that cupped the back of her head drew her down and into a searing kiss that literally stole her breath.

"What makes you think anybody is in control of this situation?" Sterling returned the smile now with a very sexy smile of her own. Thinking herself clever, she reached for the firm roundness of Sam's butt and pulled to intensify the contact of pelvis on pelvis. The soft moan that broke from her own lips surprised Sterling, as did the wash of heat that rose up her torso from the place where their bodies met.

Sterling wove arms and legs around her partner and pulled Sam fiercely into her own body, needing all the touch of skin they could produce. The mind numbing kisses started up, accompanied by a subtle rocking of lower regions. Sam thought she might pass out from the intensity of feeling flashing over her nerve endings, through her body and to her malfunctioning brain. "God, that feels so good," was all she could think, not even realizing that she was whispering the thought into Sterling's ear simultaneously.

Just as the hooks on Samantha's bra gave way to skilled fingers and its satin straps began to slip from her shoulders an explosion of glass could be heard on the first floor. The instincts of her youth intact, Sterling rolled both of them off the bed and positioned Sam's smaller body behind her own. Squatting between the bed and the wall, she quietly slid the drawer of her nightstand open and produced a pistol. Its dark surface reflected very little light, but Sam was sure of its identity none the less.

"Stay here." Hot breath accompanied Sterling's whisper as it reached Sam's ear in the darkness. A blonde nod was unseen as the attorney, pulling on her discarded slacks and blouse Sterling once again hefted the weight of the pistol and stepped stealthily out of the room onto the landing.

The flicker of light was immediately identifiable as fire in the lower level of the house. Sterling threw on the light in the upstairs hall and located the panic button on the alarm pad. Pushing the fire button, she retreated swiftly into her bedroom to collect Sam.

"Come on, there's a fire downstairs!" Sterling waited impatiently until Sam stood by her at the bedroom door. The taller woman took Sam's hand then and led her quickly down the curving stairs to the entry foyer. "Wait here!" Sterling commanded and flew to the arched opening that led into the living room. Thick smoke was beginning to roll out onto the marble floor. The threat of intruders forgotten, Sterling jammed the pistol into the waistband behind her.

"I've got to get you outside. We can go through the kitchen!" Sterling took Sam by the arm and propelled her through the house and out the back door into the dark night.

"The fire department will be here in a minute. You wait out front for them, OK? I'm going to make sure the flames don't spread to the gallery." She pointed to the second floor, indicating the collection Sam had been shown earlier. The thought of fire consuming the treasures that she had immediately come to appreciate made her slightly nauseous. Sterling didn't wait for her reply, but ran back into the house and began jerking open doors in search of a fire extinguisher.

Sam stumbled down the steps, clutching her thin camisole to her naked chest. She had just turned the corner and managed to put it on when the motion detectors of the spotlights responded to her presence and flooded the front yard with yellow light. A siren in the far distance began its grinding scream. Sam jumped when the heavy drapes on one front window crashed down inside the dining room. Billowing smoke subsided long enough for her to recognize Sterling's powerful body stomping out the flames on the curtains, then using them to extinguish the fire that had claimed an armchair.

She watched, terrified as flames licked across the rug and onto a sofa positioned in the center of the room. The unmistakable whoosh of a fire extinguisher filled the window casement temporarily with a cloud of flame choking chemical. When it cleared a little, Samantha could no longer see her friend, but the flames seemed to be scattered now about the room.

The closing siren turned the corner near Sterling's house and screeched to a halt at the curb. An immediate assessment of the situation called for the huge truck to pull down the lengthy drive while several firemen sprinted across the lawn and through the front door. Within a few minutes, glass began to shatter as flat fire hoses were passed through the openings. A signal from the fireman standing at Sam's elbow started the opening of gleaming chrome valves on the side of the pumper truck and the hoses jerked as they filled with water to quench the fire. A pair of unidentified hands wrapped her shivering body in a blanket and disappeared into the night before she had a chance to offer her thanks.

Anxious minutes went by. Samantha tried to stay out of the firemen's way as she waited for a glimpse of her tall friend.

Sterling came from around the side of the house limping, her face smudged with soot. In her rush to get Sam to safety, the attorney had forgotten to grab her shoes. The shards of broken glass on the living room floor had cut up her unfeeling feet. When she was close enough to be certain that Samantha was all right, the pain finally penetrated her brain and she sunk to the lawn. Samantha was immediately by her side, covering Sterling with her own blanket and reassuring her. An emergency medical technician ran from the curb carrying a large black satchel. She knelt in the damp grass beside her patient and began her assessment of Sterling's condition. "Allergic to anything?" she wanted to know. Pulling medical supplies from the bag beside her, the young woman tried not to notice the looks passing between the two women on the lawn.

Clear blue eyes darted over Sam's face momentarily, closing for an instant of pain as a jagged piece of glass was plucked from her right heel. "Thank God we heard it," she said softly, grasping the smaller hand offered her and holding it to her blackened cheek. Sterling suddenly realized that Samantha was wearing nothing but her silky camisole and struggled to free the blanket tucked around her. "You must be freezing, not to mention how distracting that outfit has to be for the firemen. No time for underwear, huh?" The EMT added her agreement with a subtle smile as she worked to stop the flow of blood from the wound.

They had been in the emergency room for over an hour and no one had told her anything about Sterling's condition. Worry was wearing out her judgement as she paced, the blanket now falling loosely from her shoulders, like a cape. Sam was just about ready to storm the treatment rooms to find the object of her affection. The double doors that Sterling's stretcher had disappeared through swung open now and the young EMT who had allowed Samantha to ride with Sterling in the ambulance walked toward her.

"Your friend is fine. She has some pretty nasty burns and needed a few stitches in the worst of those lacerations on her feet." The uniformed woman fought to keep her eyes from drifting to Sam's partially exposed cleavage.

Samantha, obviously relieved, became preoccupied almost immediately. "I don't know how I'll be able to keep her in bed until she heals," she said softly.

The EMT emitted a short burst of laughter and smiling eyes confronted Sam. "Somehow I don't think that will be a problem. You take care of yourself, too." She bade Samantha a good evening and walked away shaking her head in amused appreciation for Sam's predicament.

"Miss Hilliard?" The sound of her name spun Sam around and she almost collided with a woman in pale green scrubs. "Come with me, please."

"Is Sterling alright? Can you tell me anything about her condition?"

"The doctor has seen and treated her. She inhaled a good deal of smoke but is going to be fine. We really need her to stay here overnight." The woman turned to face Sam now who was so relieved she went limp. "Dr. Redmond asked me to see if you would help us convince her. She has asked for you a dozen times in the last hour. We assume you have a powerful influence with her." Sam could read nothing in the woman's expression.

"I'll try, but I don't know that she'll listen to me either." Sam blinked, wondering if she did in fact have any influence with her 'almost' lover. The question started up a mental newsreel of the minutes that preceded the fire. Samantha's breath came a little quicker and she pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders when she realized that her nipples were plainly visible in their suddenly aroused state.

"Room number three. Right behind that curtain." The woman pointed at a huge curtain that covered the exposed opening of a glass-fronted cubicle. Sam made the trip in three quick steps and pulled aside the curtain cautiously. Sterling was lying, still and pale under the bright light of the raised examination table. Samantha instinctively reached out beside her for the light switch that was indeed at her fingertips and shut it off. Dark eyelashes fluttered as the attorney, instantly alert, struggled to focus in the sudden brightness around her.

"It's me." Samantha reassured her friend as she moved to take Sterling's hand in her own. "How are you feeling?"

The dark head of hair was in total disarray as it fell back onto the pillow of the exam table. "I'm fine. I just wish they would hurry up and let me out of here. I need to take care of the fire damage. The house is sitting there wide open to burglary or another attack."

Sam's eyes opened wider. "Is that what happened? I wondered if it was the fire from the den fireplace, but I couldn't see how it would spread so fast."

The clear blue of the sky was mimicked in the eyes that gazed down at the fragile looking young woman. "Somebody did it on purpose. The arson expert from the fire department has been called in on the case." She waited a moment to let the information sink in. "I'll be hiring us a body guard right away. Do you mind?"

Sam shook her head but she was frightened. "Who would want to harm us Sterling?"

"Not us. Me. Unfortunately, plenty of people would just love to hurt me." Her face was all apologies as she told Sam the grim truth. She raised the hand that she held to her lips and kissed the knuckles. "I am so sorry to involve you in this."

There were a host of questions that the realtor wanted to ask and intended to do so, but the woman in green scrubs came into the room. "Did you make any progress convincing her to stay with us tonight?"

"Not yet, I haven't gotten that far. Surely she wouldn't do something to jeopardize her health though. Not when she knows that it would upset me terribly." Sam gave Sterling a searing look and leaned in closer to whisper to her. "I need you to get healthy as soon as possible. We have some unfinished business."

A slow burn started in Sterling's nether regions while she stared hungrily at Sam's mouth, willing the nurse to leave them alone. Samantha plainly read the look. "I need a minute alone with my friend," Sam requested. She turned and thanked the departing nurse with a nod of her head. Her voice dropped low as the woman passed close to her. "Let me see what I can do. I'll be out in a few minutes and let you know." The woman in green nodded and whisked past the curtain.

"Now, where were we?" Sam asked innocently. She leaned down for a much needed kiss and was surprised at the urgency with which it was answered.

"Yow! I thought you were supposed to be injured there, hot stuff." They both laughed but a grimace formed on Sterling's chiseled features from the effort and she coughed deeply.

"What is it?" Sam was frightened by her friend's sudden reaction.

"Nothing to worry about." Her argument was not convincing and she knew it. "I just need to rest for a day or two."

"Don't think so friend. Miss Congeniality there," she indicated nurse in green, "says they need you to stay here tonight. The smoke, the stitches, the burns…well, you're just a mess." Sam laughed. "I think it's time to consider a mandatory vacation. What do you say?"

The green eyes that held hers were only inches away. Sterling could feel Sam's warm breath against her neck. The gentle rhythm of it was lulling the attorney into a trance. Her voice formed words without bothering to consult her mind. "Whatever you think, but I'm not staying if you don't stay with me." Sam kissed her softly and grinned at her success.

"You are a very big baby aren't you?" Sam squeezed Sterling's hand and went looking for someone who could arrange the transfer of her friend to a room for the night. When she returned, Sam was surprised to find Sterling awake and watchful.

"I thought you might be resting by now. Are you sure you're comfortable? Are you cold?" Sam started to pull the blanket from her shoulders but Sterling stopped her.

"I'm not cold at all, besides you'd start a riot in that outfit." She touched the hem of the silky top, then grasped it and used it to pull Samantha close to her. Sterling placed her hand against the fabric that covered the taught skin of Sam's abdomen and closed her eyes in appreciation of the feeling. Massaging gently with her fingers, the attorney felt the young woman lean into her touch and moaned, involuntarily. "I'm suddenly in favor of getting the hell out of here and finding a private place to do some 'healing'." Sterling's wistful face studied Sam.

"You're not supposed to over-exert yourself, remember?" Sam leaned closer as not to be overheard. "I'm not about to settle for less than your full potential when we finally get to make love."

The injured woman opened her mouth to speak, but the chance was lost as the curtain swept aside and the nurse re-appeared. A young man pushing a gurney came up behind her.

"You're transferring to 206. He'll take you there." The curt woman placed Sterling's clipboarded records in a basket at the gurney's end and left.

"Thanks for taking care of my friend," Sam said sarcastically to the back of the woman who was already retreating way down the hall.

"She's a bitch." Sterling's automatic response caught the young man off guard. He spat out the breath he didn't know he had been holding and introduced himself.

"I'm Steve. Welcome to Piedmont Hospital." He smiled at both of the women respectively. "She better hope she never gets sick. There are a number of people who work here who would like the opportunity to see her on the receiving end of some customer service." Sam laughed and gathered her friend's clothing from where it had been tossed under the exam table.

"Can you help me move you over here, or should I call for some help?" Steve studied Sterling trying to assess her injuries.

"We can manage." Sterling started the painful process of shifting her weight onto the mobile stretcher. Samantha walked quietly beside her down the long corridors and into the elevator that would carry them to their accommodations for the evening. A friendly blonde nurse met them at the assigned room and helped Steve settle her patient.

Watching Sterling swallow the plastic cup full of pills and chase them with water the nurse promised to check up on them both throughout her shift, which ended at 8 a.m.

Once Steve had brought Sam a hospital scrub shirt and had told them where the ice machine was hidden, they were finally alone.

Sterling lay with her eyes closed, breathing evenly. Sam, nesting in the room's one uncomfortable chair, assumed she was asleep and so was startled when the deep voice resonated from the close walls. "I should have handled Ricky Hall differently." She looked to Sam who shifted under the weight of her hospital blanket and waited for an explanation.

"A client's son. Last Saturday his father called me to get him out of jail. Bob's been a client of mine since I came to Atlanta. His son needs to be in jail, for a long time." Sterling shook her head to eradicate the memory of the charges she had read on his sheet at the jail.

Looking up to capture Samantha's gaze she went into detail, feeling that her friend deserved a candid explanation of why her life had been threatened earlier in the evening.

"He was just trying to scare you, right?" Sam's face had paled considerably. Intellectually she knew the kind of clients Sterling had become involved with over the years, but it was hard for her to understand a business vendetta that included firebombing. Her only frame of reference was the monthly Board of Realtors luncheon, which involved nasty gossip, and backbiting from some of its participants, hardly enough to prepare for the blackened shell of Sterling's elegant living room.

"Probably so. I assumed Bob would just call another lawyer. He was probably pissed because he had to tell his wife that her precious son would have to sit tight in his cell until he could figure something out."

"This attack took you by surprise, didn't it?" Sam waited.

"Totally. It's been a very long time since I've even thought about this kind of violence and retribution and several lifetimes since I've been this close to it personally." Sam had a question mark on her face and Sterling figured she might as well tell the troubled young woman the whole story.

She quietly explained the circumstances of the explosions that left Gino without a lawyer and Sterling without a job. She related the tale of hiding out in a remote beach house while her lover struggled with his sons for control of the family business. She left out nothing except her tryst with Gino's daughter Anna. That was something that the dark woman had almost convinced herself was imagined anyway and definitely not anything she wanted to share with the current object of her affection. Her sexual involvement with Gino for all of those years was enough for Sam to have to digest.

The attorney settled her head back into the bank of pillows behind her head and closed her eyes. Breathing a heavy sigh she finally spoke again. "I started looking over my shoulder when dad moved us to the projects and I've never really stopped. This time, I simply let myself be lulled to sleep by time and distance. I could have gotten you killed Sam and I'm sorry." She looked at the beautiful young woman sitting at her bedside. Her face smudged with soot, and her blond hair tousled, Samantha looked like a kid who had spent the afternoon playing and was due for her nightly bath. Sterling voiced her thought and Sam leaped up to see herself in the mirror above the inset sink.

"Why in the heck didn't you tell me I looked like a prisoner of war?" Sterling laughed richly and raised her arms to protect herself from the playful jabs Sam threw at her.

"I thought you were going for the innocent waif look. It's mighty appealing to me." The attorney grabbed the hand that once again teased at hitting her. She held it to her cheek and studied the mysterious green eyes that watched her. "I really am sorry I brought you into all of this, but I am going to take care of it. I promise you that no one else will threaten your safety." She kissed the palm, letting her lips linger a moment before releasing the warm hand.

Reaching for the telephone, Sterling punched the digits of a memorized number and talked in low tones for several minutes. "That was a private investigator I use for my law practice sometimes. Charlie's an ex-low life, but good at his job. I've asked him to line up some protection for us temporarily. He'll put his ear to the ground, too and try to verify that this was Bob or Ricky Hall's doing." The tall body stretched under the sheets, bringing a grimace to Sterling's face. "Guess I'm a little sore." Sam nodded and scraped her chair closer to the bedside so that she could hold the long, slender fingers of the hand that rested on top of the sheets.

A yawn escaped from Sterling's surprised mouth. "Apparently they have sedated me? That wasn't your idea was it?" she accused Sam.

"No, but I wish it had been. You need to rest. We both do." She leaned over the lowered bed rail and kissed Sterling's grateful lips twice. A third kiss would have prevented sleep instead of heralding it. Sam settled beneath her blanket again and propped her feet up on the bed platform. Within minutes, both women were sleeping soundly.

As promised, Sterling woke to a multitude of aches and pains, not the least of which emanated from a burn on her forearm. Covered with bandages, the attorney had never even had the opportunity to see the wound that was causing so much pain that her teeth were on edge. She reached for the button to summon the nurse, but her movement woke Sam who was instantly on her feet.

"What do you need? What can I do?"

Unable to resist, Sterling assumed a painful countenance. "I think it's my heart!"

Samantha stared, wide-eyed on the verge of panic, until she realized that Sterling was being a smart-ass. Embarrassed by her response, she balled her fists and beat them against the mattress at the tall woman's feet. "You are so exasperating sometimes! My God, you scared me half to death!"

Realizing that she'd gone too far with her joke, the attorney apologized before summoning the nurse. The sting of an injection in her hip was a small price to pay for relief from the pain she was experiencing. Sam watched with great interest as Sterling's hospital gown was lifted to reveal the dark, sexy panties she had seen earlier in the evening. The nurse obscured Sam's view just as the fabric was pulled aside for the injection, disappointing the realtor. Sterling noticed the look on her face and raised a dark eyebrow. As soon as the nurse left the room she commented.

"Pervert! I saw you trying to look up my dress! How can you take advantage of a pitiful, injured woman that way?"

Samantha laughed quietly.

Twenty minutes later, the injection kicked in and Sterling's pain faded enough for her to return to sleep. Sam stayed seated in her chair, but now lay her torso across the mattress and rested her head on Sterling's shoulder. That's the way the nurse's aide found them the following morning.

Charlie Stevens had almost gone down the wrong road in his life. A punk from his high school days on, he got involved with a 'bad element' as his father called it and nearly spent his twenties serving time. Fortunately the old man didn't give up on him and Charlie had managed to turn himself around. He still had a penchant for women, who were on the sleazy side, but his work was legitimate and he was good at his job.

Finding Sterling Hayes a bodyguard was easy enough. Unlimited funds, one home and her own office made the job simple. He scrolled through the list of possibilities and began the elimination process. A brief knock on his door announced the entry of his secretary.

"You never wait for me to say 'come in'. What if I was in here naked or something?"

"Well, I can always use a good laugh chief. Watch your ashes." As soon as she said it, the long ash of Charlie's cigarette fell into the keyboard under his fingers.

He looked up sheepishly, knowing that he would now receive another scolding. He had ruined three keyboards with cigarette ash and spilled coffee in the last nine months. Cheryl was forever cautioning him about his sloppy work habits.

"I'm not even going into the ninety-sixth lecture about that." She indicated his ash-covered keyboard. I've talked to the Security Company." She read the notes she had scribble on the pad in her hand. "Constant taping, starting over every six hours, two hundred and thirty five degree pan on both corners. He'll leave the paperwork here and go over it all with you in the morning." Upgrading the security system in the rental house would cost Sterling a bundle, but she had no choice now.

"Good work. Now, if I can find an appropriate bodyguard, we'll be all set." He returned to the names listed on his screen and double clicked on one of them. Scanning the qualifications, Charlie felt Cheryl's presence behind him as she came around his desk to read over his shoulder.

"Not that one, boss. He's too hot tempered. Miss Hayes said on the voice mail she left that she specifically wanted someone low key." Charlie had talked to Sterling the previous evening, but she had called his office twice during the wee hours before dawn with additional instructions. Both of the additional calls pertained to security precautions at Sam's home and office, which were probably unnecessary, but Sterling was taking no chances.

"How about this woman? I know one guy she worked for…that wrestling celebrity." Charlie struggled for a name while Cheryl vetoed his applicant.

"Not! She's not classy enough for this job, boss. She had a plum rinse on her hair and a pierced eyebrow the last time I saw her! Must think she's a teenager or something," Cheryl mumbled.

"Where do you hang out that you ran into somebody fitting that description?" Cheryl ignored him as her eyes read quickly down the page.

"This guy!" She put her finger on the name of her pick for the job. "He'll be OK with the girlfriend, too." Sterling had been candid about that part of her situation, wanting to be sure Charlie hired someone who would not have a problem with her romantic interest.

"Yeah. I remember him. It says that he's available. Why don't you see if you can get him on the phone for me?" Cheryl picked up the receiver by his hand, letting out a huge sigh.

"Right. I can see that you're disabled." She punched the numbers and waited.

"I thought you might go to your desk and make the call. No need to maintain a level of professionalism now, is there?"

"I don't know, is there?" She pointed at the overflowing ashtray and littered desktop around his computer terminal. "John Warren, please."

Samantha was less than cheerful when she awoke the next morning. Having slept a few scant hours sitting in her hospital chair with her upper body draped over the lowered bed rail onto the hospital bed by Sterling's side, her compact frame was screaming. "Ughhh!" was all that she could manage.

"Good morning." Sterling's smile snapped Sam to attention. It was hard to believe that the twinkling blue eyes belonged to the same woman who had voiced grave concern for their welfare a few hours previously. There was no evidence of physical pain or discomfort either. Sam was amazed.

"How come I seem to feel worse than you do?" The realtor stretched her back and loosed a major yawn.

Sterling laughed and threw back the covers, revealing her fully dressed figure. "I had the bed, you had the chair. Sometimes it pays to be the sick one." She swung her legs over the side of the bed as a look of growing alarm appeared on Sam's face.

"Hold it! You can't get up yet! Where do you think you're going anyway?"

"The doctor is expected here on rounds in the next few minutes. I'm going home as soon as I get his signature on my release."

Samantha noticed the crutches leaning against the wall between the bed and rolling nightstand. Before she could question her friend, Sterling explained that the nurse had brought them at the barrister's request.

"I never even heard her." Sam looked sheepish. "Here, I'm supposed to be looking out for you and I must have just passed out."

"Well, you've been through quite a lot, young lady and you were sleeping soundly. There was no need to wake you for a trip to the bathroom." The brilliant smile distracted Sam from the content of the message she had just received.

"Wait. You mean you called the nurse who brought you crutches, got out of bed and went into the bathroom all while I was sleeping?"

"Then I got dressed."

A smirk formed on Samantha's face. "Sorry I missed that." She stretched again and stood up, pushing the uncomfortable chair back against the wall. "Gosh, I really need to brush my teeth."

Sterling opened the drawer of the rolling stand beside her bed and handed Sam the miniature toothpaste tube and damp toothbrush she had used earlier. "If you don't mind using mine…" Sterling offered.

"It seems foolish to object under the circumstances." Sam was studying the lawyer's mouth when a soft knock announced the young doctor, complete with lab coat and stethoscope who walked through the door.

"Charlie, I want you to find out who did this." Sterling was seated in her second story home office, talking to her now full time private detective. She smiled at her memory of the conversation she had enjoyed a few hours earlier. In her naiveté, Sam had expressed horror when she considered what might have happened if Sterling had not been there when the explosion took place. Her home and all the possessions that she valued would have been lost.

Sterling had almost said aloud what she was thinking. Thankfully, she had not voiced her suspicion that the bomber specifically waited for the attorney to come home. Sam probably would not have been comfortable with the knowledge that they were being watched. Nor would she like hearing what Charlie was confirming with the opinions he expressed.

"Would have tossed it through the upstairs window if they wanted you dead, boss. It's a simple enough target to hit." He lounged gracelessly in a chair that faced her desk.

"What worries me is that I never saw it coming. I used to better at spotting a tail." The barrister shook her head slowly, disturbed at her inability to protect Samantha. 'I know she thinks she understands what I used to be, but there is no way I can tell her how evil that world was. Maybe I should back off for a while until Charlie can confirm my suspicions about that crazy bastard, Ricky Hall.'

Sterling was well aware that Ricky's father, Bob was probably still slightly burned by her refusal to get Ricky out of jail, but now that she'd had time to think about it, her instincts decried their innocence. It was too radical a retaliation and not many people had as good a read on criminal activity as the dark beauty did.

"When does the bodyguard start?"

"John will be by to talk to you this afternoon at five. I told him you had final approval, in case you have a personality conflict with him." Sterling gave Charlie a questioning look. "He's a good guy, boss, but I wasn't taking any chances hiring him without your seal of approval." He grinned sheepishly. Charlie was a good detective partly because he was such a great judge of character. He understood, too well the way this woman he was working for clicked.

Her eyelids closed as she concentrated on a plan of action that might guarantee some modicum of safety to her lovely young friend. Her stalker would have to be aware of her attachment to Sam and that placed the realtor in danger. "Call in some favors Charlie. I have to know if it was Hall. If it was, I'll sit down with him and straighten this out. My gut tells me that it isn't that simple, though." Charlie was inclined to agree with his employer. Uncovering the identity of her attacker among all of the clients she had opposed or lately, dropped would be tough.

The police conducted a half-hearted investigation. Even though she had taken drastic measures to disassociate herself with the entire criminal breed, many of the detectives in the downtown division were not convinced that her turnaround was legitimate. They were patiently waiting for the other shoe to drop. Meanwhile they weren't about to expend any extra effort on her behalf.

Sally, Sterling's secretary, had raised an eyebrow a time or two, upon meeting clients of the firm. Fiercely loyal to her employer, Sally would never have voiced an opinion of the crass individuals that had occupied the waiting area outside Sterling's office periodically. Now, she was being asked to think back over the past six months and isolate any incident or individual that might had led to Sterling's weekend arson attack.

A staff meeting had been called immediately. Sterling had decided to make her people aware of the situation and enlist their help in solving the mystery of her attacker. "I know I can trust your discretion in this matter. It is important to determine the source of this vendetta before it effects you in any permanent way." Sterling watched as some of her staff members blanched at this remark. Apparently they hadn't considered themselves to be in any danger up to that point. She realized that some of them might quit when the full weight of the realization registered. It had amazed the barrister over the years, that her people could work closely with her and take their paychecks without examining the source of the income her practice generated. It had represented some dangerous and powerful individuals since coming to Atlanta. Although she had striven to 'clean up' her client list, her staff would have to be blind not to recognize the larcenous mentality of many.

"The police are investigating, but I suspect we will be more successful in uncovering the source of this problem. You all need to give some thought to the events of the past few weeks and months. If anyone recalls anything unusual, anything at all out of the ordinary, please bring it to me, even if you doubt the significance of the information. We have nothing to go on here." Sterling dismissed the meeting.

All of the individuals leaving the conference room seemed deep in thought. Sterling retreated to her office to catch up on the work that had accumulated in her absence. Sam had been adamant that she remain at home for an additional day before reporting back to her office. Sterling had used the time to make a dozen inquiries among her remaining contacts in the less than legitimate world.

Samson hadn't heard about the incident until Sterling related it to him in sketchy detail. "How did you keep it out of the local papers?"

"The cops here wouldn't give them any information and I denied all interviews. It's not big news unless you know the official charge of arson and the papers don't." Sterling doodled on the pad lying on her desk.

"It's good that the department is clamming up for you." That relieved Samson at least. He understood too well how hard it would be to solve the case if what little evidence they had became public.

"They're not doing it for me. They don't want anyone to see me as a victim. That might gain me some public sympathy. What they would LIKE to see is me crucified on the courthouse steps." Sterling chuckled and continued to draw bold strokes.

"I still think you should let me come down there. I've got months of vacation time saved up and maybe I could…"

Sterling interrupted him. "There's nothing you can do here Samson. I promise you that if I need you, I'll call. I started not to tell you about this at all. I was afraid this would be your reaction. You can't be my protector all my life, man. Besides, I'm a big girl now and I have a good private detective on the case." She could hear Samson heave a lengthy sigh.

"OK, for now. But you had better keep me informed or you'll find me on your doorstep."

She returned her phone to its cradle and let her mind wander over the events of the last few days, never quite consciously acknowledging the name written and re-written on the paper before her. It seemed a travesty to Sterling that she had finally found something worth fighting for in her life and could not discover who her opponent was. Her secretary buzzed and announced a much-awaited call from Bob Hall. "Put him through, Sally." She shifted into her most businesslike persona and retrieved the telephone from her desk.

"Bob, how are you?" Sterling gave him an opportunity to respond to the question with more than a cursory reply.

"I'm doin' great Sterling, and you?" Hall sounded confused.

"Listen, Bob. I ought to come right out with it. I'm not much good at beating around the bush anyway."

"That's an understatement don't you think?" Hall laughed quietly on the phone line.

"I know I probably pissed you off when I walked away from Ricky, sitting in jail, but…"

"Hey, I was hot for a while, but the little shit deserved worse than he got if you ask me. You were right, Sterling. His mother will scratch your eyes out on sight if she ever sees you again, but as for me, I think you were right to walk away."

Sterling was relieved and surprised at Hall's candor. "Thanks, Bob. We've known each other a while and I know you draw a line on the dirty stuff."

"That's all behind me, kiddo. I'm too old for all that." Sterling considered his response and decided to go with her instincts. They were telling her that he was sincere in his lack of malice.

"I guess I'm asking for a favor then." The barrister told Hall the sketchy details of the attack on her house. A low whistle was his only reply for a few moments, before he began offering council to her.

"Nobody does that kind of thing anymore. High drama gets you too much publicity and besides, they can screw you eighteen different ways with this new technology so why risk it?" Hall grew quiet.

"It was supposed to be a message, I'm sure, but I don't know what message. Somebody has to know something about this Bob. Can you help me out for old time's sake?" Sterling waited, knowing it could go either way.

"I can be a son of a bitch kiddo, but an attack like this reminds me that we're all vulnerable. I don't like it." 'My family is only a couple miles away from where this happened,' He thought to himself before making his offer. "I'll ask around and let you know. Give me a couple of days, huh?"

Sterling offered him her gratitude but hung up feeling no better about the situation. It would have been obvious, but logical for Hall to come after her. Convinced of his innocence in the matter, she now had to determine who else was suspect.

The office had been a mad house for the past two days. It was near the first of the month and all of the real estate company's clients were trying to close on property at the same time. 'It never fails. We're always swamped just when I could really use some time off. This self-employed stuff is not what it's cracked up to be.' Sam grimaced as her phone rang. She was already holding for a mortgage company loan officer on another line. Instructing Peter over the intercom to get the needed information, she pressed the blinking button to connect her caller.

"I've missed you." The greeting was met with silence. Sam recognized the banker's tone as much as her voice and it took a second to recover and respond.

"Hello Beverly. How have you been?" Sam tried to be casual.

"I'm fine, but I hear you've had some lumps and bumps. Are you alright?"

Sam wondered how the banker could know about the incident at Sterling's home. "Sure, just great," was all she offered.

"One of the paramedics is dating our head teller. I just heard about it." Beverly paused, giving Sam a chance to add details.

"There wasn't that much damage, really. It was probably just kids or something." Sam knew she sounded lame.

"The tough kids in that neighborhood use credit cards, not bombs, Sam. What have you gotten yourself into?" Bev's concern sounded genuine enough, but it irritated Samantha none the less.

"Nothing I can't handle, Bev. The police are looking into it and Sterling has a private agency investigating as well. It's fine, really." Her reassurance was a bit too emphatic.

The banker backed off a little. "I was worried about you, that's all. I just hope you're being careful, Sam. How much do you know about this woman, anyway?"

"Enough," was Sam's only response. They talked briefly. The realtor shook her head as she hung up, unable to understand Beverly's refusal to let go of a hopeless situation. Peter's voice woke her from her revelry.

"Line two boss. It's tall, dark and gorgeous!" His laugh was infectious and Samantha matched it with her own.

Sam was aware of her quickened heartbeat as she murmured a breathless "Hello."

"Whatever you're selling this morning, I'm buying." Sterling's rich voice gave Sam as much of a tingle as her remark did.

Three days into a new month, the smoke had finally settled at Hilliard Realty. Samantha had a late lunch date with her Aunt Jane and looked forward to spending the remainder of the afternoon shopping with her. It had been almost four months since Jane had visited Atlanta and a year since Samantha had trekked to Savannah to visit her favorite aunt. The young woman checked her hair in the mirror above the bathroom sink and satisfied that she looked fine, started down the hall to retrieve her purse. One of her agents spotted her and told her about a caller holding for her.

'Great. This always happens when I'm already running late. I don't want Aunt Jane to panic and she will if I'm late. She always assumes that I forgot or something, which is ludicrous. I've never forgotten a meeting with her in my life.' Sam laughed a little to herself as she picked up the phone.

"Hello beautiful. I thought you might like to spend the afternoon at the new house with me. I understand it's vacant as of this morning." Sterling had tried to cool down her relationship with Samantha until she could determine the source of the violent attack on her home. Although she had called several times a day for the past 5 days, they had not actually seen each other and Sterling was missing Sam in a big way.

"Gosh, I don't believe this. You've been too busy to get together all week and now you're free just when I have plans with Aunt Jane." Her disappointment was overwhelming, but she could not cancel on her aunt at the last minute. Jane was only in town for the day.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that. Sorry Samantha. I just thought it might be nice to spend some time together." Sterling was crestfallen, too. "Maybe tomorrow evening? I can call you."

Both of the women were reluctant to hang up, but finally were forced to when Sterling's secretary summoned her to a telephone conference.

"You look like you just got bad news on a loan application…or a pregnancy test." Peter was in her doorway studying her expression.

The realtor picked up her purse absently without even responding to his jibe. "Conflicting plans. It seems like my timing is lousy these days." She looked up at him with a half-hearted smile and patted his shoulder as she swept by him and out the door to meet her Aunt Jane.

As much as she had hated sacrificing an afternoon with Sterling, Samantha lit up when she recognized her aunt, waiting for her in the lobby of the agreed upon restaurant. "My gosh, you are as beautiful as ever!" Jane was truly impressed with the vibrant appearance of her niece.

Sam was blushing a little. Never one to mince words her aunt often overwhelmed Sam with her praise and appraisals. "So are you Aunt Jane. How have you been?"

Small talk occupied them until the waiter arrived and took their lunch order. Jane studied her niece, as they talked, aware of some subtle change in Samantha, but unable to pinpoint what it was. "Yes, they are all fine. Your uncle is still watching football, basketball and baseball on his television in the den." They laughed at the never changing patterns of Sam's uncle Al. "I talked to your father this morning. Sam says he hasn't seen you in a while but that the two of you talk often." Jane knew that the relationship between her brother and Samantha was tenuous at best. She hurt for what both of them had lost as a result of Mattie Hilliard's stubborn refusal to accept the facts.

"Dad met me for dinner last month. Although it's nice to talk to him, nothing replaces seeing him in person. I wish he could come to the house more often." Sam shook her head in confusion. Jane knew that her brother would have liked nothing better and would have risked the ire of his judgmental wife. It was the young woman across the table who would not create trouble for her father by allowing his visits to her home.

The table conversation needed a subject change, as both women were beginning to feel a bit down. "So, how's your love life?" Jane was half-kidding until she noted the startled look on Samantha's face. Slowly the realtor's features formed into a glacier-melting smile.

"Actually, I do have a bit of news on that front." Sam fingered the unused silverware beside her plate nervously. "I've met someone, Aunt Jane." The older woman waited. "Her name is Sterling Hayes. She's a lawyer." Nothing Sam could say to her aunt would reveal her feelings any more than the expression on her face when she pronounced Sterling's name.

"I met her a while back, during that law suit about the office?" Sam waited until her lunch partner nodded, indicating her recollection of the matter in question. "Anyway, later on, she came to my company to look at houses and I happened to be the only one available to show her."

Jane still said nothing. She wanted this confession to unfold, unaided by her own conjecture. Samantha, less embarrassed now that the ice was broken, began to speak in earnest about her new friend. "She is so incredible, Aunt Jane. She is brilliant and beautiful and so strong. You wouldn't believe what she went through when she was young. At least I had parents, even if we couldn't agree on who I was to become."

The older woman couldn't wait any longer to make the remark that kept replaying in her mind. "You're in love with her." It wasn't a question and they both knew it. Sam, however, had never actually allowed herself to consider her feelings in those terms. It was too frightening even now, coming from someone else's lips.

Samantha stammered, obviously shaken by the statement from her aunt. "I…I guess I…I must …be." She felt relief when the admission was made, then fear overtook her. Jane was the closest thing to a mother this young woman had and could read her face like a book.

"You're not sure how she feels about you are you?" Sam shook her head, eyes wide with this new admission. "You could ask her Sam. I'm sure you could just ask her. If she wasn't a principled person, you wouldn't be drawn to her. And I'm sure you have nothing to fear. After all, you are pretty wonderful yourself." Jane reached for her niece's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I'd love to meet her, dear. Can you arrange that?"

"Sure, Aunt Jane. I'll bring her to Savannah as soon as she gets settled in the new house."

"I take it the two of you found one then."

Sam grinned. "Yes, in fact she's there this afternoon, taking a good look around. The previous owners moved out yesterday." The young woman remembered the food in front of her and picked up her fork to address it.

"I don't suppose it's nearby?" Jane smiled at the speed with which Samantha's gaze flew up to meet hers. "Yes, I'm serious. I'd really like to meet this mystery woman and it would be nice to see her new house, too. I presume you'll be spending some time there in the future." Jane laughed and attacked her lunch with vigor, now, too.

A quick call on her cell phone confirmed that Sterling was indeed out of the office and enroute to the new house. Sally promised to contact the attorney and tell her to expect guests shortly. Sam was beaming when she put away her phone. "All set. I can't wait for you to meet her."

Samantha was so busy chatting that she never noticed the silver-grey Oldsmobile following them. The man behind the wheel had been in the restaurant for two hours when they arrived. The hundred-dollar bill he handed the proprietor covered the booth rental and made up for lost business through the latter part of the lunch rush. Besides, the owner had no intention of crossing the man with the coldest eyes he had ever seen by asking him to relinquish his table.

The afternoon traffic wasn't bad at all, and the two women pulled into the drive within fifteen minutes. Sterling's convertible was parked in front of the massive entry bringing a smile to Samantha's face.

Sterling heard them pull up and greeted them at the door just as the Oldsmobile passed in front of her house. It had been moving at a crawl until she appeared on the stoop. It sped away before she had time to get a good look. Trying to convince herself that she was wrong, Sterling shook her head. Her instincts were on full alert and the fine hair on the back of her neck was standing at attention. She wished that she was wrong, but knew that she wasn't.

The lawyer shifted gears mentally, quickly turning her attention to Sam and her Aunt Jane. They were totally unaware of her concerns and she felt no desire to open the subject. Samantha greeted and surprised her with a strong embrace and a kiss on the cheek. Sterling recovered enough to extend her hand to the older woman who waited with an amused expression on her face.

"Sterling Hayes. You have to be Sam's Aunt Jane." The lawyer radiated an obviously heartfelt smile. "I've heard rave reviews about 'Aunt Jane' and nothing else." They all laughed as they went inside. Sterling entered the house last, giving one last look over her shoulder for the suspicious automobile.

Samantha showed her aunt around the first floor of the spacious home. The lawyer followed at a discreet distance, pretending to study the various rooms, but in fact watching the interaction between the two women. Their connection went way beyond the obvious love they felt for one another. The ease with which they communicated and made each other laugh fascinated Sterling, who had never had that kind of relationship with a woman. She felt a rush of envy.

"Sterling has asked me to help her decorate." The young blonde turned now and smiled at her friend, bringing the barrister into the here and now.

"Yes, I need all of the help I can get." She returned Samantha's smile and locked gazes with her. Jane looked from one to the other and discreetly walked ahead to the staircase and up to the second floor.

Sterling continued to stare hungrily at the young woman posed in the doorway before her. She approached slowly, shoving her hands deep into the pockets of her slacks, knowing that if she answered temptation they would do something inappropriate of their own accord. Besides, Aunt Jane was only a few feet away… or at least she had been.

"You look very professional," Samantha remarked. Her eyes took a slow tour of the figure before her. The attorney stopped with several feet of space remaining between them.

"I wish I could say the same, but you don't look professional at all, more like irresistible." The color that rose in Sam's cheeks made her more so and Sterling acknowledged the fact. They talked quietly, unaware of the straining ears at the top of the landing. Jane smiled to herself, recognizing the bite of the love bug.

'It's less of a bite than a munching, actually.' Jane laughed, amused at her observation and continued toward the line of open doors that needed investigating. She thought that a few minutes alone might be welcomed.

Samantha berated herself for wanting to rush into Sterling's un-offered arms. The dark beauty rocked slightly on her feet, fighting her own internal battle. Finally, they spoke at once.

"You go," the attorney insisted.

"I just wanted to …". Sam hung her head and released a huge sigh. "No. The truth is, I neither appreciate, nor understand this small talk we're feeding to each other. I thought we were past this, Sterling."

The attorney stammered, mentally scrambling for an acceptable response to the candid confession. "Your aunt. I thought we ought to maintain some proprieties for her sake."

"Aunt Jane would react if we started going at it like weasels on the carpet but it's like we're on a blind date or something. We can't manage to communicate suddenly."

Sterling had to laugh at the imagery of her friend's first remark, but she was bothered by the accuracy of the last one. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm preoccupied with your safety and this whole business with the fire. I feel lousy about it, Sam. I seem to have put you in danger and I am disgusted with myself for doing that." She pulled her fists from her pockets and pounded one against the nearest doorjamb.

Samantha slowly approached and began to weave her arms around the taller woman's slim waist. Sterling tried to turn away, but Sam wasn't having that and tightened her hold. "Wait just a minute, here. What do you hope to accomplish by pulling away from me? That's what this is all about isn't it?" She waited, green eyes narrowing.

Finally, the dark head nodded and the arms surrounding her jerked away angrily. "Don't you think it might be nice to consult me about MY life? Where do you get off making those decisions for me?" Her hands went to her hips, accentuating her anger among other things.

"You're berating me for trying to protect you, for caring about what happens to you. Is that really fair?" Sterling was a tiger when on the defensive in a courtroom. Here, she was warring with herself, wanting to keep Sam safe by pushing her away and at the same time wanting to bring her close in answer to her own need.

"I'm a fully grown woman. I realize there are some unusual circumstances surrounding your past, but you can't deny us a chance Sterling. Besides, this is a decision we should make together. You won't even talk about it, or what you have found out. Don't you think I realize how careful you have been to avoid the topic?"

Sterling looked contrite. Even for an attorney with her talent for argument, there was no defense against Sam's remarks. "I'm not dealing with this very well, Sam. It's not something I've had any experience with, but I promise that we will sit down together and talk about it in the very near future."

They each took a step to close the distance between them. The kiss they shared was deep and full of passion. The solid presence of the warm body she held against her left Sterling breathless. Heat began to build in her belly and she knew she had to be careful not to let it consume her. Quick images, a slide show of Sam, half naked and lying on the satin comforter of her bed caused the barrister to pull the smaller woman closer and begin again the assault on her mouth. When they broke apart, Sterling automatically looked up the stairs to see if Sam's aunt was anywhere around. The blonde laughed.

"Don't want to get caught, huh?" She pulled Sterling's solid body to her for another embrace, laying her head on the taller woman's chest.

"Who is doing the decorating for you Sterling?" Aunt Jane's voice preceded her down the staircase. She had carefully timed the question as a warning, having stumbled into plain view of her niece a few moments previously, she had witnessed the women kissing. Jane had been surprised at herself for lingering a second to watch. She had often wondered what it must be like for Samantha to live outside the norm and love a woman. Now, she had seen first hand that love had no defining parameters. It was simply love radiating in waves between the two figures downstairs.

The barrister's amused reply surprised Jane. "Your niece has graciously agreed to handle that for me."

Samantha was quick to amend that she had only agreed to help out, not take on the entire project herself. Aunt Jane offered her services to Sam as an assistant's assistant. In fact, the afternoon shopping trip that had been planned was expanded to include Sterling and adjusted from random shopping to seeking out furnishings for the attorney's new home. Three very happy women set out together.

It was very nearly dark when they returned to drop Sterling at her car. Jane stepped out of the car too. Extending her hand, Sterling said her good-byes. She was startled when Jane bypassed the offered hand and pulled the tall woman into her arms. Once she finally let Sterling go she spoke in a low voice to the bewildered woman.

"I suspect that you are going to become a fixture in Samantha's life. She is my daughter for all practical purposes and I want her happiness above everything. You seem genuine enough in your affection for her and I like you on your own merits." Sterling was feeling a bit embarrassed by the praise when Jane continued. "Don't be lulled to sleep by my calm exterior, however. I will hunt you down if you don't treat her well. She deserves to be happy in her life. If you take on the responsibility of loving her, you had better not stand in the way of her happiness." Jane smiled sweetly as she completed her lightly veiled threats and backed away. Sterling could only wave as they drove towards Sam's office to retrieve Jane's car.

Sterling's shoulders were slumped with fatigue when she returned to her office from court. She hadn't slept well since the incident and it was taking its toll. Everyone had long since gone home and the halls were dark. Half way across the room her feet stopped, sensing a presence. Her eyes widened in anticipation as the high backed desk chair began to turn and reveal its occupant.

"Hello Sterling." The voice was soft but unmistakable. The lawyer sucked in great volumes of air trying to counteract the effect of the apparition before her. The low burn of her desk lamp was all that illuminated the office interior. It mimicked subtly the amber glow of the setting sun that day on the Cape. The years fell away and Sterling felt her pulse rate getting stronger. Her lips finally formed the only word her mind could locate among its massive stores of vocabulary.

"Anna." It was a benediction.

"Anna Bertilini." When the attorney said it this time it was an accusation.

"Yes, it's me. The years have befriended you." Her voice softened. " You are as lovely as I remembered." Anna's dark eyes roamed over the lines of the powerful body before her. The seated woman folded her hands in her lap and rocked backwards a little, perfectly at home in her strange surroundings.

Sterling was trying to guess what this visit could be about. Her mind raced over scenarios finding none that made any sense. 'Why?' she wondered, alternating with 'Why now'?

Anna's smile was pulling the dark attorney closer, luring her as Gino's had done once upon a time.

"I didn't realize how much I have missed you. You apparently made your mark on me all those years ago." Only Anna knew how accurate her statement was.

"I can assure you Anna, YOU marked ME. I never understood why you did it." Sterling slowly approached her desk and the seated woman. The surprise of finding Anna in her office was slowly subsiding. She approached the desk cautiously, trying to analyze the situation.

Anna chuckled before a cloud of seriousness settled over her features. "You have no idea what I felt for you, what I feel for you now. You are the kind of careless beauty who careens through life, a string of broken hearts in your wake."

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about, Anna. Actually, I've been on my own since Gino." Her eyes fell to the carpet. The accuracy of her statement confounded her. Was it true? It had been, until Samantha came along. Sterling's gaze flew to Anna. Some deep instinct told her that this had something to do with Sam and it sickened her. Sterling swallowed back the rising bile and struggled not to tip her hand.

"Oh, I know where you've been believe me. I've paid an army of spies to let me know. Charleston was easier than Atlanta. It's so wrapped up in tradition, including gossip. It's probably best that you left when you did. Honestly, Sterling. Sleeping with the governor's daughter was foolish."

Sterling's face grew hot with embarrassment as questions began forming inside her head. 'Why were you watching me? I was no longer representing your family or any of its far reaching businesses. I left all of that in Boston. What did you hope to gain?' Suddenly the facts flew at her. The bomb had been tossed into her living room by a member of Anna Bertilini's organization.

"Can't link it up can you? Why should I give a damn what you were up to? It's so simple and that analytical brain of yours can't solve the riddle." Anna was smug as she folded her arms across her chest.

"I suspect that you're about to tell me. Why don't I sit down?" Sterling looked a little shaky all of a sudden so Anna acquiesced and indicated the chair facing the desk.

"On second thought. Why don't you fix us a drink first? This could take a while."

The tall attorney pressed the panel that hid a small refrigerator and its door swung open. Tossing ice cubes into two glasses, she raised the scotch bottle from the shelf above it, in unspoken question. Anna nodded then turned her attention to the plush office surrounding her.

"I was admiring your taste. This is impressive, particularly considering where you came from. But then, the people here in Atlanta probably don't know your history." Her smile turned sinister and Sterling felt a trickle of sweat start to slowly descend down the ridges of her spine.

"My background wouldn't inspire much confidence in my client list, that's true. Is that what you want, my practice?" Sterling eagerly hoped it was as simple as that.

Anna's laughter was musical. "Heavens, no. You're a fine lawyer and I admire your decision to move away from a dark past. It was lucrative in Boston, but so dirty, wasn't it?" Anna paused, but not long enough to let the woman across the desk from her answer.

"I want a clean start, too and you're going to give it to me." Anna's eyes scanned the ceiling briefly then came swiftly down to ground level to meet and hold Sterling's. She continued. "I'm tired of my bumbling brothers and of the traditional aspects of running the family business. It's all so old fashioned and I'm pretty tired of gun toting goons with broken noses who can't understand words of more than three syllables."

"You're still not allowed to take control because you're a woman." Sterling didn't realize she was saying it out loud.

Anna reacted visibly to the observation. "That's one of many problems," she snapped. My father at least had some class about him. Sal and Joey act like nouveau rich hoods with all that goddamned tasteless jewelry and high-priced toys. Sal thinks he's the picture of success because he has an entire wall of big-screen TV's to watch the WCW on. Joey… well, Joey always was stupid. Between his drug habit and the cheap women he surrounds himself with, he proves daily that he'll never be a grown up."

Sterling waited for Anna to continue. Nothing in the remarks she had just spoken gave the attorney any hint as to the purpose of the fire or this visit.

"I'm tired of it. I want a better life, a fresh start, like you got by coming here." Anna studied Sterling's face to see if she understood before continuing. "I will need legal council that I can trust." Brown eyes shone, giving the attorney a moment to digest her proposal in small bites. "I want a confidante and advisor that understands my business and you certainly do."

Sterling was silenced by disbelief. It gave Anna time to formulate the correct wording for her next statement. "My father loved you above all others. No amount of therapy will ever make me accept that gracefully. Believe me, I have tried." She emptied the glass of its amber liquid and walked across the office to refill it. The distinct walk with its sultry movement of Anna's hips caught Sterling's attention. The lawyer could not help but cast an appraising eye from the glossy hair cascading to a slim waist, then flaring hips over shapely legs. Anna had chosen her dress with care. It revealed every physical asset that she possessed.

"I feel your eyes on me." The dark menace's voice spoke, unnerving Sterling. "I always could. Did you know that?" In her state of shock, Sterling hadn't even realized she had been staring and could not comment. Anna swung around and rested her backside against the counter top of the bar, studying her adversary.

"What do you want from me Anna?" Tired now of the cat and mouse game, Sterling came straight to the point.

"I told you once that I was jealous of the love my father felt for you." Sterling remembered the afternoon in her apartment when Anna had brought her the message from Gino that had instructed her to flee to Cape Cod. She confirmed her remembrance with a nod.

Anna spoke so quietly that the attorney had to strain to make out her words. "I didn't really know how deep that went until after he died." Gino's daughter assaulted Sterling with her eyes now. "I was so angry and my desires kept revolving around that anger like the ball around a roulette wheel. Finally my needs dropped into that little slot and came to settle, on you." The last was spoken almost as a curse. Anna raised her glass in a mock toast and Sterling automatically mirrored her actions.

The attorney seized the moment and spoke. "You know your father loved you, Anna. He loved his family above all else." She entreated Gino's daughter to believe what she knew to be true.

"Yes, but only out of a sense of obligation. It is the way of our ancestors. You, he loved with his whole heart and I can't forgive you that." She waved away further objections. "I've been patient for a long time. I've watched and listened and now I'm told that you have found someone."

Blue eyes clearly registered panic. Sterling tried to counter her facial expression by bluffing. Her laughter was pretty convincing to her own ears. "You're kidding, right? I've peopled my bed with a lot of meaningless toys. That has never changed." They stared each other down. "Besides, why do you really care so much?" Anna smiled quietly, ignoring Sterling's bluff.

"I didn't know which of my many motivations took precedence for a long time." Anna continued her explanation. "I seduced you long ago to punish my father, to vindicate my mother, to prove that my brothers were wrong about you. They said you cared about Papa, but you fell into bed with me easily enough. I almost told him in anger once, but it would have hurt him deeply."

Desperate to connect with this mad woman on some personal level, Sterling gambled with her next statement. "I was there and there was something genuine in your eyes when you made love to me."

"Oh, yes. It was very real, what I was feeling, but not in the way that you thought. My Papa saw himself in you, Sterling. He saw the core of his soul mirrored in yours. It is why he loved you so."

Sterling whispered. "So you wanted me because I was his prize?"

"No, I wanted you because you were the closest thing to Gino Bertilini that I could bed and live with myself afterwards." Shock and understanding bloomed together on the attorney's features. Anna's face was a mask of pain. Sterling began to recognize the depth of disturbance in this woman's twisted mind. The realization doubled her fear.

Anna seemed amused. "It was years before I understood how pivotal that one night, that one incident really was in my life. I had his whore, his love and his twin in my bed, all at once."

Until now, Sterling didn't understand why Anna thought she would be interested in any of this outrageous proposal. The Bertilinis had shed no tears when she left Boston. She had thought herself an embarrassment to them after Gino's death. Expecting Sterling to sacrifice her career was ludicrous. The lawyer was unclear as to the rest of it. "It seems that you are already seeking professional psychiatric help. I should think that would be the best course for you. What on earth do you expect me to do about all of this. Gino is lost to both of us now."

"Professionally, I want you to help me re-invent my family's business here in Atlanta. Your brilliant mind will make a vast difference in the length of time it takes me to get established here. You also have some valuable contacts that I can make use of." Anna sipped from her glass. "Personally, I want you to shrivel up inside and watch the one you want love someone else. I want you to think of her in another's bed and writhe in the agony of it." Anna paused for effect. " I want you to walk away from Samantha Hilliard."

The name hung between them like a prize suspended on invisible wires. Sterling made the mistake of rushing to it.

"If you hurt her Anna, I'll…"

"Don't forget…" dark eyes interrupted. "My family invented threats of violence generations ago." Laughter spilled from the twisted features before her and Sterling clenched her fists.

Struggling to maintain her composure, Sterling spoke in an even voice. "How can I convince you not to do this? What will it take to make you leave us in peace?"

"As long as you leave her alone, she will not be harmed. I will be totally relocated here in a few weeks. I expect you to be at my disposal twenty-four hours a day. If you don't agree to my terms I will make one phone call and your little friend will be dead within the hour. If my technician doesn't hear from me shortly to call it off, he has orders to kill her now. You see, it will do no good to kill me, although I know you are capable of it. Remember too, that my spies are everywhere, so don't consider duplicity. You are to stay away from this woman." Anna smiled a contented smile.

Sterling was stricken. Associating herself with criminals again would be paramount to losing her practice but she could easily manage that in order to protect Samantha. The real problem was the hurt she would be inflicting by walking away from Sam with only some lame explanation. The irony of the situation did not escape Sterling. In order to protect the only person she had ever really loved, she had to give her up. She swallowed the emotion that threatened to spill over into her voice. Without hesitation, her answer sprang from her lips. "I'll do as you ask." It was a solemn promise.

"You love her as much as that then?" Anna was surprised.

Her question got no response. "I am sorry for you Sterling. I know what it is to suffer such a fate."

Sterling had given the sick twist seated before her the only thing she had ever valued and she felt nausea rush through her. "I'd like you to get the hell out of my office now, Anna. I have nothing more to say to you."

Anna rose and eyed the barrister closely. "Yes, I believe I am finally getting what I have wanted for so long."

The taller woman spat acidly. "Take it and get out then! Leave me in peace."

Anna left quietly.

Continued in Part 4.