The Dark Side of the Moon by BadSquirrel

Part Six

The next several weeks were good ones. One of those weeks was spring break. Jordan wanted to take her someplace tropical, but Sarah talked her out of it. She really wanted the spare time to work on her proposal and make sure she was on track for her finals. Jordan was not happy about it, but relented when Sarah offered to go anywhere she wanted the week after she graduated. The next day, Jordan made her an appointment to get a passport. Sarah was dying to know what Jordan had planned that would require a passport, but Jordan just smiled.

Sarah divided her time off between studying, making love and taking pictures. Every day she went for a walk in the woods on the estate and took pictures of everything that captured her interest. With spring opening up, she got a lot of great shots. Mostly of birds, trees and flowers, but she had a series of shots of a fox at sunrise. It had been an unexpected encounter, but a rewarding one after the fox decided Sarah was no danger. Several of the pictures were extraordinary. Sarah printed the best shots and framed them for her wall.

Maggie finally decided on where she wanted to go for her yearly cruise. The cruise was thirteen days long and would visit Barbados, St. Martinique, Grenada and several other small islands. Actually, it was the what and not the where that she was excited about. The ship was a four-masted schooner. It was originally built in the 1890's and had a long and varied career as a floating casino, a weather monitoring station during World War II, and as a playground for the rich and famous. It now served as a cruise ship in the Carribean that encouraged its guests to help sail her. Maggie, of course, was not of an age or fitness level conducive to climbing the rigging, so she had volunteered to help in the kitchens for part of each day. In turn, they would teach her island recipes. Maggie was very excited about the trip scheduled for the first part of May, and talked of almost nothing else.

When Sarah saw the cost of the voyage, she nearly swallowed her tongue. Thirteen days would cost almost $18,000. Granted, the pictures of the stateroom Maggie would sleep in were exquisite, but it still seemed like a lot of money. Especially if she were working on the ship. Jordan was the one to point out that Maggie would be taking a crash course in island cuisine and that there was to be a renowned historical lecturer on board. Maggie would be learning all kinds of things on the ship. It wasn't going to be just another boat ride. She also pointed out that Maggie deserved it. Sarah agreed.

On the social front, things were great. Tamar and Janet came over on Saturdays and they spent half the time just goofing off. Sarah also saw them during the week for more than just classes. They didn't go out and do things, but they did look for each other between classes and spent time visiting.

Amanda had gone back to work and they continued to meet on Tuesday afternoons to visit and go window shopping. Sarah was very surprised to find out that Amanda taught kindergarten. She couldn't help but think that those kids were incredibly lucky to have someone so warm and powerful as Amanda as a teacher. Just being able to spend a little time with Amanda every week made Sarah feel lucky.

Sarah still couldn't say those three little words to Jordan's face, but she learned that she could write them very easily. She took to putting mushy little love notes in odd places for Jordan to find. Jordan loved them and was saving them in an old cigar box in her closet. When Sarah accidently found the box, it made her cry in happiness. In her next love note, she included some of her hair and it quickly found a place in the box as well.

Intercourse was becoming a more integrated part of their love-making. Sarah had been under the impression that a woman's sexual satisfaction with intercourse was a hit and miss thing. It was an impression reinforced by Jordan as well, but that didn't seem to be the case for Sarah. Every single time was good for her. Not just how good it felt, but how intimate it was being face to face with Jordan as they found their pleasure in one another. She knew that the largest part of how good it felt was the person she was with. She did not think it likely that it would be as good with anyone else.

Jordan seemed calmer and more confident since the introduction of intercourse to their relationship. The differences in her masculine and feminine personas seemed to lessen and she seemed more accepting of herself. For the first time, Sarah could see that she had a positive effect on her lover and it made her feel proud and needed.

Every Sunday night, Sarah went with Jordan to the play parties. They had not yet gone shopping for special party clothes for Sarah and she continued to wear Jordan's dress shirts and slippers, but now with thong underwear. The parties were becoming more comfortable. Sarah looked forward to them. More people were coming on Sunday nights and Jordan said it was because they all wanted to see the woman who had tamed the Master. Sarah didn't think 'tamed' was a word that could be used about Jordan, but she thought the rest of it was true. At first she was uncomfortable with being ogled, but then she decided that it was okay. After all, she was ogling them, so it was only fair.

The hardest part of the parties now was that Sarah would become unbearably excited. It was so hard to wait until they all left so that she could make love with Jordan. It was terribly tempting to throw modesty to the wind and let Jordan have her way during the parties. Sarah found within herself a point of arousal that no longer cared if people were watching; but in her saner moments, she knew that it was a line she just wasn't ready to cross.

~***~

After a long Monday, Sarah entered her house to find Jordan reading a paperback on the sofa. Dropping her things by the door as Jordan casually tossed the book aside, she straddled the long legs and gave her lover a languorous kiss. "Hey, sweetie. Miss me?"

"You know it."

Sarah ran her fingers through short, brown hair, enjoying the feeling of the soft strands. "What did you do today?"

"I got an owie."

"Where?"

Jordan lifted an arm to point to her elbow. The skin was abraded and red, but not bloody. "Right there."

Sarah kissed the injury gently. "What happened?"

"Pete did it."

Sarah had to smile. Jordan sounded like a little kid tattling on a sibling. "Why did Pete hurt you?"

"Cause I wouldn't give him money," Jordan pouted.

"What did he want it for?"

"A swimming pool."

"Ahh." A pool sounded good to Sarah, especially since it was warming up, but she knew from a distant conversation that Jordan didn't want a pool because she couldn't swim. Actually, she claimed that she knew how to swim, she just didn't float. Apparently, not being able to float made swimming too hard. Sarah wasn't sure what to think of it, but if Jordan didn't want a pool, so be it. "So...you said no and...what?"

"He asked me if I was on the rag."

Sarah sucked her lips between her teeth and bit down. Anything to keep from laughing.

"So, of course," Jordan continued, "I had to chase him outside and rub his face in the dirt."

Coughing to cover a snort of laughter, Sarah managed to say, "Of course."

"He's a big guy, but I managed it," Jordan added proudly.

Sarah patted Jordan's shoulder as she got up. She was going to start laughing soon and decided on the bathroom as a good place to do it. "Good for you."

"Thank you."

Sarah couldn't help it. She stopped at the bedroom door and asked, "Are you?"

"Am I what?"

"On the rag?"

Sarah was laughing too hard to put up much of a fight. Jordan pinned her to the bed and tickled her until she had the hiccups.

Sitting back on Sarah's legs, Jordan put her hands on her hips. "A spoonful of sugar will make them stop."

Sarah concentrated on the spasming muscles and made them relax. In a few moments, they stopped and she smiled up at her lover. "No need. They're gone."

Jordan's eyebrows rose. "How did you do that?"

"It's a yoga thing. You wouldn't understand."

"Smart ass." Jordan dropped down at Sarah's side and propped her chin on one hand. "Really. How did you do that?"

"It's just a matter of concentrating and relaxing," Sarah grinned. "I used to get hiccups all the time when I was little. And I mean, all the time. It took a while, but I figured out how to make them go away."

"Well, the next time I get them, you're going to teach me that little trick."

"Okay."

"Cool." Jordan placed a hand on Sarah's belly and sighed. "How was your day?"

"Not too bad. I aced that quiz I was worried about last week."

"I knew you would."

"That was a nice way to say 'I told you so'."

"I am a writer," Jordan sniffed pretentiously. "I'm good with words."

"So I've noticed," Sarah laughed.

"Is that Lisa chick still giving you the evil eye?"

"Nope. I think she figured out it wasn't working. Now she looks at me all smug and smirky."

"Smirky? Four years of college and you come up with smirky? You should get your money back."

"Hey," Sarah protested. "You weren't there. She was definitely smirky today. I wanted to smack her a couple of times, but I behaved myself. Poor Bonnie looked embarrassed to be seen with her. She couldn't even look at me."

"Hmpf. Bonnie needs to grow a spine."

"I know." They had talked about this before. Jordan was still upset about what had happened with the study group. Sarah knew she had to distract her now or she'd vent about Lisa and Bonnie for the next hour. "We're eating with Maggie tonight, right?"

Jordan seemed to shake off the impending rant before answering. "Yeah. She's up at the house making fresh bread right now."

"Yum. What else?"

"Um...pot roast and, I think, apple pie."

Sarah rubbed her hungry belly. "Will you still love me if I get really fat?"

Jordan rolled her eyes. "I'll try, baby."

Sarah aimed a light punch at Jordan's shoulder. "You'd better."

Jordan grinned.

Sarah rolled off the bed before Jordan could stop her. "I don't feel like studying today. Let's go up to the house and spend some time with Maggie. Okay?"

"You're the boss."

"Yeah, right."

~***~

Sarah woke up the next morning to the smell of coffee. Opening her eyes, she found Jordan sitting beside her with a steaming cup. "Morning."

"Good morning, baby." Jordan leaned over for a quick kiss and held out the cup for Sarah to take. "Happy April Fool's Day."

Sarah sat up as it sank in. She stared at the cup and looked at Jordan suspiciously. "What did you do to the coffee?"

"Nothing," Jordan said with wide-eyed innocence.

The coffee smelled right, but Sarah wasn't sure. "Did you put salt in it?"

"I swear," Jordan said earnestly, "I did not mess with the coffee."

Sarah thought about it. "It's something else then."

Jordan rolled her eyes in amusement. "Now why would you assume I'm going to play a prank on you? Just because it's April Fool's Day doesn't mean I'm going to play tricks on you."

It was all just too suspicious. All morning Jordan had a secret little smile on her face and it made Sarah jumpy. But as oddly innocent as Jordan was behaving, nothing in the way of a prank cropped up. Sarah headed off for school none the wiser as to Jordan's plans.

After her last class, Sarah headed for her car. Usually she would hang out for a while and study in the library until it was time to see Amanda, but today was the day of the blood drive for the players. She wanted to get home and help set it up. There wasn't a lot to do because it was a potluck, but she figured Maggie would fuss over it and she wanted to do what she could to help alleviate that.

A much older man in shirt sleeves and a tie began walking with her as she hit the parking lot and Sarah glanced at him to see what he wanted.

"You're Sarah Wylie."

It wasn't a question and it made prickles go up Sarah's neck. "Can I help you?"

"Richard Westman from the Journal. May I ask you a few questions?"

It took her a moment to understand that he was a reporter from the local newspaper. This must be about the accident, she thought. It was the only reason she could think of that a reporter might want to talk to her. Though it seemed a bit strange since the accident had been more than four months ago. She didn't really want to talk to him, but she didn't want to be rude. "I'm on my way to an appointment," she hedged.

"This will only take a moment, miss."

Sarah held back a sigh of reluctance. "All right."

Mr. Westman pulled a large photo from a manilla folder and held it out to her. "Do you know this man?"

Sarah took the picture without stopping. It was a color copy of Jordan; the one of him crouched in the snow with tears on his face during Sarah's accident. It was a much better photo than the black and white copy Pete had given her. The pain in Jordan's eyes was terrible and wonderful. "Yes, I do. This is Jordan Crisp."

"You work for him."

Sarah had a bad feeling about this. She came to a halt and turned to look the reporter in the eye. "You already know that I do. Why are you asking if you already know? Why do you care?"

Mr. Westman tapped the photo in Sarah's hands with one thick finger. "Just seems like his feelings for you are pretty strong."

Sarah lifted her chin defiantly. "Every one should be so lucky to know that their employer truly cares about what happens to them."

"Perhaps."

"May I keep this photo?"

"Sure."

Sarah tucked it in with her books.

"How well do you know Jordan Crisp?"

"Why?"

The reporter's eyes became predatory and smug. "Are you aware that he's really a woman?"

For a timeless moment, Sarah was stupefied. Then she thought maybe this was Jordan's April Fool's joke. But she knew it wasn't. She did the only thing she could think of. Sarah laughed. "Good one. You almost had me. Who put you up to this?"

"It's no joke, miss." He pulled another paper from his folder and held it up in front of her. "This proves it."

It was a birth certificate. Sarah reached for it more out of curiosity than anything else. It appeared to be authentic. Several things caught her attention. Jordan's middle name was Francis. Sarah hadn't known that. Jordan's birthday was June ninth. She had weighed nine pounds and two ounces and had been twenty-three inches long.

And the box for female was checked.

Sarah had to assume that this was the real deal. The fact that it was a reporter showing it to her could be a real problem. Jordan needed to know about this as soon as possible. But how should she handle it right now? What should she do?

"How does it feel to know that your employer has been lying to you?"

"I'm not convinced that he has been," Sarah said slowly. "Is this real?"

"Yes."

"Then how did you get it?"

"I have my sources."

Sarah pinned the birth certificate to her chest with her books, hoping that she could keep it. "If your source works in the Office of Vital Records, then you've both broken the law. If this is really my boss's birth certificate."

"Oh, it is," he smiled. "But then, you already know that he's a woman because you're sleeping with him. When did that start? Before or after the accident?"

Sarah rolled her eyes as dramatically as she could. "Is this what you do when you don't have a story? Make one up? I hope you don't think of yourself as a journalist."

"So, it's true then."

Sarah sighed, shook her head in disbelief and turned to walk away. "I don't have anything else to say to you."

"Tell me about the dungeon."

It took everything Sarah had to contain the fear she felt. She turned to the man again with a puzzled expression. "What dungeon?"

"Come now, Miss Wylie. You know what I'm talking about."

"Actually, I don't. There is no dungeon."

"I know that there is," he said menacingly. "Your boss runs a sex club out of that house. An S&M sex club. People traipse in and out of that house at all hours. Some of them are folks just like you and me, but he's also entertaining elected officials and major business owners. The people have a right to know what's going on in their own town."

"Wow," Sarah said with what she hoped was a grin. "That's some story, Mister. Just one problem. I'm a maid. I've been in every room in that house and there is no dungeon. I've met a lot of the people you are talking about and they are not doing S&M. At least, not in Mr. Crisp's home. Now, I doubt you believe me because I don't think you want to, but it's true. Somebody's yanking your chain."

"You're his lover," he responded with a scowl. "I expect you to lie to me. But I will uncover the truth and I will expose what goes on in that house."

Sarah shrugged..or thought she did. She was pretty numb. "Go ahead. No skin off my nose." She turned again to walk away and thought of something. Turning back, she added, "By the way, if it's true that Mr. Crisp is a woman, why do you continue to call him by masculine pronouns?"

The confusion on his face almost made her laugh and she used that moment to saunter towards her car.

"I need that certificate back," he called.

"Then you shouldn't have given it to me," she called back. Sarah half expected him to come after her, but he didn't. He was on a cell phone when she drove past him and she flipped him off just to make herself feel better.

It was a miracle that she didn't cause an accident or get a ticket on the way home. The Jag could really move when it wanted to. Fifteen minutes after leaving school, Sarah was running across the lawn towards the big house with the birth certificate in her hand. She startled Maggie as she entered the kitchen.

"Where's Jordan?"

With one hand on her chest and a butcher knife in the other, Maggie stammered, "In the...uh...the ballroom."

"Thanks."

"What's wrong?"

"Later," she called as she sprinted through the house. The urgency she felt was probably unnecessary, but she couldn't help it. If this whole thing turned out to be an April Fool's joke, she was going to be really pissed off.

Jordan and Pete were in the ballroom lining up reclining chairs and sofas from all over the house. Nickelback was playing on the stereo. Sarah stumbled to a stop just inside the huge room, unsure how to proceed.

Jordan saw her and began to smile, then straightened up as her face fell. "What is it, baby? What's wrong?"

Walking on wooden legs, Sarah made it to Jordan and gave her the paper she carried. "Please tell me this is a joke you set up."

Clearly confused, Jordan looked down at the document. Then she looked back up at Sarah. "This is my birth certificate."

It was all Sarah could do not to vomit from the fear she felt. "Shit."

"How did you get this?"

"A reporter gave it to me."

Jordan dropped down onto a sofa like her strings had been cut. One hand ran raggedly through her hair. "Well, I knew it had to happen someday."

Pete was suddenly there. "What's going on?"

Jordan handed Pete the certificate. "Some reporter has found me out."

Pete looked at the paper and snorted. "Francis? Your name is Francis?"

Jordan shot him a dirty look. "You have a problem with that, Melvin?"

Sarah looked up at the big man as he cringed. While she would have liked to tease him about his name to relieve some of the tension, she knew she had to tell Jordan the rest. Sitting down beside her lover, Sarah took a deep breath. "There's more. He knew that we are lovers," Sarah explained. "And...he asked me about the dungeon."

In that moment, Jordan's gaze could have cut diamonds. "What did he say?"

The menace coming from Jordan and Pete was nearly overwhelming. Sarah reminded herself that the menace was not directed at her personally. "He said he knew about it, but he thinks that everyone who comes here is a player. He was talking about elected officials and business people playing here."

"What did you say?" Pete growled.

"I lied, of course. I told him I was a maid and that I had been in every room of the house and there was no dungeon. I told him someone was yanking his chain, but I doubt he believed me. I didn't know what to do."

"Blackout?" Pete rumbled ominously.

Jordan took a deep breath. "The players will be coming in all night. I'll handle that. Focus on the dungeon. We've got some time before people get here, so get the obvious stuff out first."

"Where to? You never said."

"My office to start with."

"I'm on it."

Pete left the room at a run and Sarah watched him go in confusion. Her nerves were starting to get thin and she put her hands together to stop them from shaking. "What's going to happen?"

Jordan's face was still hard as a rock, but she put an arm around Sarah. "It's alright, baby. We've planned for this."

Being held was wonderful, but the fear was still there. "What's blackout?"

Jordan's face softened. "The dungeon will disappear and the players will be warned so they can protect themselves. I suppose I'll have to contact some of the non-players that have come here so they don't get blind-sided if it gets into the papers. Though, I can't imagine it will get that far. If there is no dungeon, there's no story. At least not one that affects anyone but me. I don't suppose there's anything I can do to stop them from printing my gender."

Sarah felt like Jordan's world was coming apart. She couldn't help the tears that leaked from her eyes. "Why is this happening?"

Jordan lifted Sarah's chin and wiped at the tears. "Don't cry, little one. It's not worth it. It's disappointing, to be sure, but not a disaster. Not at all."

"But now everyone will know that you're a woman. It's none of anybody's business. Why would he think the public has any right to know about you? They won't understand. All they will see is what that reporter wants them to see. They won't see how amazing and wonderful you are. And why are you comforting me? You're the one getting exposed."

Jordan smiled. "I'm comforting you because you are the one who's upset. Maybe I'd have been more upset six months ago, but my cover has already been unraveling. People already know about me and I've had time to discover that I like being able to chose what gender I present at any given moment. Sure, some people are going to be upset or disturbed for one reason or another, but the people most important to me don't care. The most important people accept me and love me for what I am. Fuck the rest of them. If this reporter wants to tell the world, let him. At least I'll finally be free. Can you see that?"

She could. Sarah took a deep breath and tried to let go of the negative emotions that so overwhelmed her. "Why did you look so angry then?"

Jordan ran a hand through her hair again before answering. "In a couple of hours, the dungeon will look more like a social club than anything else. If that reporter tries to print that we have BDSM parties here, I'll be able to discredit both him and his paper. Nothing will come of his accusations. But the fact that he asked you about it means that someone's been talking to the wrong person. I may never find out the chain of information that ended with him. I was angry that my players ruined a good thing and that there's not much I can do about it. I'm not angry anymore, baby. The dungeon will disappear and we'll take a long break. After some time off, I'll decide if it's what I want to continue doing or not. On the other hand, I may have to eviscerate that reporter for scaring you and making you cry. What was his name?"

Sarah told Jordan everything she could remember about the conversation. Jordan asked a few questions for clarification and then stood up to pace. "Okay, as far as I can see, the only bits of story that he's going to be able to print are my gender and, possibly, our relationship. He can't print anything about the dungeon and players without independent confirmation. If he's trying to get it from you, he doesn't have it. The question now is: how do you feel about our relationship becoming public knowledge?"

Sarah considered it. "Well, I'm not against it, per se. I don't understand why anybody would care, but I worry that people will use it to try to hurt me."

"Like Lisa?"

"Yeah. But I'm not ashamed of you. I need you to believe that. It's just that how I feel about you makes me feel so vulnerable. I trust you...and a few others...but not most people."

Jordan nodded as she sat back down beside Sarah. "I understand, baby, and your concerns are valid. I want you to think about it and if you have any ideas about how you want me to protect us, let me know."

"I can protect us, too, you know."

"I do know," Jordan answered intently, "but as you stated so clearly not long ago, I am your Top. I want you to be involved as far as you feel comfortable and safe, but the responsibility is mine. Understand?"

Sarah nodded reluctantly. "Okay. I get it."

"However," Jordan added. "I am in need of a little protecting right now and I think you are just the one to do it."

"How?"

"The dungeon gear needs a foolproof hiding place. The only one of any value is downstairs."

Comprehension was swift. "Your rooms."

"Yes. I can't prevent the guys from going down there, but I would appreciate it if you would..."

"Protect your privacy," Sarah interrupted.

Jordan looked relieved. "Exactly."

"I can do that."

"Thanks, baby."

Sarah put both hands up to Jordan's face and leaned in for a soft kiss. "I'm sorry this is happening."

"Me, too."

Sarah moved into Jordan's arms for a warm hug, but her mind was working things out. "Jordan?"

"Hmm?"

Sarah sat back, but kept a hold of her lover. "All that reporter needs to do is say that he's protecting a source and he can claim he has independent confirmation. He could print whatever he wants. We need to stop him from printing it at all, right?"

"That would be ideal, yes."

"We need to prove to him that there is no story."

"How do you suggest we do that?"

"Well, you said that the dungeon would disappear in a couple of hours."

"Yes?"

"Give him a tour."

Jordan's head tilted to one side and her eyes widened. "A tour."

"Call him. Tell him you heard that he was making accusations and offer to answer them. Let him see for himself that there is no dungeon. Cut him off at the knees."

"That could work," Jordan said thoughtfully.

"He could still write about you and I, but the players would be safer."

A slow smile crept onto Jordan's face. "I like it. If I call him now and tell him we can't meet until tomorrow morning because of the blood drive, it'll look even less like we have something to hide. The blood drive makes our 'get-togethers' look noble, not nefarious."

"You could tell him about the community service thing." Sarah was starting to get excited. "Maybe you should stress how hard it's been to get permission. Turn his seedy story into one of underdogs. He probably won't print it, but it should really throw a wrench into the story he wants to write."

Jordan laughed and leaned in for a kiss. "We'll talk more about this later. We've got work to do. I've got to finish getting this room set up and you need to organize storing the dungeon equipment. We have a lot to do and not much time to do it."

A final kiss for luck and Sarah sprinted for Jordan's office. Blocking the door open, she triggered the secret door and ran downstairs. Looking around the front room, she thought that everything could be stored between the living room and kitchen. There was no reason for anyone to go any deeper into the apartment. Closing the doors to bedroom, office and gym, she then dragged Jordan's Lazyboy over to block the hallway. This way no one could sneak around while she wasn't looking.

"What the hell?"

Sarah heard Pete's voice from the office above and she looked around quickly to see if there was anything she needed to hide. She didn't notice anything. "Down here, Pete."

The big man entered the room with his arms full of a binding cross and his mouth hanging open. "I'll be god damned. I suspected, but...damn."

Sarah remembered feeling that way and it made her smile. "Let's fill up the kitchenette first. Jordan never uses it."

Cirenio backed into the room holding one end of a spanking stool. Leroy was carrying the other end. Both of them had the same wide-eyed look that Pete had sported. Sarah let them look for a few seconds and then directed them to the kitchen.

"How much more room do you think we'll need?" she asked Pete.

His eyes moved to her only reluctantly. "Most of it folds up or comes apart. There's more than enough room down here."

"Okay. I'll rearrange things a bit while you guys get the rest of it."

Sarah started to push the ratty old couch to one side as the men started back up the stairs. "Wait!"

Did she dare? Oh, yeah. "Take this with you."

"What?"

"This couch. Get rid of it. Jordan's been meaning to get a new one anyway. I don't care what you do with it. Just make it disappear."

Cirenio's eyes lifted. "Can I put it in the garage?"

Sarah waved at the old piece of furniture with a generous gesture. "Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday. It's all yours."

~***~

Two hours later it was done. At least, the part of it involving the basement apartment. The kitchen was completely buried and so was half of the living room. Boxes of toys and paddles filled in the spaces. It was as neat as Sarah could make it, but in reality, it was a mess. She'd directed things where they would fit, not with a mind to moving it all out.

She knew that the blood drive was underway upstairs. It wasn't loud, but she could hear people talking up there. Plus, the guys had been keeping her up to date. There were already a dozen people giving blood and more people were arriving all the time. Sarah wanted to check it out, but first she wanted to see the dungeon.

Closing the hidden door and locking Jordan's office, Sarah headed upstairs. The instant she entered the large room, she knew it would never work. It looked raw and unfinished. If Jordan walked in there with the reporter, he would know immediately what had been done.

Pete, Cirenio, Leroy and two other grounds-keepers, Brent and Adam, were basically scratching their heads about what to do next. The main room would be an easy fix. It was the alcoves that would give it all away as bogus. Ignoring the men, Sarah looked at each alcove and let her mind work. Soon it all started to come together.

"Pete?"

"Yes?"

Sarah pointed at three of the rooms. "These three rooms need tables and chairs."

"For what?"

Sarah pointed to the smallest room. "A small table and two chairs. Put a chess set on it." She pointed to the next room. "Table and four chairs. Board games. Cards. Poker chips. And that room needs a set up for puzzles or something. Put in some potted plants to make it look friendlier. Got it?"

Pete grinned in understanding. "Yes, ma'am."

She nodded as he grabbed two of the groundsmen and left the room. "Cirenio?"

He snapped to attention.

"That room...hmm. I know. There are two yoga mats underneath my bed in my house. I've also got some scented candles on my dining table. Bring them up here. And find a little altar-like table somewhere to put in there, too. I seem to remember a couple of beanbag chairs downstairs somewhere. Let's turn this into a meditation area."

"I'm on it."

There were two more rooms and Sarah stood between them as she tried to figure out what they should be. Leroy came up to stand beside her. "Any ideas?" she asked him.

"A reading room," he finally suggested.

Sarah looked at the older man with a smile. "Think you can make it happen?"

He sucked on his teeth before responding. "I reckon so."

"Thank you."

He nodded at her respectfully and turned away.

That left Sarah with one room. It was a bit larger than the other ones and Sarah was stumped. She tried to think what would make sense. The large room would be a communal area and possibly a dance floor. There would soon be game rooms, a reading room and an area for yoga. What else did a large group of people getting together to hang out need?

Sarah mulled it over as Pete and Brent came in with the table and chairs for the chess room. They arranged them and started to head out when Pete stopped.

"You okay?"

Sarah bit her lip before answering. "It would be too much to ask for a pool table, wouldn't it? Especially since there's a whole room for one downstairs. What about...air hockey?"

"Foosball?" Brent asked hopefully.

"Both," Pete said firmly.

"Excellent," Brent enthused.

"And a dart board," Sarah added. "Any chance those things are lying around somewhere?"

"No," Pete said slowly, "but I can have them here in an hour or two if you think we need them."

It meant spending Jordan's money. On the one hand, she didn't feel that she had the right to authorize expenditures with Jordan's money. On the other, she was pretty sure that Jordan would okay it without batting an eye. Weighing the two, Sarah made a decision. "Do it."

"Cool," Brent laughed triumphantly.

"Get a couple of bar stools and one of those tall cocktail tables while you're at it," Sarah added.

~***~

Two and a half hours later Sarah was laughing at Brent and Cirenio. They informed her that there was something wrong with the dart board and proceeded to fix it by sticking darts in the wall around it. They were right, of course, but the enthusiasm they were showing just struck her as funny.

Pete, Leroy and Adam were busy with a puzzle-trying to make it look like a work in progress. Somehow Pete had come up with nearly two dozen slightly used puzzles that were stacked in a corner of the room. The same was true of the room for board games. Both rooms looked like they saw regular use.

Leroy had outdone himself on the reading room. In addition to a love seat and two chairs, there was a full bookcase and a stack of magazines that made the room work.

The dungeon now looked as if it had never been a dungeon. Of course, there could have been more art on the walls and the black/red color scheme was a bit overblown, but it worked.

Sarah was exhausted and very hungry. She knew that there would be more work later to make sure the main floor didn't look as though it had been raped, but the hardest part was done. She could take a few minutes off now to just relax and bask in their accomplishment.

Several players walked in and their mouths dropped open at the changes. Sarah took it as a compliment. "Welcome! Come on in and have a look around."

"Wow," one of the women breathed. "This is great. It looks totally different."

The man nodded in agreement as his eyes swept the room. "Jordan is looking for...Foosball!"

Sarah laughed at him. All of the men were excited by the new game table. "Why don't you play for a while? Have some fun."

"Thanks. I will."

There was nothing else she could do for the dungeon. It was time to find Jordan and get something to eat before her belly caved in.

"Lady Sarah."

She turned towards Pete at the sound of her name and saw him stand up. Leroy stood up as well and Adam followed hastily. "What?"

Pete bowed to her somberly and the other two men followed suit. Shocked, she glanced over at the new game tables and saw Cirenio and Brent doing the same. Embarrassed, she made a face. "Oh, shut up."

All five men broke into smiles and Sarah blushed under the curious eyes of the players. She made her escape before any more could be said.

The mood downstairs was a little more somber. People were talking quietly in small groups and Sarah could see worry in their faces. They did not seem to be panicking, but they were definitely concerned. Some of them wore stickers on their chests signifying that they had already donated blood. Several of them said a quiet 'thank you' as she passed by. Sarah supposed that Jordan had been telling them that she was busy changing the dungeon.

The ballroom certainly looked different. There must have been twenty people in white smocks in the room drawing blood, going over paperwork and monitoring equipment. It looked like a modern day war effort. There were tables to one side bearing bottles of juice and trays of fruits and vegetables. Sarah's belly led her over immediately. She ate three carrot sticks before the taste even hit her tongue.

"Have you signed up?"

Sarah swallowed as she turned to face a much older woman. "Not yet. I have some things to take care of first. I'm looking for Jordan. Have you seen him?"

"He's meeting with people as they arrive to discuss business, I believe. One of the rooms by the front door." She held out a printed paper and a pen. "If you like, you can fill this out and bring it back when you're ready. It will save you time."

Sarah took them with a smile. "Thanks."

"No, thank you."

Tucking the paper and pen in her back pocket, Sarah grabbed a handful of cherry tomatoes and a nice, fat strawberry. On her way to Jordan, Sarah could see that someone had been rearranging the downstairs all along. Not counting the missing furniture that was now in the ballroom, she could see that some things had been rearranged. Someone not familiar with the house would never know that all had been subtly moved. It certainly made the rest of the day seem easier.

Popping tomatoes like grapes, Sarah quietly opened the door to what she thought of as the First Room and peeked inside.

"...Business as usual," Jordan was saying. "If you stop showing up it will be suspicious. If we want it to look like we get together to be social, then we need to get together and be social. Without a dungeon we have nothing to hide. Nothing will come of this."

Sarah eased inside the room and gently closed the door. Several people saw her and smiled. Sarah smiled back as Jordan turned to see what they were looking at. There was a question in her eyes and Sarah spoke to it. "The dungeon is gone."

"Already?"

"Well, the color scheme is a bit dark and gloomy, but I think you'll like it. The guys did a great job."

Everyone in the room relaxed. Sarah ate another tomato.

Jordan clapped her hands in satisfaction. "Well! We can talk more about this later. I just wanted to bring you all up to speed. Don't panic. That's the big thing. There is no dungeon and there never was. Do what you need to do to protect yourselves, but I think this is all going to turn out to be smoke in the wind. And remember, there's an announcement tonight after the vampires leave. I'd like as many people as possible to be there, but it's not necessary. If you're not here, I'll call you later and fill you in."

A few minutes later, Sarah and Jordan were alone. "Why does everyone keep thanking me?" Sarah asked. "What did you tell them?"

Jordan flopped down in a chair with a groan. "For saving the day."

"Excuse me?"

Jordan patted her leg in invitation. "If you hadn't told me about the reporter and it had hit the papers without warning, it would have been a nightmare for everyone. You saved the day."

Sarah sat down and leaned back into Jordan's embrace. "Pfft. Anyone would have done it."

"Nope. Just you. Half a dozen people have quietly admitted that someone's been asking questions."

Sarah was shocked. "Are you serious?"

"Yep. From the sound of it, the guy hasn't identified himself as a reporter. He approaches them in a bar or caf� and strikes up a conversation. He buys them drinks and muses about the lack of a place to play. The players blew him off and forgot about it."

"Okay," Sarah conceded, "that sounds weird, but reasonable."

"Seems like."

"Jordan?"

"Hmm?"

"What a bunch of maroons," she said in her best Bugs Bunny voice. Jordan started to laugh. Sarah smiled at the sound. "What's the big announcement later?"

"The great reveal."

"Huh?"

"The gender issue. I'm going to tell them all at once."

"Oh." Sarah sighed. "I wish you didn't have to do that."

"I'm kind of looking forward to it. Might be fun."

Sarah shifted her head to one side so she could look up at Jordan. "You're not going to show them your breasts, are you?"

"I hope not," Jordan chuckled.

"Good."

"Feeling a little possessive?"

"They're mine. All mine." Sarah put the tip of the strawberry into her mouth and bit into it. The sweetness all but melted in her mouth and she groaned in pleasure. It was a big piece of fruit and she held the rest up for Jordan to taste.

"Yum," Jordan hummed. "That's good."

It would have been so easy to close her eyes and take a nap, but Sarah could hear faint sounds outside the room of new people arriving. That meant Jordan still had more explaining to do. "What a day."

"And it isn't over yet."

Sarah groaned in response to that thought. "I should probably tell you that I had Pete spend money for you today."

"Okay. For what?"

"An air hockey table. Dart board. Foosball table."

"Foosball?"

Sarah shook her head at the excited tone. "I don't get it. Everyone's excited about the foosball."

"I love foosball."

"You would," Sarah teased as she stood up.

"It's so violent," Jordan said excitedly.

Sarah patted the lean belly as Jordan rose to her feet. "Sometimes you're such a guy."

Jordan winked and they went back to work.

~***~

It occurred to Sarah as her blood was flowing down a tube that they have forgotten something very important. It was the kind of thing that most people wouldn't notice right away, but a reporter would catch it.

Sarah turned her head towards Jordan who was giving blood only a few feet away. "Hey. Where do you sleep?" she asked in a whisper.

"Depends on where you're sle..." Jordan's eyes abruptly showed her understanding. "Ooo. Good catch."

Sarah smiled. "We'll take care of it later."

"The green room okay with you?"

"Sure."

Jordan shook her head as she stared up at the ceiling. "Damn. Such an obvious thing and I missed it. Could have blown the whole thing."

"Well, in your defense, this might have been a whole lot easier if it was the only thing we had to do today."

"Good point." Jordan turned to look at her with a very serious mein. "I couldn't have done this without you, Sarah."

"I was just helping out."

"I mean it. You have no idea. You really stepped up to the plate for me today. I couldn't have done it without you. It would have gotten done, but not half as well or as efficiently. Upstairs...what you did up there is nothing short of amazing. It looks great."

"I had a lot of help."

"You had muscle, baby. Organizing it and making it look so damn good was all you. The guys know it. They're giving you all the credit."

Sarah blushed in embarrassment and pride.

"What you did today gave me the time and space to make this blood drive happen and to talk with everyone about what's going on. I could have done this or what you did, but there's no way in hell I could have done both on the same day, let alone simultaneously. Thank you."

Jordan's sincerity was like being hit with a sonic boom. To be honestly appreciated and acknowledged for her efforts was very emotional for her. Sarah blinked through the tears that filled her eyes. "I'm glad I could help."

"Are you going to cry?"

Sarah shook her head and wiped at a tear that betrayed her. "I'm just happier than usual."

~***~

It was just after 9:30 by the time the blood drive people left. There were just shy of a hundred people gathered in the shambles of the ball room when Jordan walked in with one of her special vests tucked under her arm. The air in the room was casual and folks were seated on anything that would hold them. Sarah was the only one who knew that ten minutes before, Jordan had been throwing up in the bathroom. Jordan could say that she was all right with this happening, but Sarah knew how nervous she was.

"Is everyone here?" Jordan queried the room. "Nobody's upstairs making love to the foosball table?"

Most everyone laughed about that.

"This is everyone," Pete calmly said over the noise.

Jordan nodded. She looked tired, but she stood tall and straight. Sarah stepped closer, wishing she could just hug Jordan and make it all go away. She was aware that Pete, Maggie and Amanda were also moving closer in support. The rest of Jordan's employees stood in a group not far away. Prior to the blood drive, Jordan had informed them all of her true gender. They had all been shocked, but in the end, none of them cared. They were all here now because they were feeling a little protective. Sarah had spoken to most of them and was impressed with their loyalty.

"As I said earlier," Jordan began, "nothing is going to come of this reporter's story. He can't print what he can't prove. I have no doubt that you are all safe from being exposed in the paper. However, there is something else he can prove that I probably can't stop him from printing. It will not threaten or embarrass you unless you let it, but it's something you need to know so you don't get blind-sided."

Everyone looked curious, but no one said anything.

"I'm hoping you will all be open-minded about this." Jordan took a deep breath of uncertainty and ran a hand through her hair. "I've...there's something about me that I've kept from all of you. I had a lot of reasons. In retrospect, I'm not sure how good my reasons really were, but they made sense at the time and it just became a habit and then I sort of became trapped by it. I think I would have told you about it sooner or later, but I'm pretty sure it's going to hit the papers."

The rambling was so unlike Jordan. Sarah reached out and put a hand on Jordan's arm. When the tall woman looked down at her, Sarah took a deep breath and let it out. Jordan followed suit. "Just tell them," Sarah whispered.

Jordan rolled her head on her shoulders and held out the vest. "This is a vest designed by a friend of mine. He works as a costume designer in Hollywood." She unzipped the vest and exposed the inside. "It's made for a woman to wear so that she can appear as a man. He made it for me. I'm wearing one right now. I'm a woman."

A slender man in the middle of the crowd shot to his feet with both arms pumping. "Yes, yes, yes! I knew it! You all thought I was crazy, but I was right! Fuck, yeah! Money in the bank!"

Some faces were laughing at the young man's display, while others were gaping like fish. The young man pulled out his wallet and held it open. "The money goes right here, folks! Don't be shy! Come to papa!"

"Are you shitting me? You really are a woman?"

This came from a woman right up front. She looked as if she weren't sure if she should be shocked, amused or angry.

Suddenly everyone seemed to be talking, laughing or asking questions. Sarah looked up at Jordan and saw that her lover seemed to be the most stunned person in the room. Moving her hand to Jordan's back, she watched Jordan shake her head, put two fingers in her mouth and let out a shrill whistle. The room quieted.

"How many of you knew?"

About a quarter of the room raised their hands. One woman in the back laughed. "Well, we didn't know, but we had our suspicions. Except for Jackson there."

The young man blew on his knuckles and rubbed them on his shirt. "Oh yeah. I knew right from the start."

"How?" Jordan asked.

Jackson posed with one hand on his hip, his twinkling eyes raking over Jordan's body. "I've got to tell you, Jordan, you are the absolute best drag king I've ever seen and without doubt the finest example of a man I have ever met, but men are my bread and butter. You've got it all in spades, honey, but no matter how good you work it, you just don't make little Jack stand up and dance."

Jordan chuckled. "I think there was a compliment in there somewhere."

Jackson inclined his head gracefully. "It is truly an honor to know you, Master Crisp. To be included in your circle of friends is a gift beyond price."

Jordan returned the graceful nod. "It is an honor to know you as well, Jackson. No circle of friends would be complete without you."

For that moment, it was almost like watching a king acknowledging the fealty of a vassal. It was noble and elegant in the extreme. When the moment passed, Jordan was clearly back in control. He looked over at the still gaping woman in the front row. "I really am a woman, Edie."

"Why did you lie?"

Jordan held her arms out to the side. "Look at me. Can you picture me dressed as a woman? It's not pretty. Even without the vest most people think I am a man. I've just encouraged people to see me in the way that makes them most comfortable. That was my original intent when I began to wear the vest. It made my life seem easier not having to deal with the confusion and disgust my appearance prompted."

"Did you think we would care? Us?"

"No. Was I wrong? Does it bother you?"

Edie looked angry now. "It's the lie, Jordan. We trusted you and you didn't trust us. How are we supposed to feel about that?"

The man next to her shrugged. "Doesn't bother me none. Besides, Master Crisp was never in a position where trusting us was an issue. It's the Dungeon Master's job to protect us from ourselves when we are most likely to be untrustworthy. He's done a hell of a job."

"She," Edie hissed.

"He," the man stated calmly. "When he looks like a man, he's a man. When she looks like a woman, she's a woman. You know that. You're just pissed off because you were hot for a woman and you didn't know it. April Fool's, Miss I'm-strictly-straight."

A number of people started laughing as Edie's eyes widened. As they narrowed in anger, Edie stepped forward and grabbed Jordan between her legs.

Jordan smiled. Edie gaped stupidly. Sarah saw red. Jordan wasn't wearing anything in her boxers. Even if she had been, Sarah didn't want anyone touching her there. Grabbing Edie's wrist, she yanked the hand away and pushed.

"Don't," she warned as Edie stumbled back. "Don't you touch him. She's mine." She could hear how intense she sounded and it felt good. "She's mine."

Edie seemed to shrink in on herself. "You can have her."

"Your loss," Sarah snorted. She turned her back on the crowd and found a huge grin on Jordan's face. "Are you all right?"

"Gettin' better all the time, babe."

"Don't be smug," she warned quietly.

"No ma'am."

Jordan was going to be insufferable. Sarah could tell. She decided to escape before it got truly embarrassing. "I think you've got this under control. I'm going to fix the green room."

"I'll help you with that."

"You're busy here. Anything special you want moved up there?"

"Just use your best judgement. I trust you."

Sarah smiled as they shared a gentle kiss.

~***~

It was just after one when Jordan finally stumbled into the green bedroom. Sarah looked up from the textbook she was skimming. "Is it over?"

"Finally." Jordan kicked off her shoes and began unbuttoning her shirt. "I thought they'd never leave."

"You look tired."

"I am. You must be exhausted."

"Close." Sarah set her book on the night stand. "Was everyone okay when they left?"

"Yeah, for the most part. They'll work it out."

Sarah enjoyed the strip show on two levels. It was always erotic to watch all that soft, beautiful skin emerge. On the other hand, the casual way Jordan was tossing clothes and pocket detritus helped make the room look more realistic.

"I'm going to take a quick shower."

"Okay."

Sarah could see the shower from the bed and she relaxed with her hands behind her head to watch. Jordan-in-the-shower had to be on God's top ten list for best creations of all time. Jordan-brushing-her-teeth-wearing-only-a-towel-around-her-waist was on the list, too.

It wasn't long before Jordan slid into bed beside Sarah and possessively pulled her close. "If I had any energy left at all, I'd make love to you until you begged me to stop."

Sarah smiled and closed her eyes. "If I had enough energy left to have an orgasm, I'd let you."

"You rock."

"You roll."

Jordan abruptly sat up and turned on the bedside light. She looked around the room very carefully.

"What is it?" Sarah asked with concern.

"I didn't even realize I wasn't in my room."

Sarah chuckled and rearranged her pillow. "Good. I set the alarm for 7:45. Is that enough time to get ready for the reporter?"

"Yeah." Jordan shut off the light and curled around Sarah. "Thanks, little one."

"You're welcome, love."

~***~

Sarah wanted to stay to see how it went with the reporter, but Jordan insisted she go to school. She said that it was her responsibility and that she was going to spend most of the day on the phone explaining her gender to her non-player associates. Sarah understood, but she couldn't help feeling disappointed. It would have been great fun watching how Jordan handled the weasel in his quest for a story.

She stopped at a small, locally-owned coffee shop on her way to the University for an extra large cup of motivation. It was a beautiful morning. It had been getting steadily warmer for the last month and she enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her skin. She wished that she could spend hours just soaking it in.

Janet was in Sarah's first class of the day and Sarah found her friend waiting for her outside of the building. "Good morning."

"Hey," Janet grimaced. "Are you ready for the quiz?"

Sarah had forgotten, but she didn't really care. It wouldn't count towards her grade and the questions she missed, if any, would help focus her studying where she needed it most. "Probably not," she admitted. "I didn't study at all yesterday."

"You? Not study? Oh God, it's Armageddon! And look at my hair! I'm so not ready!"

They laughed together and Sarah explained. "We had a blood drive at the big house last night. Tons of people were there. I helped keep everything organized. The last people didn't leave until well after midnight."

"Did you give blood, too?"

"Yes."

"I wish I'd known. I would have done it, too."

Sarah grinned. "You just want to see inside the big house."

"Well, there is that."

Sarah bumped shoulders with her friend. "The next one is July first. If you're still here..."

"I'll be home by then," Janet interrupted. "I'll be working with my dad on my store."

"You can donate blood anywhere," Sarah informed her. "You can do it every three months. It doesn't take long and it doesn't hurt or anything. It feels kind of good to know that I'm helping people I've never met. Like being an invisible hero."

They separated for a moment to avoid a young man barreling down the steps and then moved back together. "Are you still dating that guy?" Sarah asked. "I can't remember his name."

Janet shrugged. "Matt. Yes, but it's not going anywhere. I really like him, but I think all we'll really be are friends. Besides, I'm moving in a couple of months. It wouldn't be fair to get serious and then ditch him. What about you and Jordan? How are things going?"

"Great. Actually, I guess I can tell you now."

"Tell me what?"

Sarah leaned a little closer. "Jordan is really a woman."

Janet threw her head back in a laugh. "Nice try, Sarah. April Fool's was yesterday."

Sarah gazed placidly into Janet's eyes as they walked and waited for her to accept it.

"No way."

"Way."

Janet's eyes got really big. "That...that...hunk...is a woman? Boobs and everything? Holy shit!"

Sarah tried to shush her. It wasn't a secret anymore, but it still wasn't something she wanted yelled out in a crowd.

"He's a woman?"

"Yes."

"A real one?"

Sarah just gave her a look.

"You know what I mean," Janet backpedaled. "It's just that he's such a freaking stud. You could put him on the cover of GQ. He's hot."

"I know, but Jordan is really a woman."

"Wow." Janet made an odd face. "Hey, since I thought she was so hot, does that make me a lesbian?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "As a matter of fact, it does."

"Gosh, and I didn't even know. Does Jordan have a sister?"

Sarah knew she was being teased by the waggle of dark eyebrows. It made her laugh. "Come on, you dork. We don't want to be late for class."

"Does Tamar know?"

"Not yet."

"Can I tell her? Please, please, please? Ya' gotta let me tell her."

Sarah couldn't see a reason to deny her. "Okay."

"Woohoo!"

"But, you have to tell her that you only found out first because I saw you first. Today was the first day I could tell anyone."

"How come?"

"Oh yeah. I didn't tell you about the reporter." Sarah turned into their classroom.

"What reporter?" Janet asked from the doorway.

"I'll tell you after class."

~***~

There was an amazing old oak tree covering the lawn outside the physical sciences building. Sarah would not have been at all surprised to learn that it was older than the University itself. The oak was a perfect place to spend time on a warm spring afternoon. Sarah was lying under its shade with Janet and Tamar.

Both of her friends were brimming with curiosity about Jordan and Sarah was enjoying the chance to talk about her favorite subject. Of course, there was much she did not tell them, but there were plenty of stories she could tell. The two young women were quite charmed by Jordan's Christmas Day ritual of leaving seeds out for the wildlife. They thought it peculiar how Jordan had thrown up in the Jaguar and then sold it to Sarah for a pittance. They laughed over Jordan's owie in her tussle with Pete.

"Who's Pete?" Tamar asked.

"Um...He's kind of a cross between a butler and an accounts manager for the house. He's the biggest guy I've ever seen, but he's really sweet. His wife is my friend, too. Her name is Amanda. You'd like her. She teaches kindergarten."

Janet leaned back on her hands, letting her long hair cascade down her back. "You go back and forth a lot between he and she when you talk about Jordan."

"She's both," Sarah said simply. "Sometimes she's a man and sometimes he's a woman."

"And you don't find that confusing?"

"No. I don't care what Jordan is. Man or woman, I love them the same."

"You might not feel that way if he really was a man."

"Why not?"

"Penis? Hello?"

Sarah wrapped her arms around her knees with a smile. "I was nervous about that for quite a while, but not any more." Both women gaped at her with their mouths hanging open and it made her laugh. "What can I say? I like intercourse. Don't you?"

"Sometimes," Tamar admitted with a shrug.

Janet peered around before answering. "I don't mind it, but I can't come that way."

"You just haven't met the right guy," Tamar said to Janet. "I've had good and bad. Mostly leaning towards bad, but the good ones are really good."

"How many men have you been with?" Janet asked.

"I'll tell you if you tell me."

Janet blushed. "Two."

"Eight."

Both of them turned to look at Sarah and she held her hands up in protest. "I made no promises."

"Come on," Janet pleaded.

"I'm guessing no men at all," Tamar speculated.

"Just Jordan," Sarah conceded.

"How many women?" Janet pressed.

Sarah's blush stung. "A lot."

"A lot like...what? Give it up, Sarah. You gotta tell us. That's what girlfriends are for. Right, Tamar?"

"Absofrickinlutely."

Sarah rubbed at her face with both hands. "I don't know, okay?"

"You don't know?" Janet looked scandalized, and loving every minute of it. "Are we talking more than ten?"

"Oh yeah," Sarah snorted.

"Twenty?"

She gave them an embarrassed thumbs-up to indicate a higher number.

"More?" Janet looked to be on the verge of swallowing her tongue.

It was a toss-up. Sarah was ashamed of her sexual history, but she also really wanted to tell them. She thought it was pretty likely that she was going to break down, so there really wasn't any point in fighting it. "Like I said, I'm not really sure, but maybe as many as...fifty."

Janet's eyes bugged out and Tamar made a prim face. "You slut."

Sarah knew she was being teased, but in that moment she understood completely why Jordan had chased Pete outside and made him eat dirt. Before she had time to think better of it, she was straddling Tamar and tickling her for all she was worth. She had never acted like this with anyone except Jordan, but Janet and Tamar were playing right back.

"What's next? Sex in the Student Union?"

Sarah flipped off of Tamar in a flash and looked up at the unwelcome speaker.

"Really," Lisa sneered haughtily, "I didn't expect the two of you to turn into lesbians so quickly."

Sarah glanced at her friends and saw anger.

"Fuck off," Tamar answered. "We were just playing around."

"Exactly my point."

"What's the matter, Lisa? Run out of kittens to torture?"

Lisa sniffed at the insult and looked down at Sarah. "What's the matter, Sarah? Jordan not enough man for you? Oh, wait...I nearly forgot. He's not a man."

It took a moment for one little fact to surface and Sarah stiffened. "That's right. He's not a man, but then, how did you know that?" She looked at her friends. "Did either of you...?"

They shook their heads in denial and Sarah believed them. She stood up and folded her arms to keep from strangling her ex-study-partner. "How did you find out?"

Lisa laughed. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Gee, I haven't heard anyone use that line since I was about ten. I guess it's too much to ask that you act like an adult." Sarah cocked her head to one side and thought about it. "Since we didn't tell you, it could only have been that slimy reporter."

Lisa frowned. "He's not slimy."

Sarah knew she had hit a nerve and decided to keep poking it and see what fell out. "If you had actually met him in person you would know that he is. He's the worst kind of reporter: the kind that will make up a story just to start shit and ruin innocent lives. He doesn't care if he hurts people and lies are his trademark. He's scum."

Sarah saw Lisa's hand coming in an open-handed slap and did nothing to stop it. The slap stung, but it didn't rock her back at all. She smiled. "Is that all you got?"

She let Lisa slap her again and then Tamar pushed her way between them, sending Lisa back several steps.

"You gonna slap me, too?" Tamar snarled.

Sarah put a hand on Tamar's shoulder. "Don't worry. If she does, it doesn't hurt."

"You know," Janet said as she slipped an arm around Sarah's waist, "if you had gone ahead and ripped her arm off before, she wouldn't have been able to hit you at all."

"True," Sarah said calmly. She cocked her head to one side. "You talked to that reporter and told him about Jordan and me. What I can't figure out is why he would listen to you whine and then act on it. Are you sleeping with him?"

"No!"

"Because, honestly, you'd be better off masturbating. He didn't look like he could get it up anyway."

"Shut up!" Lisa shrieked. "Shut up! Don't you talk about him like that! You don't know him!"

"Eww," Tamar grimaced. "She is sleeping with him."

Janet mimed sticking her finger down her throat and Sarah had to laugh. Yes, it was a tense situation and she had not yet committed herself to allowing Lisa to walk away unharmed, but her friends were backing her up like they had practiced it.

"I am not sleeping with him! He's my uncle, for god's sake! That would be disgusting! You guys don't know how sick Sarah is! They do S&M! She's a pervert! Ask her!"

"Of course she's a pervert," Tamar snorted. "She's a lesbian."

Sarah had experienced a moment of fear at Lisa's accusation, but Tamar's comment had dispelled it. She remembered reading once that the best lies were composed of truth. "She's right."

Janet gasped. "What?"

"Sure," Sarah added casually. "Jordan ties me up and beats me all the time. It's the only way I can get off. In fact, those little love pats have got me all hot and bothered, Lisa. Are you going to finish what you started?"

Lisa stiffened in anger and turned to flounce off. Tamar and Janet dissolved into giggles. Sarah just stood there.

It was her fault that Jordan was being outted. If she hadn't invited the girls out to her house, she and Lisa would never have had that confrontation. Lisa would not have felt slighted and would not have started her uncle on Jordan's trail. Even if Jordan was glad of all the changes, they should have been a choice and not a necessity.

Maybe it wasn't fair to blame herself. After all, Lisa was Lisa. She seemed to be the type of person who always had a good reason to be mean. Still, Sarah couldn't help feeling like the situation was at least partially her fault.

"I just can't figure out why she's always got to be such a bitch to Sarah," Janet said.

"She's jealous," Tamar announced. "She'll never be as pretty, as smart or as nice as Sarah and it pisses her off. I think she's used to being the princess."

Sarah blushed as she looked at her friends. "I'm not perfect, you know."

"Right," Tamar snorted in amusement. "And how, exactly, are you not perfect?"

"Well, like you said, I'm a slut."

"Did I say that? What I meant was...irresistible."

"I'm gullible."

"Trusting. It's a fine quality that so few people have nowadays."

Tamar looked smug and Janet was grinning ear to ear. Sarah folded her arms stubbornly, determined to win this. "I'm too reserved."

"Modesty is a virtue."

"I'm not spontaneous."

"You're reliable."

"Like a rock," Janet added.

"I'm emotionally naive."

"Innocence is a rare and beautiful thing."

Sarah frowned. She could see how this was going. No matter what she said, they would make it sound like a good thing. Still, she had to try. "I'm afraid of almost everything."

"In this day and age, to be cautious is to be wise."

"I'm socially retarded."

"But, we like that about you."

Sarah burst out laughing. "You guys are so full of shit."

"Wow," Janet breathed with wide eyes. "She's got x-ray vision, too."

"When I grow up," Tamar gushed, "I want to be just like you."

"Short?" Janet asked.

"Well, not that."

Sarah lifted her chin defiantly. "I'm not short. I'm compact."

Janet made a face. "No, you're just short."

Sarah ended up at the bottom of the pile, laughing hysterically as her friends found most of her tickle spots.

~***~

Jordan wasn't there when Sarah got home, but she found a note from her on the coffee table. It took her a few minutes to decipher the messy scrawl of Jordan's handwriting. Apparently, she had been called in to an unscheduled meeting in town and would be home as soon as possible. Sarah left the note on the table and decided to take a shower. Roughhousing on the grass had been fun, but left her a bit sweaty. Not to mention that she probably still had grass in her underwear from a handful Janet had managed to inflict on her.

Sarah's thoughts turned to Lisa's revelations as hot water massaged her scalp. She still wanted to strangle the selfish bitch. It was hard to understand what Lisa thought she had to gain from instigating trouble for Jordan and Sarah. She had a pretty good idea that Jordan wouldn't actually be angry with her over Lisa's vindictiveness, but Sarah was still dreading the telling.

After her shower, Sarah put on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, and sat down to do some homework. It was hard to concentrate, but she got quite a bit done over the next hour and a half.

Not knowing what time Jordan would be home made it difficult to decide on what to make for dinner. After several minutes of staring into her refrigerator, Sarah decided to go and see if Maggie was cooking.

The only one home next door was Marmalade. Sarah spent a few minutes scratching his head and then walked up to the big house. She had to smile when she found Maggie staring into the refrigerator much like she had been doing just a short time before.

"Hi, Maggie."

"Hello, dear."

Sarah stepped up next to her old friend and stared with her. "What are you doing?"

"Waiting for something to jump out and say 'cook me'."

"Yeah. I tried that at my house. Had about the same amount of luck with it, too."

"I thought about take-out, but nothing sounded good."

Sarah agreed. "Do you have any idea what time Jordan will be back?"

"He said he'd do his best to be back by eight, but he didn't sound very hopeful."

"We've got lots of time then. What's the oldest thing in there?"

Maggie leaned over to check. "Well, this chicken has about two days left and we should probably make a salad before something starts to rot. The milk is on the edge, too."

"Okay. Sounds like chicken and salad for dinner. I'm not sure what to do with the milk."

"How about fried chicken? We can make gravy with the trimmings and use up the milk."

Sarah rubbed her belly with a grin. "You're gonna make me fat."

"All of the most beautiful women have a few extra pounds, dear. It makes them look more feminine. Not that you have any trouble with that, mind you, but you could gain a bit and still look wonderful."

Sarah blushed. Compliments were still a weakness for her. She just didn't know how to accept them casually. "Well, thanks. What can I do to help?"

While gathering ingredients they discovered that they were low on potatoes, so Maggie set some rice to steaming. Sarah had never tried rice with gravy so it sounded a bit odd, but starch was starch. There was no reason in the world why rice couldn't have gravy on it. She would try it when it was ready. Maggie showed her how to cut apart a chicken and it was soon frying on the stove. They worked together on making the salad while Maggie filled her in on the reporter's morning visit.

To hear her tell it, Richard Westman had been surly, rude and unconvinced. He had questioned everything he saw, including the staff. His tour had taken place while the ballroom was being cleaned after the blood drive and he decided that it was an elaborate ruse to deceive him. No room went unchecked and he even insisted on examining the outbuildings. Except for Maggie and Sarah's cottages, he was given free rein on the estate, but he left as convinced of his story as when he had arrived. His attitude had so incensed Pete that Jordan had given him the rest of the day off.

The food was just about ready when they heard the front door slam. They glanced at each other just as they heard a heartfelt "Fuck!"

"Uh oh," Maggie said. "Sounds like it didn't go well."

The wise thing to do was probably to wait for Jordan to find them and tell them what was wrong. But Sarah couldn't do that. Just knowing that Jordan was upset made her stomach hurt and she wanted to fix it. Rinsing her hands and drying them on a towel, Sarah left the kitchen.

She found the tall woman at a bar in one of the sitting rooms, a shot glass in one hand and a bottle of amber liquid in the other. Sarah watched as one drink was knocked back and another was poured. She swallowed nervously before speaking. "What's wrong?"

Jordan drank the second shot and poured another. Setting the decanter roughly aside, she turned to face Sarah, anger blazing from her face. "They kicked me off the board."

"What?"

"Oh, they didn't say it like that. They unanimously agreed that I should resign. For the good of the community."

"Who?"

"The women's shelter," Jordan spat. Her long legs began to pace. "They are ever so grateful for all I've done, but they have an image to maintain. Having someone like me on the board will apparently make battered women think twice about getting help."

Sarah was stunned. "That's ridiculous."

"Fuck!"

Jordan's outburst nearly sent Sarah running for the door, but she made herself stand still. "They can't do that."

"Well, they did." Jordan lifted her glass and then lowered it. "I'm the one that bought the facility for them and got it started. You know what they did before that? They gave women a night or two at a motel...when they could afford it. I'm the one who made it possible for them to give women and children a place to stay until they could get on their feet. I'm the one who gave them the room to offer counseling, legal aid and job training. I'm the one who worked my ass off getting the staff together and the grants written. The only reason they exist is because of me. And how do they repay me? They fucking kick me off the board!"

All she could do was stand there. Sarah couldn't think of a thing to say. It just didn't make any sense. How could an organization dedicated to helping women turn on a woman like that? It's not like Jordan had committed a crime.

"Oh, and the frosting on the cake is that they hope I'll still be one of their contributors. They don't want me, but they'll take my money. Those bitches."

"They actually said that? That they want your money?"

"Yep. They sure did. Gotta give them credit for having ovaries."

"That's...That's bullshit, Jordan. It's just wrong."

"No kidding." Jordan drank the shot and set the glass down on a coffee table. Stuffing her hands into her pockets, she continued to pace angrily. "What really pisses me off is that I can't just stop giving them money."

"Why not?"

"It'll hurt the women who come to them for help. About fifteen percent of their donations come out of my pocket. If the shelter makes less money through donations, they'll cut services before anyone on the staff loses money. Most of the board is comprised of staff. If I continue to donate, the board goes on business as usual. If I stop donating, the women who need the shelter will suffer, but the board won't. I'm caught in a Catch-22."

"Is there any way you can donate only for specific things?"

"No. All donations go into a general fund. Everything is drawn from that fund." Jordan dropped into a chair and put her face in her hands. "I didn't expect this. I feel like I've been blindsided. I don't know what to do."

Sarah felt like her heart was breaking. She moved to stand before her lover and ran her hands through Jordan's short hair. "I'm sorry, sweetie."

Jordan reached out to pull Sarah into her arms and hugged her tightly. "Thanks, baby. It helps to have you near."

Sarah held Jordan's head beneath her breasts. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying. She had to tell Jordan about Lisa. Maybe the timing was bad, but she had to do it. "I have to tell you something, Jordan."

"Okay."

Sarah took a deep breath and slowly released it. "I saw Lisa today. It turns out that she is Richard Westman's niece."

Jordan's arms remained tight, but she pulled her head back. She looked to one side for a long moment and then sighed. "That fills in some blanks."

"I'm sorry, Jordan."

The tall woman looked up in concern, her eyes searching Sarah's face. "I'm not the only one who got blindsided today, am I ?"

Tears abruptly streamed down Sarah's face. Her throat tightened and speaking became very difficult. "I didn't know, Jordan. If I had, I never would have invited her over."

"Whoa," Jordan said softly. "Do you think this was your fault?"

Sarah wiped ineffectually at her tears, sobs leaking from her heart. "Not my fault, but I...facilitated..."

"No, baby, no. I don't think you did. Not at all. Come here."

Sarah ended up in Jordan's lap, curled up into her chest as she struggled not to weep.

"Listen to me, little one. I found out a few things today that make the picture a little clearer. First of all, the birth certificate you gave me yesterday was requested before we met. When they release a birth certificate it has to be dated and stamped by the county recorder to authenticate it. That date was last June. He was looking at me for a story almost a year ago. He's known that I'm a woman for a long time."

"What?"

"It's true, baby. I contacted my lawyers about it. There's going to be an investigation into exactly how he got it without my approval or assistance. I suspect that Mr. Weston is going to discover that he's been digging himself a hole while he's been investigating me."

Sarah began to feel some hope.

"I also learned that his editor won't let him print it unless he has a damn good reason. My gender isn't enough to justify the story."

"Good."

Jordan wiped away some of Sarah's tears and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Now that we know Lisa is his niece, a few more things become quite likely. Were you and Lisa at all friendly before she approached you about the study group?"

Sarah shook her head. "We knew each other in passing, but that was about it."

"It might be that Richard Westman put his niece up to getting close to you in the hope that something would shake loose."

It all started clicking into place. The unexpected invitation to start a study group. Lisa's casual, yet persistent, questions about her job and employer. The frequent requests for an invitation to the estate. Lisa's ridiculous attempt to seduce Jordan. It all made sense. "I'll kill her."

Jordan smiled. "She's not worth the effort, baby."

Sarah sat up and dried her eyes. "I beg to differ. She used me to stab you in the back. That bitch."

"Family is a powerful motivator. She may not have seen it as a bad thing to do at all. She was just doing a favor for her uncle. If, in fact, we have the right of it."

Sarah was as angry as she had ever felt. If Lisa had been within reach in that moment, she would not have been able to stop herself from striking out. Sarah had never hit anyone in anger, but she knew now that she was fully capable of doing it. "I'll still kill her."

"I'd rather you didn't. Just let it go, little one. She lost. They both did."

"Did they? The dungeon is closed. You got kicked off the board for the shelter. It doesn't have to get printed in the paper to hurt you. Am I supposed to just step back and let them get away with it? Shouldn't there be consequences for what they've done?"

"Maybe, but I don't want to be the one to carry out the punishment, and I don't want you to be the one either. We're better than that. It's okay to be angry about it, but let it stop there. Revenge will only bring unpleasant consequences down on our heads. Let karma handle it."

Sarah concentrated on relaxing. She was no less angry, but there was nothing she could do about it right then.

"Is this a hand print?"

Oops. Sarah had forgotten about that. It wasn't terribly visible, but she had known that Jordan was likely to see it. Jordan noticed everything. "Don't get mad."

Jordan's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Someone hit you?"

Sarah put her hands on Jordan's shoulders and prayed that Jordan didn't end up in prison. "It's okay, Jordan. I handled it. It doesn't hurt."

"I. Want. To. Know. Who. Hit. You."

Sarah licked dry lips and considered lying. She could feel Jordan's hands shaking in rage and decided that she didn't want that anger aimed at her. "It was Lisa."

Jordan's eyes closed and the sound of her teeth grinding was clear.

"She was being nasty and I was giving her a hard time. I was really pushing her buttons. Tamar and Janet stood up for me right away and got between us. It didn't hurt. Please, Jordan, don't do anything. I'm begging you."

Blue eyes opened and they glittered sharply. "No one hits you. No one."

Nervous at the rage being expressed on her behalf, Sarah slowly moved to embrace her lover. "I don't think I could handle it if you got arrested, Jordan. Let it go. I'm all right. I'll never let her that close again. It won't happen again."

Jordan's embrace was hard, yet still tender. A single sob escaped as Jordan buried her face in Sarah's neck. "No one hits you, baby. Never again."

"Never again," Sarah agreed. She held on tightly as Jordan began to rock them both. "I'm okay, love. I swear."

Jordan pulled back, tears on her cheeks, her hands framing Sarah's face gently. "You are so precious to me. You don't even know how necessary you are...how much I need you. I love you so much. It kills me that someone hit you. I can't have it, little one. I can't. Everything that hurts you is a knife to my heart. It twists me up inside something fierce. I love you. I love you. Everything I feel, everything I am, it's all for you. I love you."

Sarah's tears were back. She moved her hands to Jordan's face, tracing the lines and angles that defined everything that was beautiful and good in her world.

"After school," Jordan choked out, "wherever you go, whatever you choose to do, please, let me be part of it. Part of you. I'll go anywhere you want. Live anywhere you say. I'll do anything, Sarah. Please, don't leave me. Let me come with you."

Seeing Jordan so vulnerable in her need shifted something deep within Sarah. She smiled as she leaned in to softly kiss the full lips. "I want to stay here," she whispered. "With you."

Jordan gasped, fresh tears falling. "Are you sure?"

Sarah nodded, her arms winding around Jordan's neck. "But there's something I have to tell you first."

Jordan nodded, her eyes anxiously waiting.

After so many times of wanting to say it, the words came easily. "I love you."

Jordan melted into Sarah. She cried freely and Sarah held her tight. "I've always loved you, sweetheart. Always. I'm sorry it took so long for me to be able to say it. I love you."

"I knew," Jordan sobbed. "I knew."

"But you needed to hear it."

Jordan nodded, her sobs relaxing into sniffles.

Sarah felt more relaxed and at peace than she had ever felt before. She finally felt like a grown-up. She felt like she had just done something exactly right. "I love you."

Jordan chuckled softly. "I love you, too."

Sarah laughed with her. "I hope you don't get tired of hearing it. Now that I can say it, it's all I want to say."

Jordan looked up, a big smile splitting her face. "I'll never get tired of hearing it."

"Good. I love you."

"This was so worth waiting for, little one. Every minute of it was worth it. I just want you to know that."

Sarah leaned in to kiss the tears from Jordan's face. Chasing the salty tracks led her to her lover's mouth and the first taste led to a deeper joining. It was a perfect kiss: slow, warm, full and giving. Sarah could have lived in that kiss for the rest of her life and been completely happy.

A throat cleared behind them and they slowly separated to look. Maggie stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips.

"Should I keep dinner on the table or make you plates for later?"

Sarah blushed at being caught.

"She loves me," Jordan proudly announced.

"No shit, Sherlock."

Sarah giggled helplessly.

Jordan sighed. "You do understand the concept of employer and employee, right?"

"Understand this." Maggie showed her middle finger to Jordan. "Dinner's ready."

Jordan's mouth was hanging open as Maggie marched out of the room. "Did she just flip me off?"

Sarah was laughing so hard she could hardly breathe.

"She flipped me off. I can't believe it."

Sarah snorted and knew she had about ten seconds to get to a bathroom before she wet herself. She rolled off Jordan's lap and ran. Or tried to. She couldn't separate her knees. They were the only thing keeping her from wetting her pants.

She almost didn't make it to the bathroom. Letting her bladder go, she put her head down and let herself laugh. "Oh god. Oh god."

Jordan stepped into the half bath and sat on the edge of the sink. "I wish I had a picture of that."

Her ribs were starting to hurt. Sarah locked her hands over her head and tried to calm herself down. "Don't make me laugh."

Jordan chuckled and turned on the water in the sink. "What a day, huh?"

Sarah closed her eyes tightly and concentrated on breathing. If she just didn't think she might be okay. Every few seconds a laugh escaped, but she could feel it coming under control. After several minutes, she felt a little more stable. Sitting back, she took a deep breath. "Oh god. I don't think I've ever laughed that hard."

Jordan was washing her face. "You were adorable."

Sarah grinned. "I wish I had a picture of your face."

"Likewise," Jordan grinned back.

Sarah washed her hands and face with Jordan attached to her back like a limpet. "Are you hungry?"

"Yep."

Sarah dried her hands and smiled at the reflection of her lover in the mirror. "You are so beautiful."

"The eyes of my beholder are kind."

"I want pictures of us together. Like portraits."

"All right."

"With you in your tux."

Jordan waggled her eyebrows. "And you naked?"

Sarah lifted her chin and considered it. "Possibly."

Jordan got that shocked look again. "Really?"

"We can talk about it. After dinner."

"Come on then."

Sarah followed happily.

~***~

They lay together in Sarah's bed, just enough moonlight coming through the windows so that they could see each other. Sarah had assumed they would make love, but they had just talked about their relationship. Explaining how they felt and what they'd been thinking every step of the way. It was making Sarah feel so close to Jordan. In its own way, it was even more intimate than making love.

Jordan's hand was in the small of Sarah's back, whisper soft caresses making her feel boneless and serene. "You know what I've been wondering about?"

"What's that?"

"Remember at the Halloween party when we danced? And you took your gloves off?"

"You noticed that, eh?"

"Yeah. It struck me as kind of...odd. I mean, you didn't take them off with anyone else."

"I wanted to touch you."

"Oh."

"I felt guilty about that for weeks."

"Why?"

Jordan lazily shrugged one shoulder. "Well, I didn't have your permission."

"You did ask me to dance. I said yes, so that's kind of giving you permission."

"It's not that simple. I don't know if you noticed, but I always wore gloves in the dungeon."

"That was my next question," Sarah teased.

"Part of it was just the personae I wanted to project, but it was also because it created a barrier between me and the players. I had to touch them sometimes and it was a way of making it less personal. I took them off to dance with you because I wanted to get personal with you. I did not have your permission to do that."

It made sense. It seemed like beating a distinction to death, but it made sense. "You don't still feel guilty about that, do you?"

"No. I finally decided to cut myself a break. I didn't really do anything inappropriate. At least, I don't think I did."

"I never felt like you did."

"Good."

"Although, I started having these pesky dreams right after that. We danced every night for months in my dreams. It was kind of confusing at the time, but it was very nice."

"I remember you mentioning the dreams. It gave me hope."

"I'm glad."

"Me, too."

"By the way, now that the dungeon is closed, I'm out of a job. Should I quit or do you want to fire me?"

"Quitting looks better on your resume," Jordan said softly.

"True." Sarah was rubbing Jordan's back. There was a bump on one shoulder blade that she kept coming back to. "What is this?"

"What?"

"You've got something on your back." Sarah maneuvered herself under Jordan's arm and leaned over her long back. "This."

"Probably a zit."

"It's too hard." Sarah reached over to turn on a light, blinking at the brightness before concentrating on what she'd found. "I think it's a blackhead."

"Pick it out."

Sarah scratched at it with her fingernail. "It's in there pretty good. I don't want to hurt you."

Jordan stretched out on the bed with a satisfied sigh. "You won't hurt me."

Sarah went to work. "There is one thing I'm not sure how we should handle."

"What's that, baby?"

"Money. You have so much. There's no way I can pay my fair share. It bothers me."

"Why?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "What if our situations were reversed? Could you be at ease with me paying for everything?"

Jordan was quiet for a moment. "Okay, I see your point."

"How should we handle it? I want to feel like I'm contributing, but I've seen your expenses for this place. There's no way I could even afford to pay the power bill. Anything I could contribute wouldn't even be a drop in the bucket."

Jordan hummed thoughtfully. "You know, I used to know this couple. Their incomes were pretty even, but they did things differently. He paid for living expenses. She paid for entertainment. Maybe something like that could work for us."

"You pay the rent and I take us to the movies? Doesn't sound very equitable."

"Once you start working, you'll be able to afford a lot more than movies, babe. Besides, I like paying the bills. Makes me feel more dominant."

Sarah thought about it. "So I would pay for taking us out to dinner. Maybe vacations?"

"Yeah. Think about it."

It didn't sound like a bad idea. It wasn't equal, but equal was completely out of reach. They would have to find a way around equal to something that felt fair. "If we did that, would you feel like I was doing my share?"

"I already feel that way, little one. But, yes. I think it would work out just fine. It wouldn't just be movies and dinner, you know. It could be anything. If we decided to take up bike riding, you'd have to buy the bikes and helmets. If we went bird-watching, it would be binoculars. Maybe you could cover any hobbies we take up."

"Oh, I see. That makes more sense. We could take up all kinds of things."

"I think it would be fun."

Jordan's blackhead was being stubborn. "This doesn't want to come out."

"Dig harder. You aren't hurting me. In fact, it feels good. Now that you're working on it, I realize that it's been itching a lot. Don't stop until you get it."

Sarah applied herself to the problem with a vengeance. After several minutes it came out. "Yuk. It's huge. And it left a hole."

Jordan laughed. "It must be love."

"What?"

"You're digging blackheads out of my back. Not everyone would do that. It must be love."

Sarah saw the humor in it and leaned down to kiss Jordan's shoulder. "It is."

"Lucky me."

Now that she was looking, she found more. None of them were as big, but there was no sense in letting them grow. "Hold still, love. There's more."

"Have at 'em, baby."

~***~

It was peaceful inside Sarah's mind. It was one of the things she liked best about doing yoga in the morning. There were a lot of benefits in doing it, but the way it made her feel was the best. It was even better than coffee for waking her up and getting her head in the game. Not that she had any intention of giving up her morning coffee.

A rustle in the bed above her made her look up. Jordan's sleepy face smiled down at her. "Good morning," Sarah smiled.

"Morning," Jordan yawned.

"I haven't even started coffee yet."

"Don't want coffee." Jordan rubbed at an eye like a little kid. "We used to call those Chinese splits."

"That's what I call it, too."

"How long can you do that?"

"I don't know."

"Does it hurt?"

"It used to, but not now. I'm very comfortable."

Jordan looked over her shoulder and made a noise in her chest. "Do you think I could tie you like that? On your back?"

Passion tickled Sarah in a variety of places. "I should think so."

Jordan's grin was wicked and she rolled out of bed. "When you're done, go ahead and take a shower. I'll be back."

"Where are you going?"

Jordan was pulling on clothes very quickly. "I need rope."

Sarah had to laugh at Jordan's enthusiasm. The front door slammed and Sarah knew that she would not be able to finish her morning routine. She was too excited. Pushing herself off the floor, she went in to take a shower.

Knowing that they were going to make love, and that Jordan was going to tie her up, made her entire body much more sensitive. The feel of hot water stinging her skin made her gasp with pleasure. Her nipples and clit were already aching with need. It was tempting to give herself an orgasm. She knew that she would be ready for more after only a few minutes of Jordan's touch, but she decided to wait. Letting the feelings build until they were almost unbearable was one of her favorite things.

Jordan still wasn't back when she was done in the shower. Sarah dried herself off, brushed her teeth and picked up the hair dryer. Better to take care of it now than try fixing her hair in time to leave for school. It would look terrible if she allowed it to dry during love-making.

Sarah smiled. Jordan called it 'oh god hair' when the back was all frizzed up from rubbing on the pillow during sex. Sarah hadn't understood what Jordan meant the first time she said it. She still had to chuckle when she remembered Jordan putting her head back to demonstrate, shaking it side to side, her husky voice saying, "oh god, oh god".

The bathroom door opened and Jordan stepped in. Her eyes drank in Sarah's nude body as her clothes dropped away. "I'm going to rinse off. Don't go anywhere."

Sarah turned the hair dryer on Jordan with a grin, pleased at the shudder of arousal it caused. "If I run, will you chase me?"

Jordan smirked. "You won't run."

"We'll see."

Jordan was only in the shower for a minute or two. She dried off quickly and reached for her toothbrush. "Are you ready?"

Sarah's skin began to tingle. "Yes."

"Go sit on the end of the bed. I'll be right there."

Thrumming with anticipation, Sarah went into the bedroom. The top sheet and blankets had been pulled completely off the bed and were piled at the foot. It hadn't been that way when she'd gone into the shower, so she knew that Jordan had done it. Sitting down, she whispered, "Hurry."

There was a small duffel bag sitting on Sarah's dresser. Jordan went there first. She pulled out a number of leather and sheepskin cuffs. Sarah was glad to see them. Ropes would leave marks. The cuffs were very comfortable and left behind no traces. It would be far too warm later to have to wear long sleeves.

Jordan cuffed Sarah's ankles first and then reached for an arm. As she fastened the cuff on the delicate wrist, she asked, "Do you trust me?"

Sarah studied Jordan's face. She seemed tentative. Sarah took that to mean that Jordan wanted to do something different, but she wasn't sure how Sarah would feel about it. Sarah considered it. She knew beyond doubt that Jordan wouldn't hurt her. Knowing that gave her confidence. "I trust you. Do whatever you want, love."

The tall woman closed her eyes and pressed a long kiss into Sarah's palm. "Thank you."

When Sarah's other wrist was cuffed, Jordan leaned down to kiss her; at the same time, pushing her back on the bed. Sarah ran her fingers through Jordan's hair as their lips and tongues said good morning. She knew that she would soon be unable to touch her lover, so she took advantage of the ability while she could.

"Spread your legs for me, little one."

Sarah knew what was expected of her. She spread her legs straight out to the sides. They were not flat on the bed. There really weren't muscles that would do that for her. Pressure would have to be applied.

Jordan eased over to one side and gently pushed Sarah's ankle down beside the bed post. Picking up a short length of rope, she passed it through the ring on the cuff and secured it around the oak post. Trailing her hand along Sarah's leg and over her groin, she reached the other ankle. "Tell me if this hurts or if it's not going to work."

"Go ahead, I'm fine."

Jordan slowly applied downward pressure until the cuff was beside the bedpost. Tying it off, she looked into Sarah's eyes. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I might need you to pull my hips towards you just a bit."

Large hands grasped Sarah around the waist and pulled. "Better?"

"Much," Sarah moaned. "I'm so close. I feel like I might come."

"Me, too, baby."

Jordan took a longer stretch of rope from the duffel bag and went to the side of the bed. She tied one end of it to the cuff on Sarah's wrist. Tossing the rest of the rope under the bed, she went around to the other side and brought the rope up to secure Sarah's other arm. Returning to the foot of the bed, she looked Sarah over.

"You have no idea how sexy you look."

"Touch me?"

Hands fisted at her sides, Jordan dropped her head back with a groan and shuddered. It looked like she was having an orgasm. After several moments, she let out a shaky breath and calmed. Without a word, she began to move around the room. She dropped something on the bed that Sarah couldn't see and went into the bathroom. Jordan came out with a hand towel and shaving cream.

Sarah watched with some trepidation as Jordan sprayed some gel on her fingers and carefully applied it to Sarah's pubic hair. It was cold. Sarah had never shaved there before. She was perfectly willing to allow it, but she felt a bit surprised and uncertain that the time was now. Still, if Jordan wanted to do it, Sarah was going to let her.

Kneeling on the blankets, Jordan picked up what looked like a knife. Pulling the blade out, she revealed a straight razor. Placing one hand on Sarah's thigh, she held up the blade so Sarah could get a good look at it. "This is extremely dangerous. You must not move. Do you understand?"

Swallowing nervously, Sarah nodded.

"Do you still trust me?"

Sarah discovered that it was possible to feel completely safe and absolutely terrified at the same time. "Yes."

"Take a deep breath and relax, baby."

Sarah drew in a deep breath and let it out. She closed her eyes and concentrated on relaxing her body and mind.

Jordan began.

She had expected it to feel like the hair was being scraped off, but it didn't. She had expected it to be a slow and careful process, but it wasn't. The smooth, cold kisses of the blade were quick and decisive. It was very erotic. Especially the way her outer lips were pulled and stretched this way and that to accommodate the blade. Jordan's knuckles danced over her excited clitoris in the course of it and she had to restrain herself from trying to intensify the touches by moving.

Far sooner than expected, Jordan seemed to be done. Long fingers slid through the shaving cream residue, checking for stray hairs and stubble. Two brief touches of the blade were given and Jordan smiled. "Good girl."

Sarah lifted her head to see as Jordan collected everything and took it to the bathroom. Being bound prevented her from getting a good look, but she could tell that she was bare. It felt odd. She felt more naked than before.

Water ran briefly in the bathroom and Jordan came out with a wet washcloth. Kneeling before the bed again, she lay the hot towel over Sarah's groin. It felt really good and Sarah moaned involuntarily.

"How are your legs holding up?"

"Really good," Sarah answered in a whisper. She put her head back and closed her eyes as Jordan thoroughly cleaned her. She gasped as warm breath blew on her sex.

"I want you to tell me if this hurts or is uncomfortable."

Sarah nodded. And then she felt a kiss between her legs. Her eyes shot open. A hot tongue licked the newly shorn skin. Reflex made her want to say 'stop', but it felt unexpectedly good. She felt one of her outer lips sucked into Jordan's mouth and she shuddered at the sensation.

"Did that hurt?"

"No."

"Do you want me to stop?"

Sarah felt herself getting wetter and her clitoris jumped. "God, no."

Having her legs bound the way they were made it impossible to move. Sarah could not have escaped Jordan's mouth even if she wanted to. She lost track of time as Jordan licked, sucked and nibbled at her. It had never felt like this. It felt like her sex was swollen to twice its normal size and each moment it became more sensitive.

"I didn't know," she moaned. "I never...oh god, Jordan...don't stop. Please don't stop."

A soft tongue slipped between her lips in a long, slow lick. Sarah cried out in delight. "Oh god...more..."

It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. It was warm and intimate. It was more intense than anything they had ever done. The past melted away and there was just now. Sarah felt like a piece of chocolate melting in the passion of Jordan's mouth. She was dissolving from the inside out. Jordan was swallowing her whole. Her sense of self was collapsing in on itself and Sarah became nothing more than sensation.

She was aware when long fingers entered her, but it was not a feeling separate from all the others. The pressure inside her heart and belly grew impossibly large and she gasped for air.

A gentle suck and a flick of tongue on her clit threw her into an eternity of ecstacy. Sarah forgot herself for a time in the bliss of it. She was only marginally aware of her bonds being released and being gathered in Jordan's loving embrace.

Sarah moved to tears in the space of a heartbeat. She cried for a long time within her lover's arms, their bodies rocking on the bed. Jordan hummed a little song over and over. Sarah felt empty and cleansed and so tired.

The smell of coffee woke her only moments later. Sarah took a deep breath and blinked her eyes open. Jordan sat next to her, fully dressed, a beautiful smile on her face. "Hey."

"Hey," Jordan said softly. "I let you sleep as long as I could."

Sarah frowned. "School."

"I know, baby. I've got your clothes ready and had Cirenio bring the car over. I'll even drive you, so you don't have to wake up completely for a while yet."

Sarah curled around Jordan's hips. "I don't want to go."

"I know, baby. But if you don't, you'll be angry with yourself later. I'll come with you, okay?"

Sarah knew she was right, but she pouted anyway. She let Jordan dress her with a minimum of fuss and almost laughed when Jordan carried her out to the car. The coffee helped her to feel a bit more awake. Jordan drove efficiently, a hand on Sarah's thigh when it wasn't otherwise engaged.

"Jordan?"

"Yes?"

"Is it like that for you? So intense?"

"Every time."

"I didn't know."

"Now you do."

Sarah put a hand on Jordan's arm as she down-shifted. "You're good at that, you know."

"I'm glad you think so. Thank you for allowing me to do it. It was amazing. You taste so good and you're so responsive. I hoped it would be good for you, but I just wasn't sure."

"It was better than good, Jordan. If I had known it would be like that, I would have begged you to do it sooner."

"I have a theory."

"About what?"

"Why it was good for you this time and not before."

"I think it's because you're good at it," Sarah smiled.

Jordan smiled right back. "As much as I would like to take all the credit, I think it's more."

"Let's hear your theory."

"This was the first time you did it with someone you love. Someone you feel safe with. I think love and trust are critical for oral pleasuring."

Sarah considered it thoroughly. "I think you're right, but I think being tied up was a contributing factor, too."

"Why?"

Sarah yawned as she laid her head back. "Remember the first time we made love in the dungeon? You asked me what I loved about being bound and I said I'd have to think about it."

"I remember."

"Well, I've been thinking about it. I'm not sure I fully understand it, but I'm pretty clear about two parts of it that excite me. The first is that it touches on my survival instincts. I know I'm safe with you, but being tied up seems to trigger an involuntary primal reaction in me. It's scary to be that vulnerable. But knowing that I'm safe changes that fear into arousal. I don't know how or why, but that seems to be what I feel."

"Okay. What's the second part?"

Sarah stared at her lover while she searched for the words. "I'm not sure how to express it, but it's all about feeling like I don't have a choice. Or maybe control is the word I'm searching for. I'm not sure. When you tie me up, it feels like I'm completely helpless. Like everything that happens is inevitable and there is nothing I can do to stop it. I don't even feel like my body belongs to me. It belongs to you and everything I do and feel is something you take from me. I'm not responsible for any of it."

Jordan glanced over at Sarah. "And you enjoy that?"

"God, yes!"

A smile flickered briefly across Jordan's lips. "You should know that what you're saying isn't something I understand in my gut."

Sarah reached out and put a hand on Jordan's thigh. "That's why I'm trying to explain it to you. Not so much so you will understand, but so you will accept that it's something I need. The way you were this morning...you didn't ask. You just did it. That's part of what I found so exciting about it. There was no coddling or explaining first. You did what you wanted to do. You took all of the responsibility and I was free to experience what you made me feel. I love that."

"I'll have to take your word for it."

"Jordan, if I had my way, I'd be bound by you, one way or another, all the time."

"Really?"

Sarah smiled at the shock on Jordan's face. "Try me."

Jordan glanced at Sarah again, but this time her smile was positively wicked.

"I think I've unleashed a monster," Sarah giggled.

"I have so many ideas right now."

"Good." Sarah took a sip of her coffee and closed her eyes. "I can still feel your mouth on me."

"I can still taste you," Jordan said in a husky whisper.

"I want you to do it again."

"I will, baby. You can count on it."

~***~

Jordan was in the hallway when Sarah's first class ended. She was standing against a wall, her hands buried in her pockets, and Sarah wanted to throw her down on the floor and make love to her. She walked straight up to her lover and stretched up on her toes to kiss her. "Hey. How long have you been waiting?"

"All my life," Jordan said with dreamy eyes.

Touched by the sentiment, Sarah laid her head under Jordan's chin. "Me, too."

Jordan's arms circled Sarah for a warm embrace. "Don't you have about an hour free right now?"

"Yes."

"You need something more than coffee. I'll buy you breakfast. Where's the nearest place to get something to eat?"

Securing her backpack over one shoulder, Sarah took Jordan's hand and led her to the caf� in the Student Union. Most of what they served was pastries and bagels, but Sarah didn't have a lot of time. She ordered a carton of orange juice and a toasted bagel topped with cream cheese and walnuts. Jordan chose a brownie, two chocolate chip cookies and a large coffee.

They took their food to a table by the windows and sat down. They couldn't seem to stop smiling at each other. It felt to Sarah that she was falling in love with Jordan all over again. "I can't believe you waited outside my class."

"I hope you don't mind. I just didn't want to be away from you today."

"I didn't want to be away from you either. God, I love you."

Jordan beamed. "Eat. I don't want to be worrying about you."

Sarah dug into her food. She had a mouthful when Jordan began to speak.

"Have you thought anymore about the money situation? You know, I pay for bills and you pay for fun?"

Sarah struggled to swallow and ended up talking around her food. "Haven't had much time to."

"True. But is it something you think you might be willing to try? Maybe on a trial basis? Say...six months?"

It sounded perfectly reasonable. If it wasn't working they could always talk it out and come up with something else. She nodded.

"Good. I want to get you a cell phone."

Sarah raised her eyebrows.

"If I'm paying for the bills," Jordan went on, "one of them is going to be the phone bill. Seems like I should be able to pay for whatever type of phone service I want. I can get you a cell phone and add you to my plan for almost nothing. Are you going to argue with me about it?"

Sarah almost choked as she started to laugh. Jordan was asking and not asking all in the same sentence. It was too funny to start a fight over it and Jordan was right. If she was paying for phone service, she should be able to pay for what she wanted. If she wanted Sarah to have a cell phone, then Sarah would accept it. "I don't feel like arguing today."

"Good. I'll go out and pick one up while you're in your next class."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Sarah watched Jordan take a big bite of her cookie. "I want to trade the Jaguar for a Toyota Prius."

Jordan's eyes widened. "Why?"

"Gas mileage mostly. The Jag is a great car, but at best, it gets yardage. Also, it's not very practical for every day driving. There isn't much room in it. Don't get me wrong, I love that car, but I think a Prius is more my style. If you like, you can buy it back for the thousand I paid you. I've got enough money to buy myself a car without using the Jag as a trade-in."

Jordan took a drink of her coffee as she thought about it. "No, I think you should use it as a trade. It's your car. I've been wanting to look into the Prius myself. It might be a good choice for Maggie. Her Taurus is getting old. Do you mind if I come with you?"

Sarah's relief was great. "I was hoping you'd come. You've got a lot more experience at buying cars than I do. I was worried about getting taken."

"We can go after school."

"Thanks."

~***~

As it turned out, the Jaguar was worth considerably more than Sarah had realized. Cirenio's detailed records of maintenance on the Jaguar and its low mileage meant that it was worth more than blue book. Sarah was able to get a fully loaded Prius. It had leather seats, satellite radio, emergency and first aid kits, cargo net, air bags and all weather floor mats. It was a blue pearl in color and Sarah loved it.

She also received a check for $9,000 to cover the difference in values. She knew that she would not have received such a large amount had Jordan not been there. The salesman kept calling Sarah 'little lady' and only began to negotiate in earnest when Jordan took over. Sarah tried to give the check to Jordan, but Jordan refused it. Sarah decided she would open a checking account with it to start their entertainment fund.

Jordan was impressed with the car. It offended her sense of style, but the economy of it was overwhelming. She promised that she would have Maggie there as soon as it was practical to have a look at one.

Sarah was signing papers to relinquish the Jaguar and take possession of the new Prius when she felt a prickly feeling crawl up her spine. She tried to shrug it off, but it persisted. There was no reason for it. Jordan was out on the showroom floor and Sarah turned to look for her. She saw the tall woman with a newspaper in hand, her body stiff and her color pale.

"Is something wrong?" the salesman asked.

"I don't know," Sarah replied absently. Setting the pen aside, she went out to Jordan and put a hand on her back. "What is it?"

"The bastard did it," Jordan said in a quiet, yet harsh tone. "He outted me."

"I thought his editor wouldn't let him without good reason."

"He tied it in with the shelter kicking me off the board."

Sarah took the paper and read the article. She was not surprised that Westman slanted the entire story in favor of the shelter's board of directors. He made it sound like everything Jordan had done for battered women in their community was suspect because of her hidden gender. It was disgusting and there was nothing she could do to make it better for Jordan.

"I'm sorry, love."

Jordan's shoulders were slumped. "I knew he'd find a way. At least he left you out of it."

"I almost wish he hadn't."

"Don't wish that, baby. You've got enough on your shoulders right now. I knew this was coming. I'll handle it."

Sarah could see that Jordan was putting up a brave front, but she knew that her lover was hurting. "We'll handle it, love. You're not alone in this. No matter what the newspaper prints, I know the truth. You are all that is good and honorable. This," she shook the paper roughly, "is trash. I know it and you know it. So does everyone who knows you."

Jordan smiled weakly. "Thanks, babe. Go ahead and finish up with your car. You can drive us home."

Home sounded like a good idea. There was nothing Sarah could do for Jordan in the middle of a car dealership.

Continued...