Carol was finishing up with a client at New Life Salon when she heard the doorbell jingle. “I might have time for a quick cut before closing, otherwise just leave your name and number and I’ll get in touch as soon as I’m done here. The other stylists have already left for the day.”

  “I’ll wait; I know the owner,” she heard Malcolm call back, and she let out a light ugh, then returned her attention to the woman in the chair in front of her.

  About ten minutes ter, she escorted her client back to the front of the salon and rang her up. Malcolm gave a low whistle.

  “Carol, if I were not already juggling two women I would be asking your younger sister there for a date.”

  The older woman smiled at him and said, “oh you are silly!” then turned back to Carol and very quietly said “you should keep him around to flirt with all the dies, it might do wonders for your tips,” as she did, indeed, offer a generous tip. As she left the salon, she passed by Malcolm and patted his rear. He wasn’t sure but thought he heard her say “nice and firm. If I were twenty years younger you would forget the other two” before the door closed.

  “I’ll need a few minutes to lock up. But pretty sure you didn’t come here just to flirt with my clients?”

  “David made contact!” he excimed.

  Seeing her bnk look, he considered for a second, then said, “ah, bst; you weren’t with us for most of the day!”

  He then summarized the events of the day since breakfast: first about how Dave and Sandra went with him to work where they met a financier who might be the evil wizard Sandra was hunting in disguise, how his hybrid software and hardware patch might have saved the company, and how they then discovered the dead body of Dave’s old friend Mike. He paused for a moment to go and grab a drink from the refrigerator in the back of the salon before continuing and going into detail about the fight with the undead thing that had once been Mike’s housekeeper and girlfriend, and then wrapped up with how David and Sandra had just vanished.

  Interrupting his narrative for the first time since he started, Carol interjected: “that sounds like he opened a Prismatic Gate in Dungeoneers.”

  “Yeah, about that, after I was done talking to the police, I went home and David showed up, sort of. He was using some sort of Astral Projection effect and said he’s literally on the world of the game’s default setting. Sandra comes from the Dungeoneer’s world, Pyrroth, and that is where they went, together!”

  “But that’s… well, OK not much crazier than anything else that happened this week, but still…”

  “One of the things he wanted me to do, if I could, was to find out if any of the guys who created the game are still around.”

  “Oh! Because maybe they were actually there somehow or something like that? Nice. I know one of them, Luke Garrison, died about four years ago but can look into the others on the initial design team. Where are you going?”

  Malcolm had just gnced at a clock and was heading for the door. “Sorry, just saw the time. I have ten minutes to meet Lorraine over at Saborini’s on the other side of the mall. Talk to you again, as soon as I can.”

  “Sure. Have fun. I need to see if I can somehow loop Liz in on this without looking like a complete lunatic.”

  “Good luck with that,” he called back, waving.

  Malcolm arrived at the restaurant right on time and didn’t see Lorraine outside, so went in. She was not in the waiting area, so he headed to the greeter’s desk. He was almost there when he heard the door open behind him and turned to look, and felt his heart skip a beat - one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen strode into the restaurant. Long golden waves of hair cascaded down around a face of almost supernatural beauty, and a red sheath dress hugged the curves of a body that could probably start fires just by passing within ten feet of combustible materials. It took her twelve measured steps to make it to where he was, and on the eighth, he suddenly recognized her, just as the greeter did and both excimed “Lorraine!”

  The greeter continued with: “Your table is ready, please follow me.”

  “Hi Malcolm,” she said, and smiled.

  “You look amazing,” he managed, before falling into pce beside her. A server already stood beside the table, so the hostess left them. Malcolm pulled out a chair for Lorraine to sit down on and she sweetly thanked him as she did so. As he took his seat opposite her, the server asked if they wanted any drinks. They both pced requests and she nodded, setting down menus before leaving the table.

  “I never thought I would meet a woman more beautiful than the one my roommate, David is seeing, let alone be having dinner with one,” Malcolm gushed. “I thought you were pretty as a brunette back in high school, but you were born to be a blonde. You should be a model or something!”

  “I am,” she replied smiling. “When I’m not away on assignment, I help my brother out at his restaurant, as he is badly understaffed. Today was one of those days.”

  Her sparkling eyes met his, as he said: “Well, of all the days you could’ve been there I am gd today was one.”

  She smiled. “Me too. You know, back when we were fifteen, you did not take advantage of me. Nobody has ever taken advantage of me,” she informed him bluntly.

  “I was not yet fifteen, my birthday was the next weekend,” he replied. “But what do you mean?”

  “I wanted what happened to happen. And I thought you did too, and were ready for it or I would have talked to you about it first. Malcolm, I seduced you. Granted, you were only fourteen and a boy, so it didn’t take much effort - ah, our drinks are here.”

  They each accepted their drinks and informed the server that they were ready to order. She took down their orders while Malcolm’s mind raced. For nine years he had bmed himself for taking advantage of his friend Lorraine and then having her move away before he could work up the nerve to apologize, only to find out she had pnned the whole thing. He was a little hurt, a little fttered, and at least a little proud of her.

  As soon as the server left, she reached across the table and took his hand. “I’ve waited almost a decade for a chance to admit that. We were so clumsy, awkward then. It was a little painful even.”

  He ughed nervously. “We were both inexperienced. I'd never gone beyond kissing a girl before.”

  “I had kissed boys and girls, and had decided you would be the first one I went farther with,” she admitted.

  His pants felt uncomfortably tight as she continued talking, “And I’ve been hoping, for all these years, for a chance to see if we could get it right.”

  Malcolm was sure his heart stopped as she held both his gaze and his hand. Then she pulled her hand back and smiled shyly at him. “Assuming you have had opportunities to grow since then, that is - ah, and I believe our food is here.”

  They ate in near silence, with occasional gnces across the table. Whenever one caught the other looking, they would exchange little smiles and then return to their food.

  As they were both almost done, Lorraine suddenly said: “I don’t think I am in the mood for any of the desserts they serve here,” and fshed him a grin that suggested quite a lot more than she said.

  “I had kind of thought we could go see a movie after this, but somehow that doesn’t seem to be in the cards,” he replied.

  Her voice lowered a little, as she replied: “only if you have some good pornos back at your pce.”

  It was a few seconds before he could reply, and when he did, he was a little embarrassed by what came out of his mouth: “I might. And my roommate is out. But why my pce?”

  She looked away, shoveled the st of her food onto her fork, and as she lifted it to her lips, said: “Because, even though my boyfriend is not due back from his conference until tomorrow afternoon, he has an annoying habit of coming home early.”

  Malcolm felt like the floor had been pulled out from under him and taken his chair with it. It felt like an hour passed before he could reply, though it really was only a few seconds. “You live with your boyfriend?”

  “Yes. But only because he refuses to get an engagement ring. So, until he does so, I consider myself a free agent when he’s not around,” Malcolm realized that she was just getting her card back from having paid the bill. He was a little too numb to react. “So, are we going to your pce now?”

  He wanted to say no. His mind screamed to say no

  But he looked across the table at that flowing golden hair, those sparkling eyes, those full, inviting lips. His eyes wandered down to the full cleavage that her tight red dress enhanced marvelously, and was not at all surprised to hear his voice say “Yes!”

  Two hours ter, Lorraine wrapped her arms around Malcolm and said: “you have definitely learned a lot since st time.”

  He ughed and stroked her hair gently as she y partly on top of him. “That was worth the many years wait,” and kissed her. She returned the kiss with a passion that surprised him. He started to reach for her when she turned away and slid out of bed, taking the covers with her and leaving him naked and exposed. At the door to his room, she turned back and cast her gaze over the man ying there. “You may think you had the better view tonight,” she said, “but from where I am standing, right now, I think I do. Yum.”

  He ughed, and then saw her begin following the trail of clothing from the front door to his bedroom. Sadly, he knew he was going to have to repce that shirt, but it had been well worth it. With a little more regret, he realized the same was true of the table that had stood beside the couch, where most of their clothing also ended up. Only his socks and shoes had made it to the bedroom. At the couch she had gathered her clothes and dropped the sheet.

  She smiled back at him as he admired one st view of her uncd form, then watched as she, very dramatically yet quickly, put her clothing back on. She was almost done before either of them said another word. “Oh, I am sorry about that shirt,” she suddenly said. “And can you help me with this zipper?”

  “The shirt is no problem; that was more than worth the cost of repcement,” he said crossing the room.

  She giggled, as she felt his hands grab the ends of her dress, start as if to pull it apart, and then drag the ends together. “I am a little more worried about that table,” he said as the zipper moved slowly up her back. As the zipper slid into the st spot, she shook her head, sending her hair cascading around and over his bare arms. It felt like silken fire, and he spun her around for a kiss. She eagerly accepted it then pushed away. “I really need to head out, Malcolm.”

  “One second,” he said, trying to not sound too disappointed. He grabbed a business card off his desk, wrote something on the back, and said: “until one of us gets engaged to someone, call this number any time you want this again. Or if you need some IT work. But if you do get that ring, destroy it. Well, unless you need some IT work.”

  “Do you do websites?” She asked, taking the card.

  He ughed. “That is more David’s thing - he is my roommate.”

  “Well, I might have Reynaldo give one of you a call. His web site needs an overhaul.”

  “Cool. Wait: Reynaldo Saborini? We were eating in your boyfriend’s restaurant?”

  She ughed. “You’re not the first date I have taken there when he was out of town. Though you might be the first one I call again, for any reason. Goodbye Malcolm,” she said, and with that, she was gone. He sighed, grabbed the bnkets, saw that he had three more hours before he had to get ready for work and went back to bed.