“So do you.” My returned compliment was genuine. She looked fantastic in a black mini-dress-her legs went on forever!

"You alone?" Her smile was suggestive as we parted, still standing close and practically blocking the stairway. People squeezed by us, both coming up and going down.

I shook my head. "I'm here with my friend Lil."

She looked disappointed and, for a minute, I was, too. I wondered if she was remembering the night we spent in her posh Manhattan apartment. I'd been pretty drunk-Lil's Alec had bought drinks for us all night long in hopes that she would go home with him and I had taken full advantage of his generosity. He'd taken advantage of Lil later, she said, so I guess it was a win-win for everyone that night. I couldn't help remembering what it felt like to kiss Catherine, how full and sweet her lips were, and thinking about kissing her reminded me of the taste of her pussy, completely shaved below with a fine landing strip of red hair at the top to prove, she said, that she was a real redhead.

"Listen, I have to pee." I smiled apologetically, remembering Lil waiting for me at the bar.

"I'll go with you."

And that's how we ended up downstairs in the bathroom, which looked like the Starship Enterprise and made me feel like I was peeing in outer space. It was crowded, as usual, as we pushed our way to the sinks to wash our hands. Catherine touched up her make-up, blinking fast to dry her mascara. Her eyes were big and blue, gorgeous, probably contacts-they were too bright not to be. But she was stunning.

"If you keep looking at me like that, I'm going to be forced to take you home with me again." She didn't look away from the mirror as she said the words, but her smile was slow and mischievous.