It was sad, really it was. But Courtney couldn’t stop from giggling her anticipation of the night ahead as she dropped down on the apartment couch and pulled on a pair of heeled black slingbacks. She’d thought Blaine wasn’t interested in sleeping with her for real, after he’d gotten so sedate following her choking session. But he did want to sleep with her for real.

      More precisely, he wanted to have her for dessert.

      She shivered with excitement just thinking about spreading whipped cream on his meat-flavored banana and then licking it back off.

      Perched on the arm of the couch, wearing her typical summertime evening gear of gray cotton shorts and a white, midriff-skimming T-shirt, Gail pointed out, “You’re incredibly giddy for someone not going on a date.”

      A few months ago, Courtney would have been dressed much the same and be gearing up for yet another routine night at home, watching movies with Gail. Now she was dressed to get laid and, yeah, giddy as heck about it.

      She really didn’t think that Gail needed to follow in her sex-diva footsteps, but she wished her friend would at least go on one date this year. Since she’d broached the subject numerous times and Gail seemed less impressed each one, Courtney didn’t bother to bring it up. “Did I tell you I got a present from a secret admirer today?”

      “No.”

      “Yep. A fifty-dollar box of chocolates I almost choked to death on.”

      “You mean over the cost?”

      Courtney shook her head gently, careful not to relax the curl she’d spent a good half hour styling into her normally stick-straight hair. “They’re filled with some kind of imported liquor. Nasty stuff. I bit into one and ended up gagging and swallowing a big chunk of chocolate. Or I should say not swallowing, since it lodged in my throat.”

      Gail stiffened. The color rushed from her face. “Oh my God! You could have died, Courtney!”

      Oh my God, was right. What a dummy. After her roommate’s admission a few weeks back that she was concerned for Courtney’s safety, the last thing she should have done was brought up the choking incident.

      Purposefully reverting to giddiness, she sent Gail a teasing smile. “There was no chance of dying. Super Blaine had just returned to the office and, as soon as he realized I was in trouble, he swooped in and saved the day. This nondate is my way of saying thank you for performing the Heimlich.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “If I’m lucky, I’ll get to add a ‘thanks for performing the hind lick’ to that before the night’s over.”

      As Courtney could have predicted, Gail didn’t laugh. She did relax though, and the color returned to her face. “Don’t you find it strange Blaine returned to the office right when you got the chocolates and then he was there to save you from choking on one of them?”

      “You’re getting worried about me again, aren’t you?”

      “How can I not be? The last day and a half you said he wasn’t around the office. And yet there he suddenly is, right when you need him.”

      “It was coincidence. Pure and simple. He’s not even close to the type to take the covert approach to gift giving. I just wish I knew who is the type.” She’d considered candidates all afternoon. The only guy to show more than a passing interest in her was Craig Dooley, the beefcake who’d let her videotape their sexcapades a few weeks back, and then asked for a copy of the tape. He’d supplied her with his name and address so she could send him that copy. Courtney had sent the tape anonymously ensuring he would have no way of knowing her name, let alone where she worked.

      Ironically, she had run into Craig last week at a nightclub. Even flirted with him a bit, but she hadn’t left with him, and she also hadn’t dished on any personal information.

      “Whoever my admirer is, he didn’t taint the candy in some way that would make me choke.” Or make her tongue feel like ten pounds of cotton. Thank God, that icky sensation had finally passed.

      “I hope not.”

      Courtney sighed at the doubt in her friend’s voice. “Seriously, Gail, I love you, but you’re starting to sound too much like my mother.” Pasting on an innocent smile, she asked the question she’d earlier avoided. “What do you say I set you up with one of the good-looking, single guys from the office?”

      The doubt in Gail’s voice flowed over into her eyes. “You worked at Pinnacle for two years and never mentioned a good-looking, single guy until after your transformation. That pretty much tells me they aren’t the type who went for the natural version of you and so they won’t go for me.”

      “You mean the average version of me. I’m still natural.” Courtney eyed her breasts. They weren’t huge by any means, but water bras and underwire had a way of creating remarkable illusions. So far no man had complained about the variance in what she put on display and what she really had.

      Hopefully, Blaine wouldn’t be the first.

      Tonight wasn’t a date and they probably wouldn’t sleep together again after sharing dessert. Still, between having the hots for him from the day they’d met and being aware of all the stunning arm candy that had traipsed through his life the last couple years, she wanted to make as positive and lasting of an impression as possible.

      Courtney momentarily forgot about Blaine and the promising night that lay ahead with the realization Gail hadn’t said no to her date suggestion. With an encouraging smile, she pushed onward. “For all I know plenty of guys were attracted to me before. I was just too afraid of being rejected to find out. I know you too well to think you’d fear rejection.”

      Gail considered a few seconds, and then stunned Courtney by nodding. “All right. Next weekend you can set me up. I already agreed to watch Jessica’s kids this weekend so she and Matt can have some grown-up time.”

      “See, even after nine years of marriage, your sister and brother-in-law appreciate the value of a good sex life.”

      Gail actually laughed at that, shocking Courtney for a second time. Then she stood from the arm of the sofa and turned serious again. “They also appreciate a good security system. I talked to Eddy today about having an electronic system installed here and he said to go ahead.”

      Courtney frowned, well aware Gail had talked to the super first so that the old guy would get excited about the investment and expect it to happen. In other words, so that Courtney wouldn’t veto the idea. “Why are you suddenly so freaked out about our safety?”

      “I’ve run out of comedies to watch while you’re out getting your man fix every other night of the week, so I’ve taken up watching horror movies,” Gail joked. When Courtney didn’t crack so much as a smile, she soberly added, “I don’t know, Court. Maybe it’s just how much this part of the city has grown the last few years. Whatever the reason, I’ll feel much better once the new system’s in place.”

      “Okay. Go ahead and get one put in.” If the system relaxed Gail enough to make her stop jumping to unlikely conclusions that all involved Courtney’s safety, it would be a worthwhile investment. “I’ll even foot half the bill. But just remember whose idea it was when I have to wake your butt up at three in the morning because I forgot the code and can’t get in.”

      “I’d